In his passionate proclamation Dan Gilbert promised to bring a championship to Cleveland before Lebron get one.  David Stern could not be happy with his methodology and total disregard for "NBA-norm". Expressing the frustration on a passionate fan-base that lose one of the brightest stars, has endeared him to fans.  As things calm down, the organization start picking up the pieces and move on they will recognize that the volcanic outburst was the first step in the healing process.

Ready or not, the NBA is not stopping for Cleveland so the question is what to do now? There are various opinions including those diehart fans that believe that the team as currently constructed has some foundations pieces in place to be a competitive team. On the other extreme there are people who feel the roster needs a complete makeover (I am in that camp). Whether to try to win now or focus on the future is Dan Gilbert "decision".

Certainly logical arguments can be made for both sides. Just look at the worst case scenarios - blowing up the team does not guarantee lottery success as the team could end up picking the next Sam Bowie/Adam Morrison(for the kiddies).  Even the most optimist fan should concede that the Cavs is a borderline playoff team at best and the team could end up in the late lottery purgatory for years to come.

The responsible thing for Dan Gilbert to do would be torch the team to the ground and build the franchise anew. Even if it is three years from now this team will eventually have to rebuild as the best players are getting long in the tooth <career wise> and contracts end in the next few years(Jamison's contract expires in two years and Mo Williams & Ramon Sessions contracts end in 3 years). Not only will the team need to find new talent immediately for on the court success, there are tremendous economic advantages to rebuilding now.

Cleveland will always be the territory of the Browns, but during the "Lebron Era" the Cavs proved to be a viable/lucrative second fiddle. It is doubtful that the Cleveland Metro (both fans and businesses) can support all three teams playing at Championship level. The 455 sellouts of Jacobs field cannot be dismissed, being relegated to third tier is a real possibility.

Both the Browns and the Indians are in full blown rebuild mode right now. It is way too early to tell if either team will be able to transition into a media darling/cash cow. Ever year that the Cavs wait to rebuild increase the odds that one or both of those teams will be closing in on the playoffs.

Once the decision to rebuild is made the team must not waver and go hunting for lottery balls and draft picks. Why? Even during the height of King James tenure the Cavs were not players in free agency. The only new player in the last ten years who signed with the Cavs for the mid-level exception or higher is Larry Hughes in 2005. Without polling the players (spouses, agents, entourage) it would be difficult to conclude with certainty why Cavs have such a hard time attracting free agents. ESPN and sports-talk radio does the city no favors treating the city like a Shakespearean tragedy. They never pass up the opportunity to mention "The Drive".

The past has shown us the Cavs are not free agent players so what is the likelihood of a Carmelo Anthony or some other max type free agent choosing Cleveland when the hometown superstar was not able to attract players to move to Northern Ohio. Regardless of what happen there will be a Lebron cloud over the team's head for the next year or two. The type of superstar that have the personality to thrive in that type of environment probably will be staying with the team that drafted him ala Tim Duncan.

With free agency out of the picture the team must build through the draft and/or trades?

Considering the poor draft history of the Cavs and the players that are drafted that turn into players eventually leaving (Andre Miller, Chris Mihm, Lebron James, Carlos Boozer) the team has built itself through the trade market.  Trade returns have had mixed results but with Gilbert willing to spend for a winner overall the team has been able to thrive constantly taking other teams castoffs.

In the past the Cavs have built the team through trade, but the team need to change their focus to building through the draft. Rookies are cheap labor mixed with potential most teams are hostile in negotiations in giving up those players in trade unless in a salary dump (Eric Maynor -trade). The best way to get them is by acquiring draft picks in trades.

The intent is to rebuild/re-brand not reload, with the new GM in place perhaps things will get better in the draft room because the result from Danny Ferry's era is unbelievable. The only remaining Cavs first round pick on the team that has played in a game is J.J. Hickman. Sure there was years where the team did not draft players at all but that was because the team was so concern about the short term goal of winning the championship now.

The team has various assets that they can use to improve the team's long-term prospective ranging from salary cap space (Lebron's exception) to guys like Anderson Varejao, Mo Williams, and Antwan Jamison.The difference between a team that goes 22-60 and one that goes 35-47 is the number of lottery balls. 

Destroying the team and selling hope is a better decision than pushing all the chips on the table and trying to build the current squad into a winner.

Which team is in a better position to compete (playoffs) going forward the Browns, Indians, or Cavs?

If  you had your choice would Dan Gilbert's decision be blow the team up (similar to New Jersey) or staying the course (Memphis)?