Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert once wanted to pretend to sign Dennis Rodman to a 10-day contract as an April Fools' Day prank. A new ESPN feature on LeBron James revealed Gilbert once wanted to send out a fake press release saying the Cavs had inked Rodman to join their frontcourt, but the goofy 54-year-old billionaire was talked out of it.
It was a harmless prank idea, and ESPN's Brian Windhorst used the anecdote to illustrate a broader point: Gilbert is playful. He likes to have fun. He's also emotional and reactive. He runs things in Cleveland very differently from Pat Riley's serious modus operandi in Miami.
There probably aren't two more different leadership structures in the league. LeBron James has gone from one extreme to the other in his career, and he has tried to bring Riley's militaristic approach to the Cavs.
He's had a tough time, and the growing pains have resulted in James' passive-aggressive frustration, but he seems to be making progress. It helps that he's found an ally in head coach Tyronn Lue.
"I just think the guys have really bought into what we're trying to do," Lue said. "It's continuing to harp on that every single day, about accountability, being professional, doing things the right way. Just trying to make sure the culture is right. I think when the culture is right, I think it's easy to play in those kind of environments. I just know it's a chance for us to do something special."
Rodman, 55, last played professional basketball in England in 2006, and his final NBA stint came in 2000 with the Dallas Mavericks (even at that point of his career, The Worm was still grabbing 14.3 boards per game). These days, he's mostly in the news for hanging out with North Korea's Kim Jong-Un, whom he calls "a friend for life."
The Cavs play the Warriors in Game 1 of the NBA Finals tonight at 9 on ABC.
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