Dan Gilbert Has His Talking Point Ready in Case LeBron James Leaves

LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert are no strangers to interpersonal friction and it was inevitable that more would come as The Decision 3.0 kicks into high gear. Gilbert, who has been hurt before — and coped by dipping into Comic Sans — is apparently bracing for potentially bad news by saying outlandish things like this, per ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith:

Uhh, sure thing, Dan.

Look, there’s nothing wrong with crisis management or putting lipstick on a pig. But if Gilbert really thinks he’s better off without James (or that he ever was), he must be living in an alternate reality. This smells of the groundwork for a “you can’t break up with me, I break up with you” redub.

I guess if throwing this type of comment into the universe preemptively stops Gilbert from penning another visceral takedown should James go to greener pastures, it will be worthwhile. Imagine for a second, though, if LeBron does return to Cleveland. This comment will hang in the air like a stink bomb of awkwardness.