Attorney Fred Nance, the county’s bond counsel on the Q Deal, made appearances on both 92.3 the Fan and on WKYC in the wake of the Q Deal’s collapse. He speculated that the chances of the Cavs’ departure has now dramatically increased.
Kevin Kelley has set out further afield and called for the investigation of opposition groups. Tremulous County Executive Armond Budish, who’s been inciting fear with Modell comparisons from the get-go, said that the death of the deal “jeopardizes the future of both the Q and the Cavs.”
But Gilbert has now reduced these threats to “silly rumors.”
It’s possible, of course, that if Gilbert sells the team, a new owner might not share his convictions. But this on-record tweet should put the threats from our elected leaders — who preyed upon the vulnerabilities of their constituents in repeated attempts to suppress democracy — to rest for now.
And here’s everything you need to know to get up to speed.
This article appears in Aug 30 – Sep 5, 2017.
There was one time where the team was close to packing up and moving away…..and – of course – it was during the hideously incompetent ownership of Ted Stepien. He initially floated a plan to rename the team the Ohio Cavaliers and have home games in the Richfield Coliseum, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Buffalo. In late March 1983, Stepien announced that he would move to Toronto, even if denied permission by the NBA, due to a guaranteed income of $6 million for the first season.
“My first obligation is to myself and my family and my business. I have invested $15 million into the Cavaliers. I can’t take the losses anymore,” he said.
A New Orleans group had reportedly been in relocation discussions with Stepien, along with Cleveland bids from real estate developer John Ferchill and a partnership of boxing impresario Don King & attorney Dave LeFevre – before league officials coordinated the sale to George and Gordon Gund prior to the 1983-1984 season.