Stern calls James' decision 'ill conceived', fines Gilbert
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Despite calls from Dallas owner Mark Cuban to investigate how three high-profile free agents ended up in Miami, the NBA said on Monday no formal complaints have been filed with the league.
NBA commissioner David Stern said LeBron James' made-for-TV special, dubbed The Decision, was "ill conceived" but added he and Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all acted within their rights.
"Our players, having negotiated for the right to be free agents at some point in their career, are totally within their rights to seek employment with any other team," Stern said. "That's something we agreed to. That's something we embrace. That's our system."
Speaking from Las Vegas, where the league's owners met on Monday, Stern said he wished James had notified the Cleveland Cavaliers earlier than he did about his decision to join Miami.
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh all decided last week to play together in Miami, working out six-year deals after talking each other through the free-agent process.
James was condemned in his hometown of Cleveland following the decision. His jersey was burned in the streets, billboards were defaced or removed and the Cavaliers' owner, Dan Gilbert, delivered several sharp-tongued statements in which he called James a "coward" and accused him of quitting on his teammates in the "post-season".
Stern also slapped Gilbert with a $1,000 fine Monday for his comments. Stern said Gilbert's statements were "a little bit extreme".
US civil rights leader Jesse Jackson also took a dim view of Gilbert's comments. Jackson said Gilbert's comments show he sees James, an African-American, as a "runaway slave" and that Gilbert's comments put the player in danger.
"He speaks as an owner of LeBron and not the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers," Jackson said. "His feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave. This is an owner employee relationship - between business partners - and LeBron honored his contract."
