Stunned Cavs owner confident of keeping LeBron

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert expressed confidence on Friday that his team could retain NBA star LeBron James when he becomes a free agent in July despite being knocked out of the play-offs in the second-round.

Just hours after a season-ending Cavaliers loss at Boston, Gilbert also denied a Sports Illustrated internet report that he had fired Cleveland coach Mike Brown, although he did not say Brown would definitely be back next season.

"We're not going to react emotionally the next day after losing a series and make rash decisions," Gilbert said.

"It's a very sad day. We're extremely disappointed. It's one of those things. You can't believe it. I feel bad for the fans of Cleveland."

Shock was still in the systems of the players who went an NBA-best 61-21 in the regular season when the questions began about James and his future with Cleveland knowing that a handful of rivals with lots of money will make offers.

"I want to win. That's my only concern," James said after the season-ending defeat. "The Cavs are committed to that but at the same time I've given myself options."

Gilbert can outspend any rival for James under NBA salary cap rules, but with already-rich James wanting a championship contender more than a king's ransom, the trick will be convincing James staying is the best way to a title.

"We fully believe, call it sweepstakes or in the running, this is one of the top franchises for him to play at and we will do anything to attract and keep great talent," Gilbert said.

The chase for LeBron, already dubbed "LeBron-ageddon" and "LeBron-athon", is off to a flying start even though talks cannot start until July and deals cannot be made until the NBA knows exactly how much the year's salary cap will be.

But the hunt for James already involves the New York Knicks, New Jersey Nets, Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Clippers. All have worked for years to have plenty of money for a power-packed season of free agency beyond just James.

But the Nets flirted with the all-time worst season in NBA history, the Clippers are perennial also-rans, the Knicks have struggled for years and the Bulls have a young talent pool but no coach and little playoff success.

Hours after New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said New York would welcome James, Gilbert said he would think Bloomberg had more important things to be concerned about, knowing it was just the first of many lures headed for James.

"We ignore the noise," Gilbert said. "We're focused on building the best environment we can for LeBron and any free agent who wants to play here."

The Cavaliers have far more time to analyze what went wrong than they really wanted.

"We're going to regroup. We're going to dig deep and continue this process until we get a championship for this city," Gilbert said. "We're not deterred. We're more passionate, more determined than ever to make it happen."

After a second regular-season and pre-Finals playoff elimination, the Cavaliers will examine all aspects of the organization in the next 10 days to find ways to move forward.

"We're right now just going through the evaluation process. We're talking to everybody," Gilbert said.

"You look at regular-season records and how they are meaningless in the playoffs. You have to look at how you are built for the playoffs.

"A lot of factors add up to the ultimate disappointment. You see what you could have done differently and go do it. There's a lot of factors in play besides talent. We're going to look at motivation, desire, heart."

Veteran center Shaquille O'Neal said he would consider coming back if the Cavaliers want him.

Brown, last year's NBA Coach of the Year, has gone 272-138 in five seasons with the Cavaliers, including the NBA's best record in each of the past two seasons. Cleveland's playoff record under Brown is 42-29, including being swept by San Antonio in the 2007 NBA Finals.