Cavs owner regrets guaranteeing NBA title ahead of LeBron James

LeBron James of the Miami Heat answers questions from the media next to the Larry O'Brien Finals Championship trophy and James' Bill Russell Finals MVP trophy after they won against the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game Five of the 2012 NBA Finals on June 21, 2012. Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wishes he could take back that guarantee about winning an NBA title before LeBron James.

When James left Cleveland for Miami as a free agent in July 2010, Gilbert famously predicted in a letter to fans that his Cavs would win a championship before James got one with the Heat. Well, that ended in June when James led Miami to a finals win over Oklahoma City.

Before the Cavs opened their season Tuesday night, Gilbert said the guarantee "was not the most brilliant thing I've ever done in my life."

Gilbert also said in hindsight he would have handled James' situation differently. He said the lesson learned is that "you can not risk going into a summer and having them (a player) leave in unrestricted free agency and get nothing back for it."

© The Canadian Press, 2012