Fathead Lobs into Tennis

Fathead®, the fast-growing sports and entertainment brand best-known for its life-size wall graphics, will launch tennis and pop culture phenom Maria Sharapova as the first female athlete and first tennis player to be produced as a Fathead image. The “face that has graced a hundred covers” was photographed in a powerful action shot of her dominating backhand at Wimbledon.

A “Fathead” is a bold, cool, and colorful, life-size wall-graphic of sports and entertainment stars. Fathead is an especially popular brand among teens and gift-givers. The 3-D-like, visually-captivating, Fathead product has become the “must-have” item for home décor. A special adhesive backing enables them to be moved from wall to wall, making them a mobile and fun part of any family’s home-environment, and a designer’s dream wall-graphic. Fathead’s sports product line also includes NASCAR race cars, NFL and collegiate football helmets, and collegiate and professional team logos. Other Fathead offerings include Action Sports, the NBA, NHL, Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit models, Star Wars, Spider-Man, Family Guy and The Simpsons.
Fathead LLC is a privately-held company led by Dan Gilbert, chairman and founder of Quicken Loans, the nation’s largest online mortgage lender. Gilbert also is Majority Owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team. Dan and his partners also operate Flash Seats LLC, which replaces physical tickets for sporting events with an electronic approach; and the American Hockey League’s Lake Erie Monsters franchise, that will begin play at Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena in the 2007-08 season. Other companies in which Gilbert and his partners have invested include Michigan-based online promotions company e-Prize.

Source:  Business Wire

Is the Mortgage Crunch Impacting Gilbert?

While the mortgage industry is suffering an unprecedented crisis with a credit crunch and skyrocketing foreclosure rates, is it directly affecting the bottom line of giants like Quicken Loans, the primary company of Cavs owner Dan Gilbert.
The Cavs have been very conservative in the free-agent market, even with its own restricted free agents Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic, and some fans have begun to wonder if it has anything to do with the Livonia, Mich.-based business.

Though the Cavs have recently restrained themselves from deals that would’ve added significant money to the payroll the failed effort to trade for Sacramento Kings point guard Mike Bibby among them after getting to the NBA Finals, Gilbert isn’t getting cheap now.
”Danny Ferry and his staff have been and are continuing to work very hard to improve the chances of the Cavaliers to make that one last step in achieving our goal of an NBA Championship,” Gilbert said. ”There have been no changes in the strategy or liberal fiscal parameters that have been laid out for Danny and his team to make the right decisions that put our organization in the best position to win in the short and long term.”

Source:  Akron Beacon Journal

Cavaliers and Monsters Open House

The Cavaliers and the Lake Erie Monsters are hosting an open house Aug. 23 from noon to 7:00 p.m. at The Q.

Cavs fans interested in purchasing 10- and 21-game ticket plans for the 2007-08 season will have the opportunity to view the best available locations. The 2007 Eastern Conference Championship trophy will be on display and fans are invited to bring their cameras to take a picture with the trophy.

The Monsters will show their best available locations for the team’s inaugural season, which starts Oct. 6, and introduce their five- and 15-game packages.

The Cavs are offering six partial plan packages. Details will be available at cavs.com starting Aug. 22 at 6 p.m. The plans will include games against the Los Angeles Lakers, Portland Trail Blazers, Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, Denver Nuggets and Detroit Pistons.

 For more information visit cavs.com

 
 

Donaghy To Share Info About Other NBA officials Involvement In Gambling Activities

A report on 1050 ESPN Radio in New York said Donaghy will give prosecutors as many as 20 names of other NBA officials and will detail their involvement in some form of gambling activity. The specifics of the gambling allegations are reportedly believed to include betting in casinos.

The offenses might not include any criminal activity, but could draw the ire of NBA commissioner David Stern, who has insisted the Donaghy situation was that of a “rogue, isolated criminal.”

Source: ESPN.COM 

Dan Glibert Joins the Clinic

Dan Gilbert the owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been elected to the board of trustees of The Cleveland Clinic.

The board is responsible for the Clinic’s operations and affairs as well as the control of its property.

Lebron and Friends

LeBron James’ friends know how to booze it up! while in Las Vegas last month at club Jet at the Mirage, his his hard-partying posse kept downing drinks — and stuck the 23-year-old teetotaling baller with the outrageous $2,000 tab! That’s a lot of hooch!
Club sources say that while LeBron stuck to Red Bull, his entourage let loose with a magnum of Grey Goose and a bottle of Patron. Later on, after LeBron had settled the bill, his high-flying friends insisted on ordering an additional bottle of vodka. Everybody in the club gettin’ tipsy! The already annoyed James paid for the last bottle — with exact change!

Later on in the week, LeBron’s party train kept on rolling. King James posted up at Pure nightclub at Caesars Palace last night, where rapper Too $hort joined him on the VIP stage for a surprise performance.

Source: TMZ 
 

The Cavaliers Open Preseason at The Q

Cleveland will open the preseason with three straight games at Quicken Loans Arena before participating in NBA China Games.

The Cavaliers will play a seven-game preseason schedule. The Cavaliers and Magic will tip off NBA China Games 2007 on Oct. 17 with a game in Shanghai at the Qizhong Forest Sports City Arena and meet in a rematch three days later on Oct. 20 in Macao at the Venetian Arena.

Cavaliers 2007-08 Preseason Schedule

John Kuester Joins Mike Brown’s Staff

Cleveland Cavaliers have named John Kuester as an assistant coach, Cavaliers General Manager Danny Ferry announced today. Kuester joins Hank Egan, Melvin Hunt, Chris Jent and Michael Malone on Head Coach Mike Brown’s coaching staff.

“We’re fortunate to have John join Mike Brown’s coaching team. John will bring a great all-around view of the game to our staff and be able to help in all areas of our team’s development. He’s a passionate coach that has experienced winning at the highest level and we look forward to him being a key contributor,” stated Ferry.

Kuester has spent the last 17 years in the NBA coaching ranks and won a NBA Title in 2004 as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons under Larry Brown. During the 2006-07 season, he was an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic which followed assistant coaching stints in Philadelphia (2005-06), New Jersey (2004-05) and Detroit (2003-04). He spent six seasons under Brown as a member of the 76ers coaching staff from 1997-98 to 2002-03. He helped the 76ers reach the NBA Finals in 2001 and the playoffs in five of his six seasons in Philadelphia.