LeBron: Cavs owner Dan Gilbert 'will do anything' to help team succeed

Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert made it clear that he was "all-in" prior to the team's season opener on Friday, but that hardly needed to be said - if money talks, then spending nearly $300 million on new contracts is a thunderous declaration to the other 29 teams in the NBA.

The Cavaliers have set their sights on breaking the city of Cleveland's 51-year championship drought, and they'll stop at nothing in their hunt for the Larry O'Brien Trophy.

Gilbert's devotion is not lost on LeBron James, who commended his team's owner for his dedication to the Cavaliers.

"When you have an ownership group that believes (that's) what it's going to take, then money is not an object," James told ESPN's Brian Windhorst. "It's a sign that (Gilbert) will do anything to help us go out there and perform."

With salary and luxury tax considerations taken into account, in total, the Cavaliers' payroll will cost Gilbert $170 million - a figure second only to the $197-million tab that Mikhail Prokhorov picked up for the 2013-14 Brooklyn Nets.

This summer alone, the Cavaliers have signed James for $47 million, Tristan Thompson for $82 million, Iman Shumpert for $40 million, and Kevin Love for $113 million. Gilbert also opened the wallet to retain Matthew Dellavedova, James Jones, and J.R. Smith and keep the same ensemble that went to the NBA Finals last season.

Gilbert spared no expense, which he believes is the best strategy for his franchise.

"We're committed; we're all-in ... When you invest in something like a sports franchise and you're in for so much ... if you at the margins start pulling back, I think that may be foolish on a lot of fronts," Gilbert said.