LeBron James is likely not in the mood to hear a lecture right now. But his former employer, Clevelands Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, has one anyway. And it’s one that all of us can heed.

“Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. NONE,” Gilbert said Sunday night after James and the Miami Heat fell to the Dallas Mavericks.

Gilbert blasted James last year when the superstar player left Cleveland to pursue a title in Miami. With Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade, James looked to be in good position to win. It didn’t work out. Not yet, anyway, and James has now created lots of pressure for himself.

“Anytime you feel like you get to the top of the mountain, and you fall off, it’s definitely a personal failure,” James said. I “got close. I won two more games than I did in ’07. Hopefully, the next time I get here, I’ll win two more games than I did in ’11.”

But there will be no shortcuts.