LeBron taking his time making his last re-decision, or waiting for Chris Bosh to leave for Houston?
Four years ago, LeBron James made the biggest off-season move in the history of the NBA, by heading to South Beach and signing to the Miami Heat. That originally ended his 7-year tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers, after only one NBA Finals appearance and a lack of a supporting cast on the team for many years.
Initially, the general public didn’t look too much into the signing until the team held an off-season victory announcement, promising multiple titles. Miami would soon head to four consecutive NBA Finals appearances and split the trips at two each; but more importantly, LeBron James finally would capture first championship ring after 9 years in the league (not with the Cavs).
The aging Dwyane Wade missed nearly a third of last season, which put continuous stress on the league’s top talent, considering LBJ played the most minutes ever in his career. The 2012 Olympics didn’t help LeBron either, as he was visibly fatigued through most of the regular season and it carried into their blowout defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in June’s championship.
The elephant in the room this off-season has been whether LeBron would pair with Kyrie Irving and re-join the Cavaliers, in the prime years of his career. James never wanted to leave in the first place and might still feel like he owes that city a title, like a ghost haunting him for the last 3 seasons. Now in a comfortable environment at Miami with friends and family, Bron’s main complaint has been the lack of supporting players on the team last season (seems like a recurring theme).
Free agent Danny Granger has agreed to a two-year, $4.2 million deal with the Miami Heat, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) July 7, 2014
Heat President, Pat Riley has shown signs of improving the roster this summer, landing standout point guard Shabazz Napier, who’s one of LeBron’s favorite players from this year’s draft. He’s also gone to sign free agent forwards Danny Granger and Josh McRoberts to add depth to the Heat’s bench, but that might not be enough in the present moment.
Free agent forward Josh McRoberts has agreed to a four-year contract with the Heat using the full-mid level, a source said.
— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) July 7, 2014
The Cavaliers bench isn’t something that’s ready either, much like Miami, but they have a superstar on the cusp in Kyrie Irving and the number one draft pick Andrew Wiggins. LeBron has a long-standing relationship with Dan Gilbert that soured immediately upon his arrival in Miami during 2010. Dan Gilbert will be looking to do anything to make Cleveland a title contender with or without LeBron, given his young core of players, but LeBron would put them over the top as an immediate contender for the Finals.
Sources: Rockets offer Bosh max deal of 4 yrs, $96 million. After weekend convo with LeBron and low offer from Heat, Bosh considering offer
— Chris Broussard (@Chris_Broussard) July 7, 2014
Chris Bosh is already receiving a maximum offer from the Houston Rockets to pair up with James Harden and Dwight Howard, which could be a better big 3 for his career, leaving the paint defense to the man in the middle, versus being the under-sized big in Miami. James’ main gripe has been the lack of youth and production Miami currently has, but could soon be seeing himself in a better situation for the future with his original team, the Cleveland Cavaliers.
We’re not counting out Pat Riley just yet, however, given his history with persuading legendary talent like Magic Johnson and even the big 3 to all take pay cuts for the betterment of their teams. Time is ticking, though.
Let us know below if you think LeBron James should keep his talents in Miami. . or nah?
