The Miami Heat lost 4-1 in the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs, which leaves Miami with a 2-2 record in the Finals over the past four seasons. LeBron James now has the opportunity to leave town to pursue greener pastures after earning two rings in South Beach while Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh attempt to recover from an ugly championship series. Today, alligatorSports editor Jonathan Czupryn and assistant editor Richard Johnson debate what will become of the Heat going into the offseason.
Richard: “Hello, team X, Pat Riley here. I have an aging superstar that’s the weak link in my chain of star players and I would like to receive parts in exchange for him. Would you be willing to talk?”
Riley has to have that conversation with every other NBA team this summer because he has got to get rid of Dwyane Wade.
It will hurt all parties involved. The city that has loved him so dearly will hurt. Wade will hurt because, as any athlete would be, he’s still supremely confident in his ability. It will also hurt the team. The Heat drafted him and they have ridden him as the face of the franchise, but now it’s time to dismount if at all possible.
I believe you can build around the best player on the planet (LeBron James) and the real unsung hero of the “Big Three” (Chris Bosh). Head coach Erik Spoelstra has done all that he can do, but Wade is holding this team back if you’re looking long term. They’ve paced his minutes and even held him out of games during the season so that he could be fresh for the finals.
And you saw his potential at times throughout the playoffs, but the two wet farts that ended the season loom large for me.
If the Heat keep Wade around for sentimental reasons, they risk staying burdened with nearly a $42 million cap hit over the next two years — assuming he re-ups this offseason — that is giving them diminishing returns at an increasing rate even though he’s the team’s favorite son. I know this scenario all too well. I’m a Lakers fan.
Jonathan: Listen, I know emotions are running high for Heat fans after an embarrassment of a series they had against the Spurs, but let’s not be rash.
Dwyane Wade averaged 19 points per game this season on 54.5 percent shooting. No I’m not kidding. The “aging” 32-year-old superstar recorded a career-high shooting clip this year. I’m not seeing the decline here. Of course I know Flash had an abysmal championship series, but it wasn’t because of his health or because he has mentally checked out of the game. He went head-to-head against one of the best all-around teams we have seen in the NBA in years. Cut the guy a little slack.
It’s not like he didn’t perform in the rest of the postseason either. In the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers, Wade scored nearly 20 points a game while matching his regular season shooting percentage of 54.5.
If you’re worried about his age creeping up to him, don’t be. Everyone is praising Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili for their performances throughout this postseason, and every member of that “Big Three” is at least 32-years-old. It’s possible to play in this league later in age now with today’s advances in physical therapy and the fact that defense in the NBA is at an all-time low.
If Heat fans should be worried about anyone, it should be LeBron James.
Richard: If you want to be worried about the best player on the planet, be my guest. He wasn’t the one standing around passive in the corner as the Spurs beat his team like Kevin Durant did. He didn’t wilt in the face of his team getting whipped in the finals either, leading the Heat in points, assists and rebounds per game. He’s carrying the team, he will continue to carry the team but he needs more well rounded help. The “Big Three” experiment won two titles and went to four championship series, but James has been to the finals with Mo Williams and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. He can carry a squad with Bosh as his running mate.
My concern for Miami is the fact that it struggles with size, get rid of Wade, banking on the assumption that Chris Anderson won’t exercise his Early Termination Option and grab free agent Marcin Gortat as a twin-towers punch with Bosh on the frontline.
In Wade’s absence in the backcourt, you can bring back Ray Allen — hopefully at a discounted rate. And through free agency, plug in either Thabo Sefolosha, whose defense is an upgrade over Wade’s, or Jodie Meeks, whose outside shooting is better than Wade’s. In theory, Meeks can stretch defenses to create driving lanes for LeBron and be a nice added perimeter threat to go with Bosh. If Miami could nab both Sefalosha and Meeks, those moves in conjunction with whatever they could get back for Wade in a trade would be much-needed talented depth.
Jonathan: Trust me, in no way am I saying for Heat fans to worry about James’ performance on the floor.
I’m saying everyone in South Florida should be bartering their souls right now in order to keep him there until he walks away from the game. Do what you need to do with Wade, Allen and the rest, but make sure you lock up James for the long haul.
Do I think the Heat can do that? No. And that’s what should be scaring Riley, Spoelstra and the rest of the lucky individuals benefitting from the King.
Right now, Miami is competing with New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland and every other market with buku bucks to spend. How is every Heat fan not dying of anticipation right now? The dude brought your team four Eastern Conference titles and two straight NBA championships. That just doesn’t happen. Any other transactions should take a back seat to LeBron. Once you lock him up for the next 100 years, then start cutting and signing other players willy nilly.
Richard: Personally, I think way too much is being made about LeBron being on the move. It’s an artificial storyline so ESPN, CBS and the two of us have something to talk about in the dog days of summer. Somebody’s sources said LeBron may possibly want to not be elsewhere next season and we now have speculation for months. He’s not going anywhere in my opinion, but if you’re worried about him doing so, reloading with a more well rounded and deeper roster is the way to do so.
LeBron James, left, and Dwyane Wade speak to the media after the Miami Heat’s 104-87 loss to the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA finals on Sunday night.
