Official Miami Heat "DreamTeam" Thread: Miami Plan A Success

Pat Riley Building A Dynasty

Wade: I think to win, you've got to have team players and be around team players. I'm a team guy. LeBron's a team guy.

"So here we are," Riley said.

Yes, and that dynasty Riley envisioned four years ago might still be born. Dwyane Wade wants to stay in Miami. He wouldn't mind having LeBron James join him. Or Chris Bosh. Or both, for that matter. And if there's one team in the NBA that has the financial ability to get three of the top five picks in the 2003 draft together for the next few years, it's likely going to be Miami.

It's a heck of a fantasy basketball lineup — Wade, James and Bosh.

Yet in the summer of 2010, fantasy could actually become reality.

"I think it will be equivalent to a space shuttle launch," Riley said back in May, shortly after the season ended and the Heat summer of 2010 began. "Everybody who's covering the day it's going to get launched, you never know it is until they hit the button. When they hit the button, a lot of things explode down underneath to lift the rocket up."

Get ready for some explosions, the first wave of which has already arrived.

Henry Thomas, Wade's agent, said Tuesday the 2006 finals MVP has talked with both James and Bosh (whom Thomas also represents) in recent days

If Wade re-signs, Miami would still have about $27 million left to court others. And Wade has been letting certain guys know that he'd like them as teammates.

Let the games begin.

"I don't look at it as recruiting," Wade told The Associated Press. "I look at it as gauging, conversation between guys to see what they like. It's not like we're getting together saying 'You go here, I'll go here and we'll meet in the conference finals.' It's not like that. You do conversations to see what a guy is thinking. If they're a free agent and want to know what Miami can do for them, I'll gauge them in conversation."

What Miami will start doing Thursday is a rarity.

When that clock hits 12:01, the Heat could have only two players under contract. Every deal Riley has struck for the last few years has been with this day in mind, not wanting to take on any contract that would keep him from digging as deeply as possible in owner Micky Arison's pockets this summer.

"We have been in this for two years," Riley said.

Unlike other teams with cap space, Miami can offer the likes of James and Bosh the chance to play with a former NBA finals MVP, assuming Wade wants to stick around. There's no state income tax in Florida, so millions more would stay in a free agent's bank account. And then there's the lure of Riley, who even though he's retired from coaching still has an exalted reputation among many players.

But there's been signs James and Bosh might want to reunite with their Olympic teammate, too.

James and the Cleveland Cavaliers visited Miami on Nov. 12. The Heat have No. 23 retired in their arena, a nod to Michael Jordan's career even though he never played for Miami. After that night's game, James announced he would not wear No. 23 after the 2009-10 season.

Coincidence?

"I think to win, you've got to have team players and be around team players," Wade said. "I'm a team guy. LeBron's a team guy."

Bosh thinks he's one, too.

When he was in Miami over the weekend, he made no secret that he enjoyed the city's vibe and even took to Twitter to rave about hanging out in a cabana. It's been surmised for some time that Riley — who's always drooled over the prospect of athletic interior players — has Bosh near the top of his wish list.

"It might be a pretty good fit, if it were like that," Bosh told The AP. "And Miami as a city, it's no secret that people like Miami. I think the team has a pretty good reputation around the league for how they do things. It's been good. They've had some good runs here, with the title run being in there, and I know they want to get back. The city, the organization, they're very hungry to get back on top."

That process started years ago.

It ramps up again just past midnight Thursday.

"I know what I'm going to do," Riley said.

Weezy wrote:You REALLY want this to happen huh ShaqDieselLaker?

Iceberg Slim wrote:I paid attention to this point. I see and hear it. But for a conflict to occur, it must take two people. You are alluding to the point that their will indeed be a conflict when you say this...

Why whould he? Because he knows what's important and what's at stake here - a championship. Possibly multiple championships. And that intrigues him...as it did Paul Pierce when Danny Ainge orchestrated the move to acquire Kevin Garnett. Paul stayed humble and was very productive. Garnett was productive. Even Ray-Ray was there, obviously. And they went to two finals in three years. The great catch was, these guys were losing their entire careers, so they had humilty as their over-arching emotion. That might be the most challenging thing to simulate for themselves. But by watching them, maybe these young fellas will galvanize themselves in the same mold...and try to take over the league. Its a possibility and I wouldn't rule it out. That's all. You are simply ruling it out because of the size of Lebron's ego. I dig. All I'm saying is, who knows? Personally, I'm more inclined to believe that under the right leadership, it could definitely work. Wilt (who had the biggest ego of all-time) and West were able to come together for a ring. I don't rule out the possibility. And if YOU were paying attention, I also said this in this very thread...

Iceberg Slim wrote:I will say this...it wouldn't last long. Lebron cares about his numbers, I believe. He wants to be the combination of Oscar, Michael, and Magic in the stat book. I can't knock him. Its how we measure legends outside of their championships. Once he's gets one in Miami (if it happens) he will bolt for his own team.

I guess you missed that.

Iceberg Slim wrote:We see your point. At least I do. What I'm trying to convey is, how do you know Dwyane Wade cares about whose house it is? Here is a fact: the house SUCKS. The house was once the land of milk and honey. It was heaven in 2006. But that was four long years ago. And things have changed on Biscayne Blvd. First round exits are a promise on South Beach now. Sure, the weather is awesome. But the winning culture that has eluded them is as cold as New York City. Even though ego's could clash, (its certaintly plausible) I'm inclined to believe that Wade and James simply could come together and say "You know what, we are friends. We are the best in the world. And we have 14 combined years between us and only one ring. I got MVP's, we have gold medals, and you have a chip. Let's unite and take this $h!t by storm. It could happen. I just enjoy hypothesizing on the possibility, lol. Why so serious?

In conclusion, if I'm a betting man, Lebron goes to one of two places though - Chicago or stays in Cleveland. I've been saying that since the beginning of this whole sweepstakes.

Heat take another step toward Superteam, waive James Jones

The dream is alive in Miami. Well, unless you're James Jones.

In their attempt to strip the team down to the studs and rebuild, the Miami Heat bought out the final two years of Jones' deal, Ira Winderman reports. They had to pay him $1.86 million, but they are now out of his $4.65 million. Because of the odd way things amortize things against the cap, this adds about $3 million to what the Heat can spend.

Let me be more specific -- that is three million more for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to divide up.

Miami is working hard to make that superteam dream a reality, although they need to move Marcus Beasley to really make that happen. And they are trying hard. But if they do they can almost offer three max deals (someone would need to take a little pay cut).

How could it not be? Who in their right mind as a team leader wants to go down as the guy who needed a big brother to carry him to a championship? I think this is something we can both agree on.

Now, as far as comparing Wilt and West to Wade and LBJ, that is a bad analogy. Obviously you were not sitting at the front of the class during Lakers History 101. It is a well documented fact that Wilt did not get along with van Breda Kolff. In fact you could say that they two pretty much hated each other. Not only that but while he supposedly got along with West, it is said that Wilt did not always get along with Elgin. Then there's the whole debate about what really happened with Wilt's knee in Game 7 of '69. Whether he was really too hurt to play or whether van Breda Kolff didn't want to play him. Wilt coming to LA was nowhere near as smooth as you suggest. In fact when Wilt first arrived, Jerry West began to struggle as a side effect of not being able to cope with bad locker room chemistry.

Paul Pierce doesn't have that same aggressive personality and killer instinct possessed by guys like Kobe and Wade.

Well if you're so confident that a great coach can keep it together and that there's a good probability these guys sacrifice some salary for the chance at a ring, why isn't Miami on your list? I'll tell you why. Because there's no way you'd bet your hard earned money on that gamble.

Dwyane Wade cares about whose house it is because he's Dwyane Wade and because he's brought the city of Miami a championship. Toronto is a worse team than Miami yet if Wade were to bolt South Beach for a chance to play with Bosh in Canada, would you look at it as anything other than Wade going to play in Bosh's house? A franchise player cares about whose face is on the billboards in his city.

Iceberg Slim wrote:This is something we do NOT agree on, much like everything else you and I debate about. This is something Kobe Bryant always touched on. Bryant was always fustrated about the fact that people said he couldn't win one w/o Shaq and blah, blah, blah. He repeatedly said that its the dumbest argument in the world. Why? Because everyone needs someone anyway. If it ain't Shaq, its someone else. So, when Kobe won his 5th ring, he did so with the best overall big man in the league...again. Even though its a possibility (considering I don't know Dwyane Wade personally) I'm inclined to think he's smart enough and humble enough to know the same. He seems like he wouldn't care. And since we have no way to really verify, we can only take guys at face value, right? So, what has Wade said on the topic?

I think to win, you've got to have team players and be around team players. I'm a team guy. LeBron's a team guy.

Iceberg Slim wrote:I don't have to speak for the guy. His words say it all. He is recruiting Lebron James to come play with him. You don't think he understands the implication of this all? More than you and I do, lol? Like I said, Wade looks like he's positioning himself to play with a guy who can win him and rings and at times, take a back seat when necessary. That's what being a TEAM is all about. And Wade is a team player. And even though Bron has an ego, you can't name any better TEAM players than him either. Please, stop reaching for things that support your argument when the actual subjects are (at the least) displaying quite the opposite.

Iceberg Slim wrote:No team is without problems. You're dealing with humans here, lol! Of course, their will be some head butts. There were many in Chicago. There were many in recent Laker years. And their will be more. But before you question my knowledge on Laker history, make sure you make sense and have cleaned your bifocals as well. Ultimately, throughout all the "problems" they won a damn ring for it. That negates alot. Number two, understand the brillance of van Brenda Kolff. He understood that there was a certain way you had to prod a Wilt Chamberlain. You never told Wilt what to do. You offered a suggestion. And then Kolff, after Chamberlain would disagree, would allow Wilt to get the ball where he saw fit and they would see which philosophy worked better. Kolff always won. And for it, Wilt took the lesser scorer role after being taught by Kolff. In his second to last year, Wilt sacrificed his game to only average 14.8 points per game, focused on defense more, and snagged 19.2 rebounds that year...en route to a ring. He also went First-Team All-Defense. The 33-game winning streak during the regular season was simply more of a testament to the scarifice made by the team, especially Wilt. So, dont get it confused Bruddha. I know my $hit and do my homework.

Paul Pierce doesn't have that same aggressive personality and killer instinct possessed by guys like Kobe and Wade. Wade may not always be as outspoken as say Bryant, but his ability to flat out dominate opponents and take over games is a trait that Pierce does not possess on a consistent basis.

Iceberg Slim wrote:Fail.

Even if you had some credibility, you just lost it. Outside of Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Steve Nash, you can't name a more clutch player in the last 10 years in the NBA. If so, provide a short list. And please don't name Tony Parker, Chauncey Billups, and Derek Fisher above him. They hit big shots. But Paul has CARRIED teams. Paul Pierce ALWAYS had ice in his veins. You don't earn nicknames like "The Truth" for no reason in this league. He's had bigger playoff games, moments, and shots than 99% of the NBA. Its simply asinine to call him anything different. Did he have a bad post season this year? Sure. The worst of his career probably. But excluding this year, look at his body of work. I almost stopped reading your paragraph from that point on.

Iceberg Slim wrote:My confidence and my money doesn't lie on the ability of Pat Riley. My confidence (or lack thereof) lies on Lebron James actually going there. Sure, its a possibility he will, like I've said. But, I do think he's weighing the concerns of not only winning but being the head honcho while doing it. If he can garner both in one fell swoop, he will pounce on the opportunity. Its why I think Bosh will meet him in Chicago or Cleveland. He's an ego driven dude. No doubt about it. Therefore, he will bask in the glory without a third head at the table. I'm betting MORE money on that. And its probably a smart business move if I did.

Heat's Pat Riley must convince Lebron James, Chris Bosh

As Heat president Pat Riley prepares to pitch his dream scenario of a Dwyane Wade/LeBron James/Chris Bosh troika to the three players, Riley not only needs to convince James to share the spotlight with Wade but also to erase Bosh's skepticism about the feasibility of Riley's three-superstar plan. When Riley meets with James this week in Akron, Ohio, and Bosh in the coming days, he must address questions about how much Miami can pay them (all three can get maximum salary if Michael Beasley is traded and Joel Anthony's qualifyfing offer is rescinded) and how their games will be affected by playing with two other big-time scorers.

``I don't see it happening,'' Bosh told us this past weekend of the idea of the three playing together on the Heat.

``I don't even know how it would work. It sounds pie in the sky. Riley is known as a guy who is like a mastermind-type genius. He's probably having a vision one day. But who knows? I don't see it happening.''

Despite Bosh's skepticism, the three-star alignment gained momentum the past few days, with Wade advocating the plan in talks with the other two stars. Riley, hopeful but uncertain he can pull it off, also plans to meet this week with Utah free agent forward Carlos Boozer.

James and Wade have spoken to Boozer in recent days, and Wade made clear he would welcome playing with Boozer, who's a close friend. (That could happen only if Bosh -- Miami's prefered choice -- signs elsewhere.)

Bosh said Miami is in ``top contention'' for him and looked at houses in South Florida this past weekend, though nothing definitive should be drawn from that.

If James can be persuaded by Riley and Wade to sign with the Heat, it would not be surprising if they convince Bosh to join them. One obstacle would be if Toronto rejects the Heat's sign-and-trade efforts for Bosh, and Bosh accepts a sign-and-trade elsewhere, perhaps with strong suitors Houston and Chicago, to get a more lucrative contract.

• If James agrees to join the Heat and Bosh balks, Miami is poised to pursue Boozer to team with Wade and James. Boozer's camp was told he is Miami's No. 2 power forward choice behind Bosh. Boozer, who would love to sign with Miami, will meet with the Heat, Knicks, Nets and Bulls.

Big Three in Miami would be nice, but then what?

There has to be a true team in place, with depth and skills that supplement the stars. Shooting, rebounding, defense, dirty work. The bench needs to hold its own. Riley, er, Eric Spoelstra can't roll out the WBL for 45 minutes a night. That's a recipe for injury or being worn down before the playoffs even start.

Championship teams have always employed trusted role players alongside their legends. A roll call of selfless worker bees vital to recent title quests includes Derek Fisher, James Posey and Robert Horry. The New Heat would need to find those types.

So while Riley wouldn't exactly bring in YMCA weekend warriors to complement his Olympic trio, he's got to consider his limited options carefully to ensure the most expensive summer in NBA pays off. Past-their-prime veterans, unused/discarded young free agents and unproven rookies would have to share the same Hall-of-Fame space.

Second-round picks aren't guaranteed contracts or roster spots, but the Heat's three second rounders have to feel pretty secure about 2010-11. Big men Dexter Pittman (Texas) and Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State) are needed in the frontcourt, while guard Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia) is considered a steal if he comes back strong from a devastating knee injury.

It's going to take more than three promising rookies to build a title contender. Miami would have its mid-level exception to spend, which could be used for one free agent or split among several. Among those tested vets who could be considered: swingmen Matt Barnes and Ime Udoka, point guards Nate Robinson and Steve Blake, center Brad Miller, small forward Josh Howard, power forwards Al Harrington and Drew Gooden, and shooting guards Mike Miller and Roger Mason.

Several younger players still looking for an opportunity to shine include point guards Jordan Farmar and Shannon Brown, power forwards Amir Johnson and Josh Powell, and center Ian Mahinmi. The Lakers are sure to lose Farmar and/or Brown, with Farmer being a restricted free agent. Everyone else listed above is unrestricted.

Any of the above would provide quality depth, NBA know-how and wouldn't be in awe of their glamorous teammates. Getting one or possibly two from that group would go a long way toward balancing out the locker room. Starting jobs would also be there for the taking at center and point guard.

As for the minimum-wage route, a number of names with impressive résumés but on the career downside would probably be willing to hitch a ride on the WBL Express. For starters: Tracy McGrady, Kurt Thomas, Michael Finley, Anthony Carter, Anthony Johnson and Juwan Howard. What better place than Miami to prepare for retirement?

Pat Riley has the charisma to put together today's version of the Dream Team

His last meeting with the South Florida media was a classic tease, with hints that he might return to coach if that were necessary to land a top free agent, plus a colorful analogy about the free-agency plans of every franchise relating to the excitement of a scheduled space-shuttle launch.

Now that the actual countdown is on, there's nobody in the NBA better known than Riley for shooting the moon on glitzy personnel plays.

Shaquille O'Neal, for instance, didn't have to accept a trade from the Lakers to Miami in 2004 at the breaking point of his turf war with Kobe Bryant, but he did. And what reason did Shaq give for choosing the Heat over other options?

"It was Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade," said Shaq, who predicted on the day of his arrival in Miami that the Heat would win an NBA title and two years later got to celebrate one.

Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade. The bait hasn't changed in Miami, just the monster fish. Not saying they're the same player, but let's put Shaq's 2004 numbers on the same scale with today's LeBron as a reminder of what that earlier blockbuster deal meant.

When Shaq came to the Heat, his career averages were 27.1 points and 12.1 rebounds, sweetened by three NBA Finals MVP awards. LeBron checks in right now at 27.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and no championship rings. Enormous output in each case, but no bigger than Riley can handle.

As for the clash of egos, Riley got some pretty fair mileage out of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson. Those three rolled in more Southern California parades than any Rose Bowl float.

So there's the only clear nugget of truth in this potential NBA free-agency bonanza. Miami has Riley. Chicago and New York and Cleveland and Dallas don't. Pool the front-office personnel and coaching staffs from those franchises together, as a matter of fact, and you won't match the charisma that Riles keeps in a single jar of hair gel.

Nobody knows much else, except that Thursday will come, inevitably, and major cities will be falling all over themselves to woo LeBron, pathetically, and Riley is the only one laying low, if you don't count carving out a little more cap space by waiving James Jones on Tuesday.

Already the political powers down south have called a truce, agreeing on a symbolic resolution renaming their home Miami-Wade County for the period of one week. We here at The Palm Bosh Post newspaper applaud the move, trusting that our readers in Belle Wade and Boca LeBron will agree.

The genie is out of the bottle. Heaven help Riley's season-ticket and marketing department if every Heat fan doesn't get his three wishes now.

What better place than Miami to prepare for retirement?

Breaking down the money of the Miami Big 3

Grab some coffee. A lot of numbers are coming:

Teams that have fewer than 12 players on their cap when free agency begins are given "cap charges" for every free roster spot up to 12. The amount is what a minimum-salaried rookie would receive next season. That number is $473,600. So Miami would have to assign that amount per slot for at least nine players, because after waiving/buying out Jones the Heat would only have two players, Beasley and Chalmers, under contract. (The 10th player is Wade, who has his own cap hold. More on him below.) Multiply $473,600 by nine and you get an additional $4,262,400 that the Heat have to carry on their books until they start signing players. Added to the $7.6725 million Miami is already carrying forward and you get approximately $11.9349 million in salaries and charges Miami has to have on its books, leaving the Heat with about $44.1 million in room.

Then there's Wade. Miami has to hold onto his rights even after he officially opts out, so that he can re-sign with the Heat under the "Larry Bird" provision of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. A Bird free agent that has gone through at least a second contract can maintain his rights with his team as long as it keeps a cap hold on him July 1. In Wade's case, given that he made more than the league average salary last season and because he's a "Larry Bird" free agent ending a contract after his rookie deal, he's subject to a different level of cap hold. For Wade, that would be 150 percent of his previous contract, which was $15.779 million last season. That means his cap hold on Miami's books is $23.66 million, until the Heat re-sign him. Then, the new figure would replace the $23.66 milliion. But until that happens, that $23.66 million is added to the $11.9349 million.

But the whole notion of this Trio of Terror rests on Miami's re-signing Wade. Let's say Wade re-signs for the maximum he could get under the CBA, which would be 105 percent of his previous salary, or $16.568 million. That figure would replace the $23.66 million on Miami's cap. Added to the $11.9349 million, Miami would then have $28,502,900 in committed salaries for next season, and $27.5971 million in room to be split between James and Bosh.

But James and Bosh are also on line for $16.568 million maximum salaries in the first year of their new deals. Wade would wind up with more money over the life of the contracts, however, because he would get bigger raises for re-signing with his own team (10.5 percent of the first-year total each season) than James or Bosh would get for signing with a new team (8 percent of the first-year total). If James or Bosh got the maximum he could, or $16.568 million of Miami's remaining room, that would leave only about $11 milllion for the other. Over the course of a five-year deal, the player taking the max in year one would wind up with about $96.1 milliion, while the player taking $11 million in year one would get about $63.8 million.

For the sake of argument, let's say instead that James and Bosh agree to split the $27.5971 million right down the middle, leaving each with about $13.79 million in first-year salary. Over five years that would give each an approximately $80 million deal -- an incredible windfall, to be sure, but still $16 million less than each would get if he got his maximum salary over a five-year deal. (A sixth season would increase the deficit even more.)

Of course, all three players could take less and split the available room, roughly, three ways, which would give each around $15 million to start next season.

Thomas would not say whether Bosh or Wade would take less money in order to play with each other, or with James, next season.

"They have to decide what's most important to them," he said. "It's my job to present to them all of the available options."

"I don't see it happening,'' Bosh told us this past weekend of the idea of the three playing together on the Heat.

"I don't even know how it would work. It sounds pie in the sky. Riley is known as a guy who is like a mastermind-type genius. He's probably having a vision one day. But who knows? I don't see it happening.''

AvenLarue wrote:

"I don't see it happening,'' Bosh told us this past weekend of the idea of the three playing together on the Heat.

"I don't even know how it would work. It sounds pie in the sky. Riley is known as a guy who is like a mastermind-type genius. He's probably having a vision one day. But who knows? I don't see it happening.''

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/06/30/1 ... vince.html

Sorry ShaqDieselLaker

I hear bosh-miami is done ..bosh-wade shared agent avoids tampering...its why beasley, chalmers, anthony still here...raptors get them