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The Miami Heat are trying to keep their composure after LeBron James’s decision to take his talents back to Cleveland.
Thankfully, Pat Riley has managed to avoid a total destruction of his team, following LeBron’s departure. Chris Bosh was re-signed to a long term contract, Dwyane Wade will also be back and the Heat managed to land one of the top free agents available in the market this summer, Luol Deng. So, what lies ahead for the Heat? How far can this team really go?
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Awards shows are self-congratulatory industry bacchanalia that we play voyeur to because we love watching rich and famous people be rich and famous and pretend to be humble.
Slap on a death montage and a lifetime achievement award of some sort to keep it from being a full blown orgy of how awesome everyone must think this specific entertainment medium being celebrated is.
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Thing about television is that it only shows you the unpleasant and the uncomfortable when it makes for better theater. Rarely is such the case in viewing sports. Besides the actual game action, a national broadcast is going to feed you shots of local peculiarities and regional foodstuffs during timeouts.
Going in and out of commercials you get the blimp views of the stadia amid a lit up downtown at night, stock footage of hustle and bustle during the daytime, and shots of some unique piece of architecture soundtracked by a song from and/or about whatever city the game is in. Oh, hey, look at the city-native-but-now-probably-expatriate celebrity in the stands totally trying to go unnoticed in that black baseball cap. (8,974 screenshots get tweeted.)
And Drake. There’s always Drake.
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He did it.
It wasn’t easy.
It took a lot of pandering, false parallels, unfair doling out of responsibilities, and a pinch of dog whistle, but Rick Telander managed to connect this city’s position in NBA free agency to the plague of gun violence here. It’s brilliant in its absurdity, magnificent in how dually counterproductive it is to both the topic of sports contracts and to people being murdered en masse.
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Yes, Heat fans. You heard it right. LeBron James is going nowhere.
He is staying in South Beach.
And for all those fans of other teams around the league, we have some bad news. There are multiple reasons why LeBron James will simply stick with the Heat for many seasons to come. Let’s have a look at some of the most significant and realistic reasons why James is staying put. [Read more…]
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Miami Heat forwards Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem joined guard Dwyane Wade in opting out of their contracts, leaving Norris Cole as the only player the team has under contract heading into the 2014 free agency period.
Cole is scheduled to make $2,038,206 this season, and Shabazz Napier – who the Heat acquired in a draft-night trade from the Charlotte Hornets – will carry a $1,032,200 cap hit until he signs a contract later this summer. [Read more…]
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As the 2014 NBA draft approaches, teams are lining up to move up in the draft and/or add additional first-round picks, as this year’s crop of players looks to possibly be the strongest ever. This year’s NBA draft has drawn many comparisons to the last NBA “superdraft,” which took place in the summer of 2003.
Even the most casual NBA fan is familiar with the 2003 NBA draft class – LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade were the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th overall picks, and between them they have a combined:
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The Miami Heat and their “Big Three” are currently standing at a crossroads. Each member of the big three, as well as the rest of the team, will have to make some very important decisions this summer. Will they stay united and give it another go for the championship?
Or will they decide to part ways and seek a better, more suitable environment? Well, that’s another article for another day. Today, we’ll look at the rest of the roster.
(UPDATE: Lebron James opts-out! Here’s an in-depth assessment of Miami team needs this offseason, in light of this news)
(UPDATE: Heat entirely clear their roster, Bosh officially opts-out, what does this mean and what will they do with the cap space? how will this affect Pat Riley’s future?)
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Paul George had 37 points and six steals to help the Indiana Pacers erase a nine point halftime deficit, but did their win do anything more than delay the inevitable for 48 hours?
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The Miami Heat have taken control over the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals. In fact, LeBron James and Co. have had a much easier trip than initially expected up to now. As the series move on, it is interesting to examine the top three players’ matchups of this series. Let’s break down. [Read more…]
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Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant was named as the 2013-14 Kia NBA Most Valuable Player, the league announced today in a press release.
Durant received 119 first-place votes, with Miami’s LeBron James landing the other six. The half dozen voters who had LeBron as first on their ballot each had Durant second. LeBron was second on 118 ballots, with Clippers forward Blake Griffin receiving the only other second-place vote.
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The discussion about the Defensive Player of the Year award has heated up since the All-Star break. It has changed a bit, too. After LeBron James stated that he should be the one to win the award this season, we have also seen Joakim Noah emerging a strong candidate. The Frenchman center has dramatically improved his performance during the second half of the season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. He is one of the biggest factors for the Chicago Bulls this season. Of course, Roy Hibbert still remains one of the top favorites for the title this season, as he has been playing extremely well on defense throughout the season. So who will eventually win the Defensive Player of the Year award? Who stands the biggest chances? Let’s break down.
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