It was a bold plan, which would have brought the three NBA MVPs, all-stars, and now, hall of famers together on the same team. It would have been historical and, yes, it would not have been about the money. All three players have made millions at the time, but Jordan was just hungry to win a title.

Magic had tons of hardware, but was looking to find another few running mates he could respect and could lift their game to his level of play.

As for Bird, he was already losing out to Father Time, his playing days dwindling away like sand from an hourglass. One last shot at glory was all he wanted, to go out on his terms and to do it on the grand stage. He was also intrigued to finally be teamed up with a couple of friends from the Dream Team, which would go on to win gold in Barcelona in 1992.

What would be so bad for these three to unite, if not just for a season or two, to see how far they could take their commitment to winning? Would it have been for the titles alone? Or would the egos start to seep in and ruin what could have been a dream roster for the young Heat franchise? We will never truly know.

Props to Hot Hot Japan Hot for putting up this “archived” image.

What does this mean? Most likely that Kenny Hasbrouck is on his way out or at the very least, in a very tough spot to land on the Heat roster permanently. Hasbrouck just signed yesterday, but his contract is not guaranteed unless he makes the final roster and stays on past January. This could also mean that the Heat could make a deal.

In House, the Heat get a “tweener” guard who can shoot and provide offense. His skill set seems very similar to Hasbrouck, although House was originally brought in here to Miami years ago to serve as offense at the guard position off the bench. He gets to come back to Miami and reprise that role.

Kenny Hasbrouck showed himself to be an NBA-level player in the 2010 Summer League for the Heat while Shavlik Randolph, another retainee from last year’s Heat roster, showed he, too, was ready for another go with the Heat.

Hasbrouck, who had signed with the Heat late last season, was an offensive force for the Heat in Las Vegas this summer, averaging 13.6 points per game, 2.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists. He is a bit undersized to be a two guard, but also lacks all the refined skills of a point guard. Still, he stands a very good chance to make this Heat team out of training camp because of the Heat’s depth up front and lack of options at the guard positions. That said, he can shoot – he shot about 50% from three point range helping to lead the Heat to a 4-1 record.

Randolph came out of Duke looking like a very skilled big man and was drafted by the 76ers. He never caught on in Philly, spending his first three seasons there, but ended up in Miami twice last season. (He signed with Heat only to be released and landed in Portland, but came back to Miami after being released from the Blazers.) Obviously motivated to play for this Heat team after adding the likes of RUN DLC, he averaged 13 points and 5.8 rebounds for the Heat in Las Vegas.

The Heat can carry as many as 20 players during training camp, which is slated to begin Sept. 28th and the first preseason game will be against Detroit on Oct. 5th. The likelihood of Randolph sticking may be harder because of all the front court depth the Heat now have.

“We didn’t think about it cause that’s not what we were about…From college, I was trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird.” Johnson stated. Really? That’s it? Just trying to beat Larry Bird? Well, that would explain why he may not have had as hard of a time walking away from basketball when Bird retired in 1992. Of course, Magic had contracted HIV and that was a more serious reason to retire but maybe it made it easier for him because Bird retired.

The problem is, is Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh rivals to Lebron James? One never gets that feeling. Magic and Bird squared off against one another in the 1979 NCAA Finals. In fact, Magic’s Michigan State team beat Bird’s Indiana State team for the championship. Forward it to their NBA years and both players appeared on rival NBA teams the LA Lakers and Boston Celtics. So, there was a rivalry in place that went back to college and one, in fact, that favored Magic as his Lakers won more championships than Bird’s Celtics.

Look, we already talked about this old-school-horn-blowing. Michael Jordan showed that he doesn’t understand it and of course, is overlooking the help he had with his championships. Magic Johnson may have been trying to figure out how to beat Larry Bird, but he didn’t do it alone. We already showed he has three hall of famers on his teams – as did Bird.

So, what can we take from yet another outburst by some  old has-been? They are competitive guys and are sipping too heavily from the kool-aid they brewed themselves. Sure, they are all great players but they played on great teams, too. Palm Beach Post writer Chris Perkins (following our lead here at MiamiHeatwave.com?) outlined this very principle going year by year with each championship team. If you look, the teams that have won it all and have consistently won (forming dynasties) have always had a core of at least 2-3 hall of famers.

Magic, you can see your Laker teams there as well as Bird’s. Oh, and Michael’s too. Thanks for making the point for us.

Again, Lebron if you are reading this, the hell with the old guys. I won’t even give Barkley a voice here (even though he is one of my favorite players) because he never won a title. This shows that for James winning is more important than winning on your own. It seems to me it takes a lot to look in the mirror and admit, if I want to win I have got to pay the ultimate price – I have to sacrifice my ego and admit I need help. James gets to do that and do it his way with friends Wade and Bosh. Hate on it all you want, but this team is a dynasty in the making and could be the best of them all.

“There’s no way, with hindsight, I would’ve ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, ‘Hey, look, let’s get together and play on one team. But … things are different. I can’t say that’s a bad thing. It’s an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.”

Let’s really break that down. When Jordan entered the league in the ‘84-’85 season, he was 21 years old. Magic? Already had been in the league for 5 years and was 25 years of age. Larry Bird? 28 years of age and in the league for 5 years, too.

Now, what about championships? Well, Bird won in 1981, 1984, and 1986 with his Celtics while Magic won in 1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988. Jordan of course won in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, and 1998. Now, remember, Jordan said, “In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys.” That was in reference to Larry Bird and Magic Johnson.

So, did Jordan really beat “those guys”?

Shockingly, the answer is no, not even close.

Larry Bird retired after the 1992 season. He was 36 years old and still had some game left, but retired mostly because he was physically broken down. Magic Johnson retired in 1991 because he announced he had contracted the HIV virus and needed to look into his health at age 32. He inspired many to do the same and take HIV more seriously. He did come back for the 1995-1996 season for one last season helping his Lakers get to the playoffs at age 37.

Jordan won his titles after the Larry Bird era and after the Magic Johnson era. Sure, he won one in 1991, but Larry Bird was already 36 and on his way out of the game at that time and Magic, although a bit younger than Bird and clearly with more game still left, was forced out of the game arguably in his prime.

The Houston Rockets, lead by Hakeem Olajuwon, won the 1994 and 1995 titles. Most critics say it was only because Jordan had retired at that time to get away from the game. Yet those same critics don’t cite the fact that Bird was retired and Magic was forced out with the HIV virus. It would have been great to see how those Olajuwon-lead Rocket teams would fare against the Jordan-lead Bulls teams.

Still, all of this fantasy hindsight is overlooking one critical thing – those teams didn’t win championships because of Bird, Magic, or Jordan alone. They were very, very good teams.

Quick – why do Celtic fans refer to the current team as being based on the Big Three? Well, that is because they had their original big three in the 80’s when they were winning titles and fighting with the Lakers every season to do battle for the hardware. They had Bird and Kevin McHale and Robert Parrish (and an excellent bench that saw the likes of Bill Walton riding pine and Danny Ainge playing a key role). The Lakers? Sure, they had Magic, but they also had James Worthy and Kareem Abdul Jabaar.

Now Jordan would like you to think it was because of he alone they won those 6 titles, but anyone who is observant of history will point out that he had lots of help. Scottie Pippen and Horace Grant formed those early championship cores then later it was Pippen again with Dennis Rodman – a guy, mind you Jordan, that came over from those Piston teams you couldn’t beat.

So no, Jordan couldn’t beat a Bird-lead team because they were in the league in overlapping eras. Jordan never got the chance to go up against a Magic-lead team during his championship run because Magic was retired. And we all know about the Jordan rules the Pistons had implemented to stop him. The Pistons, of course, won titles and prevented Jordan from doing so.

What to make of Jordan’s comment about Lebron? Well, like Jordan admitted, things are different now. And he doesn’t think it is necessarily a bad thing – nor could he. He played in a different era and it can be argued that today’s NBA athletes are much better on the average than they were 10 or 20 years ago. Jordan today would not be any more athletic than most NBA players out there, certainly not more so than Wade or James. Jordan won his titles during a time in which the road to the Finals in the East was also arguably much easier – the Pistons were getting older and the Celtics were down, the Knicks couldn’t find a way to build around Patrick Ewing (until Pat Riley came in there, only to bolt for Miami a few years later).

Lebron, if you’re reading this pay no heed to Jordan’s comments. He is simply basking in the glory of his legacy, he can say what he wants because he won 6 titles. The perception is that he won them and not, say, Luc Longley or Tony Kukoc or Ron Harper. The fact is, if you win, none of this matters. It is all speculative at best and can be perceived as chest thumping and even Jordan (and Barkley, too) being old blow hards. (In fact, Wilt Chamberlain made derogatory comments about Jordan’s playing days saying in his day they didn’t have cameras recording their feats. So, it continues with every generation.) Which, they are. And how could you not expect them to be? They are competitive guys who will never relinquish a “you’re right” to anyone and certainly will not even entertain the notion that they just might be average NBA’ers in this current NBA world. So, let them have their fun but make sure you get the last life – hoisting trophies over your head at the end of each season.

Jordan, just like the rest of the media, doesn’t understand what is taking place here in Miami. That isn’t because I live here or because I am a Heat fan but if this took place in Chicago, or Cleveland, or New York, we on the outside would be “hating” this, of course! But we would still have to wrestle with the fact that all three players are doing this because the opportunity was there and they have a chance to win – and win big for the next 6 years. Jordan could never beat Bird or Magic because the cards never lined up. That doesn’t diminish Jordan’s accomplishments and it shouldn’t diminish what RUN DLC (Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris) do here in Miami. If Riley had traded for these players, would they have the same attitude?

(Thanks Winemiller for this amazing video! Check out his YouTube channel.)

Take a look at what Kevin Durant said via Twitter:

“Now everybody wanna play for the heat and the Lakers? Let’s go back to being competitive and going at these peoples!”

There was something that Dwyane Wade said a week ago at their press conference that should ring true to all basketball and NBA fans – this Heat team is expecting the challenge. They want it. They don’t want to have the rest of the teams lay down and hand them the trophy. They want to earn it. And they are committed to getting it.

So, Kevin Durant’s reaction, seemingly idle for the casual or (let’s be honest) bandwagon fan, is a true litmus test of the thinking going on in the NBA league wide. Execs feared this scenario, but didn’t truly expect it to happen. Now that it has, things have dramatically changed. Rod Thorn admitted that he would not be retiring if the Nets had landed Lebron James, for example.

Miami is changing. Changing the game, changing the league, changing its franchise. The Heat thought that they had reached the pinnacle when the acquired Shaq and paired  him up with Wade on their way to a championship. This situation with Lebron James and Chris Bosh coming to town is very different. The stakes are raised. The expectations are not just one championship, but several. The challenge is immense, the pressure will be, too. But where will the pressure come? The players in that Heat locker room are serious about winning and have the mental fortitude to go about achieving their mission. The media? They will crawl behind doubting everything but will jump on board once this team gets it done. All of this has happened within the span of a week. One week ago, the Heat had a great offseason in keeping Wade and adding Bosh. Then James made his Decision, and all of a sudden a loud thud sounded within the minds of everyone watching Lebron’s interview. He was going to South Beach.

And so would the rest of the NBA universe.

Matt Barnes also is considering the Heat (and Boston) but has also indicated that other teams are jumping into the mix for his services via his latest tweet. Seems all the Heat can offer is a league minimum salary and a backup role. He may be looking for something else around the league.

King James Pendant

A strange story is the one about a woman who bought a pendant for $5 with King James on it in a Cleveland Cavs jersey at a garage sale. Apparently, it turned out to be worth about $10,000! Not a bad deal. Funny thing is, Maverick Carter wanted it back – he claimed it was stolen from him. According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Carter’s mother arranged to purchase the pendant back, saying Lebron wanted it back. When the exchange was to be made, no Lebron was present and the woman was forced to give up her pendant.

So, who should have the piece? Vaneisha Robinson, the woman who bought it orginally, or Maverick Carter, the person it was stolen from? Ahh, greed. Say, did you know that Michael Douglas remade the movie Wall Street? But seriously, is this the kind of shady thing the Heat are going to have to deal with now? I mean, we like our crime in Miami – but this? And who would sell that for $5? It seems to be plastered with diamonds.

But there is one guy who is standing out that may prove fortuitous to the Heat – Garrett Siler. No, not the Sylar from the show “Heroes”, although that wouldn’t be a bad thing to have on your side, but 6′11″ 300lb Siler from Augusta State. He has been putting together some solid games, getting impressive blocks and dunks along the way. Check out this block against the Pistons:

Join us in our 2010 Summer League discussion thread on MiamiHeatwave’s forum.

Let’s hope this latest trifecta, ahem, triumvirate, doesn’t prove to be as dramatic. Well, at least not in a negative way. So, to kind of push things in a different direction, I am going to call these three RUN DLC. An homage to hip-hop legends RUN DMC, of course, and inspired by Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris – if we can go on a first name basis.

This, obviously, isn’t the first time that a basketball nickname referenced the legendary hip hop threesome. Back in the early 90’s, Tim Hardaway (Heat great), Mitch Richmond (South Florida resident), and Chris Mullin formed an exciting offense known as RUN TMC. Although those three were extremely fun to watch and talented, they never quite were able to win the ultimate prize – a championship. Hardaway’s knees had something to do with that, but off he went to Miami via a trade and the rest is Heat History.

So, to bring all of this together and have all these interesting references is an interesting way to watch this team build itself into a dynasty. We will be watching for the next 6 years at least as the trio builds on that special bond they have and the desire and focus to win championships. So, run on, Dwyane, Lebron, and Chris. RUN DLC. We are right there with you.

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Here’s the latest – first they start the day off by completing deals for fellow Gators Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Now they are finalizing the Zydrunas Ilgauskas deal, who has opted to play in Miami over all other takers, thanks in large part to Lebron James signing here and recruiting his old friend. (See Lebron’s tweet welcoming Big Z to South Beach)

Now, the Heat are reportedly finishing up a deal for Juwan Howard to join the Heat. This is a deal 16 years in the making (recall how Howard signed with the Heat back in 1996 only to have the NBA nix the deal on account of the fact that the Heat had no cap money left).

The final phase, for now, is to see which Heat free agents will stay. The Heat have extended a qualifying deal to Joel Anthony, who should take the deal. They also have been contacted by James Jones, Carlos Arroyo, and Jamaal Magloire with interest in staying in Miami.

That puts the Heat in a pretty good position to get out of the gate with this team. Not only is getting all their ducks in a row quickly key for the team’s identity, but it creates a fervor among players looking at their options to get in with Miami now and also gets the team plenty of time to start training together. The chemistry is going to have to be molded quickly team-wide. So far, so good.