“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?

There is a shadow lingering on the Heat’s bench. Don’t doubt for one second that Pat Riley might be tempted to return to coaching just for the chance to win another ring. In this situation, he wouldn’t be talking about one ring, but several. The man he put in charge to take over was Erik Spoelstra – this might seem familiar to Heat fans who, back in 2004, witnessed the arrival of the Diesel – Shaquille O’neal. Stan Van Gundy was the coach then, but with Shaq, there were rumbles that he wanted to be coached by Riley.

Is this situation the same? Does the Triumvirate, the Miami Trifecta, the Three Amigos, need Riley’s stewardship on the bench? Signs point to this being much different.

All three players are young and have played basketball largely in a post-Pat Riley era. Wade was the only one who played for Riley, but only for 4 seasons: from his rookie season (2002-2003) and when Riley took over again in 2005 through April, 2008. Also, all three players are taking the chance to play together, based on their Olympic summer experience in 2008. They are publicly saying they are going to take a bit less money so that they can help the Heat build a team around them.

Lebron James said all the right things Thursday night. He talked about being focused on winning, he talked about NBA history favoring his decision – the Bulls didn’t win with just Jordan and even he had help. James said that you can become a great player, but that it takes a team to win a championship. He even answered ESPN’s provoking question which was a scenario, with 7 seconds left who takes the shot? James said whoever coach Spoelstra draws up the play for.

Heat Have History on Their Side – Heat and Lakers Parallel One Another

There is another interesting parallel here – and something Riley can identify with. Riley got his start coaching the “Showtime” Laker teams. He was an assistant that was eventually promoted to be the head coach of the Lakers. That team went on to win several titles (1982, 1985, 1987, and 1988) but it was built around key players, stars in the NBA pantheon. Earvin “Magic” Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul Jabbar. Those Lakers teams coached by then a young Pat Riley was able to rise to greatness. Guess who the top exec of that team was? The logo himself, Jerry West who helped build that dynasty of the 80′s.

So now we have another NBA great upstairs in the front office with a young and brilliant mind and former assistant on the bench. Spoelstra had his first full season last season and now is blessed with having Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and Lebron James on the roster. As much as any coach would envy to be Erik Spoelstra, they also have to gauge the situation with Riley all but salivating over the possibility of winning more titles as a head coach. After all, Phil Jackson has a ton of rings, why shouldn’t Riley? It is Riley’s inquenchable thirst for greatness that has driven him to build this team and get to this moment. He knew the risks, understood the sacrifices, and waited for his moment. The question now is, will it be as coach? Or will Riley stun everyone – maybe more so than this latest coup in free agency – and withstand the temptation to call himself up and hire himself to take over the bench?

Spoelstra has got to embrace this situation. He knows Wade, and has a great report with him. He also now gets to implement his vision of an offense that will ignite all three big stars for the Heat. This is going to be his greatest challenge. And if he falters, he’s gone and looked upon as a failure. After all, he has the greatest talent ever assembled on an NBA roster and if he can’t win with them, he can’t win.

So no one has probably as strange as a position as Erik Spoelstra. He has both the envy of having three big time players to work with, but also having the pressure that goes with it. Any slip ups and he is pulled in favor of Pat Riley Success, on the other hand, won’t be rewarded but expected. 60 wins? 70 wins? That is the focus of this team. The pressure is really on Coach Spoelstra to get this thing done.

Riley’s strategy seemed to be to show Lebron James that he can get James to the promised land of winning championships and flashed his 2006 ring to reiterate his point. Riley has an obviously proven track record and this should be a selling point with James along with the possibility of playing with Dwyane Wade.

Dwyane Wade’s decision seemed straight forward. Yet, the emotions are coming into play here. Ira Winderman summarized what might be a major feather in Chicago’s cap – Dwyane Wade’s divorce and pending custody hearing. We discussed Wade’s divorce in an earlier post and how this may have given Wade a sense of relief as his ex-wife could not any longer stake a claim to his future earnings The hearing, however, is scheduled for July 19th and Wade is struggling over what his decision should be. Should he be based in Chicago for the sake of his family or should he stay in Miami and hope to get fully custody? Either way, it is a difficult choice to make and this could be at the heart, pun not intended, of the matter.

Or maybe it has nothing to do with any of this at all. Chris Broussard at ESPN notes that both Wade and Chris Bosh are filming documentaries of this free agency process and that Wade may be playing up his indecisiveness to make a more dramatic piece. Take a look:

One thing is for sure – Wade will be expecting big things from Pat Riley. The other teams in this have at least serviceable rosters that can arm Wade with enough support to put up a respectable run during the season. David Hyde has noted this.

It is also interesting to note that the Raptors are starting to back off a sign-and-trade option at least for Chris Bosh in regards to sending him to the Heat. This doesn’t make sense as the Raptors would surely lose out on compensation and Bosh would be able to land in Miami – but short about $30M in cash. Yet, it certainly gives the Heat an even greater advantage to bringing Bosh to Miami and thereby getting Wade’s assurance to keep building his legacy in south Florida.

Still, all of this can and will probably drive people crazy. The best thing is to do what Lebron James is going to do – hang out Sunday, celebrate with family the birth of this great nation’s most bold move – it’s announcement to the world for independence. Now it is up to the players to make their choices and take their stands.

The Heat still have more money and are going to find a way to win with Pat Riley at the wheel. He has a track record that you can compare to anyone’s and it may only be trumped by Phil Jackson, but that is only because Phil Jackson got to coach Michael Jordan for a bunch of years. Yet, the zen basketball coach proved he wasn’t a one trick pony either, navigating those Laker teams to championships with varied personnel. Can Thibideau make the same claim? He has been an assitant forever and the Bulls have a new GM in place, too. The Bulls are largely unproven and trying to sell the shadow of Michael Jordan as a way to woo free agents.

Wade has a legacy of his own to consider – and it started here in Miami. He is slated to make a public appearance in Davie this Tuesday and is working with Zo and his Summer Groove charity project coming up later this month. Wade has a ring, in 2006, which he won and it has been reported that Pat Riley flashed that to Lebron James as proof in what he is selling. It says, “come to Miami, kid. This is where we can build a new dynasty.”

Riley has proven himself. And yes, the Bulls have some nice pieces but at the end of the day, those players aren’t going to do anything without a Wade or a James. Like I said earlier, Chicago could land both but Wade and James would have to agree to take a slight pay cut to make that happen and they would have to rely on an unproven front office staff. This is not the same team that put those championship Bulls together – in fact, the direct links to those teams are now all but gone. Its shadows and shell games.

And you don’t think Wade knows all of this? Of course he does. Sure, it looks bad to have your franchise player out there frolicking with other suitors. But its a business and Wade owes it to himself to look around. To know he is making the right decision – which is to stay in Miami and finish up his career and his legacy. It is still unfinished. It would be like Picasso walking away from Guernica only a few brushstrokes in. More importantly, Wade is being a shrewd businessman in the sense that he is also gathering intel on what the Bulls are selling. The Bulls know this, too. They can’t make a full out pitch to Wade because he also could use that information to help his cause in getting James to migrate to Miami. The teams are also trying to run interference on each other.

At the end of this, Wade will stay in Miami. He will make more money there and have a better chance to win and basically customize his own team. Riley is the architect and knows how to put championship caliber teams in place – again, he has done it in LA, NY, and Miami. But you can bet he is going to tailor it to Wade’s specs – something that the Bulls cannot truly promise. And Wade does it his way, in Miami, and recasts the Heat into one of the NBA’s flagship franchises by his efforts on the court. Much like Jordan did for the Chicago Bulls.

So, officially, this is not Dade County but Wade County until July 8th – when the free agents are officially allowed to put their signatures on contracts. The Heat have not been shy in trying to show their appreciation for Dwyane Wade in the hopes of keeping him in Miami. There is the WeWantWade.com website which is the official hub for the Heat’s pursuit of keeping Wade. Then there is also this promotion:

The Heat certiainly aren’t showing that a re-signing of Dwyane Wade is something to take for granted, and that is a good thing. Udonis Haslem seems to think Wade will stay in Miami even though he admits anything can happen. Fans of the NBA know this – see Carlos Boozer and his Cavs contract and also the Juwan Howard “signing” back in ’96 for the Heat.

The key thing here is to gauge Pat Riley – he seems to be extremely confident in the process right now. The Plain Dealer in Cleveland has noted that Riley has even already met with James’ agent last night in anticipation of today’s official meeting. Riley didn’t show his hand with any comments to the media, but with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade having dinner in Chicago last night together at the end of the day, there has to be something brewing.

If the Heat are able to land all three marquee free agents, a coup the likes of which the NBA has never seen, there will still be the issue of how to round out the roster. Riley must be on top of his game to convince Lebron James to come out of Cleveland, where he is very comfortable, and come to Miami to win titles and establish a dynasty. The issue of who will make the lion’s share of salary must be tread carefully, too. There is talk that the three will actually take a slight pay cut to make this work – highly doubtful despite the good feeling that it would invoke. The Heat would be left with a mid-level exception ($5.8M last season) which can be used on one or split among several free agents and an minimum salary exceptions (“veteran” exceptions at about $1.5M each and max up to two years).

An interesting sidebar to this is that Haslem shares the same agent as Wade and Bosh. If indeed both sign with Miami, then where does this leave Haslem? Would he be willing to come back at a paycut just to have a chance to get another title with the home town team? Another key possibility is putting Haslem at center to spell whomever takes over that position because if Bosh is going to play in Miami, most definitely it will not be at the center position.

But let’s not get ahead of things. Riley still has to meet today with Lebron and the Heat still have to ink Wade to a deal. Getting Bosh to commit to a sign-and-trade will be crucial for bridging these two possible events together. If that is the case, will the Heat do all signings at once or spread them out?

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Speaking of, Pat Riley is on the west coast meeting with Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer, and Joe Johnson. Reports are that Stoudemire and Boozer are fallback options to Chris Bosh, while Joe Johnson seems to be leaning towards staying with Atlanta and getting a 6 year deal max contract which he can only get with his Hawks.

Let’s back this up a second. Unrestricted free agents have an incentive to stay with their teams – they can land a 6 year deal at about $125M (average $20.8M) while if they leave and sign elsewhere, they can only get a max of 5 years at about $96M (average $19.2M). The maximum any player can get in the first year is $16.6M and a ceiling of an increase is at 10.5% for each subsequent year. Looking something like this:

Option A

Can Miami sign Wade, Lebron James and Chris Bosh to maximum contracts and stay under the cap? Yes. Offering each the $16.6M leaves the Heat at $49.8M which puts them just under the expected salary cap (last season it was $57.7M, but this season it is expected to drop anywhere to $52M-$56M). Wade would stand to make the most money, since he would retain his Bird rights while James would max out at 5 years and around $96M. Chris Bosh could get a max contract but it would require a sign-and-trade with Toronto.

If the Heat land Option A they would face the challenge of adding players to round out their roster. They can sign an unlimited amount of players to veteran minimum contracts (which are usually about $1.5M). This is something the Heat were able to do with the Wade/Shaq teams just a few years ago attracting players like Gary Payton and Alonzo Mourning to sign on for a chance at the title. This is the same challenge the Boston Celtics were able to meet when they acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to complement Paul Pierce.

Option B

The Heat re-sign Wade at his max (6 years at $125M) and would have enough cap space to sign two more max contracts (although, most likely only for 5 years because players would be coming from other teams). There are many scenarios that would work – there could still be a sign-and-trade with Chris Bosh or even an independent signing of Lebron James, which would be a coup. The Heat could instead of getting James or Bosh opt to sign other free agents like Carlos Boozer (who has been dying to play in Miami for several seasons now and has a home here), Amar’e Stoudemire (who is from Florida, playing at Cypress Creek HS) with the remainder. So, it would look like Wade, Bosh/James, and a third option to round things out. Primarily, the Heat want to find a front court player to complement Wade and add another scorer to take pressure off of Wade.

With Wade All Things Are Possible

The key for this offseason is to keep Wade. He has proven himself to be an elite NBA player and has won with arguably less talent than is currently available in this free agency class. This seems similar to the 2003 draft – James got all the sizzle but Wade flew under the radar. A team’s fortunes could change by landing either James or Wade – something the Heat have always recognized and have pushed to keep Wade and will likely do. If the Heat don’t re-sign Wade, then they become just another NBA team vying for the title. With Wade, no matter who they add, they have a very good chance of getting back to the promised land. If the Heat can land Option A, perhaps the most talented trio ever on any NBA roster, then they would definitely be at the epicenter of the NBA universe. This offseason is all about raising the ante as far as they can, and Riley is definitely a gambling man.

If the Heat don’t land James or Bosh, or miss out on both, it should not be seen as a loss. The Heat will be able to re-sign Wade and will add two more marquee players to form a foundation for the Heat’s roster for the next 5 years. Yet if any team was going to land James and Bosh, the Heat have the best chances of pulling it off.

Sure, the Heat fielded a competitive team to try and repeat for 2006-2007 season, but the Bulls had other plans that season, sending the Heat out of the playoffs in the first round. It was clear Miami’s championship runs had finished with that squad. It was, after all, the acquisition of Shaquille O’neal that lead to Miami’s title runs during the mid 2000′s.

Coming off the heals of a successful 2003 campaign that watched a young team built around Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and a young rookie Dwyane Wade, the Heat pulled the trigger and gambled it all for Shaq. The architect? Pat Riley. In fact, every significant run the Heat franchise has made has been done with Riley’s sleight of hand.

He is why Miami is in the best position to control this off-season with over $45M in salary cap free to spend. The potential of this offseason is also why Riley curiously said that coaching was not something he would rule out – much to Erik Spoelstra’s surprise. Riley also is the reason why Miami is a legit destination for Lebron James; some even go so far as to put Chris Bosh in Miami despite the impossibility of a sign-and-trade.

This is not something that happens without foresight. Pat Riley has had to shrewdly keep in mind this offseason when acquiring players. Take James Jones’ contract. He had an option for over $4.5M – but it was a team option. Riley had to final say on whether or not to extend James’ contract and since they needed the extra cap space, the answer was “no, thanks”.

Daequan Cook is a solid, promising shooter off the bench. His contract, however, got in the way. Riley shipped him off undervalued, to be sure, along with the 18th pick to get out of the first round for the 32nd pick. Clearly no one would make that deal – unless you are Pat Riley and you have a plan.

Now, the plan is a tough one, but one that Riley has been looking forward to for years. He has to re-sign Wade, and to do that he has to convince him Miami is the place to be. Which means, Riley has to make a splash right away – either a sign and trade for Chris Bosh or a straight up signing of either Carlos Boozer or Amare Stoudemire. Toronto has scoffed at the idea of getting Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, and Joel Anthony in return for Bosh, but they are open to getting a trade exception (about $16M!) and their first round pick back (which was dealt as part of the Jermaine O’neal deal) so don’t rule them out.

Then, after all of that, King James awaits. Perhaps he stays in Cleveland and nothing happens. But most likely, he is waiting to see how things will shake out. If the Heat can keep Wade, land a marquee power forward, then Riley has everything in place to pull off yet another major acquisition: his biggest yet. Alonzo? Shaq? Drafting Wade? Signing Lebron James just may trump all of those considering all the competition out there – but it wouldn’t have been done without a solid plan and vision in place running on years of creation.

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Wade is doing something no other player seems to be able to do right now – rally his fellow marquee free agent friends to play in Miami. Essentially, Wade is doing what Riley cannot – recruit.

For Riley to make any visits or comment on any player would result in tampering. Of course, the NBA has a moratorium on discussions from officials about player movement – including the players themselves – but the speculation has been rampant. In this light, it is obvious that IF a meeting took place in Miami between Bosh, Wade, and James, it would be denied and refuted vehemently so to protect the players.

That said, right now, as a Heat fan you have to like the way this is working out. Sure, there is nothing definite, but things are looking good for Miami. Riley has put them in the right place to land Lebron James and could maneuver to get Chris Bosh out of Toronto, too. There is another x-factor in play though – Dwyane Wade’s divorce.

Look, I don’t care to peruse the personal life of anyone, especially celebrities. We are all human, and all have our faults and mistakes and will have our shares of ups and downs. Yet it cannot escape attention that in order for Dwyane Wade to move forward confidently in this crucial time of his professional life, his personal life had to be squared away. This has to be a breath of fresh air and a burden off of Wade to know that his now ex-wife cannot be involved in his future earnings. This is Wade’s time to shine, time for him to build up his business and market his image for his benefit. He also knows that to get a team together built around Lebron James and Chris Bosh would help make  him a better player and, so be it, a more marketable commodity. Bosh knows it, too. James, obviously, is looking to do more than just be a poster child for Nike, but rather wants to be associated with winning.

Let’s not doubt these players drive to win. Sure, we can be cynical about multi-million dollar athletes just scrounging to get more money but at a certain point, the money isn’t the thing anymore. It certainly doesn’t propel players to get better – especially after they have amassed hundreds of millions already. There has to be more. Wade’s personal life can now be put behind him and he can focus on winning on the court. Of course, his future winnings will now be controlled by him, which is extra motivation, too.

Right now, there are a lot of opinions about where Lebron James will sign, but most of them seem to be built on desperation more than anything substantial.

The New York Times is trying to sell the Chicago Bulls as the frontrunners. Even going so far as to say they have a deal already wrapped up. All the other teams are heading to Ohio just to make fruitless pitches – James is just trying to be nice. Um, yeah, right. If a deal was done, then there wouldn’t be any extension of courtship especially since James’ camp has stated he won’t be traveling around for recruitment. You’ve got to wonder why not.

The Bulls just hired Tom Thibodeau. Yeah, Double T. If you are not a basketball junkie, you probably don’t know who he is. Is that a reason for Lebron James to leave Cleveland? I hardly doubt this is a better move than having Mike Brown on your bench. If it was, Double T wouldn’t have been an assistant for 21 years. Sure, he gets a thumbs up from Jeff Van Gundy, but ultimately, would it get an endorsement from Lebron?

The reason why Michigan State coach Tom Izzo turned down the Cavs’ job was because Lebron was non-committal about a return to Cleveland. Which makes you wonder what the odds of him returning are because, frankly, Izzo would have been a pretty good coach to command James’ respect.

What the media doesn’t seem to be focusing on is the fact that perhaps James really wants to win a title. Or two, or three. Or more. Kobe has 5 and his current LA team has a pretty stacked roster. At some level, Lebron James must have realized that he can’t win this thing alone and that his NBA legacy is in front of him still. If he wants to win titles, he needs to go to an organization that can win and continue to win. Chicago has done nothing but show it had its chances living off of the Jordan years. They have put together some solid young teams from time to time, but they have a new GM and a new coach. Sure, a new direction, but it is an unproven direction.

The Knicks have definitely put a proven staff in place in Donnie Walsh and coach Mike D’Antoni. Yet, can they muster up the right pieces to win it all?

Put Lebron on any of these 4 teams – the Knicks, the Bulls, the Cavs and the Heat – and they all have a claim based on Lebron. Yet the one thing that should stand out right away is that the Heat offer the most appealing player of them all – Dwyane Wade. Wade won it with now ex-teammate Shaquille O’neal. Sure, that was back in 2006, about the time of the last World Cup. And a lot can change in 4 years – but Wade did win it all back then. He is a much more dangerous player now, but he can’t do it alone either. Put Lebron together with Wade and it is a realistic discussion to talk about how many rings, not if, they can put together. They also have a guy who has done it with two different franchises (the Lakers and the Heat) and has made three franchises matter (Lakers, Heat, and Knicks). The Heat have an architect: they have Pat Riley.

If money being the same (actually, Florida has no income tax so Lebron would take home more in Miami than in the other aforementioned metropoleis) then Miami makes the most sense. Sure, Derrick Rose is a great young talent, but he is no where near the level of a Dwyane Wade. The Knicks? They don’t have anyone in the discussion.

The Heat also can add a Chris Bosh. They have about $50M free. They had a $72M payroll this past season and only have Michael Beasley ($4.9M) and Mario Chalmers ($847K) on the books. James Jones is scheduled to get $4.6M if the Heat ok it (Jones’ contract has a team option) which means the Heat at this point have roughly anywhere from $6-11M on the books. (Wade had a player option for $17M which would have pushed the total up to about $28M) Pat Riley is the reason why this situation has unfolded for Miami.

Think about it – Wade is a free agent right now, but there is very little speculation that he will leave. Of course, if James signs in Chicago and Wade decides to go with him, we could be saying something different. Yet, there is something to be said for creating one’s own legacy. To go to Chicago would also put Lebron forever in Jordan’s shadow. Is that the kind of legacy he wants to build? Or would it be one where he wins rings as part of a franchise that has a solid, but not glowing history? Miami has its late 90′s defensive-laden teams lead by Riley and Alonzo Mourning. Then the 2006 team with its championship hanging from the rafters. But that team didn’t really build a legacy itself, it was a short term development that will be revisited once another Heat team resurfaces.

With Wade, Lebron James gets a chance to build a dynasty the likes of which will take on historic proportions. Riley has had a hand in developing a few of those identities in the NBA. Miami should be the best choice for Lebron James for pretty much every reason across the board. The question is, will James make that choice? If he thinks Derrick Rose is in Dwyane Wade’s league – he may go to Chicago. But why bet on a player to be another player who is already here and in his prime? Go to Miami. Wade County would love to have King James among its residents.