What about their players, where do they stack up? Suddenly Scottie Pippen is remarking that Lebron James might go down as a better player than Michael Jordan. Jordan was, according to Pippen, the best scorer he’s seen while Lebron is the best all around player he’s ever seen. Later, Pippen, backed off a bit via his tweet:

“Don’t get me wrong, MJ was and is the greatest. But LeBron could by all means get to his level someday.”

Why all of a sudden the confusion? Why was the Heat the most scrutinized team in NBA history to begin with? Admittedly, it all goes back to the Decision. Yet, look at Derrick Rose – the league MVP. Why was he getting all the PR from the talking heads while Lebron, and the Heat, continued to be lambasted?

Derrick Rose shot just 6.4% when guarded by Lebron James. When defended by Dwyane Wade, he didn’t fare much better either. The fact of the matter is, what Derrick Rose is experiencing is what both Wade and James went through. You win over 60 games, get the coach of the year award, an MVP, and a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Who are you? The 2009 Cleveland Cavaliers.

Lebron James didn’t want to go through what Derrick Rose is going through. He decided to take less money and swallow his pride and admitted that he needed to team up with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to meet his expectation of winning championships in this league. James knows his greatness will be evaluated not just by his accomplishments, but by how many rings he gets. Even now, with Pippen’s remarks, Lebron is in the discussion in comparison with Michael Jordan, but only will truly be considered once he wins some rings.

So, you get beat up in the press for it. You beat the Celtics, a team that swept you in the regular season, then the Bulls, another team that swept you in the regular season, and only lose 3 games in the playoffs. Yet, at every turn, you were catching flack. Now, the hangover. Oh boy. Maybe this team is pretty good after all?

Michael Wilbon writes an essay trying to digest the Game 5 loss for the Bulls. He was obviously invested in his team, the Bulls, but his opinions seemed to be agreed upon by most of those in the media – and there was very little to support their picks for the Bulls over the Heat in this series. Ric Bucher, who I think is an extremely horrible judge of talent and terrible observer, defended Derrick Rose, irrationally, on Colin Cowherd’s radio show after Game 4. I wonder what he thinks now that Rose missed a free throw in the clutch.

The hangover spreads. Charles Barkley commented last night on TNT, after Game 5, why he picked the Bulls over the Heat – the Bulls bench was better. Does he realize you only play 5 guys at a time? The bench only comes into play when you rest your starters and with three starters of this caliber, there is practically never a minute that one of them is on the floor.

So, while the media backpeddles and lets this latest dish of crow cool off, let’s put this team in its proper place. They assembled because of the blueprint adopted by the Celtics and Lakers. If you wanted to win in the East, you had to get by the Celtics. They did. The Bulls, grabbing the number 1 seed, didn’t have to face the Celtics but the Heat proved they were the better team. No matter how “Hollywood” Joachim Noah might say the Heat are, he’s the one faking it and sitting at home watching them in the Finals. The Heat simply kicked off the party back in July when they landed the biggest free agent in NBA history in Lebron James – a feat not achieved without the certain additions of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. It took all the efforts hall of fame architect Pat Riley could muster. They’ve proven not only that they can play together, but that they can carry each other when needed. Lebron closed games. Bosh found his voice in becoming a force inside. Wade, playing horrible for stretches in Games 4 and 5, allowed himself to be carried.

Now, the masterpiece has been assembled. The critics are late to the party, but the quality of the assemblage is undeniable. Only one final obstacle lays in the way.

Well, sort of. There was an early season media frenzy over Erik Spoelstra’s pedigree and questioning whether or not he was the right man for the job. In fact, we did a little squawking about it ourselves early on – but only because it was a fundamental question to ask. Spoelstra was entering his second season at the helm and had acquired an embarrassment of riches to work with. Yet, as the saying goes. great players make great coaches. Right Phil Jackson? (Phil even called the coaching staff of the Heat into question suggesting that Riley was going to do to Spo what he “did” to Stan Van Gundy. Of course, Jackson grossly overstated the situation and was not properly informed about the SVG situation here in Miami.)

Yet, here is this Heat team – despite all the scrutiny from the media and the poisonous invective from the fans on the outside. As they should be – when you have two all-time greats like Wade and James on the same roster, and a pretty nice star in Bosh, too – how can this team not make the playoffs? It wasn’t by their talents alone – they had to be steered along a path, united with a vision. That vision was forged in training camp from Day 1.

The vision? Defense. This team was going to win by first building on its defense as its strength and generating its offense from there. What resulted was a season of gradual improvements – with some steps back from time to time. This Heat team is nothing like it appeared to be during the regular season and is playing its best basketball right now. Credit the Heat coaching staff – which is practically the same as the staff that was in place when the Heat won its first franchise title back in 2006.

Erik Spoelstra wasn’t the main coach on the bench, but one of several. Along with him were Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, original franchise head coach Ron Rothstein, and long time assistant and ex-Heatian Keith Askins. All three of these coaches, along with Spoelstra, were a part of Riley’s staff when the Heat franchise rose to prominence during the mid-2000s, ultimately winning the title over the Mavs in 2006.

It isn’t by coincidence. This is Riley’s team still, his system, his culture. Watching Spoelstra at press conferences you can see a mix of Stan Van Gundy and Riley in him, in his cadence, inflection, and explanations to the media. SVG was a Riley guy, make no mistake, but the situation was very tough for him when he took over for Riley and was ultimately forced out when Shaq refused to be a good teammate along with some other then Heat veterans. This is why this year was different – Riley was adamant to support Spoelstra but he also didn’t provide any lip service through the media to support Spoelstra as it would only give fuel for the media to speculate about Riley’s return. There would be nothing more damaging to a young coach faced with a roster of superstars to hear whispers about a Riley return.

So tonight the Heat will take on the Bulls for the Eastern Conference title. For the Bulls, the accolades flowed. It is the first time they have appeared in the conference finals since Michael Jordan was donning the red uniform in 1998. They have climbed back with the league MVP going to Rose and coach of the year going to first year coach, Tom Thibodeau. For the Heat, they were able to put together a dream offseason, masterminded by architect Pat Riley, who also had in place his system led by his hand-picked coaching staff. The expectation is to win titles and right now, this coaching staff has delivered this team right to the doorstep of another one. It was all by design.

And it isn’t going to apologize.

Pat Riley knows what all of this means. He knows what it means to get Lebron James in a Heat uniform. He knew what it would take to achieve this vision: sacrificing a couple of seasons of competitiveness for the chance at a big pay day. He knew it would take giving Wade a chance to win and get to the playoffs while also keeping him focused on the target – the 2010 free agent season. Riley had to both show he was committed to winning and doing so with Wade while also trying to line things up just perfectly to get Lebron James in Miami. He did it with precision while also grabbing the key lynch pin of Chris Bosh along the way.

So when Charles Barkley criticizes the Heat for their melodramatic press conferences – he’s right. Stop crying. Start winning.

What is interesting is not just the way Barkley blasts the Heat for their perception of the world – as if the world is against them, because it is and that shouldn’t be a surprise – but what he recommends for the Heat to right the ship. Barkley suggests that the Heat focus on getting Wade the ball at the end of games because he is the more proven closer. It’s his town. The Heat’s lone championship rafter – mind you the limited amount of franchises who have been able to win a title in this league – is largely due to Wade’s efforts in the 2006 Finals. Lebron may have been to a Finals, even bringing his team there, but he hasn’t been able to win one.

This is astounding. The Heat got there and won while the Cavaliers, backed by Lebron, were unable to win it. So, no one should have a problem with Wade having the ball in his hands at the end of games because Lebron and Bosh are the new guys in town and need to defer to the man who brought them both here and who has the more impressive resume in regards to winning. They both have to learn how to win; Wade already knows. This is part of the problem with this team. Sure, you could cite this lack of depth, their thin bench, whatever. But at the end of the day, this game is played by five guys on the court for each team and three of the Heat’s are among the best – if not the best – at their given positions.

The Heat did bring this upon themselves. And they shouldn’t have it any other way. Do they have the right to view the rest of the world as against them? Yes. Besides, it makes for a stronger identity in that locker room and helps steel their purpose. The 5 losses up to this point have also helped humiliate them and humble them to the point that they realize they can’t get away with playing lazy, bad basketball all the time. They might get away with it against the weaker teams, but against the contenders they lose.

This is reflected in the 118-85 win over the Grizzlies yesterday. Erik Spoelstra cited the fact that the Heat didn’t settle for jumpers and a perimeter game but continued to attack the basket and get more ball movement in the offense. This is something the Heat may have realized but didn’t work on in games because they were arrogant and just felt they would win by showing up. Now, faced with five straight slaps in the face, they are listening to their coach a bit more and, after two straight wins, may have turned the corner.

“Crygate” may have had its unintended effect on this team – to help break them down and listen to their coaches. The rant by Charles Barkley is also spot on – this team asked for this. No one put them into this position but themselves. Guess what? No one will get them out of it but themselves and it is at those critical moments in life when we are most willing to listen and learn. The Heat are listening, but will they continue to learn? Only they will be able to show us if they are indeed a championship team in the making.

The latest evidence comes to us from Dallas tonight in a 106-95 loss. The Heat couldn’t get a road win tonight and, in fact, haven’t had a win in 13 straight regular season matchups with the Mavericks going back to 2004. You can wipe away the memory of the 2006 championship – certainly Erick Dampier has moved on. As tonight the Heat were dominated in practically every facet of the game. The stats don’t tell the true story; the 3rd quarter does though. The Mavericks scored at will, posting 31 points to the Heat’s paltry 17. It was like watching a fat kid at a buffet – both disgusting and painful to watch. And it seemingly happened all too fast.

So, what happened? People will cite the lack of preparation, the lack of energy, the lack of defense, the lack of a reliable and consistent post presence. All of it is bunk. This team knew what to expect – they are now 17 games into the season and have seen how every team is coming out gunning for them every night. Doesn’t matter who they play.

When you have last year’s MVP and a 2006 Finals MVP on the same squad, not to mention 3 gold medal winners from the past Olympic team, you don’t expect performance anxiety. Yet, this team did fail when it had a pretty good chance in the 4th quarter with just under 5 minutes to go. The Heat were down by 6, 98-92 with 4:52 left. What they did next was telling – they shot three pointers. And they missed.

Spoelstra brought this team into camp with the focus being on defense. That was the foundation of this team – defense and getting the ball into transition. He was right, the Heat ran out of the gate despite an opening hiccup against the Celtics. Yet, as of late, this team is playing confused and with no sense of identity.

As the coach, this is something Erik Spoelstra needs to address. Many feel that Pat Riley would have a strong enough personality and message to get this team to buy into the identity. That from Riley can be forged the path upon which this team must walk. This may be true, as Riley notes the 15 strong theme from 2006, but that isn’t something this team doesn’t already know. Wade and James are the de facto leaders of this team – despite what ink may be spilled over Chris Bosh’s presence. They both have lead their teams to postseason successes and know what it takes to get there. Is there a chance that this work in progress is coming along more slowly that anticipated? Yes. Might the fans be suffering from the overhype? Yes. Do people have a right to be concerned about Spoelstra’s ability to guide this team? Yes, they should.

Spoelstra has the credentials to be a fine NBA coach. He even has the personality you would like to see in a young coach. He can relate to his players and even help them get their games where they need to be. Dwyane Wade cited years ago that his work with Coach Spo’ helped him develop his outside shooting.

Pat Riley could definitely coach this team and get things moving in the right direction. At least for this season. But what about next? Who would take over then? And how much credibility would that person have after seeing Riley swoop in and take over for two of his former proteges? At Riley’s age, does he really want to subject himself to the tortures of NBA life on the road coaching these players? Sure, it is tempting, but Riley has proven himself to be a mastermind – he completed the journey in 2006 by leading the Heat to a title. For his next trick he pulled off the impossible and landed the new big three this offseason. There is little to gain for the old master.

In many ways, axing Spoelstra would be a huge mistake for this franchise. It would be admitting defeat and failure. It would possibly even have mislead the guys who did come here, too. This is a new era, a story that will be written by a new voice – as it should be. The Stan Van Gundy era ended not because he was incapable or even because he really wanted to be with his family, it was because the dissidents grew so loud that Riley had no choice but to save face. Sure, this wasn’t necessarily a problem for Riley given the temptation of winning another title and the accolades that would accompany it. In this situation, with Spoelstra, it would be almost unforgivable. This is Spoelstra’s best shot ever for coaching in the NBA and being successful. If not now, then when?

For Riley, it would literally be a step down. Sure, it would be something of a certainty that the Heat would be in good hands and would get things rolling in the right direction. It would just come at great cost and would be a move made too premature.

This is a tough situation. Spoelstra has the promise to be a very good coach in this league. The question is, can he guide this team to a championship? Is he ready to do so? His task is now less about strategy and watching film as it is about forging an identity and seeing it through. He has to sell this team on what it needs to do and to do it. Now, more than ever, when the chips are down. The spotlight is on this team. The doubters are having their say. This is the ultimate test for a champion, its ultimate obstacle. Every story has its protagonist, its antagonist. There is always tension and a release. The question is, will the release bring about a happy ending or not? Erik Spoelstra will figure to be an author, perhaps the author, of this drama. Taking him out this early would turn this into a stale rerun more than a special story.

Really? I would think Tex Winters might have something to say about that. As would getting a rape of a deal with Memphis a few years back that landed you Pau Gasol for…can you name one piece of that deal that was actually favorable for the Grizzlies? By that I mean a player that has come close to equaling what Gasol was putting up.

That’s right, you can’t. And you can thank The Logo for that deal. All you did was sit around on the bench, act like a guru, spout some BS, and have your players win titles. Sure, Phil Jack can manage people, but really a basketball guru that can win? No.

And that is kind of the point. The NBA is not about X’s and O’s. It is about managing professional athletes, their personalities and their entourages. For that Phil Jackson should be noted – he is not the greatest strategist of all time. Not by a long shot – he had Tex Winters on his bench for that. He was shrewd enough to understand this, and strategically, made sure he was involved with organizations and rosters than knew how to put together winners.

For Phil to take potshots at Erik Spoelstra is low, though. There is no reason for him to take a shot at him, Pat Riley, Stan Van Gundy, or the Heat organization. Except for the fact that there may be a little resentment from Phil. In his apology, he tried to downplay it and make it seem as if Stan Van Gundy shouldn’t have gotten defensive at his comments, but that is just Phil being a douche. Without 4 of the top 50 NBA players of all time, he wouldn’t be in the position he currently is in.

Yet, this is something that Spoelstra – and the rest of the NBA – should note. You don’t win anything without great players. Spoelstra knows this – and Riley most certainly knows this. Riley started out coaching the Lakers back in their hey day, and built them into the franchise they are now. Riley helped lay the foundations for Phil Jackson and has moved on to build the Knicks into something in the early/mid 90′s and now has built the Heat into a franchise that matters – winning a title in ’06. Riley tutored Stan Van Gundy and Erik Spoelstra. SVG moved on to Orlando – and if there is anyone to blame for that, it is Shaq. Shaq did not trust Van Gundy because he didn’t have the track record of a Riley – or a Phil Jackson at that point. He was forced out and ended up leading the Magic to some playoff success with wunderkind Dwight Howard.

Spoelstra has the chops to be a great head coach. He knows the X’s and O’s – no doubt. Right now, he is in a situation that few coaches EVER have been in. To have two huge stars like Wade and Lebron on the same roster is pretty much unparalled. It can be argued that not since Jordan and Pippen have a duo been so dynamic on the floor. So, if anything, follow Jackson’s example. He is a douche for his seemingly revisionist history and attacking a young coach that is in a similar situation that both he and Pat Riley were in. Maybe forgetting the past in this situation would be a good thing, because being condemned to repeating it would be a great thing for Erik Spoelstra.

“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.