I have to admit, when reports came out of Pat Riley making moves to clear cap space to go after 3 max contract players, I thought, wow, that's a major move. It left them with no roster to speak of, but gave them the ingredients to make a great meal...Think of the trio as the filet mignon and the other players filling out the roster as accoutrement's; the mashed potatoes and/or rice.
While I do think this is a team that will compete for a title immediately, i'm not ready to say they can beat the Celtics or Magic in the East or the Lakers in a possible finals match up. One thing is for sure, the Eastern Conference will be very competitive this upcoming season.
Two things to consider however:
Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert has made a tremendous amount of money over the last seven years on the back of Lebron James. Sold out arenas, jersey sales and other ancillary benefits have padded his pockets considerably. His criticism of Lebron after the announcement that he's going to Miami was petty, spiteful and provided tremendous insight into this owner. Regardless of what his intentions were, this well thought out statement by him will cost him and his team for years to come, because it will be viewed negatively by other players, coaches and agents. I feel bad for Byron Scott. Let's also see what David Stern has to say about Gilbert's comments also.
Second, regardless of how successful this trio is in Miami, the legacy of Lebron will be considerably diminished. They could win the next three NBA titles, it wont matter, because Wade will have four; one more than Lebron. He is in effect becoming Robin to Wade's batman, A-Rod to the Yankee's Jeter. I think history will judge him differently regardless of how many championships that trio ultimately end up with.
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