Which Big Three Would Be Better?
If LeBron James indeed does decide to go to Miami tonight - it may be a bad thing for the Heat. Having their salary tied up in just three players - albeit three of the best players in the league - they still need some help. They don't have a big man to play Center. Bosh will not want to go up against Dwight Howard, Andrew Bynum, etc. They'd also be depending pretty heavily on Mario Chalmers - who's no Rajon Rondo.
Rivers has been lauded for his handling of the three big egos of KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce. He was largely helped by the fact that these athletes were in the twilight of their careers and needed to unite to win a title. Is Erik Spoelstra capable of doing the same thing with three all-stars in their prime?
The Heat's pending-Big Three may look formidable but the Eastern Conference still runs through this generation's original threesome. A championship team needs role players and the Heat can't afford them.
Here's SI.com's Chris Mannix on WEEI:
I think next season it would be extremely difficult. Now, I’m convinced that Michael Beasley is going to stay on the roster because they can’t give him away for a ham sandwich. They’re trying to pass him off on every team in the league, which is a little mind-boggling considering that two years ago this guy was the No. 2 pick in the draft. We were arguing about being possibly the No. 1 pick with Derrick Rose. Their willingness to just give him away is a little baffling.
But you make the point, even if those three guys sign, you’re left with Mario Chalmers suddenly becomes the Rajon Rondo of the Miami Heat, where he sort of he’s sort of an unknown commodity and he has to play exceptionally well for them to succeed. But the other problem is they don’t have a Kendrick Perkins equivalent. There’s no center down there. There’s nobody down there. They’re going to have to sign a Mikki Moore to play center for that position. They’re going to have fill up the rest of the roster with veteran minimum salary players.
I think come next year, if maybe Beasley proves himself he can be a trade shipment and you can use that whole mid-level exception to use on one guy and maybe spread it out over two guys, I think that next year they’re in a better position. But I’m not convinced guys that even if those three guys come together — and I’m sure they’re going to win 65 to 70 regular season games — I’m not convinced they’re getting out of the Eastern Conference. I mean, if Boston can get their act together and Kendrick Perkins can come back in the second half of the season and give them something close to what he gave them last year, I think they’re still going to be considered the favorite. I just think they still have enough left in the tank to make one more run and chemistry-wise and talent-wise, I think even though they have all the stock power down there in Miami, I don’t believe they have enough to get past the Celtics or even maybe Chicago in the conference finals
If LeBron James joins the Miami Heat he will most undoubtedly become the most hated player in the NBA - not just in Cleveland. Holding a TV Special just to announce you're leaving your home town would be one of the most classless moves in sports history. Despite what he decides, his escapades have made Kobe look like a saint.
If LeBron joined the Heat to form a Wade-James-Bosh outfit. I would root for the Lakers when they played eachother.
