Pat Riley is driving the salt truck

[Marcus]

Anyone actually know how many of the jersey burnings made it onto YouTube? I know there are 1 or 2 legit famous ones and am wondering if was just those shown over and over. I'm too lazy to look.

The truly poetic thing is that they were burning LeBron jerseys BEFORE he actually announced his decision to return to Cleveland.

 

[billmac91]

Anyone else listening to LeBatards interview with Riley on ESPN radio? If you read between the lines he's essentially acknowledging the tampering leading up to the decesion. Said the first time he thought he could sign Wade, Bosh, and LeBron is when all 3 opted into shorter deals after 2006 season even though Carmelo went max length. Said he spent everyday envisioning sales pitch and how to land them. Said they instantly began doing research in 2007 and knew they would push angle of needing a Big 3 since every relevant dynasty had one.

Certainly not shocking information but it does confirm the shorter contract theory of Wade, Bosh, and LeBron after playing for team USA with Nick Arison in their ears. The fact that Reilly knew he basically had them when they signed the shorter deals really just confirms everything.

I still can't believe Gilbert allowed LeBron to have lunch with Riley in 2010. Guess it was kinda damned if you do, damned if you don't....

 

[MalTalm]

Anyone else listening to LeBatards interview with Riley on ESPN radio? If you read between the lines he's essentially acknowledging the tampering leading up to the decesion. Said the first time he thought he could sign Wade, Bosh, and LeBron is when all 3 opted into shorter deals after 2006 season even though Carmelo went max length. Said he spent everyday envisioning sales pitch and how to land them. Said they instantly began doing research in 2007 and knew they would push angle of needing a Big 3 since every relevant dynasty had one.

Certainly not shocking information but it does confirm the shorter contract theory of Wade, Bosh, and LeBron after playing for team USA with Nick Arison in their ears. The fact that Reilly knew he basically had them when they signed the shorter deals really just confirms everything.

I still can't believe Gilbert allowed LeBron to have lunch with Riley in 2010. Guess it was kinda damned if you do, damned if you don't....

Eh, collusion or not, you're stretching quite a bit on your conclusion here.

LeBron signed the deal that would maximize his earnings by making him a free agent as soon as the next pay tier opened up. He was the first to do so, and lots of top tier talent followed suit. That short deal made financial sense for any young talent drafted in 2003 who could be reasonably assured they'd be offered a max contract when their deal terminated. Also, Riley thinking about how he could then find a way to sign all three isn't a sign of collusion, it's simply a man aware of the market and a team's salary cap. I would bet 30 of 30 NBA GMs were aware they could consider razing their entire roster and freeing up all their cap space to commit to 3 max contract guys, but it's a risk vs reward thing.

To that end, many teams opened up the option to have 2 max roster players on their teams. This included the Cavs (via S&T with Toronto for Bosh), the Knicks, the Bulls, The Mavericks... the list goes on. Only Riley decided to completely raze his entire roster for a chance at 3 guys. Now, did he do that with assurances from Wade? We will never know, but the conversation is fun. But him admitting being aware of the possibility of signing 3 guys to a max contract 3 years prior to doing so is hardly an admittance of collusion.

 

[billmac91]

Eh, collusion or not, you're stretching quite a bit on your conclusion here.

LeBron signed the deal that would maximize his earnings by making him a free agent as soon as the next pay tier opened up. He was the first to do so, and lots of top tier talent followed suit. That short deal made financial sense for any young talent drafted in 2003 who could be reasonably assured they'd be offered a max contract when their deal terminated. Also, Riley thinking about how he could then find a way to sign all three isn't a sign of collusion, it's simply a man aware of the market and a team's salary cap. I would bet 30 of 30 NBA GMs were aware they could consider razing their entire roster and freeing up all their cap space to commit to 3 max contract guys, but it's a risk vs reward thing.

To that end, many teams opened up the option to have 2 max roster players on their teams. This included the Cavs (via S&T with Toronto for Bosh), the Knicks, the Bulls, The Mavericks... the list goes on. Only Riley decided to completely raze his entire roster for a chance at 3 guys. Now, did he do that with assurances from Wade? We will never know, but the conversation is fun. But him admitting being aware of the possibility of signing 3 guys to a max contract 3 years prior to doing so is hardly an admittance of collusion.

I think where your well reasoned post goes south is when Adrien Wojnarowski reports that Nick Arison had these guys ears and continually pushed the idea of joining up in Miami.

The way Riley stated it on the radio made me believe he knew he had these guys once they all signed short term deals. I think it was his emphasis on Carmelo signing a max extension, but then LeBron and Bosh only taking a 3 year deal. It was as if he expected them to go long-term like Melo, but was super amped when it came out they were going 3 years. He knew at that point...

 

[AZCavs]

I know it's petty to find both solace and humor in another team's struggles. I know we're not even 1/4 into the season. I know the Cavs, while seemingly finding their groove against bad and / or banged up teams, have had their fair share of struggles.

But I can't help but read Heat fan forums and laugh. I don't participate in any trolling on their boards, but their fans are losing it and they are starting to blame LeBron. Not because he left, but how he left.

Sound familiar?

It's all very interesting to see the fanbase that mocked Cavs fans and the city of Cleveland for four years for acting the same way completely implode and blame it on someone who isn't there, instead of their savior Pat Riley and owner Mickey Arison, both of whom made very, very bad moves that cost them opportunities to make the team better when LeBron was there. Not LeBron's fault that Riley tossed away all their assets that could have been used to either keep LeBron around or cushion the blow after his departure. Not LeBron's fault that Mr. Poop Cruise himself amnestied one of their key players in both title runs because he completely missed the forest for the trees.

I've gone from the opinion that LeBron will get a standing ovation in Miami, to getting relentlessly booed on Christmas day.

Oh and about that Luol Deng signing...

 

[cavsfever]

We can afford to be smug now, but both times Lebron left very good teams to further stack the deck in his favor. Don't get me wrong I am glad we are on the winning side this time. However, he left a 62 win team that underachieved and a team that went to 4 straight finals. It really is unprecedented, and it the shock of the respective fan bases doesn't seem weird to me at all.

I don't think he necessarily 'stacked the deck' by coming back to Cleveland. When he came there was no guarantee we would get Love, and even with Love as we can all see this team has a lot of work to do to get to championship level. He said that in his letter.

If it was just about 'stacking the deck' he could have gone to Chicago or really any number of other teams who were already in the championship conversation before he arrived. Or if he had wanted to team up with the best young player he could have gone to NO, etc. He has a special connection with Cleveland.

 

[cavsfever]

Also, have to say, Wade and Bosh are playing impressively well in the early going. Deng, not so much. Just goes to show that with just Wade+Bosh plus role players you are looking at a .500 team.

 

[MalTalm]

I don't think he necessarily 'stacked the deck' by coming back to Cleveland. When he came there was no guarantee we would get Love, and even with Love as we can all see this team has a lot of work to do to get to championship level. He said that in his letter.

If it was just about 'stacking the deck' he could have gone to Chicago or really any number of other teams who were already in the championship conversation before he arrived. Or if he had wanted to team up with the best young player he could have gone to NO, etc. He has a special connection with Cleveland.

He definitely stacked the deck coming back to Cleveland. We were loaded with assets, so while there was no guarantee we were going to get Love, we definitely had the ability to trade for a 2nd tier player. With Wade's health issues and Bosh's penchant for fading into obscurity, he had, in all likelihood, only one more season of guaranteed competitiveness in Miami, and there was a good chance his window to return to Cleveland would have been closed after Kyrie and Tristan came off their rookie contracts.

There were definitely better teams to consider for purely stacking the deck: Chicago (though Rose has serious injury concerns), Houston, Clippers, etc... But LeBron had to also weigh the factor of legacy. Simply put, leaving a Finals team for the best roster available would have reeked of ring chasing. Going home is a story that sells, and he could pitch it as a storybook ending while also improving his position.

It was shrewd and brilliant, but there's no doubt that it was the best option for LeBron in the long term, and was a case of "stacking the deck."

 

[cavsfever]

That's fair enough, Mal. Miami's string was clearly on the edge of being played out and Cleveland had one star + cap room. But as you say, if it was all about ring chasing he could have chosen other teams that would have given him a better chance than Cleveland. I like this team a lot but there is real uncertainty as to whether we will pull it off and win a championship.

I'm sure he recognized that any other choice but Cleveland would be bad PR, but that doesn't mean the choice was solely PR-driven.

I think if he stayed in Miami they would likely have gone to the finals one more time, and once there who knows what can happen. The Spurs-Miami final last year was grotesque though, sure he wanted to avoid any repeat of that.

 

[Cavatt]

That's fair enough, Mal. Miami's string was clearly on the edge of being played out and Cleveland had one star + cap room. But as you say, if it was all about ring chasing he could have chosen other teams that would have given him a better chance than Cleveland. I like this team a lot but there is real uncertainty as to whether we will pull it off and win a championship.

I'm sure he recognized that any other choice but Cleveland would be bad PR, but that doesn't mean the choice was solely PR-driven.

I think if he stayed in Miami they would likely have gone to the finals one more time, and once there who knows what can happen. The Spurs-Miami final last year was grotesque though, sure he wanted to avoid any repeat of that.

Yeah maybe I should have said stacked with assets instead. Mal basically said what I was thinking.

It looks even more shrewd now with the way Kyrie is looking.

I also think it was brilliant to go to a team that had talent and assets, but underachieved with a bad record. It would not have worked for him anywhere else but in Cleveland. I'm not going to harp on this though. I'll take the bandwagon fans and the game threads that are somehow worse than last year for this team.

I do agree with you that nothing is guaranteed. I've been watching some of these western teams and I have no idea how the power structure will be by the end of the season. Memphis, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and of course Golden state look pretty amazing. Man that leaves out OKC who will be tough even if their seeding has been messed up by injuries. Our team has contender talent, but focus, execution, and consistency all have to improve to actually contend.

 

[Douglar]

Damn! What happened to the Heat? I thought they'd stay well above 500 this season.

 

[theSTEREO.]

Damn! What happened to the Heat? I thought they'd stay well above 500 this season.

They're finally getting hit with the results of their post-Lebron denial. Remember when everyone here thought that the remaining talent could still be an 8 seed after Lebron left? And we won a cathartic game or two right at the beginning of the season? (I think we beat Boston at home opening night, right?)

Well that facade fades fast. Problem for Miami is that they have significantly more talent than the 2010 Cavs, but significantly less talent than the teams at the top. So they're about to start spinning on the treadmill of mediocrity for a long time. Cavs ended up with the better result post-Lebron, even if Bron never came back.

Wade having a nice year, but that's only gonna last another season or two. Bosh is good enough to drag them into the playoffs more often than not, but they're on the verge of being a potential first round bounce for the next 3-5 years, stacking 16-18th picks along the way.

 

[Hydroponic3385]

but they're on the verge of being a potential first round bounce for the next 3-5 years, stacking 16-18th picks along the way.

And the cherry on top is they won't even start accumulating those picks until 2016 (Minnesota has the Heat 1st this year)

 

[Cavatt]

http://www.nba.com/heat/newsrecap/josh-mcroberts-keeping-miami-weird

http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/.el.../heat/images/450_McRobertsPG_141210.jpg[/IMG]


We’ve seen this before when McRoberts grabs a rebound and brings the ball all the way up the floor. Both he and Chris Bosh have the green light to do so if they see the opportunity. But this was the first time we can remember the HEAT deliberately – they had a choice here, as it was off a dead ball – getting the ball to McRoberts to bring up and initiate half-court action.

The Suns weren’t pressuring the ball so this was probably a more casual affair than we’re making it out to be. Four minutes into the game, this wasn’t some big, super-secret master plan being put into action. But small things like this come from a certain comfort level. A point guard doesn’t just hand off ballhandling duties to a forward without a little familiarity and trust.

You might remember McRoberts’ pinpoint entry pass to Bosh in the first half – if you saw it, you remember it, as it was a thing of wonder – but do you remember how that play came to be? It began with McRoberts running a sort-of pick-and-roll in the corner with Dwyane Wade. Only, Wade was the one setting the screen.

Or what about that sweet backdoor look McRoberts had to Mario Chalmers? That started with McRoberts faking a handoff at the arc and pushing into the defense.

The patience you see on that last play, with the ball being held until the right cut was made, is part of what makes McRoberts so fascinating. He’s not just capable of making all the tough passes, with either hand. He has the vision to see the plays that should be made.

That’s been part of the learning process. In his first few weeks after missing almost all of training camp, it wasn’t uncommon to see McRoberts get the ball into the middle of the floor and have everyone stand staring at him. While the team may have been expecting him to try to score, you could sense McRoberts telepathically urging someone, anyone, to move towards the rim.

He doesn’t just want to put the ball where you are or where you think you’re going to be. He’s going to put the ball where he wants you to be.

These plays may or may not be called by Erik Spoelstra, and that’s fine either way. If these come from the sidelines, that means Spoelstra is getting more comfortable with running offense through McRoberts. If these are improvisational possessions, that means the players are getting more comfortable with making live reads alongside the flex four. Considering Spoelstra works on building those read-and-react habits daily in practice, we’re almost definitely seeing a mixture of both comfort levels improving.

Sometimes time and experience together is the only real solution to working things out. Now we’re a month into the season and McRoberts not only led the HEAT in assists during an important road win, but the team scored 10 points on six pick-and-rolls run by McRoberts as the ballhandler – a total which equaled his usage for the season coming into the game according to STATS LLC's player tracking cameras.

There won’t be a point where McRoberts is actually playing point forward full time. The team probably isn’t trying to turn him into the Chicago Bulls-era Ron Harper, and he admitted even in preseason that he needs to be more aggressive at times with the ball. They’re still discovering what they have and what they can do with what they have. But the HEAT are outscoring teams by more points with McRoberts on the floor than with any other player, and they’re also playing their best defense, by a significant margin, with him out there (per NBA.com).

The HEAT still need to reach a point with their defense where it is both consistent and reliable, but introducing new concepts into an offense that was already functioning at a reasonably high level will pay dividends as the season rolls along and scouting reports get thicker and more detailed.

There will be growing pains, but with Miami’s positionless lineups becoming more normal around the league, McRoberts is doing what he can to keep Miami weird. And weird often wins.

You would think they were killing it from some of the articles i have seen. They just aren't very good. It really tells you what the difference between the #1 and the #5 sf is.

 

[Douglar]

And the cherry on top is they won't even start accumulating those picks until 2016 (Minnesota has the Heat 1st this year)

Which Flip promptly sent to Philly for T Young.

I though that first round pick looked like it would be in the 20-25 range when it was traded, because unlike when the 2010 Cavs signed Sessions, Miami went out and picked up some desirable free agents last summer Now that pick it is looking like it is going to be in the 15-18 range with a good chance at being even more valuable.