MIAMI — Tuesday's news that LeBron James was exercising the early termination option in his contract was not a surprise.It was not a surprise to reporters closely monitoring the situation—with the rumors trending strongly in that direction in recent days. It was not a surprise to anyone who listened intently to James' end-of-season press conference, during which he spoke of how every professional athlete prizes flexibility.And it was not a surprise to Pat Riley, as the Miami Heat president noted in the statement that the team released shortly after noon."I was informed this morning of his intentions," Riley said. "We fully expected LeBron to opt-out and exercise his free agent rights, so this does not come as a surprise. As I said at the press conference last week, players have a right to free agency and when they have these opportunities, the right to explore their options." Nor was the reaction a surprise: hysteria on the airwaves and on social media, errant assumptions about why James did it, wild predictions about where he's going.
The only surprise is that so few are remembering the storylines of little more than a week ago.You know, that James was being asked to do too much—bringing up the ball, defending everyone from point guards to post players, carrying the offense.
That the burden was too great. That he needed more help.Help that even he requested."Obviously we would need to get better from every facet, every position," James said after losing Game 5 in San Antonio. "It's just how the league works."
So, now, all he's done is use the only tool the league's collective bargaining agreement has given him, in order to give the Heat the best chance to relieve some of that burden. Because, for all of Riley's bravado about how he had plenty of ways to improve the team even if James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh opted in for their $62 million share of the 2014-15 salary cap, the challenge would have been considerable. And, had Riley failed to find significant supplementary pieces under those constraints, and the Heat flamed out even sooner next postseason, the chances of James' ultimate departure—with more attractive markets (New York?) in better salary-cap position—would have increased dramatically from where they stand now. James has ripped off the band-aid, rather than pulling it off slowly.He's giving Riley a chance to squeeze on the necessary antibiotic, and heal what ails the Heat.
And Riley should have plenty of goop in the tube, provided that Bosh and Wade also opt out—which sources indicate they are likely to do in the coming days—and provided that all three then sacrifice some annual income for longer deals. The latter makes some sense for Bosh but even more for Wade, so long as the Heat offer reasonable sums (four years for $56 million seems fair for Wade, considering that he would not be assured of receiving two years for $14 million at age 34-and-a-half, at the expiration of his current two-year, $41.8 million contract). Plus, Udonis Haslem—who shares an agent with Wade and Bosh—has consistently expressed an openness to extend his deal to three years. If he reduced his first-year salary to something closer to $3 million, that could add another $1.6 million to Riley's cash stash. And, depending on the order in which they agreed to new terms, the Heat would still likely retain a room mid-level exception of $2.7 million for additional depth.
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Jordan Retro 1
The Air Jordan 1 was released in 1985 kicking off not only the greatest legacy in sneakers, but also the greatest legacy in basketball history.The first round, third overall pick, Michael Jordan, was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1984 NBA Draft. Before landing in the NBA, Michael Jordan had a resume that no other player could touch. Jordan excelled in college basketball at North Carolina and helped lead Team USA to a gold medal in the 1984 Olympic Games. Wearing the Air Jordan 1, Michael Jordan soared in his rookie year. Jordan earned a spot on the All-Star team, finished third in scoring (28.2 ppg), brought back the Bulls back to the playoffs, and not surprisingly was Rookie of the Year. Nike, a brand having troubles breaking into the basketball market, saw the potential in Michael Jordan as a player as well as a marketing icon and was immediately signed.
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