THE DECISION... HAS BEEN MADE

[Jd-]

Yeah, you can tell by my avatar.

Plenty of seats still available! 

This still isn't going to be a sure path. But, this could potentially be even greater than the impact of Kobe & Shaq. This is three of the most dominant players in the league joining forces. What we need is Pat Riley to make sure that these guys have a team that will be able to start a dynasty. I know a lot of people will go for the whole ego-clash thing, but...

In LeBron We Trust

In all fairness:

[spoiler]As far as the NBA goes, I really am something of a bandwagoner. It's not like I was a Cavaliers fan prior to them getting Lebron, but once they did, I was all over it as was everyone without a team. To me, the NBA really is a sport where people care more about players than teams themselves. Unless you're geographically tied to a team, it's hard to stick with one in the league, simply because of how much people change places and such. That alone contributes to the dynamic of the league itself, and of course it helps that, in basketball, one man can make all the difference--just, this time... we have three. [/spoiler]

Beyond that, this is fantastic for the league. The NBA offseason rarely draws nearly as much hype as does the NFL's (or even the MLB's), but this whole Lebron frenzy has the NBA in the limelight in what is usually dominated by football and baseball. We've never really seen anything like this before, so forgive me for calling the Heat 2011 champions already (assuming there's just a few more guys who can fill the gaps--then again... we may not even need them, this time).

Skeptics, we shall do battle this season! I vow it!

(For anyone not aware of what I'm talking about, we now return to your usual programming.)

[hinduemperior]

pu**y move by lebron. riley is gonna have to get some very good minimum guys to fill out the rest of the roster

[ranger]

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[Conia]

I think ranger isn't happy with the decision.

[ranger]

pu**y move by lebron. riley is gonna have to get some very good minimum guys to fill out the rest of the roster

lmao bro, it doesn't matter. it's hyping lebron and wade.  They had shit on their old respective teams and lebron made the best seed in the NBA, dwayne wade basically carried his team to the playoffs.

think it about this way; everyone thought the celtics were going to be horrible because they just had 3 all stars.  But guess what, the allstars make the roleplayers look good; you actually think Kendrick Perkins and big baby Davis are that good? Hell no, the opposite team has to focus on people like Paul Pierce thus the benchplayers shine.

Same deal with San Antonio - These guys have won championships constantly with 3 all stars and just a bunch of benchplayers.  in 2007, the spurs had their big 3 - and who else? a 36 year old Michael Finley, Oberto, Bruce Bowen, Francisco Elson?

[hinduemperior]

its okay, ranger isn't the only one. pretty much everyone other than miami fan and old time lebron haters aren't happy rite now

[ranger]

and omg, miami heat bandwagoners are going to hyping flood the gates, fml.  

[scineram]

To make an empty topic?

[Grawwbear]

All the bear's gotta say is this:

Lol at Waldo.

[Jd-]

To make an empty topic?

That you replied to.

[Akonyl]

Jd-, with a non-conan avatar?

I dunno if I've even seen such a thing before. :O

[CarpetCrawler]

Looks like we'll be going head to head in a battle of skepticism, Jd-!

Before I begin, anyone taking bets on Riley forcing Erik Spolestra out as Heat coach? Over/under two weeks?

I'm in the camp that says this isn't going to end well. Remember the last time where was a super mega team? The 2003-2004 Lakers. You had Kobe at his peak, Shaq still in his prime, Gary Payton as the starting PG, and KARL MALONE. How did they do again, folks? Egos clased, and they had that epic meltdown in the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Suspiciously, this is also when Shaq and Kobe finally butt heads to the point that Shaq had to leave. The Lakers went 34-48, and it took an unfair trade four years later for them to be back in the hunt in the first place.

LeBron says that "this team isn't built on three guys," but you know he's full of shit. The team IS Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.

Now, here are my major problems with this:

A. Miami is Wade Country. LeBron is not going to be #1 in Miami. Is he content with playing second fiddle? I truly don't think so.

B. LeBron wants to take the final shot. So does Wade. Let's not even pretend that these guys don't want to be in the spotlight at the end, because we know better. LeBron may every now and then do something different just to shut the critics up for a little while (The infamous game where he gave the game winning shot chance to Donyell Marshall comes to mind), but he wants to be the guy with the ball when the clock is running out. So does Wade. So what's going to happen here?

C. Can those three egos stay in check? How is Wade going to get the shots he wants? LeBron? And, let's not forget Bosh. I just don't see this happening without some inner team conflict. The Lakers' problem was that their inner team conflicts were left out in the open by a hungry press. With a team of this magnitude... I don't know.

Will they be good? Definitely. Will they sell tickets? Definitely. Will the NBA receive massive media attention to the point that it has a smidgen of a chance of passing the MLB and NFL in popularity? Definitely. Will the band wagoners arrive with a vengeance? Yep.

BUT, can this work? That is a question that I'm not sure that I know the answer to. The fact of the matter is, while the team will be good, that's a lot of ego to keep in check, a lot of star power, and worst of all, a lot of pressure. We'll see sooner than later, though.

[spoiler]Jd-, your avatar is BRILLIANT, but it needs a shot of Mike D'Antoni with an angry or a sad face in the background. That would make it absolutely perfect. [/spoiler]

/A little stat for those who are in the "Miami will win the title" camp. The last time a reigning MVP switched teams was when Moses Malone switched from the Houston Rockets to the Philadelphia 76er's. That year, the Sixers CRUSHED the Eastern Conference and SWEPT Magic and Kareem in the NBA Finals, to the point where they only lost one game in the ENTIRE PLAYOFFS! I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

[ranger]

Looks like we'll be going head to head in a battle of skepticism, Jd-!

Before I begin, anyone taking bets on Riley forcing Erik Spolestra out as Heat coach? Over/under two weeks?

I'm in the camp that says this isn't going to end well. Remember the last time where was a super mega team? The 2003-2004 Lakers. You had Kobe at his peak, Shaq still in his prime, Gary Payton as the starting PG, and KARL MALONE. How did they do again, folks? Egos clased, and they had that epic meltdown in the NBA Finals against the Detroit Pistons. Suspiciously, this is also when Shaq and Kobe finally butt heads to the point that Shaq had to leave. The Lakers went 34-48, and it took an unfair trade four years later for them to be back in the hunt in the first place.

LeBron says that "this team isn't built on three guys," but you know he's full of shit. The team IS Wade, LeBron, and Bosh.

Now, here are my major problems with this:

A. Miami is Wade Country. LeBron is not going to be #1 in Miami. Is he content with playing second fiddle? I truly don't think so.

B. LeBron wants to take the final shot. So does Wade. Let's not even pretend that these guys don't want to be in the spotlight at the end, because we know better. LeBron may every now and then do something different just to shut the critics up for a little while (The infamous game where he gave the game winning shot chance to Donyell Marshall comes to mind), but he wants to be the guy with the ball when the clock is running out. So does Wade. So what's going to happen here?

C. Can those three egos stay in check? How is Wade going to get the shots he wants? LeBron? And, let's not forget Bosh. I just don't see this happening without some inner team conflict. The Lakers' problem was that their inner team conflicts were left out in the open by a hungry press. With a team of this magnitude... I don't know.

Will they be good? Definitely. Will they sell tickets? Definitely. Will the NBA receive massive media attention to the point that it has a smidgen of a chance of passing the MLB and NFL in popularity? Definitely. Will the band wagoners arrive with a vengeance? Yep.

BUT, can this work? That is a question that I'm not sure that I know the answer to. The fact of the matter is, while the team will be good, that's a lot of ego to keep in check, a lot of star power, and worst of all, a lot of pressure. We'll see sooner than later, though.

[spoiler]Jd-, your avatar is BRILLIANT, but it needs a shot of Mike D'Antoni with an angry or a sad face in the background. That would make it absolutely perfect. [/spoiler]

/A little stat for those who are in the "Miami will win the title" camp. The last time a reigning MVP switched teams was when Moses Malone switched from the Houston Rockets to the Philadelphia 76er's. That year, the Sixers CRUSHED the Eastern Conference and SWEPT Magic and Kareem in the NBA Finals, to the point where they only lost one game in the ENTIRE PLAYOFFS! I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

First, let me address the Pat Riley thing - yes, he probably will take the head coach position, haha - reminds me of how Gregg Popovich as soon as Tim Duncan was drafted he became the head coach.  Coaches can only be great if they have the right players.  Phil Jackson, the lucky bastard, has had shaq, kobe, scotty, and MJ. 

A.  I know this is an issue, but it's hardly a problem anymore.  It was more of a problem whether if Lebron wanted to go to Miami, as he can't be "the man" because the Heat is Wade's team, and Miami is his town.  He won the championship there.  But it shouldn't be a problem because if Lebron is willing to sign at Miami, it means he is willing to be "second fiddle".  But that "second fiddle" status will slowly disappear when he's the one winning final MVPs and having the best stats on the team.

B. This is basically an extension of your first point: Egos clashing.  Look man, remember the 2008 Celtics?  Were you a person that was skeptic about that team?  They had 3 all stars that always, always took the last shot on their own respective teams.  And remember, all these guys are friends - they all played together in USA basketball so there's not going to huge hostility - I mean, thefact that Lebron wants to come to miami and Wade wants Lebron to come should mean something.  Something stupid about "who gets the last shot" should be trivial. 

C.  Another point about Ego - okay.  Let me rephrase your question - How does Pau Gasol and Kobe and Llamar Odom and Ron Artest gets shots?  How does Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili get shots?  How did Michael Jordan and Pippin get shots?  How did KG, Pierce, and Allen get shots? 

Look, they want championships.  If they wanted more money they could of signed elsewhere like the Knicks or the Nets or even the Bulls.  But no, they were willing to take less money for all three of them to be here.  You can't really compare this team to the LA 2000-2003 threepeat team because honestly, Kobe and Shaq's egos are 5x as big as these 3.  Come on, Shaazam?


And about the whole "its just three guys on the roster" thing I'm hearing - let me tell you guys of a PG called Rajon Rondo.  No one knew about him.  He was far from an all-star.  But, due to him sharing the spotlight with the big 3 - he has recieved the status as one of the best PGs in the game.  2nd round draft picks like Glen Davis, an overweight, undersized Big man, has been deemed "tough" and one of the best roleplayers in the game.  Richard Jefferson, when on the Nets, averaged over 20+ points a game with Jason Kidd, but when he goes to a team that doesn't have such a perennial point guard, his point total slowly decreased over the years.

ALL STARS make other players better! simple as that.  Same shit was asked two years ago about the Celtics.  Everyone saw what happened with a NBA Championship and a 7 game series this year.

And about stats like that - they don't really mean anything anymore.  This year a 7th seed beat a 2nd seed for the first time in the NBA.  Was it the biggest upset in the world?! hell no, it was the Spurs vs Mavs.  Stats like that don't mean anything w/o the proper context.

[Jd-]

One thing about the example of the last super team is that, well, these guys orchestrated this from the beginning. Bosh, Lebron, and Wade wanted this to happen; as we've seen from Kobe, he'd rather get paid to play alone than to have any teammates of any real worth--the second they seem to be outshining him, he goes for the "me or else" approach (which is unfortunate on a lot of levels). I don't think that's the deal with Bosh, Wade, or LeBron. D-Wade must be incredibly tired of carrying a team on his back, and let's not even get started with LeBron's history of that. Bosh is a perfect #3 man for that set-up, simply because he can really do a lot that LeBron hasn't really had consistently on his teams in the past. It's gonna be interesting.

As for A!

I agree, no doubt. Wade isn't ready to take the backseat, but LeBron isn't either. The only real outcome that will satisfy both is for them both to take the spotlight more or less equally. Miami is about to become a real basketball city and a lot of people who didn't care about basketball are now going to come in--people who probably are more drawn by the spectacle of a dream team including LeBron James than they were were with D-Wade.

The "who's going to take that final shot" question is coming up a lot, so I suppose people are thinking it's a big question, but let me point out one thing... now that they are both on one team, they have an option that very few teams have had: two equal weapons. LeBron can make that shot, but so can D-Wade, so as far as coverage is concerned, teams now have twice as much to worry about. I have no doubt that D-Wade and LeBron would both be comfortable with a play (for either of them) that required one to distract the other team while one sets up in the corner for the long ball. As we saw in the All-Star game last year, these guys are competitors, but they work well together.

LeBron, more than anybody really has to prove something this year--not just with choosing the Heat as his team of choice, but with everything involving if he can co-exist with Wade, etc etc etc. Most importantly, though... he has to prove he can win a championship. He obviously has put in a hell of an effort over the years with some admittedly sub-par players around him, so it's going to be interesting to say the least.

I think we can all agree that, even if there is absolutely no inner conflict within the squad, the media will create it. It's what they do. It will take one, "Trouble brewing in the locker room, according to sources" chime on Deadspin for it to get started. Hell, they're probably working on the article already.

One thing that's not really up for debate is that this is going to be the most momentum the NBA has had going into a season in a long, long time (likely since LeBron's debut seven years ago, conveniently), so I honestly hope they do get some attention away from the NFL for a bit.

Oh, and...

[spoiler]FEEL FREE TO GET YOUR BANDWAGON ATTIRE AT AFFORDABLE PRICES, SHIPPING NOW.[/spoiler]

[ranger]

There is no team in the NBA that would be able to stop the Miami Heat if they are healthy, simple as that.

The closest would be the Lakers - but 2.5 all stars and an aging Kobe will not be able to handle Miami's big three.

The Celtics, tough as nails as they are, are only getting older, and Lebron himself can almost take out the Celtics.  Now, add Dwayne Wade and Bosh to the mix.  Celtics are starting to wish they were facing Big Z and Antawn Jamison now.

The Magic have yet to prove they are a yearly championship contender with the raw development of Howard aka "I can only dunk and block and i suck at FTs so please foul me".  Plus the Vince Carter move was bad in my books, Hedo is still a better fit.

Phnx - nope.  No Amare  + old as dirt Nash.
Nuggets - Great talent, but no chemistry/ can't win the west.
Spurs - old as shit.
Mavs - One of the most unclutch teams ever.