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SH Blog: LeBron to Cleveland, Bosh to Miami, D-Wade Linked to Chicago

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So that just happened.

After months of anticipation and uncertainty, LeBron James spurned the Miami Heat to re-join the Cleveland Cavaliers. As dozens of reporters provided inaccurate information from their sources, it was an unlikely name who had the inarguable evidence.

Lee Jenkins of Sports Illustrated provided the breaking news.

For what it’s worth, our own Chris Sheridan told us that this was coming from the start.

Jenkins transcribed a wonderful and heartfelt interview with James himself. As the article was published, so too was the decision that shook the NBA at its core.

LeBron decided to do what he’d always intended to: return to Cleveland. 

I’m doing this essay because I want an opportunity to explain myself uninterrupted. I don’t want anyone thinking: He and Erik Spoelstra didn’t get along. … He and Riles didn’t get along. … The Heat couldn’t put the right team together. That’s absolutely not true.

I’m not having a press conference or a party. After this, it’s time to get to work.

When I left Cleveland, I was on a mission. I was seeking championships, and we won two. But Miami already knew that feeling. Our city hasn’t had that feeling in a long, long, long time. My goal is still to win as many titles as possible, no question. But what’s most important for me is bringing one trophy back to Northeast Ohio.

I always believed that I’d return to Cleveland and finish my career there. I just didn’t know when. After the season, free agency wasn’t even a thought. But I have two boys and my wife, Savannah, is pregnant with a girl. I started thinking about what it would be like to raise my family in my hometown. I looked at other teams, but I wasn’t going to leave Miami for anywhere except Cleveland. The more time passed, the more it felt right. This is what makes me happy.

A state rejoices.

For those with a case of short-term memory or intentional amnesia, LeBron played for the Cavaliers from 2003 to 2010. He’s also a native of nearby Akron, Ohio, which made his original departure from Cleveland an emotional one. This time around, the emotion wasn’t relayed through an angry letter or fire.

It was honesty and respect.

That’s how an owner is supposed to respond to a departing player.

LeBron spent four seasons with the Heat, teaming with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade to form the Big Three. That trio won two NBA Championships and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances.

As LeBron returns to the Cavaliers, his sights are now set on bringing a championship to a title-distraught city. The last time a Cleveland team won a title in any of the four major sports was 1964, when the Cleveland Browns won the NFL Championship Game.

That’s pre-Super Bowl. That’s pressure.

That’s a potentially glorious return home.

D-Wade to Chicago

LeBron James may not be the only player who’s set to experience a homecoming. He may not even be the only member of the Heat’s Big Three to head back to his home state or city.

Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Chicago Bulls are gauging the interest of Dwyane Wade.

For those unaware, Wade was born in Chicago and attended high school at Harold L. Richards High School in Oak Lawn, Illinois.

This is a very interesting development for the Heat, which have already been forced to part ways with LeBron. Wade was drafted by Miami in 2003, going higher than most expected him to at No. 5 overall.

If Riley has it his way, Wade won’t be going anywhere.

Wade staying in Miami is the best bet.

All Wade’s done to repay Pat Riley’s trust is win three NBA Championships, earn the 2006 Finals MVP award, make 10 All-Star Game appearances and win the 2009 scoring title. That’s what you call a Hall of Fame resume.

Regardless of where he ends up, Wade will be expected to bounce back from a season in which injuries limited his availability. If he’s able to get healthy, he could return to being one of the best shooting guards in the world.

The pressure is on.

Chris Bosh Re-Signs

When LeBron left Miami, many expected the Heat to hit the panic button and enter the epitome of an NBA free-fall. Some could say that the following decision was an example of the former, but it also guaranteed competitiveness.

In a similarly shocking decision to LeBron’s, the Heat agreed to a five-year deal worth $118 million with nine-time All-Star Chris Bosh.

Pat Riley wasted no time with that move.

Bosh was a vital member for the Heat, which won two championships and made four straight NBA Finals appearances. His shining moments included the rebound to set up Ray Allen’s legendary game-tying 3 and his massive block on Danny Green in Game 6 of the 2014 Finals.

The question is, will we see the Bosh who was statistically underwhelming throughout the 2013-14 season? Or will we see the Bosh who became the Toronto Raptors’ all-time leading scorer?

Many forget this, but Bosh averaged 24.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in his final season with the Raptors in 2009-10. Between 2004-05 and 2009-10, he tallied averages of 21.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per contest.

If Miami is to return to the playoffs without LeBron, it’ll need Bosh to return to form.

Around The League

  • Pau Gasol will not return to play for the Los Angeles Lakers. Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, “Pau Gasol turned down a two-year, $10M-plus per deal with the Lakers, league sources tell Yahoo Sports. Likely moving on.”
  • Marc Stein of ESPN reports that the Lakers are open to taking back Carlos Boozer in a sign-and-trade with the Chicago Bulls. Chicago would receive Gasol in the deal.
  • If Chicago and Los Angeles fail to execute a sign-and-trade, the San Antonio Spurs become the top option to land him. Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles, “top two now [Chicago]/Spurs..if Bulls can’t do sign and trade with Lakers, likely he goes to Spurs.”
  • The Houston Rockets sent Jeremy Lin and a first-round draft pick to the Lakers, as reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. “The Rockets will send a 2015 first-round pick, and other draft considerations to the Lakers to unload the final year of Lin’s $14 million expiring contract that includes a salary cap hit of $8.3 million based on the deal’s structure. The Lakers will send cash and the rights to an overseas player, sources said.”
  • Marc Stein of ESPN reports that the Atlanta Hawks have acquired shooting guard Kent Bazemore. “ESPN sources say Kent Bazemore is headed to the Atlanta Hawks on a two-year, $4 million deal.”
  • Per Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the Memphis Grizzlies have agreed to a four-year deal worth $12 million with 37-year-old shooting guard Vince Carter.

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