Never say Pat Riley didn’t try to replace LeBron James with the next best superstar.
No, we’re not talking about Luol Deng, who, in a way, actually is LeBron’s replacement. We’re talking about Carmelo Anthony, who Riley says the Miami Heat chased to no avail after King James took his crown and his throne and his scepter and his unfortunate hairline back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
From the Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson:
Riley called Carmelo Anthony’s agent after LeBron left but “that dance card had been punched. We were a little bit late to that party. I made a call but we were late in on that one.” Anthony didn’t resign with the Knicks until a couple days later.
Ah, shucks. Think of the possibilities. Dwyane Wade. Chris Bosh. Melo. Oh, and Josh McRoberts. That’s the stuff Eastern Conference contenders are made of. Seriously.
Even more seriously, this was just Riley doing his due diligence and kicking tires and what have you. The Heat were never going to be players for Anthony—especially without LeBron. If LeBron had stayed and it had been Bosh who left, and Wade was still willing to take a significant pay cut, then maybe. But without LeBron, there would be no Anthony. (Ironically, there could be no Melo because of LeBron to an extent as well. Again, Bosh would have had to leave).
In the unlikely event Anthony was willing to entertain Miami’s sales pitch, the money would have been weird. They offered Bosh an enormous deal and Wade isn’t making pennies himself. Could they have fit Anthony under their salary-cap structure?
Deng took $10 million annually. Anthony would never sign for that. He would demand more than double that. At least $12 million annually more than that.
Riley’s inquiry, then, was nothing more than obligatory. The Heat just lost the best basketball player in the universe. Twiddling his thumbs or pulling his pud wasn’t option. He had to react quickly; he had to make a splash quickly.
And he did, hence why this Anthony thing isn’t a big deal. The Heat are still a playoff team because of Riley.
Bosh was gone once LeBron left. Everyone—myself included—had him going to the Houston Rockets, joining James Harden and Dwight Howard and Chandler Parsons (poor Rockets) (though not really). But Riley kept him. He overpaid for him, but he kept him. He kept the Heat in Eastern Conference contention by retaining Bosh and Wade, and then signing Deng, a two-time All-Star and defensive stopper who finally has the opportunity to thrive as a complementary offensive option again.
Losing the NBA’s best player would always be a big deal, because, duh. There is no “better off” in store for Miami. Maybe the Heat strike free-agency gold in 2016 or do something at some point that makes us stop and bow even lower to ol’ Riles. But there is no better off after losing James. Not even close.
What the Heat have done is the next best thing, and something the Cavaliers could never do: survive.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
