LeBron James says he’s “heartbroken,” but it has nothing to do with being Public Enemy No. 1 in every NBA arena not located in Miami. Instead, James is moved because one of his best friends on the Heat, rookie Dexter Pittman was sent to the D-League this morning. FoxSportsFlorida.com’s Chris Perkins spoke to both Pittman and James and got some (melodramatic) quotes from the pair:
Heat forward LeBron James might be playing with a heavy heart tonight when Miami visits the Milwaukee Bucks.
One of the players he’s adopted on the Heat, rookie center Dexter Pittman, has been reassigned to the D-League. He left Friday morning.
“LeBron is like my big brother,” Pittman said. “He said I can’t go anywhere without him. He’s kind of heartbroken, he told me, because I’m leaving.”
James, with a smile, confirmed Pittman’s story.
“I am (heartbroken),” James said after Thursday’s practice in Miami. “That’s my rook, right there. I keep a good tab on him while he’s gone, I want him to play well. I see a lot of potential in him.”
Over-the-top sentiments from the two of them aside, you would assume that is a good move for Miami. Even with their recent dominance, their lack of front-court depth is still one of their most glaring team faults. If he’s anywhere close to being able to contribute in an NBA game, the 6-11, 300-lb. Pittman could be of great use to Miami later on in the season.
Miami has been winning since they made the conscious decision to unleash LeBron and Dwyane Wade, really running and pushing the tempo – something that disappears when the playoffs hit. That’s when the game slows down and teams are forced to win more in the halfcourt set. With potential playoff opponents and their frightening front lines looming (I’m thinking specifically of Boston‘s potential KG/Shaq/Kendrick Perkins/Jermaine O’Neal/Big Baby goon squad), there’s no way Miami can match up as currently constructed. If they can’t pull of a trade to bolster their big men, they need to seek as much help as possible from their own ranks.
As Perkins points out, Pittman did well in an earlier D-League stint (16.6 points, 9 boards and almost 2 blocks per game). At the very least, if the Heat can speed up Dexter’s development to the point where they’re comfortable sending him into a game solely to use his six fouls and grab some rebounds, it’s a little win in their favor.
Read the full FoxSportsFlorida.com article HERE.
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