The Miami Heat have not been the same since LeBron James left for Cleveland in 2014. That much is to be expected when the best player in the world leaves town, as Cleveland also had its struggles when James left the team for the first time.
But ESPN’s Dan Le Batard suggested that Miami believes James was up to something more sinister and more intentional when he left South Beach that may have contributed to the Heat’s rapid regression following LeBron’s four-year tenure with the club.
Le Batard said that some in the Heat organization feel James had checked out in the 2014 Finals that they lost to the Spurs and later sabotaged the franchise by encouraging free agents to avoid Miami once he left the team. Le Batard specifically mentions their courting of Pau Gasol, who seemed ready to join the Heat before picking the Bulls in 2014.
USA Today‘s LeBron Wire picked up on the theory from Tuesday’s Dan Le Batard Show where he explained what the Heat believe happened during the summer when James left Miami.
“Here’s the other thing that the Miami Heat believe that when LeBron decided to get out of here, he was actively playing defense against their ability to land anybody,” Le Batard said. “They thought they had Pau Gasol locked up and LeBron got some texts to Pau Gasol and next thing you know Pau Gasol’s going somewhere else. Like, the Miami Heat thought LeBron was actively playing defense because he wanted to leave the organization worse than he found it. Like that was a belief within the Miami Heat that LeBron James at the end was trying to harm the Miami Heat, and in this particular case, it’s what you’re talking about, taking away the Nets pick away from them.”
All of this is hearsay, of course, and James isn’t about to admit anything close to intentional sabotage. In fact, he says he’s done talking about other teams and free agency, past, present or future, for the rest of the season.
As for this anecdote from Le Batard, it all came up amid a discussion about the Heat feeling like LeBron “checked out” in the 2014 Finals and how the Cavs are in much worse shape than that and this time it appears James has indeed checked out a bit. That led to Mike Ryan bringing up the disastrous situation they could find themselves in should James leave Cleveland as a free agent this summer, and why it’s one of the reasons the Cavs are reluctant to give up their prized asset, the Brooklyn first round pick, at the trade deadline as it’s about the only positive thing they have going for them if James leaves.
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