LeBron James’ return sparked an outpouring of support from arguably the entire nation. Everyone was behind James’ decision; everyone but the Miami Heat, that is.
Sure, on the outside, they said they respected his decision to go back home, but he left the franchise in somewhat of a state of uncertainty. He opted out of his contract along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after losing to the Spurs in what was thought to be an attempt to sign better, more lucrative deals with the huge TV deal coming up that also made sense for the team.
James even talked about how he’d like to play alongside the point guard who won an NCAA Championship. In this instance, he was referring to University of Connecticut point guard Shabazz Napier. The Heat ended up trading their pick for Napier on draft night, and it seemed as though James would be making his return to the Heat.
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Fortunately, he decided to return to the Cavaliers to play alongside Kyrie Irving and the later-traded-for Kevin Love.
In an interview Monday, Riley said the Heat were going to take this offseason far more serious than the last. Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel reported more on what Riley said:
Wow. Rilley on the uncertainty of building last summer not knowing about LeBron, "No more smiling faces with hidden agendas."
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 20, 2015
OK, so now Riley says "no more smiling faces with hidden agendas" could have been about anybody when asked about that comment.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) April 20, 2015
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He may not have mentioned any names, but Riley was clearly talking about LeBron James ‘so-called’ hidden agenda.
Without James, the Heat finished their regular season at 37-45, a far cry from their 54-28 record in their final year with James. After earning the second seed in the East and going to their fourth straight NBA Finals with the Cavs not making the playoffs in 2014, Miami fell two games short of the playoffs as Cleveland earned the East’s second seed in 2015.
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The Heat struggled mightily with injuries this season to Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng, Chris Andersen, Hassan Whiteside, and Shabazz Napier.
Despite the struggles, Miami is looking to move on from James, and other than this fired shot at James, Riley says he’s over it:
Pat Riley on LeBron leaving, one year later: "Yes, I'm at peace with it."
— Joseph Goodman (@JoeGoodmanJr) April 20, 2015
When asked about whether or not he heard Riley’s statement on Tuesday, James seemed a little surprised, saying:
“I’m unaware. Whatever he said, really, for me, it’s not my concern now.”