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I knew it’ll happen. I knew that the big three had a window to find success and then things would change. Now I didn’t think that window would only be four years. Lebron James always wanted to return to Cleveland to play, but nobody knew when that will be. It stung, but the Miami Heat were still able to compete the following two seasons after Lebron’s departure to Cleveland. Last season the Miami Heat were even one win away to play Lebron and the Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals.

When Lebron left, I was in a state of shock. How can you leave a franchise that had four straight NBA finals appearances and two championships in that span? That’s part of the business of basketball and I appreciated and enjoyed every minute that Lebron James played in a Heat uniform in Downtown Miami, not South Beach. It was that moment when the legend, Pat Riley said, “We are retooling.” And of course in Riley we trust. But that’s not the “R” word I am referring to; we’ll get to that later.

All that is in the past now and going forward Heat fans including myself believed the roster the Heat had enough talent to compete. The first year post Lebron was rough but the following year things started to change for the better and found a hidden gem in the process. Even after losing to the Toronto Raptors in the second round, the Heat were able to battle without their leading scorer Chris Bosh ,who was sidelined to a reoccurring blood clot issue , and Hassan Whiteside, the gem, who was the league leading shot blocker and the team’s best rebounder.

What soon came after the loss to the Raptors is something that still hurts me till this day. Franchise player and my favorite Heat player, Dwyane Wade, packed his bags and signed with his hometown team the Chicago Bulls. I did not see this coming at all. For the past few seasons Wade and the Heat didn’t see eye to eye on contract negotiations. There was always a little bit of drama and tension but it was always resolved and we were so accustomed to seeing Number 3 on the court in a Heat jersey.

Dwyane was always told to take a pay cut to help the team financially in order to surround him with talent. This is what happened that helped Lebron and Chris Bosh come to Miami. Wade has never been the highest paid player in any of his 13 years with the Heat. That’s a shame and all but nobody forced him to take a pay cut. He wanted to win and Pat Riley told him what he needed to do get him Lebron and Bosh. Riley showed him the numbers salary wise and Wade agreed to them.

When Wade was a free agent in 2010, Chicago was going after him and they offered more money than the Heat. If Wade cared that much about the money then why didn’t he take the Bulls’ contract offer? He wanted to win and taking a pay cut was the sacrifice he needed to make in order to win.

But that was when Lebron was in town and he wasn’t the best player on the Heat and the healthiest either. Now since Lebron is gone it seemed like Wade will be the highest paid player. Not exactly. In a desperation attempt, Riley signed Bosh to a max deal contract in order to salvage anybody from the big three in the same offseason Lebron left. So once again Wade was second fiddle salary wise.

I don’t care how loyal an athlete can be to a franchise but each player has a tipping point. Going into his 14th season, Wade was a free agent and everyone expected to resign with the Heat as usual. Not this time. The front office once again asked him to take a pay cut in order to sign Hassan Whiteside to a mega deal and still have enough to offer another free agent Kevin Durant to come to Miami. Like if that ever was going to happen. What we really threw off and upset Wade was that Riley said to the media was that signing Hassan Whiteside was the team’s top priority going into the 2016-2017 season. Now I love Pat Riley and all but he really dropped the ball there. Even if he meant it, that is something you don’t say out loud especially to the media.

If I were Wade I would feel insulted. And he definitely was. Asking him to take another pay cut and not being as important compared to a player who has had one good season and has been cut by multiple teams isn’t right. That was his tipping point. Negotiations dragged on longer than past years and when every day went by I felt more and more that something bad is going to happen. Ultimately, he pulled a Lebron and went to his home team. I can’t stand seeing him in a Bulls uniform.

Just as you think this offseason couldn’t get any worse, more bad news pops up. As I mentioned earlier, Chris Bosh has had blood clots for the past two seasons. And both seasons were cut short after the All Star break. He was getting paid max player type money, yet he wasn’t playing. This is something out of his control and it is unfortunate because Bosh is an exceptional player and well liked in and out of the NBA.

Pat Riley strikes again when he recently said at the Heat’s Media Day conference, “We feel that, based on the last exam that his Heat career is probably over.” That exam Riley is referring to is the physical exam Bosh took. He failed the exam and Heat doctors were unable to pass him and let him come on the court again. Bosh didn’t play a single minute in the playoffs last season even when doctors outside of the Heat organization were saying that he is capable of playing.

This offseason, there were a lot of questionable moves but Pat Riley is on a mission and has a plan B all the way to Z.

You can’t blame anyone for this. Riley loves Chris Bosh but he also needs to do his job and do what is best for the team. Riley has been accused of not letting Bosh play this season cause of the financial aspect of it. Even if that’s true, I am all for it. No player is worth max dollars if he is only going to play 40 games and not play in the playoffs.

Riley has and still has a plan and Bosh unfortunately is not part of it. He is looking out for the future of this team and also Bosh’s health. Bosh has a family to look out for and be there for them. I agree with Riley’s plan.

On the Heat Media Day, Riley dropped the “R” word that hasn’t been used in a long time. Riley said the Heat are in a REBUILDING phase. As Heat fans we are used to seeing constant and immediate success. But in sports, franchises go through cycles. They have a period of success and have a window of opportunity to win championships. The Heat did just that, but we just wish this magical run could have lasted a little longer.

These next few seasons will be interesting to say the least. This year’s Heat team has a lot of young and unfamiliar faces. Riley prefers to go with more of a veteran team and a few young players but this roster is flipped and is loaded with lots of young talent and your two or three grizzled veterans. AKA Udonis Haslem.

Sophomores Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson along with breakout center Hassan Whiteside will spearhead this new look Heat team. Let’s see if Whiteside can back up the max money he is getting paid now. Like with many young players there is going to be ups and downs but hopefully they can put something together to at least fight and battle for a low playoff spot. Patience is the key here and I can’t wait to see what these young bloods have to offer.

It was an incredible run from 2010 to 2014 but all good things must come to an end. Lebron will be missed. Bosh will be missed and I hope to see him on the court again doing what he loves. But the one player that can’t be replaced in Miami is Dwyane Wade. His 13 years here have been memorable and I am blessed that I was able to witness every moment of it. He’ll be back I know it.