The departure of LeBron James from the Miami Heat left the NBA team reeling. As the NBA team attempt to regain their composure by holding on to Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh tighter than ever and affording them more luxuries, the possibility of losing the remaining members of the "Big 3" still haunt the Miami Heat execs and coaches. With the contract of Dwyane Wade up for grabs in 2016, the Miami Heat have their work cut out for them as the NBA star will undoubtedly attract a number of teams to lure him to their locker rooms.
"I had some concern because we have lost players before," shared Pat Riley, the former coach of the Miami Heat, during an interview with ESPN Radio's Dan Le Batard Show via the Miami Herald. He added, "There was a time I said anything is possible because of what had happened with LeBron. The landscape of the NBA now and player mentalities sometimes get into the way of the priorities that you have to face as a player and as also an organization. It really is more than ever a big --- big, capital letters --- business now."
Despite the possibility of losing Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat could still secure their hold on the NBA star. If the prediction of Riley would be believed, then the Miami Heat might just emerge as the NBA champions this season - a feat that may or may not have LeBron James shaking his head and regretting his decision to leave the team. "I think this team has all of the elements of a championship team," said Riley, referring to the ability of the Miami Heat to unseat the Golden State Warriors this NBA season. The former Miami Heat coach added, "Now, whether or not you could ever win a championship will depend on a number of factors, and here we go."
Riley noted that the most important factor that could make or break the Miami Heat's run for the championship titles is the health of the players in the roster. Given the age of Dwyane Wade, this aspect could not be easily overlooked. "It's going to come down to this: health," explained Riley. He went on to say, "It's going to come down to this: performance. It's going to come to this guy and that guy. And it's going to come down to: can you make shots?"
Meanwhile, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pointed out that another player might exit the Miami Heat roster. Throughout the summer camp, it looks like the playing skills of James Ennis have bombed and continued to deteriorate. With the aggressive stance of the Miami Heat to get rid of players in an effort to cut down on costs, the future of James Ennis might be in jeopardy. Apart from him, the Miami Heat are also looking into potential trades for Mario Chalmers and Chris Andersen.
Apart from Dwyane Wade, the NBA season next year would see big names in free agency such as LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder.
