When we talk about the best years of LeBron James , it’s difficult to get everyone to agree because the winger was dazzling throughout his career. Many will talk about his second stint with the Cavaliers between 2014 and 2018 and it makes sense, since he literally rode most of the league during this period. But his four-year stint with the Heat was just as crazy.
Between 2010 and 2014, the King took the opportunity to collect two championship rings, two regular season MVP titles and as many Finals MVPs. A monstrous track record acquired with the famous Tres Amigos that he formed with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. But if the Floridians were almost unstoppable during these few years, the beginnings of this trio were quite complicated…
Miami ready to trade LeBron after the 2010-11 Finals?
Following Bron’s controversial arrival in the summer of 2010, which was experienced as a betrayal of Cleveland, expectations had obviously been colossal. As a result, the surprising defeat in the Finals against Dallas caused a lot of damage to Miami and particularly to its franchise player. Guest of Shannon Sharpe recently, Gilbert Arenas affirms that the leaders had considered cutting ties with him:
Shannon Sharpe : This trade (from Chris Paul to Miami) didn’t happen because D-Wade didn’t want to give up his No. 3 and CP3 didn’t want another number.
Gilbert Arenas : That’s not what happened, it’s been a lie all along. And who said the Big Three (of the Heat) had to include LeBron? Who was going to leave? Chris Bosh?
Let’s go back a little, to 2010-11 when they lost to Dallas. Why did they lose to Dallas? Who had played badly? Who had difficulty living with the other two? So yeah, Miami was thinking about making a trade and they weren’t thinking about trading Bosh at that time. Because at that point, it was a question of who was fighting for power.
It’s impossible to be sure that Agent Zero is telling the truth, especially since history has proven that Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra have maintained their confidence in him, and rightly so. But we have known for years that LBJ and Wade had expressed their doubts about the coach to the president of the franchise and that the latter had immediately rebuffed them. Add to that the fiasco of the 2011 Finals and it starts to add up.
Pat Riley has never been afraid to put together huge transfers during his management career. Imagining him getting rid of LeBron James is therefore not that crazy… fortunately for all parties concerned, the adventure continued beyond the first season with the success that we know.