Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Love for Lebron
A look at Heat legend’s 10 greatest teammates.
MIAMI – The story of LeBron James’ eighth consecutive visit to the NBA Finals has become one of standing alone amid the lack of complementary talent on the Cleveland Cavaliers’ roster.
Of course, it hasn’t always been this way. Over his 15-season career, there has been ample support, including several former Miami Heat teammates who have helped carry the load.
Today, the Sun Sentinel looks at the top 10 when it comes to James’ supporting cast, as we await Thursday’s start of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors.
10. Udonis Haslem
If James stands as today’s ultimate leader in the locker room and on the court, don’t discount the impact of having Haslem alongside during those four seasons with the Heat. The lesson about loyalty was clear from the outset, when Dwyane Wade restructured his contract amid James’ arrival to allow for Haslem to remain on the roster. Haslem and James grew close to the extent that Mr. 305 briefly considered a move to the Cavaliers after LeBron’s return to Cleveland in 2014.
9. Mo Williams
The journeyman guard once coveted by the Heat in free agency was alongside as the second-leading scorer for James’ final two seasons with the Cavaliers before LeBron left for Miami, and then was back alongside
during the run to the 2016 championship. Of course, he’s also known for calling out LeBron for leaving for the Heat.
8. Tristan Thompson
Sometimes it’s the dirty work that sets the tone. To that extent, Thompson, viewed as something of a draft bust amid LeBron’s Heat hiatus, has served James well with the extra possessions created by his offensive rebounding and ability to step forward as a defensive presence against any opponent that has dared go big against the Cavaliers.
7. James Jones
Well this certainly will be odd — LeBron, for the first time in eight years, going to the NBA Finals without Jones alongside. As was the case during those four Finals appearances with the Heat, Jones’ impact in Cleveland’s past three berths in the championship series was negligible. But Jones, now a Suns executive, provided stability and cohesion along the way.
6. Ray Allen
Without Allen’s 3-pointer to force overtime late in Game 6 of the 2013 NBA Finals (off a James miss), LeBron’s Heat legacy well might stand in the same place it currently does with the Cavaliers, with only a single Heat title. Later, when it began to sour for James with the Heat, Allen stood as one of LeBron’s closest allies in the Heat locker room.
5. Kevin Love
Why so far down the list for the player who helped reset the Cavaliers’ roster in the wake of LeBron’s 2014 return to Cleveland? Injuries and availability, which against resurfaced in the just-completed Eastern Conference finals. But there also has been needed scoring balance to fuel this Cavaliers run to four consecutive Finals and a stunning defensive stand against Stephen Curry that helped secure the 2016 title. Another championship this season and the Lovevs.-Bosh debate only grows stronger, with perhaps a flip-flop on this list.
4. Zydrunas Ilgauskas
The camaraderie at the outset was undeniable, with the soft-shooting big man alongside during James’ first six seasons in the league, including an All-Star season in 2005. He then followed LeBron to the Heat in 2010, only to come up short in the Finals. And when James was a free agent in 2014, it was Big Z who helped recruit his friend back to Cleveland, making him among the most influential teammates over this decade and a half.
3. Kyrie Irving
Without Irving’s game-winning jumper in Game 7 of the 2016 Finals, would LeBron still even be in Cleveland? Until James’ return to Cleveland, Irving was little more than an injury-plagued scorer. Then he grew into a facsimile of what Dwyane Wade offered during James’ Heat tenure, at least on the offensive end. And if there was any doubt about how essential he stood to the mix these previous three seasons, look no further than the struggles this postseason against the Pacers and Celtics — as well as how much he will be missed in these Finals.
2. Chris Bosh
All Bosh did was reinvent himself to make the chemistry work with LeBron amid the run to those Heat championships in 2012 and 2013, abdicating his position in the post to allow to the development of James’ previously dormant post game and stepped outside to provide needed spacing. And all while providing defining defensive rotations that allowed LeBron to play to his defensive-gambling instincts. He could have been so much more alone. Instead he chose to be a teammate.
1. Dwyane Wade
Wade had it all in Miami with the team’s 2006 championship and emergence as a South Florida institution on the level of Dan Marino. And then he allowed friendship to get in the way, working behind the scenes to set up the scenario that delivered Bosh and James to the Heat in the 2010 offseason — with 2012 and 2013 NBA titles following. From an on-ball dominant scorer, Wade reinvented himself as an off-ball slasher in order to allow LeBron to explore facets of his game that had been dormant in Cleveland. And when LeBron desperately needed change at midseason this season, Wade stepped aside again, returning to the Heat.