Pat Riley and Miami Heat Positioning Not for Chris Bosh, but LeBron James?

Despite conventional “wisdom”, I’m of the opinion (and yes, I know I’m pretty alone in this view) that Pat Riley and the Miami Heat are not positioning themselves to go after a Chris Bosh, Amar'e Stoudemire, or even a Dirk Nowitzki come 2010, but instead the greatest Free-Agent Prize of all, LeBron James.

With their latest trade (sending Shawn Marion, Marcus Banks and cash considerations to Toronto for Jermaine O’Neal, Jamario Moon, and a conditional first-round draft pick) Miami has made themselves the number-one player in the 2010 Free Agent Bonanza.

Sure, Memphis, Oklahoma City, Minnesota, and even Detroit will be further under the cap that year, but none of these cities are serious contenders for any of the big names available that year.

Detroit would be if they had any significant star of their own signed for that year they could entice one of the big-name players to come play with, but the only player they have under contract for that year is Tayshaun Prince, and LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and others aren’t going to be convinced to move their star power to a city like Detroit (one of America’s least desirable big cities) just to play alongside a player such as Prince—who is a decent player, but no superstar.

New York is pretty far under the cap as well, positioning themselves to be a major player in the Free Agent Sweepstakes of that year.  But despite the local media and fans in New York dreaming of landing one or even two of the superstars available that year, I’m of the opinion the Knicks' recent history of failure, not to mention the nature of the spotlight that comes with playing in New York (whose media and fan base are NEVER satisfied) will be a very large mark in their disfavor when it comes to enticing the players they need to build a championship-caliber team from free agent signings that year.

So, again, this leaves Miami in the driver’s seat. And oh what a seat it is.

I believe that Riles is thinking of 2010 as the year he makes moves to build another dynasty on the order of the Showtime Lakers of the '80s. I believe he wants one last hurrah to cement his legacy. He’ll never surpass Phil Jackson in rings as a coach, so I believe he’s thinking he can surpass Phil’s legacy in only one way—using his immense talent as a General Manager in rebuilding a franchise to show that he is one of the greatest basketball executives of all time.

What can he do to fulfill his ambitions? What move can he make that would be the equal of stunning the world and bringing Shaq to Miami to secure a title? Why turn the NBA on its head again in 2010 by not going after Chris Bosh as most of the “experts” have already stated as fact he will (and their assumptions are just that, assumptions, as Riles has never tipped his hat as to what he’s going to try and do come 2010), and instead go after the big prize of that year, LeBron James?

While Bosh is no doubt a fine player in some respects, his defense is extremely suspect (it’s been noted by many he just doesn’t seem to have the desire needed to play D) and his leadership abilities are also in question. He’s certainly not a player any head coach would feel comfortable giving the ball to for the final play of the game.

LeBron, on the other hand, is not only one of the three most offensively dominant players in the league, but a player who recently has shown he has the desire and ability to play ferocious defense.

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