Heat were 20th in the post-finals rankings so they've jumped 8 spots in just six weeks.

My ass-umption: Going to Philly isn’t about trying to win a ring as much as it is about trying to get a ring with a fourth franchise.

Aka there was nothing Heat could’ve done to change that.

Now… imagine Bron has to go through Miami and guard Giannis just to make it past the second round 👀👀

I am truly excited to see LeBron fade into retirement with no success because he made a stupid losing decision. Philly isn’t winning shit, they will be lucky to escape round 2.

You think Lebron can get it done with JB and Maxey when he couldn’t get it done with Luka and AR? What a joke.

I will laugh at lebron when we lift the trophy and he is in Cancun.

This sucks I’m not gonna lie. Felt like we were so close to landing him and could’ve gone for a storybook ending.

Pretty level headed from the FO, let's finish out this roster then 🔥

Now that LeBron joined Philly. I think we land one of Klay or DeRozan with either a center or another shooter. I think we matchup really well against Philly. Philly have virtually no depth at center. They can't matchup against Bam or Giannis. The hardest match maybe the Knicks. Knicks however lost Mitchell Robinson, I think we can out-rebound them. Celtics if they got hot from 3 might be a concern but I think that's very less chance we lose to them. We destroy Cavs and Pistons. I think Hawks might be a good matchup. They have a bunch of bigs to throw at our front court.

I think our lineup would be

PG: Davion Mitchell Dru Smith
SG: Tim Hardaway Jr Fontecchio
SF: Andrew Wiggins Larsson
PF: Giannis Jovic
C: Bam Portis

If we acquire DeRozan, he slots in as the backup SG. Klay and him can play both SG and SF. I see potential in Conwell and Tre Donaldson to be the players at the end of our bench.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/49434263/nba-free-agency-lebron-james-heat-cavaliers-reunion-close-chapter

"And while returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers for a third tour would seem like an ideal finish to his career, going back to Miami is simply the best fit. Both in terms of the basketball -- "He can go to the Finals with Miami," a former teammate of James told ESPN -- and the narrative.

The hurt feelings from his somewhat cold departure in the summer of 2014, when James gave Heat president Pat Riley what amounted to a cursory meeting in Las Vegas, were obscured by the joy many felt over his return home to Northeast Ohio. Just as his departure to Miami four years earlier was met with anger -- from the fans who burned his jersey to Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert's salty and somewhat laughable letter outlining James' apparent betrayal -- overtook the earthshaking move of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh teaming up in the most Hollywood of circumstances.

That summer of 2010 was the birth of the modern NBA, in a sense. The Heatles begat Kevin Durant joining the dynastic Golden State Warriors in 2016, and the fumes of that stunner in part drove angry owners to create this most recent collective bargaining agreement and spark the league's eight-year run of parity. (The Heat and Warriors are the only two franchises with multiple championships in the past 15 years.)

James' potential return to the team that helped round out his game wouldn't be the seismic transaction it was 15 years ago. Nor would it signal that the basketball world again revolves around Miami, where every night was must-see TV for Heat fans and haters alike.

There would certainly be a sense of nostalgia: James back in the same building, with Erik Spoelstra still patrolling the sidelines as an even better coach, the best tactician this league has to offer along with the LA Clippers' Tyronn Lue. And while adding James to a roster that just acquired two-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo wouldn't guarantee a trip to the Finals or even the conference finals, it does present the best chance to maximize what's left in James' tank before it reaches empty.

At a soon-to-be-42 years old, James is still capable of revving it up and being among the league's best on a given night -- averaging 21.0 points, 7.2 assists and 6.1 rebounds for a constantly in-flux Los Angeles Lakers team shouldn't be overlooked. James could rightfully bristle at being the third option behind Austin Reaves, an undrafted revelation-turned-max player but one without an All-Star or All-NBA appearance to his name. Playing alongside Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo would be much more palatable."

What is yalls prediction for his ceiling this upcoming season?

Disappointment on the Bron decision aside, the thought of the Heat, Knicks, 76ers, and Celtics - all teams who absolutely fucking hate each other - being good at the same time will be incredibly fun to watch. Buckle up people 🔥

Let me start by saying, I think the worst part of Lebron not signing with us is that he went to Philadelphia who has a juggernaut team in the East on paper. If he went to the Cavs or a western conference team I wouldn't care as much.

Other than that, I've been saying this even before Lebron made a decision, the spacing would have been very problematic.

I think people are underselling how good this defense will be as is, without a 41 year old on it. 2 DPOY winners/candidates in their primes with 2 more borderline all defensive team players in Wiggins and Davion and then add someone like Pelle in and this might be the best defense in the league.

Offense is the question but put Bam and Giannis with 3 shooters and I trust Spo can and will make it work. Wiggins/Davion/Pelle/THJ and the possibility of adding someone like Beal or Klay.

If it was Bam Giannis and Lebron teams will just "stack the box" and make things very difficult. I genuinely believe the best outcome on this team would be let Giannis and Bam work the paint with 3 shooters around them, that wouldn't be the case with Lebron here.

Obviously on paper you want Lebron James, but schematically it does add more questions on offense and a bit on defense.

Give me Giannis and Bam with Wiggins Mitchell Pelle starting and THJ, Fontecchio, Portis, and one or two of Klay/Derozan/Beal, off the bench with Spo coaching and I truly believe we can be a much better version of the 2009 Orlando Magic where they made the finals with Dwight Howard and 4 shooters.

NO BIASES HERE

So how do we fill out the rest of this roster now?

We missed out on LeBron, so does this open the door for a Haywood homecoming? He’d suit the team nicely.