A few hours ago I was ready to call my bookie and put a G down on the Miami Heat repeating as NBA Champions, regardless of the odds. I’d been thinking it over since the signing of Ray Allen as it looked like free money. LeBron James even tweeted:
#HeatNation please welcome our newest teammate Ray Allen #Wow #JesusShuttlesworth
Literally minutes before I was going to make the call, I got a text informing me that the Heat have signed Rashard Lewis. Hold the phone.
You see, in June of last year, Hello Beautiful reported that Rashard Lewis allegedly slept with LeBron James’ longtime girlfriend and current fiance Savannah Brinson, which may or may not have had something to do with LeBron’s poor performance in the closing games of the NBA Finals. Flash back 2 years ago when we heard grumblings of a similar situation with Delonte West and James’ mom Gloria in Cleveland. Cavs lost in the Finals primarily in part to LeBron’s poor play. Similar situations, same results.
Chemistry is a huge deal in the NBA. One bad seed in the locker room is all it takes to turn a team chock full of All-Stars into a dysfunctional family. Minutes after the Ray Allen signing, LeBron dropped the aforementioned tweet. I’ve been checking Bron Bron’s twitter page periodically for the last few hours, there’s no mention of welcoming Lewis. I imagine LeBron’s face looked something like this when he got the news:
While the Rashard/Savannah rumors are unconfirmed (just like Delonte/Gloria), the Heat Brass had to realize the blogosphere and twitterverse were going to have a field day with this one. The fact that Lewis hasn’t had a productive season in five years should have been reason enough for the Heat to stay away. Pair that with the infidelity rumors and you’ve got a real problem in Miami. With the addition of Lewis, they’re no longer a lock to repeat as NBA champions. The Lakers and the Thunder must be licking their chops.
UPDATE
As of 7:31PM LeBron tweeted:
#HeatNation please welcome our newest member Rashard Lewis to the family
Seems a bit forced, no?
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Comments
Hasib Hossain
I never believed the Rashard Lewis rumors. I always felt like it was trying to recreate the magic of the Delonte West/Gloria James rumor from a year ago. I didn’t think of this though. Props.
baggydizzle
I never believed the Rashard Lewis rumors because they seemed like an attempt to recreate the magic of the Delonte West/Gloria James rumor from the year prior. I didn’t even think of this though and thought it was pretty funny. Props.
Jorel
I personally think a repeat is possible and actually with ray Allen looks easy again. If the lakers get Howard watch out over here in the west