Over the next few weeks LeBron James not only has to deal with the loss of the NBA Championship to the San Antonio Spurs, but he has to deal with questions regarding his future with the Miami Heat. The small forward is headed to free agency with the chance of having the Decision 2.0 as every team in the league would love to have James on the roster. With free agency beginning July 1, let the speculation begin.
James was quick to side step any free agency talk in the post-game press conference following the Spurs clinching the NBA title. All focus shifted from the Heat's disappearing act from the Finals and towards the pending exit of the Big Three. James would not even address the idea as he continued to call Miami his home.
"I will deal with my summer when I get to that point," James said, via ESPN.com. "Me and my team will sit down and deal with it. I love Miami. My family loves it. But obviously right now that's not even what I'm thining about. I haven't even really thought about [my future] just yet. I'm not disappointed in any of my teammates, just wish we could have came through, played a better series, but obviously we ran up against a better team this year."
When pressed further, the question came up regarding the potential of Carmelo Anthony signing on with the Heat. James had nothing to say regarding the story only to note that the press were trying to find answers that simply were not there. If the report is true coming out of ESPN and the Heat are attempting to add the Knicks guard, would that play into James' decision of whether or not to re-sign?
Anthony is the other player garnering attention for his pending future decision. While several teams like the Chicago Bulls and Houston Rockets are hoping to sign him, the New York Daily News is reporting that the Knicks might have more of an upper hand in getting the guard back than originally assumed. The Daily News writes that Anthony prefers to remain with the Knicks if the team can acquire at least one big name to help with the championship effort.
Anthony is not the only one that will play a factor in James' decision making. Right now, it looks certain that Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will be back. However, Ray Allen confirms that retirement is a very real possibility. Shane Battier is officially finished with his career and headed into broadcasting. The Heat lose a lot of supporting cast which will need replacing if James is going to return.
