Founder
The 2013-14 NBA season is going to be a big one, and all eyes will be on LeBron James as he enters his contract year with the Miami Heat.
James has been asked at least a thousand times about his 2014 NBA Free Agency plans, and like always, he has backed out of revealing anything that's on his mind. It's obviously a smart thing to do, since he'll face more pressure than ever if he tells the media he seriously would want to consider rejoining the Cleveland Cavaliers.
James was asked once again about his plans for the 2014 NBA offseason, and to no one's surprise, he says he has absolutely no idea.
"I have absolutely no idea. I would love to spend the rest of my career in Miami with this great team and great organization as we continue to compete for championships. That's ideal. But we don't know what may happen from now to the end of the season. That's the nature of the business. It's the nature of not knowing what tomorrow brings.
"I mean, as a kid, I never thought the Bulls would break up. Never. If you'd of told me as a kid that [Michael] Jordan and [Scottie] Pippen wouldn't play together for the rest of their lives, I'd have looked at you crazy. And Phil Jackson wouldn't be the coach? I'd have looked at you crazy. But sometimes the nature of the business doesn't allow things to happen like you would want them to. But we'll see."
James basically was back to his days with the Cavaliers for much of the 2013 NBA Playoffs, putting the team on his back from the Eastern Conference Finals against the Indiana Pacers to up to the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the NBA Finals versus the San Antonio Spurs. It was finally in the fourth quarter of Game 6 of the Finals where the Heat started rallying as a team.
Simply put, if James has to go into this similar mode again come next year in the postseason, especially if the Heat fail to three-peat, I expect the four-time MVP to leave South Beach. Of course, it's not something to have set in stone, but James knows it's something he'll be asked constantly this season.
Nonetheless, James says he remains committed to helping the Heat win their third straight NBA championship.
"I owe it to myself, I owe it my teammates and I owe it to the Miami Heat to stay focused. As a leader, I'm not even going to let that side of the business get me unfocused on what I'm trying to do and that's trying to win another championship.
"I'm going to try to [stop the discussion about free agency], but you always have reporters who are going to always bring it up. They're going to change the question and make it sound like something else. But it will get to a point, if I continue to hear it, where I will say, 'Hey guys, I've answered the question and out of respect, let's talk about this after the season."'
In my opinion, for the Heat to stay relevant for at least the next half-decade, they must win the NBA Finals next season and revamp their roster following after that in the offseason.
