Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade said he knew LeBron was leaving even before the four-time MVP announced it. Heat forward Chris Bosh, meanwhile, thinks Miami will still be a contender in the east even without James.
While the rest of the world waited, Wade says he knew James wouldn't return to Miami. The longtime Heat star told reporters he could tell by James's body language on a flight back from Las Vegas that James wasn't going to re-sign with the Heat.
"Yeah, I went to sleep knowing," Wade said, via ESPN. "He called me the next day. But I knew then. Obviously he still had to say the final yay or nay, but I knew. I could tell. ...
"As his friend, I'm just supportive. As crazy as that might sound, I'm supportive of my friends doing what makes them happy. Obviously, same thing with him in this situation. You've gotta do what makes you happy -- selfishly do what makes you happy. The decision to go back home was that."
Wade didn't make any pitches to James to remain in South Beach, and he expressed his satisfaction with how the Heat management has responded in the wake of losing James.
"It was a different summer for us," Wade said. "It's no secret, obviously; it's been a change in how we looked the last four years by losing LeBron to Cleveland. I think our ownership has done a great job so far of trying to not replace but recover from that. The only thing we do as a franchise and as players is we move forward."
Miami re-signed Wade, Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Norris Cole and Chris Anderson, and they brought in Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng and Danny Granger in free agency. The Heat also have a promising point guard in first-round draft pick Shabazz Napier.
"I think we have a very good team," Bosh sad on FM 104.3 The Ticket in Miami, via ESPN. "Looking at the guys we're bringing in, we have a chance to be very good. I know we don't have the best player in the world; that's an obvious thing. But teamwise, if we come together we can do a bunch of special things. We're still going to be competitive."
