One of the factors leading Cleveland Cavaliers superstar LeBron James to leave the Miami Heat reportedly was Heat president Pat Riley's decision to use the amnesty clause on Mike Miller. The decision "irked" James because Miller was his friend and it left the Heat with an imbalanced roster, according to NBA.com's David Aldridge.
Miami amnestied Miller two summers ago as a way to save cash. Besides James losing a close friend, Miami's decision to dump Miller left the roster without a key role player in the team's quest to three-peat. That decision, according to Aldridge, factored into James's decision to leave Miami as a free agent and return home to Cleveland.
"Miller was also a key hinge in James' decision to bolt South Beach," Aldridge wrote Monday. "His absence, which came after the Heat opted to amnesty him after the 2012-13 season and reap some financial savings, created a roster imbalance for Miami last season. The Heat never did find someone who could give them quality minutes at that swing position playing behind Dwyane Wade and James. ...
"More ominously for the Heat, James was irked that a key member of the title teams - and one of his closer friends on the team - was jettisoned. Again: It's not why James left. But it didn't help."
Miller is back now with James in Cleveland, where the two are together again on a team that looks poised to win an NBA championship.
"Obviously, for us, winning makes any relationship good," Miller said during media day, via NBA.com. "We had a lot of great experiences, a lot of fun. I don't know if my absence was why they lost; San Antonio was pretty good last year. But obviously him being here, and me being a part of it, with the talent that they already have here with this base that Cleveland's built, there's a lot of excitement moving forward."
