My opinion is that is all about the public perception that Riley and LeBroid want out there.
All this posturing of Bosh going to Texas, LeBroid being so magnanimous as to consider Cleveland, DirtyWade and Bosh not hearing from LeBroid in days?
!!!! I call bull feces on all that garbage.
These guys colluded to get together orchestrated by Riley 3-5 years ago, and they (especially Riley) don't want that perception out there again, as it gives more credence to the idea of collusion the first time.
I want to see those three chumps together again and someone else hand them their arse like SA did this time.
LeBroid, Dirty and Bosh all together again, "sacrificing" for the team. Just as it was orchestrated by Riley and LeBroid's camp.
Collusion? They were under contract for the Heat all year, and were certainly allowed to discuss what might happen if they opted out. I'm completely fine with not liking them (I know I don't) but collusion doesn't really make much sense in this particular instance. Holding up the free agent market doesn't do much of anything.
I should have been more explicit in my post. My main point is that Riley and James are both trying to mold public perception for their own goals: for James, it's the importance of aggrandizing and rehabilitating his brand, and for Riley it's accommodating the king for the purpose of keeping LeBroid, primarily, happy.
+1.. You're obviously right that in the legal sense, there cannot, by legal definition, be collusion this time as they all had been teammates this year, and that wasn't what I was proffering.
The specter of collusion (the cHeating kind) the first time is still there, however, and I believe all involved, especially Riley are sensitive to it. I also believe that LeBroid's purported interest in Cleveland or anyone else is a sham to which Riley is a party, so while not in a legal (or illegal) sense is collusion occurring this time, the dictionary definition certainly does apply:
"secret or illegal cooperation or conspiracy, especially in order to cheat or deceive others"