Riley continues to sound like a jilted lover

[incoherent]

Shaq was better than LeBron....Shaq only needed one other guy to win Rings---where LeBron has to have several players. Shaq could win a title with one Star and 3 WNBA players.

This is more like the NBA has shifted and talent has gotten so good you need 3 to win now not 2.

[Moranis]

I love Shaq, but he wasn't even the Heat's second leading scorer in the A Finals that year. That was old friend Antoine Walker.

I don't think that Miami's title with Shaq had anything to do with Lebron's decision. Wade has always been a Superfriend, and Lebron was looking for great teammates. Miami gave him the best shot at that. If anything, Wade having already won a title and being the alpha dog in Miami made things more complicated.

Yep. 

[LarBrd33]

Shaq was their KG so understand he changed the perception of the team more so than LeBron.

Yeah, it could be argued that Wade getting that first chip with Shaq was important towards the other two eventually joining Miami.  Obviously Miami is a better place to hang out than Toronto or Cleveland, but the fact that Wade had already won a title there was probably a key reason for why those other two guys decided it was the place to join forces. 

[mctyson]

I see some of that logic but giving Shaq credit for Wade becoming a superstar for many years when he was clearly going to do that is a bit much to me.  Not as if Shaq made Wade. Wade was the key to the team winning that title. And I don't think anything about the past counted that much into LeBron or Bosh's decision.  Being great friends with Wade probably did, as well as Miami, all being able to team up, and Riley himself.  It's not like Riley had never won a title before he was in Miami.

And I am a big Shaq guy.

LeBron won two titles and went to the Finals 4 times.  He won two MVP awards and two Finals MVP awards. It is LeBron.

It is not that he made Wade, anymore than he made Kobe.  But neither of those 2 guys would be who they are today if they didn't get paired with Shaq in his prime, who was arguably the most unstoppable force that's ever been on a court.

[Moranis]

Shaq was their KG so understand he changed the perception of the team more so than LeBron.

Yeah, it could be argued that Wade getting that first chip with Shaq was important towards the other two eventually joining Miami.  Obviously Miami is a better place to hang out than Toronto or Cleveland, but the fact that Wade had already won a title there was probably a key reason for why those other two guys decided it was the place to join forces.

Or Miami was the only place all three of them could play and get near max contracts?

[Snakehead]

Shaq was their KG so understand he changed the perception of the team more so than LeBron.

Yeah, it could be argued that Wade getting that first chip with Shaq was important towards the other two eventually joining Miami.  Obviously Miami is a better place to hang out than Toronto or Cleveland, but the fact that Wade had already won a title there was probably a key reason for why those other two guys decided it was the place to join forces.

Or Miami was the only place all three of them could play and get near max contracts?

People so overrate what players think about history.  Even near history.  The fact that the Celtics could never get a FA before this year shows you that.  You are right on Moranis.

[Snakehead]

Shaq was better than LeBron....Shaq only needed one other guy to win Rings---where LeBron has to have several players. Shaq could win a title with one Star and 3 WNBA players.

This is more like the NBA has shifted and talent has gotten so good you need 3 to win now not 2.

When Shaq was dominating with the Lakers was maybe the worst period in the entire league history.  The top players in that period are fantastic, better than a lot of the top players now IMO, but there was a big drop off and the top players were spread thin across the league for the most part, to the point where two together was a huge deal.

Not to take anything away from Shaq, he's one of the best C's ever.  The Dallas team Miami beat in the Finals was not that good.   Terry and Stackhouse were the next best players on the team next to Dirk, who is incredible on offense but lets not forget a wash on defense and only won when he had Chandler playing incredibly next to him helping him out.  Not a strong roster.  The Cavs or Warriors from this year would annihilate that Dallas team.

The league has gotten so much better since.  Now it is like the 80's and early 90's again where you need 3 great players or at least 2 and a very strong roster after that.

[Moranis]

Shaq was better than LeBron....Shaq only needed one other guy to win Rings---where LeBron has to have several players. Shaq could win a title with one Star and 3 WNBA players.

This is more like the NBA has shifted and talent has gotten so good you need 3 to win now not 2.

When Shaq was dominating with the Lakers was maybe the worst period in the entire league history.  The top players in that period are fantastic, better than a lot of the top players now IMO, but there was a big drop off and the top players were spread thin across the league for the most part, to the point where two together was a huge deal.

Not to take anything away from Shaq, he's one of the best C's ever.  The Dallas team Miami beat in the Finals was not that good.   Terry and Stackhouse were the next best players on the team next to Dirk, who is incredible on offense but lets not forget a wash on defense and only won when he had Chandler playing incredibly next to him helping him out.  Not a strong roster.  The Cavs or Warriors from this year would annihilate that Dallas team.

The league has gotten so much better since.  Now it is like the 80's and early 90's again where you need 3 great players or at least 2 and a very strong roster after that.

There was definitely a bit of down period, but it wasn't quite as dramatic as you make it seem.  Remember Shaq was winning titles with Kobe and Wade on his teams.  He wasn't a one man show like Hakeem in the mid-90's.  Also don't forget that in the 05/06 season the Pistons won 64 games and the Spurs won 63 games. Phoenix and Cleveland were on the rise.  The league wasn't exactly devoid of talent.