How Did The Miami Heat Sign LeBron James, Dwyane Wade And Chris Bosh?

The answer to that question is obvious on the surface: it’s South Beach, they already had Dwyane Wade and they had enough salary-cap space to do so. But beneath the surface, it was actually far more of a challenge than anticipated, especially when it comes to the salary cap. For example, I said a couple days before “The Decision” that it was basically impossible to fit all three of Wade, James and Bosh under the salary cap and still have enough money left over to fill out a team.

The Heat has proven me wrong on many fronts, not only signing the three big names, but also finding a way to fit solid veteran role players like Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, James Jones, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard on the roster while still adhering to the salary cap. How did they do it? Noted salary-cap expert Larry Coon breaks it all down for HoopsWorld today.

The piece is a little dense, especially for those who don’t really care much about the salary cap, but it gives you a better idea of just how many steps Pat Riley and his team of capologists had to go through to even make this union possible. You can’t help but be impressed, even if you are like me and you hate everything about that team.

It’s also a reality check to those crying that the NBA cap system is fundamentally flawed. Sure, it’s possible to circumvent the system and put yourself in position to bring together three of the best players in basketball, but it’s so, so hard to do. It’s not like teams can replicate the Miami model and bring together their own superteams so easily. Instead of complaining about some sort of non-existant slippery slope, let’s praise the Heat for successfully completing such a massive undertaking.

(HT: Hoops Addict)