It was hardly a guarantee that Wade, a 22.5-point scorer for his career, would return. His decision took months longer than some expected, partly because he was deciding what he wanted to do, partly because he was dealing with some personal business and some family business, and partly because it took him and the Heat some time to figure out what made sense for both sides. A person familiar with Wade’s thinking told The Associated Press that the guard was strongly considering retirement until late last week, when Heat coach Erik Spoelstra and others made a late push to help him decide.
Erik Spoelstra Rumors
One of the best excerpts that Lowe and Thomsen discussed was a story from Pat Riley about James subtly asking for the Hall of Famer to replace young Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. If you don’t remember the context, this rumored rift between LeBron and Spoelstra started when the Heat began the season just 9-8 in 2010. During a loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Nov. 27 of that year, LeBron was seen bumping into Spoelstra going into at timeout after Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper over Chris Bosh to put Dallas up by double-digits late in the third quarter. Here’s a quote from Lowe’s podcast, where Lowe is quoting a passage of Thomsen’s book that is spoken by Riley.
Center Hassan Whiteside told reporters Wednesday that he met with Miami Heat president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra last month and he is in a better place with the team now. “We had a great talk,” Whiteside told reporters on a conference call to discuss Saturday’s NBA game in Africa, in which he plans to play. “I just think it’s trust on both sides. I think that’s the biggest thing … It was about a four-hour meeting. It was a lot about life. It was two hours basketball, two hours life. It was a good meeting.”
Manny Navarro: What was the message from the meeting between Whiteside and Spoelstra? “The biggest thing is I just want to be out there. It wasn’t about touches,” Whiteside said. Will he be out there more? “I think so. I’ll be healthy. I had a lot of injuries. I believe I’ll play more.”
Manny Navarro: Hassan Whiteside, who is playing in Saturday’s NBA Africa Game, said he met with Erik Spoelstra last month for a four-hour meeting at a hotel. “It was two hours basketball; two hours life. We had a great talk. Just trust on both sides. I think that’s the best thing.” pic.twitter.com/iUEaWEUuoz
Brian Windhorst: LeBron James played a season with Michael Beasley in Miami. They had no major issues & LeBron said he respected Beasley’s talent. I mean Erik Spoelstra decided Beas was unplayable in the postseason due to defensive lapses. But in fairness I don’t recall him forgetting the score.
