The Heat are in the unenviable position of trying to move on without LeBron James.
The last team to try that dropped from 61-21 to 19-63. Miami probably won’t fall that far, but the decline is inevitable.
That’s no fun for the Heat, who not only have to play a season with LeBron but answer a ton of questions about his departure.
Everyone is handling that their own way, including Erik Spoelstra and Mario Chalmers.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:
And so it begins. Chalmers refers to LeBron as "that guy" at Heat media day. Photographer said Chalmers appeared "regretful" about comment.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 26, 2014
Spoelstra spoke for 26 minutes, mentioning "LeBron" by name only once.
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) September 26, 2014
That doesn’t mean Spoelstra declined to discuss LeBron. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press:
https://twitter.com/ByTimReynolds/status/515536008927277058
That’s a healthy attitude. I don’t necessarily believe him, but that’s a healthy attitude.
The Heat have no choice but to put their heads down and focus on the task at hand. That might be easier for a coach, who tends to be more disconnected from a team’s camaraderie than the players are. I’m sure Spoelstra misses LeBron. It’s not the same way his former teammates miss him, though.
If Miami’s players can follow Spoelstra’s lead, they’ll be better off. Easier said than done, though.
