The decision by LeBron James to join the Miami Heat along with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh creates an instant powerhouse that will be expected by many to rule the NBA for years to come. In the span of a little more than 24 hours, the league saw three of its most dominant players agree to play for the Heat, which instantly makes the team a legitimate contender to deny the Los Angeles Lakers a third straight championship. So after months of speculation that heated up when James' Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinals this year, the two-times reigning NBA Most Valuable Player opted for a change of scenery. “The things that the Miami Heat franchise have done to be able to free up cap space and to be able to put themselves in a position this summer to have all three of us, it was hard to turn down,” James said Thursday in a interview on cable network ESPN. “This is going to give me the best opportunity to win and to win for multiple years, and not only just to win in the regular season ... I want to be able to win championships and I feel like I can compete down there.” The Heat, who were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs in April, now boast three players who were among the top 10 in points per game last season. No one team had three players in the top 30 in scoring last season. James, Wade and Bosh all entered the league in 2003 and their last contracts were structured in a way that allowed them all to hit the open market at the same time. Wade, who has played his entire career in Miami, said Wednesday he would stick with the team while Bosh decided to leave the Toronto Raptors, who drafted him fourth overall in 2003, for Miami. James completes a powerful trio and easily makes the team an immediate threat in the league. Still, assembling the three on the one roster is no sure recipe for success. To even get a shot at an NBA title they will have to contend with a competitive Eastern Conference that includes the 2008 NBA champion Boston Celtics, the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. The decisions by James and Bosh to flee their former teams deal major blows to the Cleveland and Toronto franchises. With their marquee players gone, they will undoubtedly suffer from sagging attendance. It also breaks the hearts of many Cavaliers fans who had hoped James, born in Akron, Ohio, would return to Cleveland and help bring the franchise its first NBA championship. After the announcement, some people burned replica number 23 James jerseys in the Cleveland's city streets. Celtics re-sign Allen Ray Allen has agreed to a two-year, $20 million contract to return to the Boston, keeping intact the Celtics' new Big Three so they can try for a second NBA title. With Kevin Garnett under contract, Paul Pierce on the verge of a new four-year deal and coach Doc Rivers also agreeing to return, the Celtics can keep together the core of the 2008 NBA champions for at least two more years.
