LeBron James has remained relatively quiet this offseason. Besides a few promotional trips with Nike, the NBA MVP has not spoken to great lengths about the Miami Heat's offseason moves. However, now the All-Star is starting to dive into the league as he considers running as the president for the National Basketball Players Association. Speaking with ESPN, James got detailed about certain happenings with the Heat and the league in general.
One of Miami's recent offseason moves was releasing Mike Miller to save salary cap space. The move saved the Heat $17 million in luxury tax. Miller and James were very close. James refers to the release as a business move saying it is always sad to lose a teammate, but understands the move was necessary. With Miller's release, Miami signed center Greg Oden, a move that impressed James.
"Adding Greg is a huge piece for us but we're not asking too much from him, we're not going to put too much pressure on him," James said. "He hasn't played since 2009, so it's been awhile. We just want him to work his way back into condition. Whatever he gives us is extra."
Oden is attempting to make a comeback into the league after three years of sitting out with chronic knee injuries. If the center can return at some point at full strength, he will help the Heat achieve the goal of getting bigger in size while still remaining productive on the court. James is smart to remain optimistic as there is plenty of unknown when it comes to Oden.
Speaking with the media since signing with the Heat, Oden is positive that he will play at some point this season. Oden told the south Florida Sun-Sentinel that he ultimately decided to sign with the Heat because the chance at winning a championship was much greater. That is extremely shocking news to everyone.
"As I told my friends, actually, as they told me, 'If you take out the possibility of getting hurt again, what other choice is there?' " Oden said. "For me, other teams, it was good. But if I take out the possibility of getting hurt, why would I not play with the champs? And, as [friends] told me yesterday, 'If LeBron decides to get another ring, I get one, too, now."
James and Oden on the court together could work well, if he is healthy. James also touched on the highly publicized Dwight Howard situation. The center left the Los Angeles Lakers for the Houston Rockets and now many NBA fans hate him more than they hate James. The All-Star said he believed Howard made the right move into the right situation.