The Miami Heat might have lost the best player in the league to free agency, but team president Pat Riley is confident winning will not be an issue despite LeBron James signing to the Cleveland Cavaliers. While Riley admits that he was under the impression that James was staying in South Beach, he is not concerned about the Heat's roster without after both Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade opted to return. Miami made several offseason moves to replace the forward and could still have one more up their sleeve.
The Heat along with the Cleveland Cavaliers are still awaiting a decision from Ray Allen regarding his future. The veteran guard is currently a free agent and toying with the idea of simply retiring to spend more time with his family instead of coming back for another season or two. Allen certainly has interest from other teams if he were to commit to returning and the Heat are certainly one of them.
Riley confirmed to the media that the Heat have not given up on the idea of bringing back Allen for a third season in South Beach. Miami Heat beat writer Jason Lieser reports that Riley said, "We haven't moved on. I've been told he has not made a decision at all about anything."
Allen was expected to have already announced his intentions regarding his future, but instead has remained silent. He has plenty of prospective options. Along with the Miami Heat, the Houston Rockets are interested in the guard as well as the Cleveland Cavaliers. James successful recruiting former Heat players, Mike Miller and James Jones, to Cleveland and is trying to do the same with Allen. According to ESPN.com, James remains in contact with Allen hoping that he chooses the Cavaliers over retirement.
Allen is really the ideal pickup for any team that has a hope of being in playoff contention. He has shown no signs of slowing down despite being 39-years-old. The guard averaged 9.6 points per game while shooting 37 percent from behind the arc. Pair that with his playoff experience and veteran leadership and any team would take on Allen for the short-term contract he will likely command.
According to multiple NBA sources, Allen is favoring signing with the Cavaliers and re-teaming with James over options like the Rockets or Heat. Allen could be that final piece to the Cavaliers' postseason puzzle. They have the cap space to sign him even if they trade for Kevin Love. Those two late offseason additions could make the Cavaliers the favorite in the Eastern Conference.
