Let's just take a second to acknowledge this misinformed fan's passion for the Miami Heat. He may not realize that the franchise he roots for only has themselves to blame, but he is still riding their bandwagon well after the 'Big 3' broke up and left a trail of fleeing, disillusioned Floridians in it's wake. It's been two years since LeBron left town, and that's basically the NBA equivalent of an eternity. I'm honestly just glad there is still someone out there that cares enough about the Miami Heat that the departure of the team's most accomplished player prompted him to prove his fandom by sparking up the firing barrel. That being said, anyone cursing the name of one Dwyane Wade while still backing the franchise that he brought three championships to needs to reexamine the situation. It's always easier to blame the player leaving than the management that may - or may not - have been complicit in them leaving, but it would be disingenuous to put this breakup on anyone other than Pat Riley and the rest of Miami's front office. I suppose it would it be nice if every face of the franchise was as selfless as Dirk Nowitzki, but it's not realistic to expect a player to take it in stride when a bunch of people - much richer than himself - continually trivialize his importance to their success. Fact is, this wasn't Dwyane Wade leaving for an extra $7 million over two years. It was Dwayne Wade putting his foot down after years upon years of being under-prioritized. A guy - that at 34 years of age - was still carrying his team through the playoffs was treated as the THIRD order of business by that very same team. A guy that has consistently taken less money for the good of the organization sat around with - what can only be described as - an insulting contract offer in his hands as that same organization backed up the Brinks truck to overpay an enigmatic big man with no more than one good season under his belt. His loyalty was taken advantage of as the team he had done so much for was more concerned with throwing money - that he rightfully considered his - at a player that stood very little chance of accepting it anyway. If Miami Heat fans want to burn jerseys then burn them logo side up because the team chose business over allegiance, not the player that finally grew tired of his devotion being one sided. Pray for Hassan Whiteside...
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