The hottest team in the NBA happens to have the name to match.
As if Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, and LeBron “King” James weren’t enough, the Miami Heat reeled in two more veterans since striking championship gold: first smooth shooter Ray Allen, and now, Rashard Lewis.
But with the future of the organization already so bright, no one stands to gain more from Lewis’s acquisition than Lewis himself.
The Big Three took Miami to the finals—twice. Whatever Wade, Bosh, Lebron and Co. lacked in 2011, they found in excess in 2012. So with Allen already making that a Big Four, while it might not sound as slick, it means serious trouble for the aspirations of any team looking to kill the Heat’s repeat dreams in 2013.
“You’ve got to double-team LeBron. You have to double-team Wade. You’ve got to double-team Chris Bosh. And then you think they’re going to leave Ray Allen open?” Lewis said, according to The Associated Press. “Somebody’s got to be open.”
Knee injury aside, Lewis averages a career 16.1 points per game, hits .454 from the field, and shoots an impressive .388 from 3-point range, only .012 shy of Ray Allen’s career .400. And with Lewis’ injury history in the equation, his stats trail off significantly over the past two years. In the 2011-12 regular season, he averaged only 7.8 points per game and shot just .293 from outside.
The Heat added Lewis to their roster to the tune of $2.8 million for two years. Like Allen, whom the Celtics couldn’t keep with an offer twice as generous as the Heat’s $3 million per year deal, Lewis didn’t choose Miami for its financial prospects.
“The ball can’t bounce forever,” Lewis reportedly said. “I’m sure you all see the gray hair on my head.”
