Returning to Glory: A Miami Heat Association (NBA 2K16)

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Game: NBA 2K16 (PS4)
Season Length: 82 games
Playoffs: 7-7-7-7
Quarter Length: 10 minutes
CPU Quarter Length: 12 minutes
Difficulty: Superstar
Rosters: Default (with some tweaks)
Normalized Played to Sim Minutes: On
Normalized Played to Sim Stats: Off
Draft Class: 2016 with Real Faces (Embrace)

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Heat enter offseason looking to retool

MIAMI -- The 2014-15 season without the departed LeBron James ended miserably for the Miami Heat.

The Heat missed out on the playoffs with a 37-45 record in their first season after James' return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Dwyane Wade and emerging center Hassan Whiteside had solid efforts down the stretch for Miami, but the team could not overcome the loss of star forward Chris Bosh after he was diagnosed with blood clots just after the All-Star Break.

Bosh, who missed the entire second half of the season, is expected to return. Several other players are not.

Heat president Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra are planning to make serious chances to the roster in an effort to not only get back to the playoffs, but try and compete for a championship.

It will not be easy given the Golden State Warriors' rise to the NBA Championship thrown, but the Heat remain determined.

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Miami takes Winslow, Richardson in NBA Draft

MIAMI -- The Miami Heat have added some young guns to their squad, and there is excitement about what each of them can bring to the table this upcoming season.

The Heat grabbed Duke forward Justise Winslow with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and then added guard Josh Richardson of Tennessee in the second round. Richardson was taken with the 40th selection.

Winslow, 19, and Richardson, 21, are both players that are deemed mature enough to potentially contribute this year.

"We wanted to add some youth to our team, and we've done that with two players with excellent potential," said Heat president Pat Riley. "Justise is a tremendous talent who can play lockdown defense, and Josh is a guard who has proven to have a good shot and ability to drive and dunk with power."

Added head coach Erik Spoelstra: "We look forward to working with them in the coming weeks and months as we prepare for the season."

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James opts out of Cavs' deal, reportedly considering Heat return

MIAMI -- LeBron James' future is apparently once again up in the air.

James opted out of his two-year deal with the Cleveland Cavaliers in order to have the flexibility to sign a new contract that would run through next summer, when the NBA's salary cap is expected to raise significantly.

Rumors on social media and reports from credible outlets like ESPN have stated in recent hours that James is considering leaving his hometown team once again to rejoin the Miami Heat.

James is allegedly mulling departing Cleveland after just one year back because of the club's loss to the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, and how the Heat are reloading for this coming season.

It is believed that James is intrigued at the possibility of playing next to a shot-blocking center like Hassan Whiteside, who emerged last year as an impact player, and his close friend Dwyane Wade.

Such a move would surely have a negative impact on James' image and standing in Cleveland after he claimed to want to win one for the Cavaliers, but the superstar forward is said to not be pleased with his 2-6 record in the finals and is also frustrated with how David Blatt coached the squad.

James is also apparently not too thrilled with how Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love performed as part of their 'Big Three' in Cleveland, and thinks that he can push the Warriors in the years to come with a healthy Wade, more aggressive Chris Bosh, and defensive anchor in Whiteside surrounding him on the floor.

Whether Heat president Pat Riley would be open to such a move remains to be seen given him and James' apparent falling out last summer.

More to come as things develop.

[PeruvianPlaya954]

Heat sign Wade to new deal, no longer negotiating with Dragic

MIAMI -- Unlike his good friend in Cleveland, Dwyane Wade's future in South Beach was never really in question.

As expected, the Miami Heat announced via a press release that Wade opted out of his contract with the club only to sign a new one-year deal almost immediately after. Wade's decision to put pen to paper for only 12 more months might raise some eyebrows, but he is looking to cash in on next year's salary cap increase.

"I'm proud to have been able to call this organization and Miami my home for all of my career, and I don't plan on going anywhere else," said Wade. "I'm a Heat lifer."

One player who it seems will not be coming back to Miami next season is fellow guard Goran Dragic, who was acquired by the Heat this season but whose contract expired this summer. Dragic was initially expected to re-sign with the Heat, but the two are no longer in negotiations over a deal.

"We made the tough decision to let Goran go and explore his options because we're not close on numbers," said Heat president Pat Riley. "We gave up a lot for him in last season's trade and were counting on him to be a big part of our future, but things change."

What may have changed is the availability of one LeBron James, who has opted out of his deal with the Cavaliers and is reportedly considering a return to Miami.

"There's nothing to discuss," said Riley. "LeBron is always rumored to be doing this or rumored to be doing that."

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James spotted in Miami

MIAMI -- LeBron James has brought his talents back to South Beach.

Whether he will sign with the Miami Heat is another question.

TMZ Sports has reported that James was spotted briefly in Miami getting out of a car that arrived to the American Airlines Arena just after 3pm.

Beat reporters in Miami have since stated that James is meeting with Heat president Pat Riley to try and see if they can mend their differences after a not-so-pretty break-up a year ago.

Stay tuned.

[Tekkonkinkreet]

Lets be frank, letting Dragic go confirms LBJ will return in the off season...

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Back for his Master's: James rejoins Heat

MIAMI -- No cringeworthy television special. No touching magazine article. Just a press release.

It read: LeBron James returns to Miami Heat for second stint.

The Heat announced the acquisition of James, who rejoins the team a year after leaving for Cleveland. James signed a one-year deal, and is happy to be back in Miami to reunite the 'Big Three' that won two titles.

"Sometimes you really don't realize or appreciate what you have until it's gone," said James in a statement he released separately. "It was good to be close to home, but I'm getting older and want to win championships. I will not make any promises this time, but I will do everything I can to have that feeling of lifting another Larry O'Brien trophy over my head again."

James also explained his reasoning for leaving the Cavaliers, who made the NBA Finals last season with him leading the way and who he said he would not leave when he rejoined the team last summer.

"I know people in Ohio are going to be very unhappy, and frankly, pissed off, and rightly so," said James. "But I'm running out of years in my career, and need to do what's best for me. The Cavaliers have a talented team and players. I need to win now, though, not later."

James, who stated last summer he saw his four years in Miami as his college experience, also said in his release that he will be wearing the No. 6 and headband that he wore in his first stint with the Heat.

"We're happy to have him back," said Heat president Pat Riley in the team's release. "He's a unique superstar player. We talked about last year, stated our cases, and laid it to rest. We think we have the makings of something special again here in Heat Nation."