Quick! Name the Miami Heat's biggest acquisition to date.
Taking Dwyane Wade with the fifth overall pick in the 2003 NBA Draft needs to be high up on the list, if not at the top, right? Or what about when the Heat were able to lure Chris Bosh and LeBron James to play alongside Wade in 2010? After all, it was a move that helped the franchise win two of their three titles. Well, if you ask Heat president Pat Riley a.k.a. "Petty Riley," it was neither one of these moments. "I'll say this, and I mean this," Riley told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "Shaq's acquisition was bigger than any acquisition that we ever made, including the Big Three."
Back in 2004, O'Neal and the Los Angeles Lakers failed to come to terms on a contract extension. The Heat swooped in, and landed Shaq with a blockbuster deal that sent Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant, and Miami's 2006 first-round pick (Jordan Farmar) to the Lakers. Riley refers to the Shaq deal as "the seminal moment" that turned the franchise around, and "gave us real legitimacy."
In his three and a half seasons with Miami, O'Neal averaged 20.6 points and 9.3 boards per game, and helped lead the team to three consecutive playoff appearances. The Heat also won one championship during that time, with Wade being named Finals MVP.
For all that Wade did in his 13 seasons with the Heat, it is SO saddddddd that Riley couldn't put his pettiness and anger over Wade turning down his low-ball contract offer aside to acknowledge what No. 3 did for the organization. With the help of Shaq, and LeBron and Bosh, he turned the franchise by playing a pivotal role in their three championships. As for "real legitimacy," Miami-Dade County commissioners changed the name of the area to "Miami-Wade County" in 2010 "in recognition of all that Dwyane Wade has done for the visibility, stature and national image" of the county.
Stay petty, Pat.
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