In the latest episode of his podcast, NBA veteran point guard Gilbert Arenas revealed the original location for the planned team-up between LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and 11x All-Star Chris Bosh. According to Arenas, they were originally supposed to sign with the Knicks before they agreed to play for the Miami Heat.
“When Dwyane Wade, Bosh and LeBron decided to team up, they was not playing in someone city so they can all be fresh,” Arenas said. “So they were planning on going to New York together. And what happened is because they didn’t tell anyone, Dolan made a mistake by paying Amar’e Stoudemire.
“They didn’t want to play with Amar’e Stoudemire because they had they own Big 3. So, because New York f—– it up, they called Micky [Arison] and say, ‘Hey, Micky. This is what we wanna do. Can you make it happen?’ And then made it work — if you knew what was going on then, you would have known New York dropped the ball because of — they offer Mike Miller all that money because they knew Mike Miller was part of the group. Miami stole him. [Udonis] Haslem rejected his deal once he got wind — took the pay cut, signed last to come back. They were all moving together.”
The summer of 2010 was earth-shattering for the NBA. That was the year of 'the Decision' which saw LeBron James (a 4x NBA champion) announce his move to South Beach. Alongside Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, he became a champion twice over after four straight Finals appearances.
James would only stay with the Heat for four years but his tenure there is widely considered to be the most successful and dominant of his career. His presence combined with the performance of his co-stars elevated the franchise to another level of greatness.
Apparently, the trio had different plans that summer. Originally, they were supposed to join forces on the New York Knicks, one of the league's most popular and world-renowned franchises. At the time, they strongly believed that they could lure LeBron and it would have begun an era of prosperity for the entire organization.
According to Arenas, the trade for 6x All-Star Amar'e Stoudemire in that same summer destroyed their chances of making the dream a reality. By taking on his five-year, $99.7 million contract the Knicks limited their cap space and they only had enough to sign two of the "big three."
That's not to mention the Knicks' notoriously bad free agent pitch, which reportedly involved a video from the Sopranos. In a process that played out quickly, the Knicks were crossed off the list for James, and he eventually settled on becoming a member of the Heat.
So, it seems that a mistake and oversight from the Knicks cost them a chance to win championships and form a dynasty at Madison Square Garden. Really, it's been a common theme for the franchise for over a century now.
And while they are doing much better today, it's hard to think about what could have been had the Knicks patiently waited for the "big three" to arrive and save the day.
