Miami Heat's meeting with LeBron James fit for a king

BY MICHAEL WALLACE
mwallace@MiamiHerald.com

CLEVELAND -- The Miami Heat's lord of championship rings spent nearly three hours Friday afternoon trying to court the Cavaliers' King.

Heat president Pat Riley and his staff emerged from the marathon recruiting session with free agency's top prize, Cleveland star LeBron James, hoping it was time well spent.

Meanwhile, the bonding between Heat free agent guard Dwyane Wade and his hometown Chicago Bulls appears to pose a legitimate threat to Miami's plans.

About an hour after the Heat's contingent wrapped up its meeting with James, Wade met with the Bulls for a second time in as many days in a development that left South Florida -- and the temporarily christened Miami-Wade County -- in a frenzy.

But Riley remains confident in both his long-term relationship with Wade and Miami's blueprint to haul in enough free agent talent to convince the Heat's star to stay.

``I have a good feeling about him,'' Riley said of Wade during an interview with The Miami Herald. ``We're about stability. And we're about family.''

But Wade, who also met with the Knicks on Friday, is all about taking part in the feeling-out process during his first venture into free agency.

One of Wade's representatives said the Bulls initiated the follow-up meeting and Wade accepted as a courtesy. But Wade is said to be impressed with the combination of salary-cap space and young talent -- guard Derrick Rose and center Joakim Noah -- the Bulls have in place.

James and Wade are considered the most prized prospects of the deepest free-agency market in history, with the Heat among suitors that dream of seeing them on the same team.

James arrived for his third free agency meeting at Cleveland's downtown IMG building at 11 a.m. Friday for a session that didn't end until two SUVs used by the Heat's staff emerged shortly before 2 p.m.

MAKING THE SALE

James heard pitches from Riley, owner Micky Arison, coach Erik Spoelstra, former center Alonzo Mourning, team salary-cap specialist Andy Elisburg and vice president Nick Arison, the owner's son.

The Heat's contingent left the meeting without commenting to reporters camped out along St. Clair Avenue and East 9th Street. But Riley briefly spoke with The Miami Herald after his staff returned to its hotel to evaluate the meeting with James over a quick lunch.

With James arriving in a T-shirt, sweatpants and toting a backpack, Riley described the meeting as ``very relaxed'' and said James was receptive.

``It was very relaxed -- we all know him,'' Riley said of James. ``I think there was a genuine respect. We have so much respect for him and the other top-tier free agents. These people need to see who we are. They need to see me and Andy. They need to see Zo, Spo, Micky and Nick. And, yes, they need to see the rings.''

By mentioning rings, Riley was clearly referring to the five NBA titles he won as a coach, including the Heat's 2006 championship led by Wade.

The Heat's recent championship experience and the chance to team with Wade could appeal to James, whose string of impressive regular-seasons in Cleveland have yet to result in a NBA championship.

Riley presented James with the Heat's ultimate free-agency plan -- to re-sign Wade, bring in a big man such as Chris Bosh and top it off by adding the Cavs' two-time MVP to form a dominant trio.

But the Heat's vision continues to face stiff competition. The Knicks, Bulls and Nets have all met with Wade, who prefers to re-sign with Miami if there are significant roster upgrades.

Riley's staff traveled back to Chicago late Friday to meet with Knicks center David Lee and Jazz forward Carlos Boozer. The Heat plans to hold off on a formal face-to-face with Wade until he completes all other visits and returns to Miami early next week.

Riley remains confident Wade will be back with the Heat, which has offered him a maximum six-year contract for about $125 million. Wade would also consider taking less money and splitting the Heat's salary-cap space with two other elite stars if they're willing to come.

OTHER SUITORS

And that's where James enters the equation.

As James and his team of advisors were finishing their session with the Heat, the Cavs were introducing new coach Byron Scott to the media at the team's practice facility. Scott played for the Lakers' championship teams that were coached by Riley in the 1980s.

On Thursday, James met with the Nets for about 90 minutes and with the Knicks for two hours, The Clippers met with James on Friday afternoon after the Heat. He will meet with the Bulls and Cavs on Saturday.

Riley said he had no indication how long James or other top free agent targets would take to make decisions. Free agents can agree to deals, but are not allowed to sign contracts until July 8.

After meetings in Chicago on Saturday, the Heat's staff will travel to Charlotte on Sunday for sessions with center Brendan Haywood and possibly point guard Raymond Felton.

``We've taken five meetings in 40 hours, basically,'' Riley said. ``It's exhausting. It's intense. It's fun at times. I think things are going well.''