Can Miami Retool and Keep LeBron?

The Spurs won the Title. What a great playoffs they had. The passing! The selfless basketball! The rotation depth! The fantastically-built roster!

Ok, now can we get to LeBron’s future with or without the Miami Heat? We already discussed why Cleveland should be an option, but this week – can the Heat retool the roster to make it attractive enough for the NBA’s best player to stay?

Pat Riley moved Heaven and Earth to get LeBron and Chris Bosh to South Beach; can he do the same to keep LeBron?

A lot of it will hinge upon what Dwyane Wade does. Will he opt out of the $42 million he’s owed? If he doesn’t, he’ll sink the Heat. If he does, it’ll free up money – well, LeBron and Bosh would have to accept less, too – but it’ll still be a challenge for Miami to bring in the necessary (younger) free agents to get back to the Finals again.

The Spurs depth, 1-9, was unbelievable. Parker, Ginobili and Duncan got rest during the regular season, and they still won 62 games. The “Big 3” in San Antonio all averaged fewer than 30 minutes a night. LeBron averaged 37 minutes a night, and yes, while he’s only 29, we’re talking about a guy who played over 80 playoff games combined over the last four years. He played 400 more minutes than any other Heat player!

LeBron will obviously not want that to continue if he wants to be an NBA factor when he’s 36 or 37. It should be the No. 1 thing LeBron looks at this July: Where can I go (in the East) where I can play fewer minutes, and we still win 55+ games with a young, deep roster?