LeBron James spent four amazing years in Miami, winning two championship rings there, including his first one. However, despite all the success he had with the Miami Heat, James decided to leave them and join his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This move made the Heat fans upset, and the team president Pat Riley was angry with LeBron and his decision. Of course, James had the right to leave Miami as he was a free agent, but he could have done it in a better way.
Pat Riley recently admitted that he felt anger with James because he thought that the free agency negotiations were not genuine and that James had already made up his mind. Riley also added how he was very close to pulling a "Dan Gilbert" and writing a letter for LeBron James, but he had a good friend who talked him out of it.
Riley was upset at the way LeBron handled free agency
Riley wasn't upset at the fact that James left the Heat, but rather at the way he did it. The Heat president flew to Las Vegas to meet LeBron and his camp, and to show them a free agency presentation. However, Riley noticed that James' business manager, Maverick Carter wasn't there, and he immediately felt that the meeting wasn't going to be sincere.
According to him, James and his associates were watching a World Cup game and they weren't paying much attention to what Riley had to say.
After flying back home, Pat Riley got a call from LeBron James, who started with, "I want to thank you for four years..." Riley knew it was over and he felt very angry with James' decision, saying that it felt personal to him. "I was silent. I didn't say anything. My mind began to just go," added the Heat president. It was later revealed that James kept his plan as a secret and he didn't want to tell anyone about it, including his best friend and his teammate, Dwyane Wade.
Pat Riley nearly pulled a 'Dan Gilbert'
When LeBron James left Cleveland in 2010, the Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert wrote a letter for him, calling him a coward and guaranteeing that the Cavaliers willl win a championship before "a self-proclaimed king" wins one.
Gilbert expressed his anger in the letter, offending LeBron in many ways and disrespecting his decision.
Pat Riley said that he was close to doing the very same thing, but he was talked out of it by his good friend. "I had a very good friend who talked me off the ledge and kept me from going out there and saying something like Dan Gilbert. I'm glad I didn't do it," Riley said. Fortunately for the Miami Heat and LeBron James, Riley didn't do the same thing as Gilbert, as that would have been a huge embarrassment for the entire team.