Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul is happy for his close friends LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, who recently reunited with the Cleveland Cavaliers, However, Paul assured that he and new teammate James Harden said they won’t have any mercy when they finally face off on Nov. 9. According to Ben DuBose of Locked On Rockets, Paul congratulated James and Wade but at the end of the day, they have to set their friendships aside on the basketball court. Paul said their other close friend, Carmelo Anthony, is also feeling the same way. Anthony was recently traded by the New York Knicks to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and a 2020 second-round pick.
Chris Paul on D-Wade signing with LeBron in Cleveland: "I told them congrats. But I want to beat them bad, and they want to beat us bad." 🍌 pic.twitter.com/3AkbK71LZc
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) September 28, 2017
Paul, James, Wade, and Anthony were a close bunch and were spotted on a banana boat during a summer vacation. The four then agreed to play together at some point in their respective careers. The Rockets tried to take in Anthony but they never reached a common ground with the Knicks. The Cavaliers also tried to trade for Anthony but the deal fizzled out on Draft Night. The Rockets traded Patrick Beverley, Lou Williams, Sam Dekker, Montrezl Harrell and three other players to the Los Angeles Clippers for Paul.
Wade said Cavaliers stood out
During his introductory press conference, Wade said the Cavaliers stood out as his next destination after getting his buyout from the Chicago Bulls. Wade had to give back $8 million of his $23.8 million salary to the Bulls to reach the buyout. Aside from the Cavaliers, the Thunder, Miami Heat, and the San Antonio Spurs expressed interest in Wade.
“At the end of the day, this is where I wanted to be,” said Wade, per Dave McMenamin of ESPN. Wade called the Cavaliers “one of the most talented teams I’ve been on.” The veteran shooting guard said he’s just happy to sign with the Cavaliers and help in whatever way he can.
Cavaliers plan to start Wade
The Cavaliers plan to start Wade at shooting guard, a move that will bring J.R.
Smith back to his old role as the sixth man. Smith told Ben Axelrod of WKYC that he has no problem coming off the bench, saying he’s willing to play that role if it will help the team become stronger. Last season, Smith started in 41 games for the Cavaliers, averaging 8.6 points per game in 29 minutes. Wade, for his part, averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game in his only season with the Bulls. It was Wade’s lowest scoring output since his rookie year in 2003.
