On Friday, several thousand Miami Heat fans were greeted with an unfamiliar foe called sudden loss and disloyalty and despair as they realized the end was near for LeBron James in Miami. LeBron James decided Miami could no longer be called home and returned to Cleveland, the city that once lost their son.
Like the moment when Nick Saban left South Florida in 2006 for the “greener pasture$” of the SEC to Alabama, it left the franchise in the unenviable position of starting over after promises were broken.
Sadly, for the Dolphins, the loss of Saban led to a 1-16 season and the firing of an entire front office and nearly an entire coaching staff.
As Heat fans grapple with the loss of LeBron James, they don’t have a clue, yet of what’s to come. Surely, some level of satisfaction can come from signing new free agents such as Luol Deng that clearly might not replace the King himself or his MVP status.
As Dolphins fans, we know that a 1-16 season led to a new regime and a level of mediocrity that has continued since 2008, after achieving a division title and a playoff appearance. Consequently, the Dolphins haven’t found a way to get out of their own way of winning big games.
The Dolphins fans right now are puzzled how Pro Football Talk could rank them 31st out of 32 teams after having one of the toughest secondaries, improving quarterback, and a revamped offensive line hopefully free of drama.
For Heat fans, maybe losing LeBron will keep every player on notice and allow them to depend on each other as a team, instead of waiting for someone to step up. Maybe the Heat own the lyrics from Drake by “starting from the bottom” to get back to winning.
For both Dolphins and Heat fans alike, perhaps hitting bottom could be the best thing for them and for South Florida who could benefit from seeing both franchises earn something without former stars James the Heat and Marino who once led the Dolphins.
Maybe this will be the year the Miami Dolphins are the trend setter and pick up the Miami Heat.
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