INDEPENDENCE, OHIO– Any NBA fan knows how close LeBron James and Dwyane Wade are.
It’s arguable that James, Wade, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are the closest friend group in the league, nicknamed Team Banana Boat for this picture that was snapped last summer.
The Cavs may have been unable to get Paul or Anthony this off-season, but they now officially have Wade in the wine and gold.
“I mean, from a friend perspective, I wish [Anthony] would have came and we could have worked some things out,” James said during his media availability on Wednesday. “But, at the end of the day I think our front office has done a great job and either the Knicks felt or we felt it just didn’t work out. And it worked out for the Thunder. I’ve been pretty much even keel this summer.
“I wish he would have been here. It would have been great to have him. I love Melo’s game. I love D-Wade’s game. I love CP’s game. You know know how I feel about those three but that doesn’t take anything away from what we got in that locker room which is a lot.”
It was Wade who convinced James to come to Miami in 2011, and the two went on to win two NBA Titles in 2012 and 2013 during their four straight trips to the Finals. The two were in the same draft class, just four picks apart, and have continued to remain close.
“I’m happy that we were able to keep him away from everybody else,” James said of the Cavs signing Wade. “Come on, man, this is like one of my best friends. It’s kind of like when you start school and you walk into the classroom and you’re not quite sure who your classmates are and when you walk in there and one of your best friends is in there, you’re like, ‘Oh, yeah, this is going to be fun. It’s going to be a good class.’ That’s the type of feeling I got.”
And while James may be giddy to be playing with his best friend again, he obviously recognizes Wade’s basketball merits. In James’ eyes, the move adds depth and efficiency to the team. Last season in Chicago, Wade averaged 18.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists in 60 games.
“He doesn’t have to ever worry about seeing a double team,” James said. “He doesn’t have to ever worry about taking tough shots. None of us have to take or make tough shots. We have to make tough shots but we don’t have to take them. We’ve got a lot of options.”
“Efficiency has always been a huge part of myself and D-Wade, and I know he didn’t like how he wasn’t as efficient as he can be or has been throughout his career last year.”
And their friendship combined with their basketball IQs can only lead to good things when they are on the court at the same time
“I think it’s just the whole honesty thing,” James said when explaining their chemistry. “When you can be honest with somebody no matter what’s going on and your games translate, it works very easily. He tells me when I [mess up] and I tell him the same thing. We get on each other.
You can watch James’ full media availability from day two of camp on cavs.com
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