Recently, online NBA betting fans have seen some of the greatest basketball players of our generation retire; Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and even Kevin Garnett. On November 1st, Ray Allen, the NBA’s top 3-point shooter and former teammate of Garnett, announced his retirement from the NBA. Technically, Allen hadn’t been playing since the 2014 season concluded. In 2015, Allen said he was taking the year off to evaluate his options. In 2016, Allen began talking to teams about possibly making a return, before officially announcing his departure from professional basketball. The team that Allen last played for was the Miami Heat; how has Miami handled the loss of the NBA’s top 3-point shooter?
The 2015 season marked the first year that the Heat would play without Allen. Overall, Allen’s departure did not have a negative effect on the team as the Heat would go on to win 11 more games and even qualify for the playoffs. Once in the playoffs, online NBA betting fans will remember that the Heat made it all the way to the Conference Semifinals, before losing the series 3-4 to the Toronto Raptors. But in 2016 Miami would have to contend with an even bigger loss. Dwayne Wade, the face of Miami’s franchise for the last 13 years, would end up leaving the Heat. We can all understand why Allen would retire, but what would motivate Wade to leave the team that had been his home for over a decade?
Wade’s departure boils down to one simple answer; disrespect. From what the media has reported Wade was in fact interested in re-signing with the Heat. However, a lack of communication from the organization was perceived as disrespect from the franchise’s most valuable player. Miami wasn’t truly interested in re-signing Wade, not until they had secured Kevin Durant. If they had re-signed Wade the Heat’s cap space would’ve decreased and they wouldn’t have had the funds to offer Durant the money he was looking for. This was perceived as a sign of utmost disrespect from the player that had spent his entire career for the Heat. Ultimately, Wade decided to part ways with Miami and fulfill a childhood dream; playing for the Chicago Bulls. Without Wade in the mix, most basketball betting sites started favoring Miami less and less. Down two superstars, how have the Heat been playing this year?
The loss of two great talents might prove to be too much for the Heat to handle. Although they started off on the right foot by beating the Orlando Magic, two straight losses against the Hornets and Spurs truly revealed where this team lies in the NBA’s power rankings. The Heat’s last game was against the Sacramento Kings, which they won 108-96. Miami’s next contest will be against the Toronto Raptors on Friday, November 4th. The Raptors are the team eliminated the Heat in last year’s playoffs, so you can be certain that revenge will be the one thing on Miami’s mind. Only this time, they’ll have to try to beat Toronto without their superstar. Without Wade in the lineup, you can be certain the online NBA betting odds will be siding with the Raptors.
