Hypotheticals have been bandied about ever since LeBron announced his decision to return to the Cavaliers back in July.
We might never know all the factors that influenced LeBron's decision, but if Mike Miller is to be believed, the Heat using their amnesty provision to release him just before the start of the 2013-14 season certainly didn't help matters.
"LeBron thought it was an unnecessary change," Miller told Chris Haynes of Northeast Ohio Media Group. "I'm not saying I would have been a difference-maker. San Antonio was unbelievable last year and there are a lot of things that go into a season, but it was difficult for LeBron.
"It was difficult for all of us. It was difficult for me. I had to uproot my family and move again. It was tough. I think he was disappointed because he understands legacies and he understands what he wants to do in life. That's what makes him special."
Miller, who, after being amnestied, was picked up by the Memphis Grizzlies and played in all 82 regular-season games there last season, has since reunited with James in Cleveland, lured there in the offseason as a free agent.
"He's hoping I'm a lucky charm for him," Miller said.
"We're as close as teammates than any I've had in my career," James said. "I've always wanted to play alongside of him. When you go through tough times in an NBA season, you get to know each other even more beyond the game of basketball."
For their part, the Cavaliers, who have lived through the heartbreak of a LeBron departure once and have no intention of doing so again, now have at least one more example of what not to do in the future.
