INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- It would have been hard to imagine back when the Miami Heat were coming off consecutive championships a few seasons ago that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade would both leave the franchise as free agents in short order.Yet sure enough, James went back to his hometown Cleveland Cavaliers in 2014 and Wade joined his hometown Chicago Bulls this summer, shifting the balance of power in the Eastern Conference.With the Bulls and Cavaliers set to play a preseason game Friday, James confirmed that he hoped Wade would have ended up in Cleveland with him.We couldnt afford him, James said. Its that simple.Wade signed a two-year deal with Chicago in the offseason worth about $47 million. The Cavs, well above the salary cap with a star-studded core of James, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson all signed to long-term deals, could have offered Wade only the taxpayer midlevel exception, worth about $3.5 million.Cleveland ended up using the MLE to retain?Richard Jefferson.Who wouldnt be interested in a Hall of Famer? Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said, referring to Wades likely spot in the Hall. That dont even make sense. Yeah, we wanted him.James, who has maintained his friendship with Wade since leaving Miami, unsurprisingly backed Wades decision to join the Bulls after playing the first 13 years of his career with the Heat.I support my guys -- you guys know that, James said. That was a decision that he wanted to make, and I support him.Just as James community outreach in Akron, Ohio, comprises such a big element in his life since returning to the Cavs, Wade has said that being in Chicago can help him effect positive change in his city.My purpose for being back in the city is bigger than basketball, Wade said last month. Basketball is a big part of it, of course. Its what I do for a living. But I think my purpose at the end of the day is hopefully to come to Chicago and be a part and be the voice that can help bring people together.James, who shared the ESPYS stage with Wade this summer to encourage athletes to raise their social awareness, said he has spoken to Wade about continuing that cause.Weve had a lot of conversations, James said. I dont really like to talk about what we talk about, but hes done some things in the community already since hes been back to Chicago, and obviously he has a lot of ties there, being from there. So I think its been good for not only him but for the city, more importantly.While the Big Three era in Miami will be remembered for two titles, four trips to the Finals, a 27-game win streak and creating the free-agent frenzy for superstars that exists today, James said he isnt shocked that it didnt last longer.In professional sports, things can change from one year to another like that, so Ive always had that perspective ever since I came into the NBA, James said. Ive always known its a business and you could be with one team this year -- have teammates this year, the next year you might not have them. Thats part of the business. So Ill always have that perspective.Shoes Black Friday Deals 2020 .com) - The Pittsburgh Penguins placed forward James Neal on injured reserve Tuesday. Cheap Shoes Black Friday . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. https://www.cheapshoesblackfriday.com/ . There are surprises among the Vezina candidates, but most of the others are standard top-tier performers, even if the two Hart Trophy runners-ups have never been quite as good as they have been through the first half of the season. Discount Shoes Black Friday . Vaives lawyer Trevor Whiffen claims the former 50-goal man wasnt provided with a copy of the claim beforehand and that he would not have agreed to the allegations made against the NHL had he been asked to review its contents. Fake Shoes Black Friday . Louis Cardinals. Victorino is batting sixth and playing right field after missing two games because of back tightness.The League of Legends European region has been in a mournful mood following the performances of its representatives at the 2016 World Championship group stage. Odds are, there will be more grieving by the end of this week when the tournament resumes on Thursday.The grief is particularly sharp because of the triumphs from only a year ago. The European region had two Worlds semifinalists in 2015, and some of its most vocal fans openly mocked North Americas 0W-10L showing in Week 2 of that years group stage. Fast forward to Oct. 3, and Europes record is 1W-8L with things looking grimmer by the day.While there once was EUphoria, EUlogy came in nearly unprompted. As the news of Europes demise spread, some fans lashed out at their representatives while others attempted to embrace Wildcard team Albus NoX Luna from Russia as theirs to alleviate the pain.In truth, these fans are undergoing a trial by grief, exhibiting its five classic stages.Denial, anger and depression: G2 EsportsFans are particularly outraged by G2 Esports because the teams failings hurt their pride. G2 took first place in the EU League Championship Series regular season and the playoffs, entering Worlds as EUs top seed. The tables have now turned in a big way. As a redditor framed it, the strongest EU team heavily outclassed a Wildcard team -- only the wildcard team wasnt Albus NoX Luna.Has G2 Esports truly sunk lower than anyone could have expected? Not quite, but I am left wondering how a squad that lost a game to South Koreas ROX Tigers due to a poor Baron Nashor call proceeded to play and draft carelessly against Albus NoX Luna, then follow it up with poor map vision.Despite having a chat with G2s Alfonso mithy Aguirre Rodriguez before the World Championship where he was not fully confident about his teams chances, I hadnt expected G2 to be in a 0W-3L position in such a group. There is a slim chance that G2 could pull off a reverse-Cloud9 circa 2015 and proceed to the bracket stage following a three-game (or four-game) winning streak, but one has to wonder if such a phenomenon is even possible considering the nature of its Week 1 losses.This Worlds is going to be an experience for [G2s] rookies to get all their ego issues, small mistakes, things that they dont think of, [and] stage experience, stated mithy, almost prophetically, a few days before the European LCS summer split finals. This Worlds is going to give them a lot of experience. Its going make G2 grow into a strong team next year, but Ill be surprised if we get a good run in this Worrld Championship.ddddddddddddAs such, European fans ought to hope that Luka PerkZ Perkovics jitters in the first week are a result of inexperience and lack of in-game polish, rather than the beginning of a mental block.Measured hope and bargaining: H2kThere is still hope for H2k, and I would go as far as to say that its?Week 1 showing was par for the course. In some ways, it has gone slightly better than initially predicted, and also slightly worse.H2k is one game away from the leading squads in its group -- ahq eSports Club and EDward Gaming -- and the team may thank INTZ eSports for closing the gap between it and EDG. However, H2k has also showcased lackluster play at times, and a lack of awareness during others. Some might single out Oskar VandeR Bogdan for his initial mistake against EDG, but Konstantinos FORG1VEN Tzortziou, Andrei Odoamne Pascu and Marcin Jankos Jankowski also had their moments.But H2k also showed that it was a contender for second place in the group, provided the players kept their nerves under control. Heres to hoping that they can save themselves (and Europe) from an embarrassing Worlds campaign (and from a full-blown EUlogy movement).Acceptance: SplyceDespite Splyces qualification for the 2016 World Championship, it was not the favorite to advance from groups unless it had a favorable draw. When it fell into Group D alongside high caliber teams like Team SoloMid, Samsung Galaxy and Royal Never Give Up, its fate was sealed on paper.The main reason for these low expectations is Splyces dearth of experience at the top of the League of Legends ecosystem; it had taken eighth place in the spring split regular season before its meteoric rise in the summer. Like many rookie squads in 2013, Splyce is undergoing a challenging rite of initiation at Worlds, notable other examples of which include the Flash Wolves (then named Gamania Bears), Lemondogs and Cloud9 in their first outings. The squads dominated their region for the most part but lacked exposure to international play, and only two of them have established themselves as fixtures year after year.To Splyces credit, it has performed as best as they could considering its opposition in the region. The organizations agenda going into 2017 is clear: stick together, dominate Europe and propel it upward much as the Flash Wolves did in 2014, and not like the Lemondogs who disbanded following their Worlds appearance. ' ' '