NBA analyst Ashley Nicole Moss completely dismissed the Miami Heat’s chances of winning a championship next season, even if LeBron James joins the star-studded frontcourt of Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. Appearing on a CBS Sports show on Wednesday, Moss predicted there’s no chance James is eyeing a reunion in South Beach because of Miami’s current roster.
“Let’s be very honest, LeBron’s not going back to Miami with this lineup,” Moss said. “This is a far cry from the team he won two championships with looked like. That’s no knock to Giannis, that’s no knock to Bam. This is a team that gave up a lot to get Giannis, this is a team that’s gonna have their work cut out for them, even in the Eastern Conference.
“They’ll obviously be a lot better, but if LeBron wants to win, which is what has been said by Rich Paul, what has been said by various people in his camp, he could’ve just stayed in LA if he was gonna go to Miami with this kind of a lineup. No shade to Miami Heat fans, this is not a championship contender even with LeBron James on the roster.”
Moss didn’t appear confident about the rest of the Heat’s starting lineup, which currently has Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins as the other core pieces alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.
However, Mitchell and Wiggins are among the league’s most reliable two-way players. Meanwhile, Miami also boasts Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Nikola Jokovic, who have proven themselves to be critical contributors over the years.
While the Heat did lose Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Kel’el Ware, replacing them with stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo and LeBron James can still be considered a massive upgrade.
The Heat fans felt that, too, and called out Ashley Nicole Moss for her bold opinion on the roster.
“just such a lazy take, man,” one fan said.
More reactions followed.
Ashley Nicole Moss gets into it with fans over her bold Miami Heat take, mentioning LeBron James
Ashley Nicole Moss gave it back to fans who criticized her take on the Heat’s championship chances with LeBron James.
In her very first rebuttal to a fan, Moss questioned why the X user thinks James will fix the Heat’s issues in year 23.
“why do y’all think LeBron can fix everything at this stage in his career? it’s such a lazy way of thinking,” she wrote.
In another reply, a fan said that James has a better shot with the Heat than the Lakers, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo are elite defenders compared to Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves. Moss doubled down on James’ ability to win a title in either place, saying:
“except i didn’t think he was winning in LA either (post-bubble).”
Moss also cleared the air about not being a Heat fan ever after one fan mixed up her time as the team’s beat reporter with her fandom.
“i’ve never been a Heat fan in my life. i used to cover the team. very different things,” she said.
It’s unclear if LeBron James will join the Heat, so for now, these debates don’t have any bearing. However, if James does join Miami, it will be interesting to see how far the team can go, as on paper, it could be one of the most lethal teams across both conferences.
Read more:
