MIAMI -- LeBron James isn't counting championships this summer. That didn't go over so well outside of Miami two years ago when he got up to seven and might have ended up spewing Bill Russell-like numbers had the crowd at a Heat rally not drowned him out.
James now has one title. But the Heat forward is a student of the game, and he knows most of the truly elite players in NBA history have multiple rings.
"He's like Kim Kardashian," the host said about James when he was a guest Tuesday on the "Late Show With David Letterman." "He got that first ring, and now he's looking for more."
If James wants to unquestionably be in rarefied NBA air, he needs to add to his stash. Guys he's chasing to be among the most legendary perimeter players ever include Michael Jordan, who has six rings, and Magic Johnson and Kobe Bryant, who each have five.
If James wants to be a multiple champion, next season is as good a time as any to get there. The Heat have all their key players under contract, and will be favored to win another crown.
Teammate Dwyane Wade is now 30 years old and has some knee problems, so James needs to take advantage of Wade before he falls off too far. And a more punitive luxury tax enters the NBA in 2013-14, meaning it's not out of the question the Big Three of James, Wade and Chris Bosh could be broken up by then if Miami doesn't produce another title next season.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when one championship is claimed "you start to have thoughts of being greedy, and you want more." James, who calls it his "dream" to win multiple NBA titles, echoed those thoughts.
"I have thought about it," said James, 27, who is a year younger than Jordan was when he won his first championship. "Me and Spo are on the same wavelength. I thought about what it's going to take for us to compete and try to match this year's run that we had."
That's about the strongest comment you're going to get from James about going back-to-back. Since being criticized for counting up titles during that Miami celebration after he arrived from Cleveland in the summer of 2010, he's been rather restrained.
Wade, who said it was "championship or bust" and Bosh, who called the Heat the best team in the NBA, were quite bold at the start of the past season. But even after backing up their words with the 4-1 win over the Thunder, both have toned it down.
Bosh has made no predictions of a repeat. Neither has Wade.
"I ain't going to do no predictions," Wade said. "That ain't going to be good. I will say this. If this team is healthy, I think we can compete. All we ask is we can compete for a championship every year. And that's all you ask for is to have an opportunity… When healthy, I think we can compete for a championship for the next few years."
The Heat realized, while en route to the title, it just as easily could have gone another way. What if Miami didn't come back from eight points down at halftime and lost Game 4 of an East semifinal to fall 3-1 behind Indiana? What if Boston had closed out the Heat in Game 6 of the East finals to win that series 4-2? And what if the Heat had not held on for dear life to win Game 2 of the Finals at Oklahoma City to prevent falling behind 2-0?
The Heat also know any bold predictions only would add to the pressure of repeating. Not that there won't be plenty of it anyhow.
"On a scale of one to 10, it's going to be 10," ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose said of the heat that will be on the Heat to repeat.
Even though Miami, with no free agents among their top 10 scorers, will be favored to win again, there are still some issues. It's possible three-point specialist Mike Miller, who has three years and $18.6 million on his contract, could retire due to a back problem or be an amnesty victim. But Miami is expected to look at Boston free-agent sharpshooter Ray Allen during the free agency period, which starts Sunday.
The Heat, who will have no more than a $3 million exception to dangle at free agents, also need to decide how to address their point-guard situation. While starter Mario Chalmers, 26, had his moments in the Finals and backup Norris Cole, 23, provided some good minutes after having previously fallen out of the rotation, the Heat must decide whether to bring in a veteran free agent. They're expected to look at Denver's Andre Miller, with other possibilities being Phoenix's Steve Nash and the Clippers' Chauncey Billups.
The Heat, who started Bosh at center rather than power forward to close the postseason, would love to pick up an above-average big man to add to their weak crop. Lamar Odom, soon to be gone from Dallas, might be the best option with the $3 million exception. But that's not much money to shop for a big man, which means somebody such as Jermaine O'Neal could be brought in on a minimum deal.
Whatever happens, the time still should be right for James to seize another title. James knows well that when Jordan, Johnson and Bryant started winning rings, they soon got quite greedy.
Chris Tomasson can be reached at christomasson@hotmail.com or on Twitter @christomasson
