"It was a tightrope Tuesday, with players expressing excitement about the imminent addition of Mike Bibby while trying to avoid seeming insensitive about the subtraction of former starter Carlos Arroyo.

For LeBron James, who called Arroyo "a brother," it was hard to hide the enthusiasm about what Bibby could bring to the Heat.

"A few years ago, we tried to have an opportunity to get him in Cleveland, and it didn't work out, when he was getting traded away from Sacramento to Atlanta," James said. "So I've had some conversations with him and always said, 'It would be good to have you as our point guard.' "

Now he does, albeit a bit further down the line from Bibby's prime.

Now it will be interesting to see what James and Dwyane Wade do with him.

And, even more to the point, what they allow him to do.

That's the key to this. That's what will determine whether this transaction boosts the Heat's championship chances.

Will the Heat's stars be strong and secure enough to - at least sometimes - let Bibby lead?

This summer, James -- along with Pat Riley and Micky Arison -- made a pitch to Derek Fisher to leave the Lakers for the Heat.

The attraction was understandable, even if Fisher was turning 36, had clearly lost a step on defense, and hadn't come close recently to his unremarkable career numbers. Fisher had done it, not just in a first quarter in December, but late in the games that most mattered.

That earned him not only the unconditional trust of more talented teammates such as Kobe Bryant, but the enduring respect of more gifted opponents such as James.

Bibby's career has been statistically superior to Fisher's, even if he doesn't have the rings to show for it. But at 32, his remaining skill set is similar enough that it's easy to see him fitting in the way the Heat envisioned Fisher doing.

"He's not afraid of the moment," James said of Bibby, who arranged a buyout to escape Washington after being traded last week by Atlanta. "He's hit big shots. He's taken big shots, he's not afraid to miss."

"He's a big-shot maker," Wade said. "When you have a big-shot maker on the court, it changes things. Just ask the Knicks. Chauncey Billups is a big-shot maker."

Billups' poised fourth-quarter performance was the deciding factor in New York's win here Sunday."