MIAMI -- Imagine for a moment that there was an alternate universe, where almost everything that was up was down in the Cavaliers' expensive and multifaceted plan to re-sign LeBron James.

Say, for example, that last summer instead of trading for Shaquille O'Neal and signing three free agents to bolster the team's depth that they did nearly nothing. Even with James wanting improvements to the team more than ever.

Envision that, in defending this maneuver, they pointed the finger at James, saying the team cannot plan for the future until he gives it an answer on the contract extension offer he declined.

What if, citing a hit to his core business from the recession, owner Dan Gilbert said that now was the time to be fiscally responsible.

Consider the reaction if the Cavs had allowed a quality role player leave as a restricted free agent, declining to match a reasonable offer from a rival team simply because they didn't want to pay him at all.

Suppose that instead of adding a couple of support staffers that Gilbert slashed his coaches' salaries and reduced the staff size in general.

With the trade deadline approaching, presume that instead having lots of talks with other teams about adding another starter-quality player to the roster -- at the cost of going deeper into the luxury tax this season and blowing up potential cap space for next summer -- that the Cavs instead were talking about deals that would get rid of players to get under the luxury tax.

Would GM Danny Ferry be getting hate mail? Would Gilbert be blasted on local talk radio daily? Would columnists and commentators from across the country be taking turns berating the Cavs for what seems like a strategy to drive their top asset away? Yes, yes and probably yes.

Well, this situation does exist, about a 1,200 miles south and, apparently, a world away.

The way the Cavs and Heat are handling the impending free agency of their resident superstars are as opposite as their winter average temperatures.

The Cavs are, to use Gilbert's phrase, going "all in" as they attempt to win a championship this season and convince James to stay. They spent money on free agents, made a trade for a $20 million-a-year player, are active in trade talks and have added to their support staff to help convince James his best option is to stay home.

The Heat, meanwhile, are virtually folding their cards on this season and instead betting long-term with Dwyane Wade.

There are merits to both thought processes, as well as circumstances that don't put both teams in the same situation. But their different handling of the risk could lead to very different results in five months.

Last summer, armed with more than $25 million in expiring contracts -- not including Wade -- plus money to sign players, Heat President Pat Riley stared Wade down and told him to make the first move. There was a contract extension on the table and Riley wanted Wade to sign it before he did anything to his roster.

"There can't be any major franchise changes made without his commitment," Riley told the Miami Herald at the time. "He knows this. I'm going to do the best sales job I can. Whatever we do going forward is going to be predicated on that."

From a business perspective, this is probably the proper move. Why should the Heat commit long-term with Wade if he won't do the same? The Cavs made the same extension offer to James, who didn't commit either, then made moves that could potentially set them way back if James leaves.

But this isn't regular business, it is a star-dominated league where keeping the top players and keeping them happy is often the top priority. Which is why Wade reacted in kind after Riley made those statements.

"I'm in my prime right now, playing the best basketball I've ever played, and I feel as good as I ever felt," Wade said last summer to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "So let's not wait. Let's do it now if we can do it. So it's not about me signing a contract."

Riley didn't budge and Wade didn't sign, which led Wade to later say: "I always have the best interest of the basketball team every time I take the court. But in this stage, where you're talking about contracts and free agency, you have to think about yourself and what's best."

If this exchange had taken place between Ferry and James last summer there may have been picketing outside The Q by furious and fearful fans. It certainly would have made the back pages of the tabloids in New York.

Later, Heat owner Micky Arison, who is one of the richest men in America and has deeper pockets than Gilbert, expressed disappointment in Wade. With his Carnival Cruise Lines feeling the effects of the economy, he laid off numerous Heat employees and rolled back all coaches' salaries as much as 20 percent.

Recently there have been reports that the Heat, who are 23-20 and struggling to get Wade enough support many nights, are considering giving away a player to get under the luxury tax. They let Jamario Moon leave last summer when the Cavs signed him to a two-year offer sheet.

"The reality is I don't have his signature on a contract," Arison told Miami media. "We've talked about an extension [and] I was disappointed we couldn't come to a decision. ... We're trying to create a climate of fiscal discipline like every other business."

Riley sort of followed through on his statements. He did try to sign Lamar Odom as a free agent last summer -- but was offering way less than the Los Angeles Lakers and lost out, as expected. He did trade for Quentin Richardson. But Riley has refused to seriously consider trading Jermaine O'Neal, who has an expiring contract worth $22 million that would serve as a massive trade chip for a blockbuster move.

There is a method to this tactic. By refusing to add to future payrolls by trading expiring contracts, the Heat will have a massive amount of cap space this summer. If the Knicks were in the same position, they could realistically dream of getting Chris Bosh and James to come to New York. The Knicks would have significant space, but not nearly as much as the Heat.

In a desirable city with a favorable state income tax structure, Riley is figuring Miami can be a destination for free agents. The idea is they have Wade already and, by biting the bullet now, they save and offer the chance for Bosh, Amare Stoudemire or even James himself to head for the wonderful sights in South Beach.

With five championship rings, including one he won with Wade, Riley has the cache to attempt something like this. Ferry and Cavs coach Mike Brown, who both have championship rings but not Riley's rep, can't run the same risk in a cold-weather town without a history of championships.

But then all of Riley's plan is one massive gamble. The Knicks will beckon to Wade if they lose out on James. Plus Wade's hometown team, the Chicago Bulls, will also have salary cap space to sign him and pair him with young star and fellow Chicago native Derrick Rose for the hometown mother lode.

Which strategy will work? The Cavs' big-spending, keep the big man happy as possible attitude? Or the Heat's planned, responsible and leveraged approach? Most of the time in the NBA, the home team keeps the stars in free agency, the rules favor it, so they both could win.

But if one or both lose, there is sure going to be a lot of explaining to do.