Could The Miami Heat Have Found Its 'Answer'?

(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

When Dwyane Wade announced that he would consider leaving in 2010 if the Heat do not contend for a championship or get another player to lighten the load off of Wade's back, a panic set in amongst the Miami Heat community.

With the thought of Miami's superstar leaving in only a seasons time, Pat Riley and the entire Heat organization knew something had to be done to keep the face of the franchise and not go along the path of soon to be free agents such as LeBron James, Chris Bosh, or Amare Stoudamire.

Meanwhile 1000 miles away in Detroit ... a discontent future hall-of-famer is looking for a place to exhibit his talents that made him what he is today at 34 years old.

Iverson who has had trouble adjusting to the Detroit Pistons is now all but guaranteed to join a new team this offseason and has shown interest in teams such as the Memphis Grizzlies, Charlotte Bobcats and most recently the Miami Heat.

Iverson, a one time MVP and ten time all-star, has shown late interest in playing alongside Wade and under Riley's organization and finds a better chance of becoming a contender than with any other team he can join. Problems have arose from Iverson and his teammates while in Denver and Detroit. In Denver, it was believed that it was Iverson's style of play that hampered Carmelo Anthony and the rest of the team from advancing far into the postseason. While in Detroit, Iverson's shoot first mentality never fit into the Pistons half-court style of play and was benched for the rest of the season due to an "injury." He experienced career lows in nearly all statistical categories.

Adding Iverson to the Heat is a make or break situation for the team, as if Iverson's style of play fits in, it could bring the Heat back to championship contenders. On the other hand if Iverson's attitude gets in the way of his play, it could result in disaster for the team as it could see not only it's season slip away, but it's star player.

Wade is looking for someone that can help him carry the load. As Heat fans saw last year, it was mostly Wade winning the team games while his teammates rarely stepped up. Wade will sign an extension within a few weeks if Riley is serious about signing a big name player such as Iverson and bringing the team into title contension again.

The question is though, should the Heat take a risk with Iverson and risk it's season and franchise?

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