I assumed in an earlier article that Michael Beasley was a lock for the No. 1 pick in this year's draft and I was wrong--thankfully.
The Miami Heat, despite Pat Riley's hesitation to select him, got the player they needed in Mr. Beasley and acquired another high-level player in Mario Chalmers.
The rookies will have a decent amount of time before they are inserted into the starting lineup, but by season's end, the starting five should be:
PG: Mario Chalmers
SG: Dwyane Wade
SF: Michael Beasley
PF: Shawn Marion
C: Who cares, but probably Mark Blount
If Wade had to the play the two guard again this season, then Chalmers was the point guard the Heat needed. Chalmers can run an offense and benefit greatly from Wade's drive and dish attack.
Chalmers is a clutch performer and gives the Heat another option with time winding down in regulation.
And of course, there's Beasley. Very little needs to be said about his ability. He's Carmelo Anthony with a mean streak.
He's not the fastest or strongest player on the court, but he has the shooting range to be a threat from anywhere, the power to be a force in the paint, and the desire to pound the offensive glass until his team scores.
Beasley was the best all-around player in the draft and the Heat solidified a solid third scoring option behind Wade and Marion. Being the third option will be great for Beasley who put up better numbers than Kevin Durant in college, but won't have to carry a franchise on his back from day one.
The Center position won't be that important. Whoever it is just can't be a liability on either side of the ball—just grab boards and defend the paint.
Mark Blount is young enough and though Haslem is a natural four, the East is not known for its centers. (Their best center, Dwight Howard, is a power forward in denial.) Haslem will be able to pound the glass and take charges at the five spot as well as spread the floor for the slashers.
With Daequan Cook, Jason Williams, and either Haslem or Blount (whoever does not start), if the Heat retain or replace Ricky Davis and Alonzo Mourning, the team will have decent reserves to back up a solid young core.
If healthy, the Heat can return to playoff form, even in an improving Eastern Conference.
comments (4) write a comment »
write a new comment
3 months ago
Good read, Gem. Keep up the good work.
3 months ago
As nice as it sounds, Miami has no chance to get back to the play-offs if Mario Chalmers is their PG of the future. The ? at C is also needs to be addressed before they make it back to the play-offs. I think Beasley and Wade will be great in Miami, but they should find a way to deal Marion, because as of right now, there is no depth on the Heat and no true PG or C and no team can make it to the play-offs without 1 of those positions solidified.
3 months ago
You don't know how polished Melo is outside and physical inside. Mike has quite a bit to prove.
3 months ago
I agree that the center spot should be addressed but at the end of the day its the Eastern Conference. If you're starting lineup is strong, you'll make the playoffs. The Celtics didn't have a bench untlil mid-March, early April, Orlando never had one, and I couldn't name the starting five for the Raptors much less anyone after them.
Now to make that noise in the playoffs, they need to add depth in a lot of areas. If they traded Marion--which I'm not against--it's a matter of who they'd bring in. I'm not sure which team has solid PG or C to offer up and match those contracts off the top of my head, but I think Marion, Beasley and Wade could do a lot of damage on the court together.
Chalmers will do fine at PG, the position Wade should be playing anyway (it just works so much better when he's there).
The C spot--your guess is as good as mine.
Beasley will prove to be a Melo type player; their styles are similar. He will be better one day than Melo because he's a little more athletic and slightly more versatile on the ground than Melo is. Melo can score, but so can Beasley.
write a new comment