Fantasy Basketball: What to Expect from the New Miami Heat

NBA fans are buzzing about the rebuilt Miami Heat roster, and for good reason. After all, they landed the best player in the league (LeBron James) to play next to another superstar (Dwyane Wade), and sweetened the deal with an elite big man (Chris Bosh).

How will the presence of so much talent impact the fantasy value of these top-notch performers?

The Starting Lineup
The most talented potential starting lineup:

• PG  Dwyane Wade
• SG  Mike Miller
• SF   LeBron James
• PF   Chris Bosh
• C     Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Aside from these five players, Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers are the next best options. [NOTE: Eddie House was signed after completion of this article, and he should be roughly equal in value to what he offered in Boston.]  Haslem will continue to be the energy player with eight point and eight rebound averages, while Chalmers should continue to be unworthy of your attention.

Breaking Down The Top Five
Whether starting or not, these five players will average big minutes. Fearless forecasts are as follows:

Dwyane Wade
D-Wade is still a key cog, but he will no longer be the sole offensive focus.
24.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 1.0 blocks, solid field goal / free throw percentages

Mike Miller
Miller will thrive on the wing sinking treys.
10.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.1 three-pointers, outstanding percentages

LeBron James
His stellar ball handling, and defense will offset a reduction in scoring.
26.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.5 steals, 0.8 blocks, continued excellence in the shooting percentages

Chris Bosh
Bosh will not be a regular 20-10 candidate with so many mouths to feed.
17.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.1 blocks, elite percentages

Zydrunas Ilgauskas
Big Z is likely to average only 25 minutes per game at his age (35).
9.2 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.0 block, passable percentages

As fun as this team will be to watch, the players will lose a little fantasy value. But do not let that scare you away at your draft.

This article originally appeared on Examiner.com.