Miami Heat Could Have Gotten More Than Chris Bosh for Their Dollar

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I'm going to let you in on a little secret.

Not because we're that close or anything, but because I just get so much enjoyment out of telling people this particular nugget of information.

Here it is: The Miami Heat aren't as good as they were hyped up to be.

Oh, you knew that already because you've watched at least 14 seconds of TV at some point in the past
month. 

Right.

Well, here's something you maybe didn't know: Miami could have gotten more for their dollar.

Specifically when it comes to the nearly $110 million they dumped on Chris Bosh.

While Bosh certainly picked up his play (19.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg in November) after a slow start (13.0 ppg,
6.5 rpg in October) a case can be made that a lower-profile free agent could have offered relative
production at a far lower cost.

If so, this would have allowed Pat Riley to offer some more side-support to coincide with the supposed highlight show between Dwyane Wade and LeBron James.

Plus there wouldn't be all that awkwardness among the "Three Am-egos" on the court.

For instance, there's no need to look further than The Big Bargain himself, Shaquille O'Neal.

Comparing per-36 minute stats, Shaq boasts 19.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, and 69% shooting, dwarfing what Bosh is doing at 18.9 ppg, 7.6 rpg, and 50% shooting...at a mere fraction of the cost.

This isn't to say that 18.9/7.6 isn't productive, but is it worth $14.5 million?

Especially compared to the $1.4 million Shaq is pulling in?

The options were out there for Miami to pick from, whether it be Shaq, Brad Miller, Drew Gooden, etc. Perhaps they could have even held onto Michael Beasley, knee-deep in the best season of his career so far with 21.6 ppg and 6.2 rpg, all for a lousy $5 million.

As it stands, the Heat fell into the trap set by the three sirens scheming together to create an unthinkable trio of unmatched star power, disregarding the actual needs of the basketball team.

Let's take a look at some other free agents from the summer of 2010 who would have allowed Miami to get similar production to Bosh, at a reduced cost.

Shaquille O'Neal

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Per 36 minute numbers: 19.4 ppg, 11.1 rpg, 1.0 bpg, 69%
2010 Salary: $1,352,181

Fact: Shaq and Bosh have the same amount of 25+ point nights. Fact: Shaq's salary is 9% of what Bosh is making.

Fact: The Celtics are on top of the East with a 12-4 record, while the Heat stand fifth in the conference at 10-8.

This isn't advanced calculus, people.

Brad Miller

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Per 36 minute numbers: 16.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 4.4 apg, 53% FG
2010 Salary: $4,400,000

Another cheap big man, the 34-year old Miller makes the most out of his 19 minutes per game.

Houston is 5-12, but that's hardly to blame on Miller, who proved that he can remain healthy and still provide consistent production after playing in 82 games last year.

The exceptional part is, his per-36 minute averages have improved since then.

Amir Johnson

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Per 36 minute numbers: 15.6 ppg, 9.9 rpg, 1.9 bpg, 56% FG
2010 Salary: $5,000,000

The 30th-ranked player (on a certain other sports media outlet's Player Efficiency Rating chart) to Bosh's 34th has all but worked his way into a starting role with the Raptors.

The 23-year-old Johnson finally seems to "get it," and while his minutes still hover in the low-20 range, his per-36 stats rival Bosh's for nearly one-third the price.

Drew Gooden

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Per 36 minute numbers: 15.4 ppg, 10.4 rpg, 1.9 bpg
2010 Salary: $5,760,000

Gooden, who has landed with nine NBA teams in his career before the age of 30, strangely has never taken his talents to South Beach. It's too bad, because they could use his gritty play in the post.

He isn't afraid to get in there and grab rebounds, something the Miami Heat (19th in the league in rebounding) could have used some more of.

Al Harrington

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Per 36 minute numbers: 17.0 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 2.3 apg, 39% 3P
2010 Salary: $5,760,000

More of a scorer than some of the others on this list, Harrington comes off the bench in Denver to provide support for Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, something Bosh has had a hard time adjusting to thus far with Wade and James.

Harrington consistently scores in the double digits and knows when he needs to step it up on particular nights and pour it on.

His top four scoring games (28, 22, 19, 18) all resulted in Nugget wins, while the Heat are 2-3 in Bosh's top five (35, 22, 22, 21, 21). 

But They Got This Guy Instead..

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Obviously, we're a mere month and a half into what could end up being a six-year deal and things could change.

I just hope Miami held onto its receipt.