30 Teams in 30 Days: Miami Heat

The Heat have a few holes to fill and quite a few questions to answer, but the one thing that this team will have no problems with is offensive versatility and firepower.

Guys like Shawn Marion and Dorell Wright are killers in the open floor,—especially Marion, who gets up and down with the best of them in the NBA. When the tempo is slowed, the four-time NBA All-Star can create off the ball and even knock down some open threes.

We’ve already touched on Beasley. The young man has the total package on the offensive end of the floor, giving his team a tremendous inside-outside balance and the versatility to play both the three and the four.

Newcomers Jones and Chalmers, along with guards Daequan Cook and Chris Quinn, will help spread the floor with their terrific shooting ability, which will keep the defense honest and give the stars of the team more room to operate going to the basket.

Then there’s Wade, who holds career averages of 23.9 points and 6.5 assists per game. The 6’4’’ combo guard is one of the most fierce penetrators and finishers in the game, and possesses a silky-smooth midrange pull-up jumper to keep the defense from completely sagging off of him. If he gets caught in a trap or stuck in a corner, no worries—D-Wade will find his open teammates, and play as unselfishly as any other star in the NBA.

Up front, Mark Blount and Udonis Haslem give the Heat a pair of reliable midrange jump shooters to open up the drive-and-kick game for the team’s guards.

Whether Miami comes out victorious or not, they’re going to make opposing defenses work to stop the wide variety of offensive talent on their roster.

 

Biggest Weakness: Interior Presence

Despite all of the offensive talent, there’s not a single player on this roster that can be counted on to deliver in the post on either end of the floor. Haslem sure is aggressive, but his 6’8’’ frame gets outmatched by bigger opponents on the blocks, making him more of an intangibles-based defender than a post stopper.

Recently acquired Jamaal Magloire will rebound well, but if you’re expecting any defense or blocked shots, you’re going to be disappointed. To cap it off, you’ll be more disappointed with Mark Blount, who at age 33, has yet to have his testicles dropped.

Unless Alonzo Mourning returns to the court and manages to put together a healthy 16th and final season, Miami is in deep [you know what] on the inside.

 

X-Factor: Dwyane Wade

If Wade can manage to put together a healthy season, similar to '05-06, the Heat can be a strong threat to more than double last season’s win total and give a top-seeded Eastern Conference team a run for their money in the first round of the playoffs.

On the other hand, if Wade is only unable to appear in 51 regular season games, as he has in each of the past two seasons, Miami’s fan base is headed for another year of pure apathy.

If his Olympic showing is any indication, he’s in good shape. The question is, however, can he maintain it?

 

What to Expect In 2008-2009

Let’s go ahead and assume that Wade stays relatively healthy and returns to form. Should that be the case, this team could very well end up in the sixth- to eighth-seed range. In the same breath, they could fall in the ninth-to-eleventh range on account of their interior weakness and unstable point guard situation.

I’m going to go ahead and play it safe by predicting Miami to be smacked in the middle of those possibilities—ninth seed, just one win short of tying Atlanta for the East’s final playoff berth.

Playoffs or not, Heat fans, you’ve got something to look forward to, as the Wade-Beasley pairing could develop into one of the league’s most dynamic for years to come.

2008-2009 Predictions

36-46
Fourth in Southeast Division
Ninth in Eastern Conference

 

Tomorrow: Milwaukee Bucks

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