Miami Heat: 1 Thing Each Member of the Heat Must Improve to Contend

There's no such thing as the perfect athlete. Each and every one will have at least a few flaws holding them back that prohibit the athlete from reaching greater heights. Whether it's their age, lack of experience, or a missing any aspect of their game that limits them, there will always be one flaw keeping that player back.

We look at those flaws in the Miami Heat's roster as we attempt to look for new ways that these players could better themselves in a way that benefits the team. We're going with what the consensus of the NBA world wants to see by point out each negative on each individual on their roster.

From the player placed on the end of the bench to the top All-Stars, each player has at least one negative aspect to their game that has limited their production in some way.

This is a rundown of what these players can offer to the Heat's championship cause next season, if a few players are retained during free agency, and will need to improve themselves if they would want to contribute to the cause.

These negative aspects will need to at least be improved in some way if the players on this team want to avoid another repeat of last season.

You can follow John Friel on twitter @JohnFtheheatgod

Norris Cole

Room for improvement: Transition to NBA

After averaging 22 points, six rebounds, and six assists per in his senior season at Cleveland State, point guard Norris Cole now takes his versatile talents to the NBA level after being selected late in the first round and will be joining the Miami Heat.

The Heat had numerous issues with point guard play last season by having three players take turns in starting with still no definitive answer at the end of the season. Mike Bibby, Carlos Arroyo, and Mario Chalmers all took turns starting at the point with Chalmers being the most likely choice to start next season after a quality NBA Finals where he averaged 11 points per.

With a player as inconsistent as Chalmers, that might not last for long, Cole could be the possible future when it comes to who will be the starting point guard for the Heat.

He's a quality all-around guard that can lead an offense, pass, score, and even rebound despite only being listed at 6'1", 174 pounds. Even with the wiry frame, Cole still possesses the strength and athleticism to drive and score at will when in the paint.

What Cole will need to work on is his overall transition from a shoot first leader at Cleveland State to a pass first role player with the Heat. He was a team leader at college for the final three seasons he spent there and will have to adjust to giving the ball up to the Heat's big three if he wants to fit in with his new surroundings.

Dexter Pittman

Room for improvement: Body control

Taken as the Heat's first selection last season, former Texas Longhorn center Dexter Pittman is still attempting to make a name for himself after only playing in three NBA games all of last season.

If he wasn't watching Heat games on the bench in a suit, then he was spending his playing career in the D-League where he averaged an impressive 15 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks per in the 22 games he played for the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Pittman was solid in his time there and would even make it on to the All-Star team before succumbing to an injury that would prohibit him from attending.

In the NBA, Pittman didn't carry much of an impact when he was actually on the floor. He only attempted three shots, converting on one, and would grab three boards while also committing two turnovers in the short time he played. It was tough to judge Pittman due to the little time that he did play, but he did manage to show that he has a lot of work to do if he wants to be a legitimate member of the rotation.

He's dropped the weight necessary to play a regulation NBA game, but will still need to improve his scoring touch around the rim while also learning how to utilize his wide frame to his advantage. At 6'11" and tipping the scale at 300 pounds, Pittman could be a force to be reckoned with if he does develop an inside game and can play defense without fouling.

Juwan Howard

Room for improvement: Searching for a time machine

At this point in his career, we can only hope that Juwan Howard's knees don't shatter when going for a rebound.

Nearly 39 years old, Howard is coming off of a lackluster season where he truly began to exhibit signs that retirement is near. He played in 57 games last year averaging 10 minutes of playing time and only averaged two points and two rebounds per. His offense was extremely limited as he could barely get off the ground and was restricted to short range jumpers and the occasional hook shot.

Playing defense was out of the question for Howard as his physicality was all that he could offer. Not being able to jump or keep up with the athletic power forwards of today is quite the task for a player like Howard. The only reason as to why Howard saw so much playing time last season was because of the injury suffered by Udonis Haslem that caused a sudden need for depth at the power forward position.

For Howard, there's no room for improvement considering that he's maybe one season away from retirement and will be utilized next season as an extra body to keep the bench warm.

Unless he finds that time machine and finds the Juwan Howard of 1996, then there's not going to be much of a need for him other than to provide veteran leadership.

Jamaal Magloire

Room for improvement: Sharpening his elbows

Like the rest of the big men on this roster that are a few seasons away from retirement, Jamaal Magloire will also be seldom used by the Heat because of the lack of production they receive from him.

Although seeing the "big cat" dunk on Derrick Rose was nice for a change. If only ESPN didn't confiscate the videos.

It's surprising to see Magloire carry so little of an impact in games over the past few seasons despite him only being 33 years old and just finishing up on his 11th season. He only dealt with two injury plagued seasons before joining the Heat, but now seems to be a shell of the player that actually made it on to an All-Star team and played a key part on a perennial playoff team in New Orleans only a few years prior.

His playing time has only decreased as he most recently played in only 18 games while playing nine minutes per. He was a solid rebounder for a player that's deep on the bench and he can still use his size to deter opponents from entering the lane at will, but he nearly has no lift and it affects his ability to quickly catch and finish when he's found in the paint.

Since he isn't utilized these days for anything more than being an enforcer, Magloire should just practice up on sharpening his elbows for the few times he does appear in a game if the Heat actually do retain him.

Erick Dampier

Room for improvement: Catching and finishing

An afterthought once the post season came around once athleticism became favored over size, Erick Dampier is now another center lost in the purgatory known as the end of the Miami Heat bench.

The end of the bench last year was basically restricted to rookies, failed experiments, and big men that proved to be useful for only a few games before checking out. The Heat put Dampier in this prison at the end of the season, but he didn't deserve to be considering how useful he was during the time he actually spent on the floor.

Dampier was a starter for 22 games for the Heat before the team elected to go with the more athletic and youthful Joel Anthony as their official starting center for the post season. The former Dallas Maverick was useful for the time being as he knew how to utilize his size to deter opponents from the rim, rebound, and play sound overall defense against the bigger centers in the league.

He averaged a little less than three points and four rebounds per in his first season with the Heat.

If the Heat actually retain Dampier for another season, he'll need to improve his overall impact of the game by starting off with his ability to catch and finish at a quicker pace first. He may be 36 years old, but he'll have to be able to react quick enough to the passes he receives to finish before defenders can react in time to send the shot back.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Room for improvement: Offensive consistency

LeBron James made it a purpose to convince the Miami Heat to sign long time Cleveland Cavaliers center Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

He would get the starting job by the 10th game of the season and would actually bring about a drastic improvement in the flow of the offense once he got situated. He was consistently hitting the catapult 20 foot jumper that he had become renowned for which eventually led to the offense being stretched out which would then lead to more mid-range opportunities for Chris Bosh, more drives for Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, and shooters getting clearer shots off.

Ilgauskas was also a force in the paint on offense as his lengthy arms equipped with his 7'3" frame made it easy for the Lithuanian to tip in misses that caromed off the rim. With no legitimate answer from any other center when it came to deterring Ilgauskas from his tip-ins and jumpers, the Heat's offense was running as smooth as it had ever been.

However, once his shot began to run thin and his ability to consistently hit shots disappeared, he became utterly useless since his defense overshadowed his lack of offensive production. Age and his giant frame had caused Ilgauskas' quickness to all but evaporate as he could no longer keep up with the Heat's fast paced offense.

To become a regular rotation player again, Ilgauskas is going to have to get that jumper back. It was the most volatile part of his game and it greatly helped the Heat's offense when it came to stretching the floor and keeping opposing centers out of the paint leading to more efficient drives from the teams slashers.

Eddie House

Room for improvement: Defense

A component of the Miami Heat roster that really could have come in useful during the NBA Finals had he been utilized, Eddie House will be returning next season for another chance to secure his second NBA title.

At 32 years old and with the legs to still shoot prolifically from beyond the arc, House can still be an effective part of the teams offense thanks to his ability to hit from the perimeter. He's a streaky shooter that lives and dies by the three and could very well shoot himself out of the rotation at times, but he's extremely effective when he is connecting on his three-pointers as documented by the 35 points he dropped in the teams seasons finale against Toronto.

House had seven three-pointers in the game if that's any clear indicator that he can still be an important part of this team.

Eddie isn't utilized by the Heat for anything more than being a quick spark off the bench that can nail shots when called upon, but it would greatly help the team if he can improve his overall defense. He's a liability when it comes to playing one-on-one defense against the majority of the league's point guards and it sometimes offsets his three-point shooting when he's giving up just as many points to his defensive assignment.

Mike Bibby

Room for improvement: Consistency in his jumper

Didn't think it was possible to lose a consistent jumper after perfecting it for more than a decade? Now you know after witnessing how badly Mike Bibby fell off during the Heat's postseason run.

In the NBA Finals in which Bibby started five of the games before eventually being benched, he scored 19 total points with 14 of those coming in the teams Game 2 loss.

Bibby was brought in to the Heat organization with a sense of relief that the team finally had found their reliable veteran to run the floor and hit open jumpers when called upon. With Chalmers, Arroyo, and House all not panning out, Bibby was expected to be the veteran leader that would come in and hit the open shots that those three weren't making.

It started out nicely as Bibby finished his short regular season tenure with the Heat by connecting on 46 percent of his three-point shots. Once the post season came around however, Bibby turned into a completely different player by not hitting any of the shots that he was hitting before and proving to be more of a liability than anything because of the wasted possessions.

Bibby shot 26 percent from deep and 28 percent overall in the postseason with a measly four points and an assist per game to show for it. Had he been the reliable scorer that the Heat were depending on to hit open shots as he was in the regular season, then the team could be the one holding the trophy instead of sulking throughout the off season.

If the Heat actually retain Bibby, he'll need to greatly improve that jumper that he made one of the most volatile and consistent amongst the league's shooters.

James Jones

Room for improvement: Defense

Don't blame James Jones if he's ready to jet for anywhere outside of the Heat organization, it wasn't exactly his fault that he played a grand total of zero minutes during the NBA Finals.

After helping to replace the teams expected sharpshooter in Mike Miller when he went down with an injury, winning the three-point competition, and being the one shooter that the team could somewhat rely on throughout the course of the regular season, the Heat elected to not play Jones for the majority of the Conference Finals and the entirety of the NBA Finals.

He was missed to say the least. The Heat couldn't find one three-point shooter outside of Mario Chalmers and Mike Miller at times.

In his third season with the Heat and the first legitimate chance that the team has given him to play, Jones shot lights out for the duration of the regular season by connecting on a near career high of 43 percent from beyond the arc. It was the second consecutive season that Jones had shot over 40 percent and it was also a career high in total three-pointers for Jones as he finished with 123.

Jones was mostly restricted to beyond the arc as only 23 of his 146 shot attempts came from within 25 feet. When he did manage to find himself within that range, he was putting up solid mid-range attempts that would always seem to fall. Losing Jones would be tough for the Heat if they don't find another consistent three-point shooter to replace him to play alongside the teams recovering sharpshooter in Miller.

If Jones is retained, he'll need to work on his defense. He's lengthy and could use that to his advantage, but instead chooses to allow his slow lateral movement and lack of physicality to do the talking for him.

Udonis Haslem

Room for improvement: Low post offense

An absolute warrior and the heart and soul of this Miami Heat franchise, Udonis Haslem was easily the most missed person by the team this past season.

Not only did the team lose their emotional leader and top hustler, they also lost out on its top rebounder, main contributor off the bench, and the top mid-range shooter on the team next to Chris Bosh. Losing Haslem was detrimental to the offense as they had to play without their top post defender as well leaving the team to deal with Juwan Howard and a myriad of other aging centers to fill in for him.

It didn't work that well. The Heat struggled all season long with inconsistency from the mid-range, rebounding troubles, and post defense. The team could operate at an efficient rate strictly because they had three superstars on their team, but they were missing the glue that brought them all together in Haslem.

Off the bench, Haslem is a 10 point and eight rebound player that can always find himself open to hit baseline mid-range jumpers or skying with the trees to obtain boards that no one else on the team is physical or athletic enough to go for. When James, Bosh, and Wade get all the highlights, it's going to be Haslem in the background doing the dirty work and cleaning up the teams messes.

If Haslem has anything to improve on, it's his offense in the low post. He rarely drives to the rim and I have yet to see him actually post up and attempt a hook shot. It does actually help the team to have Haslem outside of the paint to hit the consistent mid-range jumper that he's possessed for eight seasons, but it would still assist the cause for him to find higher percentage shots near the rim as well.

Mike Miller

Room for improvement: Offense around the perimeter

Dealing with possibly the toughest year of his career and life in general, Mike Miller just wasn't ready to step up to the plate to be the Miami Heat's leading sharpshooter and perimeter threat.

Aside from the preseason thumb injury and the myriad of other ailments he had to endure, he also had to deal with the health of his newborn daughter in the back of his mind at all times. It was an emotional roller coaster of a year for Miller as he endured through the worst season of his career by attempting to do anything in his power to contribute in some way.

With his injuries recovering and his daughter in good health now, Miller can finally get back down to business and pick up where he was left off when he was nailing nearly 50 percent of his three-pointers with the Washington Wizards two seasons ago. Miller has been one of the league's most consistent three-point threats over the course of his career and has a 40 percent average from beyond the arc to show for it.

He struggled so vastly with his shot from the perimeter because of just how significant his injured thumbs played a part in it. After getting used to a jumper for over a decade and then having to compensate by losing one of the key fingers you need to shoot, Miller had no answer to his shooting struggles and wouldn't regain somewhat of a shooting touch until late in the season when they were close to healing.

For next season, the Heat are going to desperately need Miller to regain the shot that earned him $30 million courtesy of Pat Riley and Mickey Arison. Miami struggled greatly without their perimeter threat and they're going to need that consistency if they want to be put over the top.

Joel Anthony

Room for improvement: Catching and finishing

Joel Anthony needs to improve his offense? This is a bigger shock than sticking your finger in a socket.

Believe it or not, the Canadian born power forward/center actually will need to develop some sort of offensive game if he wants to continue receiving legitimate minutes because the current free agent focus for the Miami Heat is to find a replacement that can actually catch and finish as well as actually match-up in size with their assignment.

Anthony was completely inept when it came to playing offense and would go on to finish the season averaging two points per game despite being constantly found for open looks under the basket. For some strange reason though, Joel could never complete the seemingly simple task of catching the ball and quickly finishing. He's an underrated athlete and it would have been a tremendous boost for the Heat to have their starting center contribute more than two points per.

What Anthony's intended purpose on the court was to serve as the teams defensive stopper in the absence of Udonis Haslem. Anthony's a phenomenal defender with great timing when blocking shots and impeccable lateral quickness that no power forward could break through. He turned heads and received media attention during the first round of the postseason when he completely shut down the Philadelphia 76ers big men Elton Brand and Thaddeus Young.

Anthony's a hard worker and a nice story for the Heat, but they're going to need something more out of him than just defense. With Haslem returning, Anthony could find himself in the dog house if he can't provide the offensive help necessary to assist his teammates when they find him for what should be easy scores.

Mario Chalmers

Room for improvement: Consistency/man to man defense

Take a look Heat fans, you're about to read about it the Miami Heat's starting point guard of the future.

At least that's what the entire Heat organization and the rest of the community is hoping for after witnessing just how quality of a player Chalmers can be during the teams postseason run. With Mike Bibby struggling for the duration of the postseason, Chalmers was implemented in as the spark off the bench that can come in and hit three-pointers when called upon while also playing stellar off the ball defense by intercepting passes in the lane.

The only problem is which Mario Chalmers they should expect to see next season. The team gave him a chance by starting him in the middle of the season over Carlos Arroyo before giving the reins back to Arroyo after Chalmers proved to be inconsistent on both sides of the ball once again. It seemed as if Chalmers only responded when he wasn't under the pressure of performing as a starter.

When playing quality ball, Chalmers is capable of being a top notch point guard that could lead just about any team. He's surprisingly athletic, can pass well, and hit the long ball when he's feeling it which gives the Heat another player to rely on for the time being. The problem with Chalmers is that he's so wildly inconsistent that the team won't be able to depend on him for too long before he implodes and proves to be a liability.

As far as defense goes, he's nearly inept at guarding players one-on-one and only specializes in anticipating passes and nabbing steals on gambles.

This is a make or break season for Chalmers as he's the expected starting point guard after the team benched Bibby in the final game of the NBA Finals. They'll expect to see some consistency when it comes to shooting and improved man-to-man defense as well if Chalmers wants to become the future starter.

Chris Bosh

Room for improvement: Aggressiveness

Chris Bosh plain did not deserve the criticism that he endured throughout his first season with the Miami Heat.

Whether people griped about his passive play or the way he gets charged up after making a simple lay in, there always seemed to be something said about the way Bosh played when he didn't deserve any of it. His play may be a bit passive, but that's how he plays and it's done well for him so far considering that he's now a key component of a championship bound team and continues to average 18 points and eight boards per as a third option.

As for emotion? I want my players to get fired up. Your team can sleepwalk through with no emotion and no fire in their eyes, but I prefer my players showing off their intensity, letting out their emotions, and getting their home crowd and teammates fired up with a roar.

Bosh did have his fair share of struggles throughout the season adjusting to the role of third option as he sometimes found himself in spots he didn't want to be in or attempting to find a way to involve himself in the offense by taking wayward shots that he had no right taking. The Heat offense catered to the dynamic drives of James and Wade, not the mid-range and seldom driving game of Bosh.

When Bosh did drive and went up strong, it was a beautiful thing most of the time. He's too fast and lanky for most power forwards to stop him off the dribble and he's still strong enough to also power it in over opposing defenders. Bosh is a solid mid-range player, but he's at his best when he's driving with intensity and getting to the rim for the high percentage shots.

So for next season, Bosh will have to continue driving at a more frequent rate rather than settling for jumpers. He's too good of a player to sit back and take difficult jumpers when he's easily capable of being a first option on this team just by driving and having the team find you when they clearly see you as a viable threat.

Dwyane Wade

Room for improvement: Jump shot

When you play like Dwyane Wade, you have to take the risks with the rewards in stride.

Wade knows exactly what that is about. He's had a roller coaster ride of a career that has come complete with an NBA championship and a trip to rock bottom two years later when injuries cut his season short for the second consecutive year as well as his Miami Heat finishing a league worst 15-67.

Wade has been through it all and it's all due in part to his dangerous style of play that has helped the Heat reach levels that they have never been to before. His offensive method is to drive and finish by any means necessary even if it means having to throw your 6'4", 220 pound frame into players that stand as high as 7'0'' and weigh in as much as 300 pounds.

Dwyane dealt with a myriad of injuries between 2006 and 2008 and even faced the possibility of a promising career being cut short due to all of the ailments he had suffered from as well as all of the surgeries. Since the 2007-'08 season though, Wade has remained in good health and has yet to suffer from any debilitating injuries aside from a preseason ailment last season that forced him to sit out two weeks and also caused him to be a game time decision in the season opener.

When Wade drives, the Heat are obviously a better team because of just how well he finishes. He's fast enough to beat initial defenders off the dribble and getting a shot up before the members of the front court can have a viable block attempt and he's also strong enough to out muscle physical guards and the bigger members of the front court making it highly difficult to guard a player of Wade's caliber.

Seeing Wade drive for the rest of his career would be nice, but he's going to have to start developing a consistent jumper as soon as next season. He'll be an old 30 next year and will need to gain the arc back on that jump shot if he doesn't want to risk the possibility of enduring another career threatening ailment.

LeBron James

Room for improvement: Overall mentality

Mike Miller and Chris Bosh had rough seasons with the combined ailments and criticism that they had to endure, but no player on the Heat, in the NBA, and in sports in general had to endure through more analysis and criticism than LeBron James.

He's been the center of attention since joining the league in 2003 straight out of high school and he continued that trend in early July of 2010 when he announced that he would leave the Cleveland Cavaliers in favor of the Miami Heat to join a championship caliber squad already composed of Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

Many did not approve of the move, but it was the right move to make for James as he left a less than stellar setting in Cleveland for a brighter future in Miami. It's tough to blame someone for leaving a team with no intention of making a championship in favor of a team that already has championship caliber players and would become an immediate contender if he joined.

James had another MVP worthy season averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists per while leading the team to 58 wins, but it still wasn't good enough considering that his team wasn't beating the teams that they would have to face later on in the postseason. Also it occurred to everyone that James wasn't capable of performing in the clutch after a few let-downs during the regular season.

LeBron made sure to dispel of both theories by going out and leading the team to easy series wins over Boston and Chicago while also hitting all the big shots necessary to get the victories. James was huge in the Eastern Conference playoffs as he somehow developed Kobe Bryant-like clutch abilities and shocking the NBA by only needing ten games to beat the No. 1 and 3 seeds.

It wasn't until the Finals that James let us down when he averaged a dismal 17 points per game and hardly making a positive impact on either side of the ball before eventually losing to the Dallas Mavericks in six games. It took that one series for the critics and analysts to lose sight on the three prior series and get right back to doing what they do best: having a personal vendetta against LeBron James.

Next year will be a true test on James psyche as we witness just how consistent of a player he can be in the clutch. We know him as the physical specimen that has earned himself two MVP's and an almost certain spot in the Hall of Fame despite barely being 26 years old, but we now need to recognize him as the mental player that can wear a team down with his ability to break an opponents heart by hitting the big shots late and proving to everyone that he's capable of helping to lead a team to a championship victory.