Heat Draft: Why Miami Will Go Big

In the last two seasons, the Miami Heat have been synonymous with three letters: A. G. E.

In 2005, those three letters stood for "A GREAT EXPERIENCE," as the salty vets of the "15 Strong" squad led the franchise to its first NBA title.

In the 2006 campaign, unfortunately, the acronym reverted back to the word itself, as the "Hot Boyz" of Miami suddenly went old and cold.

"PAT RILEY RARELY PLAYS YOUNG GUYS!"

Although Riley drafted him, it was Stan Van Gundy who facilitated the growth of Dwyane Wade—to say nothing of Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and Rafer Alston.

Wade's evolution may have never happened under Riles, which leads me say this about Thursday's draft:

Point Guard is obvious...maybe too obvious, which is why I don't expect it to happen. Look for Riles to upgrade the position via free agency unless there's a true diamond in the rough (a la Wade) on the board—someone who has incredible talents yet managed to fly under the radar.

Instead, I see the Heat looking to land a big man to groom for the future. Two justifications for my thinking: First, Riley starts every masterpiece with a center-piece (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Patrick Ewing, Shaq and Zo); second,  he wants his point guard to be a seasoned competitor—not someone who'll be learning the wickeds of the NBA playoffs with a championship on the line.

Don't say I didn't tell you so come Thursday.