Miami Heat Training Camp Report: Latest News and Preseason Predictions

The Miami Heat are entering the 2012-13 season as NBA champions. That doesn't mean that they have all the answers, though, when it comes to repeating last year's success this season.

With Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis joining the Heatles in South Beach, the Heat have a lot of work to do during training camp if they plan on starting of the season on the right foot.

The Heat will be under the microscope during training camp, as everyone will be watching to see either how well the Heat's lineup is coming together or how hard of a time they are having building chemistry.

We've got you covered with an up-to-date tracker of the Heat's training camp and predictions of how the 2012-13 season will play out for the returning champions. 

Latest News/Roster Moves

Update: Oct. 3, 2012 by Stephen Babb

Though it won't change anything about the upcoming season, FOX Sports' Chris Tomasson reports that the Heat have opted to keep their back-up point guard around for the 2013-14 season:

"

Heat announce they exercise third-year rookie scale option on point guard Norris Cole (2013-14). No surprise.

— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) October 2, 2012"

As the 28th-overall pick in 2011, Cole will remain an affordable option at least through the 2014-15 season, after which the Heat can extend a qualifying offer and make him a restricted free agent (thereby reserving the right to match offers he receives from other teams). 

Cole averaged over 19 minutes in his rookie campaign and proved plenty serviceable for Miami's second unit, at least until his role was reduced during the postseason. 

Mario Chalmers' recent improvement may make it difficult for Cole to breakout this season or next, but he remains a valuable insurance policy with enough upside that the organization would be foolish not to keep him around.

---End of Update---

Dwyane Wade's Time in Camp to be "Limited"

The Miami Herald is reporting that Wade will be limited during at least the first week of training camp, as he is still recovering from his offseason knee surgery.

In a normal offseason, Wade's absence during camp wouldn't be too big of an issue, but with the Heat gaining two big-time free agents—Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis—Wade will need all the time he can get to develop chemistry with his new teammates.

With that being said, the last thing the Heat need to do is bring Wade back too early and risk further injury. His success is pivotal to a Heat's repeat this upcoming season.

Seven Players Competing for Two Roster Spots

The Heat are heading into the 2012-13 training camp with 13 players under guaranteed contracts, which means the the seven "non-guaranteed contract" players are vying for a total of two roster spots. 

With the Heat signing Rodney Carney and Robert Dozier just a few days ago—as reported by the The Miami Herald—the Heat now have more competition for those final two spots, which means this will be a major storyline to watch during camp.

Robert Dozier, Rodney Carney, Josh Harrelson, Terrel Harris, Jarvis Varnado, Mickell Gladness and Garrett Temple will be trying to prove to the Heat that they need their talents for the 2012-13 season, and training camp will be their sole opportunity to do that. 

While Harris and Gladness should have an advantage, since they spent time with the Heat last season, it's safe to say that these final two roster spots are up for grabs to the players who want them the most. 

Injury Updates

Update: Oct. 24, 2012 by Stephen Babb

It's a good thing the Miami Heat won't have to rely on Ray Allen as a go-to scorer. There's no telling to what extent he'll remain available throughout the course of the season according to ESPN's Michael Wallace:

"

With a week left before facing his former team in the Miami Heat's season opener, guard Ray Allen said his surgically repaired ankle isn't completely healed and could require treatment well into the season.

"I still deal with soreness in my ankle that I work through every day," Allen said after the Heat's practice Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

"

Of course, the Heat can live with Allen playing fewer minutes or even missing a few games. They did, after all, win a championship without him last season.

The bigger concern would be future injuries or reaggravating that ankle at a later date, sometime closer to the postseason. That's when the Heat will need him most.

---End of Update---

Update: Oct. 17, 2012 by Stephen Babb

Though Dwyane Wade wasn't quite ready to hit the ground running when training camp kicked off, he now has some preseason games under his belt and seems to be feeling much better according to ESPN's Michael Wallace:

"

"I feel ahead of schedule," Wade said. "If I continue to keep progressing, I'm going to try to play as much as possible but try to be smart as well. I want to play Thursday, get back out there and continue to get my legs under me ... so I can be ready for opening night."

"

There's not a whole lot of urgency to bring Wade back any sooner than necessary, especially with shooting guard Ray Allen now in the mix.

All the same, he appears to be ready to go, and the Miami Heat will take it. Wade's contributions were a bit overshadowed by LeBron James' MVP season in 2011-12, but there's no question this team's second scoring option remains vital to Miami's title chances. Those first few games might not count for much, but ensuring this club is on the same page from Day 1 has to make head coach Erik Spoelstra a happy man.

---End of Update---

Dwyane Wade

According to head coach Erik Spoelstra—as reported by Joseph Goodman of The Miami Herald—Wade isn't ready to start playing just yet. 

"He's not 100 percent," Spoelstra said. "So we're going to be very vigilant on how we progress him."

It's wise for the Heat to hold off on bringing Wade back too soon. The last thing they need is him suffering all year from a reoccurring injury that could have been avoided. Limiting him in training camp means a better chance of Wade being healthy for the longevity of the entire season, and that's what the Heat need.

Mike Miller

The health of Miller's back will be something to keep your eyes on during training camp and the beginning of the season.

The only news coming out of Miami is that Miller will be "ready for the start of the season," which was reported by the Sun Sentinel.

That's good news for the Heat, assuming that means he'll be practicing with the team during camp. The chemistry he builds with new guys like Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen is going to be to the Heat's success in the 2012-13 season. 

Projected Depth Chart

Point Guard

(1) Mario Chalmers (2) Norris Cole

There should be no questions here on what the depth will look like at the point guard position. Unless Chalmers gets hurt, he will be the Heat's starting point guard when the season begins.

Cole could even have a great training camp, and it wouldn't change the fact that Chalmers will be the starter. His experience will be pivotal to early success for the Heat. 

Shooting Guard

(1) Dwyane Wade (2) Ray Allen (3) Mike Miller

It's certainly going to be interesting to see how Erik Spoelstra utilizes the talent he has at the shooting guard position.

Bringing Allen off the bench makes sense. It bolsters their second unit, but it's not out of the realm of possibility that Allen will find his way into the starting lineup at some point in the season.

The amount of minutes Mike Miller gets will also be interesting to watch because, with so much depth ahead of him, Spoelstra will have to get creative to get Miller into the game.

Small Forward 

(1) Shane Battier (2) Rashard Lewis (3) James Jones

If Spoelstra knows what he's doing, he'll put Battier at the small forward position and move LeBron James to the power forward spot for the start of the season.

Unless Lewis plays like he did when he was with the Seattle Supersonics, he'll be the Heat's first option coming off the bench at the small forward spot. Expect Jones to get very few minutes this season, unless Battier and/or Lewis suffer injuries.

Power Forward

(1) LeBron James (2) Udonis Haslem (3) Jarvis Varnado

Moving LeBron to the power forward position, like he did during the 2012 NBA Finals, is really the only option Spoelstra has this season.

With Chris Bosh moving to the center position, the Heat need a player in the paint who can defend with serious physicality, and that's where LeBron fits in. With Haslem coming off the bench, the Heat will be creative with their first rotation off the bench, but there's no way the season will start with LeBron at a different position.

Center

(1) Chris Bosh (2) Joel Anthony (3) Josh Harrellson (4) Dexter Pittman 

Bosh will hold down the center position for the Heat, just like he did in the NBA Finals last season. The biggest question is what the Heat will do coming off the bench in the paint.

Bringing in Harrelson certainly bolsters their depth, assuming he makes the cut. But, he won't be able to overtake Anthony on the depth chart because of Anthony's physicality on defense. Having depth in the paint will be key to the Heat's success, though, and that's why they'll fill out this position with four players. 

Player Under Most Pressure to Perform: Ray Allen

The easy way out here would be to talk about LeBron James and how much pressure he has on him to repeat, not only as NBA champion but also as the league's MVP to truly solidify himself as one of the greatest of all time.

But because of an impressive offseason, LeBron only has the second-most pressure on him as training camp gets under way. The player with the most pressure on the Heat's roster is Ray Allen.

Not only does Allen need to prove to his Boston Celtics' teammates that he made the right decision by jumping ship and joining their enemy, he also needs to produce at a level that ensures that the media and his teammates can't point the finger to him if they start losing and ultimately fail to win the 2013 NBA title.

If Allen can average near his production of 14.2 points per game, on at least 40-percent shooting from beyond the arc, the Heat will have a great chance at winning it all. That means he's not only spreading the floor for teammates, he's also making his opponents pay.

Although Allen already has an NBA title and a plethora of career accomplishments under his belt, the 2012-13 season is the biggest of his career,. He needs to prove to himself, his teammates and his former teammates that South Beach is the right place for him. 

Most Critical Area Where Team Must Improve: Frontcourt Depth

Frontcourt Depth and Production 

To win back-to-back NBA titles, the Miami Heat must improve their offensive depth and production in the paint.

While that seems simple, it means that the Heat—specifically Erik Spoelstra—will have to get creative in how he manages his frontcourt rotations.

With LeBron and Bosh holding down the frontcourt coming out of the gate, the Heat will be fine. The biggest question will be whether Spoelstra can find a productive frontcourt rotation coming off the bench to keep the Heat's frontcourt productive with LeBron and/or Bosh on the bench.

Bringing in Joel Anthony will be a good move defensively speaking, but the Heat need offensive bench production this season, and that's something they'll have to try to find during camp.

If the Heat can't find depth in the frontcourt, they will struggle against teams with solid frontcourt talent like the L.A. Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls, San Antonio Spurs and the Boston Celtics.

Moving Bosh to the center position is a step in the right direction, but without an actual bench rotation that can bolster the Heat's paint production, the Heat will struggle. 

Predictions

Win-Loss Prediction: 67-15

The Miami Heat are going to have a massive target on their back for the entire 2012-13 season, but with Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis on the bench, the Heat have the talent they need to deal with that.

As I said previously, the Heat need frontcourt depth to compete with the top teams in the NBA, and with the development of Josh Harrelson and Jarvis Varnado, the Heat will have that this season.

Winning 67 games would help the Heat enter the realm of the winningest teams in NBA history. It would put them in a tie with the Boston Celtics (1985-86), Chicago Bulls (1991-92), L.A. Lakers (1999-00) and Dallas Mavericks (2006-07) for the sixth-most wins in a single season.

How 2012-13 Season Ends

I'll use the words of LeBron James—as reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN—to lay the foundation for how the Heat's 2012-13 season will end.

"We have the potential to be a lot better. And that's scary."

The Heat have the most potential out of any team entering this upcoming season because they put together a complete performance last year, and now, they know what it takes to be NBA champions. With the new talent they acquired in Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, the Heat are a lock to make the 2013 NBA Finals—easily making their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs.

In the finals, the Heat will face off against the L.A. Lakers and become back-to-back champions by beating the Lake Show in an epic Game 7. It's finally time for the classic Kobe vs. LeBron NBA Finals fans have wanted for some time now. 

Points-Per-Game Leader: LeBron James—28.5 PPG

Now that LeBron has his first ring, everyone is going to want more out of him, and that's what he's going to give them this season.

With Allen helping spread the floor and Bosh using his versatility to do the same, LeBron is going to have more driving lanes and more opportunities to get into the paint—which is where he does his most damage. Not only will LeBron average the most points this season, he'll also be the most efficient player on the Heat. He's a smart player who finds high-percentage shots time and time again.

Assists-Per-Game Leader: LeBron James—7.5 APG

LeBron's 2011-12 season is going to be put to shame, based on his production this year. Averaging 1.3 assists per game more than he did last season will be an impressive feat, but it will be possible because of the new talent he has around him.

This year, with Allen and Lewis on the perimeter, LeBron will have more targets to get the ball to who can hit long-range shots, and that's going to help him be the Heat's best facilitator—just like he was last season with an average of 6.2 assists per game.

Rebounds-Per-Game Leader: Chris Bosh—9.5 RPG

Last season, LeBron and Bosh ended the year with 7.9 rebounds per game. This season, Bosh is going to surpass that number, and surpass LeBron, mainly because he will be in the paint more now that he's going to be at the center position.

He's not the biggest or strongest center, but Bosh is an intelligent player, and he'll position himself well against his opponents to dominate the boards for the Heat. 

Most Significant Storyline and How It Will Play out

How Well Ray Allen Will Mesh with LeBron and Wade

With the Heat transitioning from a "Big Three" to a "Big Four," the spotlight is clearly going to be on the player who helped the Heat make that transition—Ray Allen.

While LeBron, Wade and Bosh still have a lot of responsibility for the Heat's success, they will be relying on Allen to bring the production off the bench that they lacked at times last season.

Allen's transition into the Heat's rotation and into the Heat's locker room is going to be a major storyline throughout training camp and the longevity of the 2012-13 season.

It's going to play out like the Heat expect it to. Allen is going to make a seamless transition into the lineup for one major reason—Allen is a veteran who is willing to do whatever it takes to win games.

Allen isn't going to be coming into South Beach, expecting to get 30-plus minutes per game. He's coming into Miami to help the Heat win another title, and that's exactly what he will do.

His veteran experience will be valuable to not only the Heat's success but also the development of the young talent on the team like Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers. If Allen could handle Rajon Rondo and his personality for the past five years, I'm sure he'll have no problem meshing with LeBron and Wade.