Ranking Miami Heat's 10 Biggest Developments in Season's Early Going
The rings have been given out, the smoke has cleared and the Miami Heat's quest for a three-peat has begun.
We are at the quarter pole of the NBA season and the Heat already have had some major developments in the early stages.
Whether it be the faltering of one key player, another taking that next step or a stunning reclamation project, the Heat have been filled with tons of surprises and are well on their way to another deep playoff run.
Let's take a look at the Miami Heat's 10 biggest developments in the season's early going.
Honorable Mentions
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Mario Chalmers is a more than serviceable point guard
This shouldn't be too big of a surprise considering the work he has put in over the last two title runs, but nobody can call Mario Chalmers the weak link anymore.
Chalmers has averaged 10 points and 5.2 assists per game while shooting 53 percent from three-point range so far this season. He has continued to be solid at point and is always there to hit a big shot or two when needed.
Greg Oden still can't stay healthy
Anyone that was expecting Greg Oden to turn his career around with the Heat didn't take very long to get disappointed. Oden has yet to suit up with the team in the regular season after enduring a setback with his knee in the preseason.
The possibility of Oden returning later in the season and making an impact for the Heat is always there, however, the chances of him being able to stay healthy just don't seem realistic.
He hasn't played in a regular season game since Dec. 2009, although he did appear in one preseason game for four minutes in New Orleans.
Ray Allen is still chugging along
Unlike his two former Boston teammates, Ray Allen is still not washed up. At the tender age of 38, Ray Allen continues to show that not even Father Time can block his jump shot.
Allen has scored 11.1 points per game, knocking down 41 percent of his three-point shots and shooting 48.6 percent from the field.
He continues to be a key leader off the Heat bench and will be a major piece going forward into the postseason.
10. Upsets Will Happen
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The regular season is a marathon, not a sprint, and that is never more true for a team than it is for the Heat.
As the two-time defending champions, the Heat can expect to get every team's best game night in and night out.
So when you drop games to bad teams like the 76ers and Celtics, it can be frustrating as a fan but the Heat have much bigger goals so these types of losses can, and will happen. In the long run though, these losses do not matter in the slightest.
Over the last two seasons, the Heat continuously dropped games to mediocre and even bad teams and those losses had no impact come playoff time. The Heat will win and lose their share of regular season games but, in the big picture, these games don't matter nearly as much as keeping the team healthy.
9. Chris Bosh Continues to Be Overlooked
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Despite being constantly overlooked as a member of the Big Three, Chris Bosh continues to be a vital part of the Heat.
Bosh is arguably having his best season of his Heat career thus far, averaging 20.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per 36 minutes through 11 games. He's also shooting 57.9 percent from the field and 50 percent from the three, both of which would be career bests.
Considering he's playing alongside Lebron James and Dwyane Wade, it's natural for many to lose track of how important he is. However, the fact is the Heat wouldn't have won anything without Bosh the last two years and he continues to produce and step up when he needs to.
8. Udonis Haslem Is Not the Same Player
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At the age of 33, Udonis Haslem hasn't just seen his game get worse, it has plummeted to the point where he is barely getting on the court anymore. After being in the starting lineup to begin the season, Haslem has seen his playing time steadily decrease in each of the last five games, to the point that he didn't even get on the court in Saturday night's win over the Magic.
For someone who has been the defensive anchor for the Heat the last few seasons, Haslem has looked slow on that end this year and his rebounding has fallen off in a big way.
After averaging over 10 rebounds per 36 minutes in each of the last four seasons, Haslem is bringing down just 5.9 boards per 36 minutes this year for a team that ranks last in the league in rebounds per game.
7. This Team Is Loaded with Depth
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We all know about the team's Big Three, but this team also has a very good mix of talented role players. When healthy, the Heat can play 11-12 guys on any given night and find very little difference in production between player seven and player 12.
This new-found depth has taken tons of pressure off the team's top players, with Lebron, Wade and Bosh all averaging a career low in minutes per game. Even with Udonis Haslem struggling, guys like Chris Anderson, Shane Battier, Michael Beasley, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Norris Cole and James Jones have all been extremely productive.
The Heat have proven they can win without an unspectacular bench, but things will only be easier for them if these players can continue to produce at this rate.
6. Norris Cole Is Continuing to Improve
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After a strong finish to last season, Norris Cole has taken his game and brought it to the next level so far this year.
At 24, Cole has gotten better in nearly every way since last season, averaging 11.4 points, 5.5 assists and 5.1 rebounds per 36 minutes; all improvements from last year. He's also improved his shot, raising his field goal (46.8) and three-point (50) percentages by a wide margin. Cole still continues to be a very strong defender but his offensive game is finally catching up to his defensive game.
If he can continue to progress at such a strong rate, Cole can become the type of player that can take over and swing a playoff series by himself with a couple of huge games. The more he improves the more dangerous the Heat become.
5. Dwyane Wade's Health Is Clearly a Priority
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With his knee significantly effecting his play over the last two postseasons, the Heat have made a point to protect Dwyane Wade at all costs this season. He got shock treatment done on both of his knees in the offseason and the team is taking all precautions needed early on in the season.
Wade has already missed three of the team's first 12 games and has had reduced minutes in a few others as well. Most likely, this will be an ongoing theme throughout the season and it is a very smart decision by Erik Spoelstra.
Sitting out Wade every now and then to give his knees a rest may lose the Heat a couple of regular season games and a shot at the top seed in the Eastern Conference. However, pushing him to his limits in the regular season may cost the team a playoff series.
Much like the Spurs do with Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker, the Heat need to rest Wade throughout the season because they can't afford him to repeat his playoff performances of the last two years if they expect to get that three-peat.
4. The East Is Terrible
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Heading into the season, there were a handful of teams chomping at the bit, ready and willing to knock the Heat off their pedestal in the Eastern Conference.
The Bulls were getting their superstar back, the Knicks made some additions and the Nets pushed all their chips into the middle of the table with a blockbuster trade. Everyone was gunning for the Heat. However, the problem is none of these teams are actually any good.
The Bulls got Derrick Rose back, but have already lost him again after he tore the meniscus on his right knee. He is out indefinitely and so are the Bulls chances of knocking off the Heat. Meanwhile, the Knicks are still the Knicks, an old team that doesn't play much defense. They can give the Heat some good games but simply aren't capable of posing a real threat in the playoffs.
Then you get to the Brooklyn Nets who created a ton of buzz in the off-season after trading for two known Heat killers in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. However, the Nets weren't apparently aware of the fact that both players were washed up and no longer the same guys that gave the Heat everything they could handle a couple of years ago.
With so many of these bad teams, the Heat can sweep their way through to the Eastern Conference Finals where there is realistically only one team that stands in the way of them and their fourth straight trip to the NBA Finals.
3. The Pacers Are Legit
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The Indiana Pacers were off and running to start the NBA season, and appear to be the only hope for anyone that wants to see a Miami Heat-less NBA Finals.
The Pacers gave the Heat everything they could handle last season, and they have seemed to grow and get better as a team. That is, in large part, due to Paul George taking that next step to becoming one of the top players in the league and at just 23, he will continue to only get better.
The other reason, is because they have an absolutely stifling defense. The Pacers are allowing just 94.2 points per 100 possessions, which isn't just good, it's historically good. There have been just five teams to post a better defensive rating than that in NBA history, according to Basketball Reference.
The Heat are and will continue to be the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, but during their current run, no team has posed as big a threat as the Pacers do. If any team is going to knock the Heat off their throne, it's going to be a team that's strong, physical, defensive-minded and extremely athletic. The Pacers are all those things and they are led by an upcoming superstar that is ready to go toe-to-toe with Lebron.
A Heat-Pacers Eastern Conference Finals series has seven games written all over it. If this season has been any indication, the Heat's reign at the top of the East has never been more threatened.
2. The Michael Beasley Project Has Been a Huge Success
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In his second run with the Heat, Michael Beasley may be the most surprising player in the NBA over the first quarter of the NBA season.
After getting released from the Suns in the offseason following an arrest for marijuana possession, many wondered if Beasley's career was coming to an abrupt end. However, at 25 and in his sixth NBA season, he may have finally began to grow-up as he has carved a place on this team.
Beasley has been unbelievably efficient on the offensive end, averaging 10.9 points per game while shooting 56.1 percent from the field and 50 percent from three. Even more spectacular is that he is only playing 15.6 minutes per game, which means he's averaging 25.1 points per 36 minutes, second best on the team behind just Lebron James.
The former No. 2 pick is also committing himself to the defensive end (something he didn't do in the past) and is looking like he can be a major factor come playoff time. He's always had the skills to play like this, but he's never been able to put it all together. If the light has come on for Beasley, you can start getting ready to ship that Larry O'Brien trophy to Miami now.
1. Lebron James Is Still the Best in the World
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No Miami Heat list can be complete until you talk about Lebron James, and there simply isn't enough to say about the King.
James has been one of the best players in the league since he came in but over the last few seasons he has continued to take his game to the next level year after year.
This season is no different as Lebron is averaging 25.6 points per game while shooting a career-high 60.1 percent from the field and 48.4 percent from the three. He has always been nearly impossible to stop, but if he has finally become an elite shooter you can take away the "nearly" and simply call him unstoppable.
The fact is Lebron can do whatever he wants, whenever he wants on a basketball court.
In a three-game run against the Bucks, Bobcats and Mavericks earlier in the season, Lebron scored 102 points while shooting a ridiculous 70 percent (40-for-57) from the field.
The Heat's chances of winning a third straight title begin and end with Lebron, so it's good to see him continue to put up these video game performances while also averaging a career-low 35 minutes per game. He's already well on his way to wrapping up a fifth MVP trophy and as long as he stays healthy, he may be bringing home his third straight Bill Russell trophy as well.
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