LeBron James' Departure Will Reignite Fire Under Forgotten Miami Heat
There's no way to argue a half-dozen dudes with something to prove somehow make up for the loss of LeBron James, but this year's Miami Heat are going to be one hell of a motivated group.
And even if they're no longer the fearsome championship threat they were before, they'll be a whole new breed of dangerous.
Glance over the roster, composed of equal parts old-timers and fresh blood, and you'll find no shortage of chips on shoulders.
Remixing Ignition
Mario Chalmers, a player whose postseason disappearance could have easily ended his stay with the team that drafted him, has been among the most vocal proponents of the new Heat this summer, telling B/R's Ethan Skolnick:
"I feel like I've finally got a chance to shine, show my real game. Me, CB, D-Wade and the rest of the guys, we're going to pick it up, we're still going to play Miami Heat basketball, and we're still gonna be a competitor.
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There's no way Chalmers would have survived the constant berating he endured at the hands of James and the rest of Miami's veteran core if he lacked resilience. His thick skin can't be questioned, which means his offseason confidence deserves credence.
He'll be out to assure the Heat they were right to re-sign him after playing his way out of the lineup in last year's Finals.
Dwyane Wade will look to revise the narrative of his demise, hoping to prove his secondary role behind James really was voluntary all along—and not a necessity driven by his decline. When Wade hangs it up for good, he'll be remembered as one of the greatest shooting guards in history, no matter what happens in this last chapter of his career.
If he can show the world a few flashes of the old, well...Flash, his legend will only grow.
That, of course, would entail staying healthy all season and playing the occasional smidge of defense—two things he didn't do in either of the last two years. Logic and the aging curve don't suggest a rejuvenation is likely for D-Wade, but that just means he'll be all the more motivated to prove those arguments (and all of his many, many doubters) wrong.
As B/R's Tom Sunnergren wrote: "Despite his age and the lack of attention, the guard could be primed for a comeback campaign. At least relative to expectations. Because, as peculiar as it is to say, almost any meaningful contribution from Wade will come as a surprise to some."
Chris Bosh will get a chance to demonstrate his reduced role alongside James didn't irreversibly change him. His is a particularly interesting case as Bosh, just 30 years old, is probably still young enough to rediscover the 20-10 form that made him a top option with the Toronto Raptors during the first seven years of his career.
For what it's worth, he's spending the summer trying to find his old form. He's been working out in California, honing his post game and mentally preparing for extra touches and the expectations that will accompany his new (old) role, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
"It’s cool to be in that situation again," Bosh said on 104.3 The Ticket (via Jackson). “I’m a much better player than I was the last time in that position.”
You can run down the rest of the roster, and the story doesn't change. Everybody has something to prove.
Luol Deng must demonstrate his ugly post-trade tenure with the Cleveland Cavaliers was a symptom of the dysfunction and apathy that pervaded the organization before LeBron came back and fixed everything.
He'll also have to justify his position as Miami's only offseason addition of real significance.
Even well-established vets like Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen must show they can be something more than deferential role players, which is a scary proposition because guys at their age, who've functioned as specialists for so long, don't often do well when asked to expand their games.
Something tells me both Haslem and Andersen, two of the toughest customers you'll find in the league, will relish the challenge of doing more—especially with so few expecting them to succeed.
Heat players aren't the only ones with something to prove. Erik Spoelstra will suddenly find himself drawing up game plans that don't involve the fail-safe option of relying on the planet's best basketball player to bail him out.
That's not to say Spoelstra is a bad coach, or that he's been coasting behind an ultra-talented roster for four years. His in-game adjustments, impressive ego management and, most of all, bold decision to institute small ball in 2012 rendered that argument facile long ago.
Still, it'll be fascinating to see what strategies and motivational tactics he employs now that he won't go into every contest with the advantage of James on his side.
Free of Pressure, Ready to Fight
As a whole, the Heat had it good with LeBron around and, to a man, they'd all probably prefer he was still in Miami to absorb all the pressure and wear the failures. If he got most of the credit for success, that was a perfectly fine price to pay.
At the root of all this, the Heat are still a team missing their best player. That makes it dishonest to argue they're somehow better.
But it's not too hard to find a positive spin on the upcoming season—and this one's logically defensible.
Miami is loaded with guys from whom nobody expects greatness. That's liberating.
Also note how many members of the Heat's roster are short-timers. Outside of Bosh and Josh McRoberts, nobody is under guaranteed contract beyond the 2015-16 season. If proving doubters wrong doesn't motivate these guys, the need to impress other suitors might.
And what professional athlete doesn't love the "nobody believes in us" motivator? Everybody buys into that fiction at some point. The difference with this year's Heat is that it's actually kind of true.
Perhaps best of all, Miami is now an afterthought in the East, which is a major change from the way things have been since 2010. There's a freedom in that subjugation—not one that will automatically revive Wade, bring back Canadian Bosh or enliven the rest of the roster, but one that makes all of those things possible in an environment with virtually no pressure.
Look around at the projected East landscape and you'll routinely see the Cavs, Chicago Bulls and Washington Wizards occupying the top three spots. The Raptors fit into that mix somewhere as well, but it's reasonable to think the Heat can compete with all of those clubs.
When the postseason rolls around, there's no telling what might happen. Say what you will about the deficiencies James' absence will expose in the Heat; just don't include playoff inexperience as one of them.
Miami doesn't have the knockout punch it once did, but rest assured it'll be in a fighting mood this season.
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