Tropic Wonder: Even With Lamar Odom, the Miami Heat Aren't Title Contenders

With nearly the entire Eastern Conference stacking their rosters with All Stars, the Miami Heat appeared to be left in the dust, making no major moves to improve the team to become a contender.

Reports yesterday surfaced that Lamar Odom was leaning towards signing with the Heat after being unsatisfied with the Lakers' new deal, which offered considerably less than Jerry Buss first offered. While the deal is not finalized, it appears that the Heat are making a much larger push to get Odom back on their team.

Superstars from both teams have spoken about Odom's decision to join a team. Kobe Bryant said he is optimistic that Odom would come back to Los Angeles while Dwyane Wade has been begging Odom to come home to Miami.

It seems very obvious who wants the athletic swing-man on their team more.

While the Lakers would still be a title contender with players such as Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Ron Artest, the Heat are the team that needs Odom more than anyone else, especially for Dwyane Wade's sake.

Wade is looking for as much help as he can get this offseason. With no other signings and the Carlos Boozer trade not looking to happen anytime soon, Odom would be a Godsend to the phenom coming off of arguably his best season.

But a Miami Heat team, even with Lamar Odom, still cannot boast itself as a title contender.

While Wade is capable of anything and can even make the worst players look like All Stars, a core of himself, Odom, and Jermaine O'Neal are no competition for the likes of the LeBron James and Shaquille O'Neal-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Not to mention the healthy, stacked Boston Celtics.

Odom is probably coming off of his most inconsistent season. He made a habit of coming off the bench for the first time in his 10-year career.

He averaged career lows in minutes, points, and assists. He was remembered most for his performance throughout the postseason, where he maintained a strong consistency and performed well enough to lead his team to a championship.

The three powerhouses of the east are the Orlando Magic, the Boston Celtics, and the Cleveland Cavaliers. If you look at each team, they have all individually made at least one large improvement on the team. The Magic scooped up Vince Carter, the Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace, and the Cavs brought Shaquille O'Neal.

The middle of the pack teams made moves as well, with the Detroit Pistons gaining Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, the Toronto Raptors getting Hedo Turkoglu, the Atlanta Hawks bringing in Jamal Crawford, and the Washington Wizards getting most of their starting lineup back from injuries while getting Mike Miller in the process.

The pickups that the teams of the East are doing are leaving the Heat in limbo right now. They made no moves besides re-signing backup centers Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony. A major move is going to be needed if the Heat wants to compete with the top teams and now the improved teams that are looking to make a statement this year.

The Heat do have arguably the best player in the game in Dwyane Wade. While Lamar Odom would be a huge help to him, taking the scoring load off and playing perimeter defense, which was a huge hole in the team last year, the Heat still need help wherever they can find it.

Defending and rebounding proved to be a problem in the Heat's season last year, but with an arrival of Odom, those problems could have their answers. Odom's length and speed give anyone he's defending fits. As a nine-rebound per game player, the Heat no longer would need to worry as much about it.

The Heat are looking to stay afloat in choppy seas this year and the team needs a first mate for its captain. While the trade of Carlos Boozer is on hold for now until the Jazz are ready to pull the trigger, Odom might not be the answer for championship glory yet.

But it is a step in the right direction.