Attention Miami Heat Fans: Don't Worry, Be Happy!

Coming off last season’s disappointing showing in the playoffs, losing to the Atlanta Hawks in five games in the first round, many of the Miami Heat faithful were clamoring for big moves to be made this offseason.

Of course this wasn’t likely as Pat Riley and the Heat front office is angling for a big move next year in the free agent bonanza to come in 2010. Some believe Riley has his sights on Toronto Raptors big man Chris Bosh, and Riles hasn’t done much to dispel that idea.

As I’ve written in numerous posts and comments, including the article devoted to the subject found here, I believe Pat is simply diverting attention from his true goal, LeBron James. However, no matter what moves the Heat make next year, their superstar shooting guard Dwyane Wade made it clear they needed to do something to make the team competitive this year as well.

So, in quiet fashion, Riles pulled the trigger on a trade that brought the Miami franchise the erstwhile swingman Quentin Richardson (who by the way has reported to camp 25 pounds lighter than last year, with the Knicks and seems in great shape). This shores up the small forward and shooting guard positions, as the Heat now have Daequan Cook, James Jones, Yakouba Diawara, and Dorell Wright competing for time as swingmen with Q-Tip.

The move was publicly lauded by some, including D-Wade himself, but there were those who doubted this would be enough to give the Heat the edge it needed, considering the many moves other teams were making in the Eastern Conference to mold themselves into championship contenders, or improve on their already stacked rosters.

The Cleveland Cavaliers added former Miami Heat hero Shaquille O’Neal to an already lethal cast of characters headed by the aforementioned LeBron James. Chicago spent the end of last year, as well as the offseason, assembling a team that could give plenty of people nightmares.

The Orlando Magic, fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals, brought in Vince Carter and others to augment their Eastern Conference Champion team, and Boston, although injuries prevented them from fulfilling their promise of a dynasty, has managed to tweak themselves in small ways, and if healthy, should still be the team to beat in the East.

To further add to the Heat fans’ anxiety that not enough was being done before the season started to give Wade enough help to challenge for a possible title, Michael Beasley entered rehab in the offseason, revealing a drug problem many Miami fans never even knew he had. He seems to have done well in rehab and emerged a better person for it, but nothing like that is ever guaranteed.

Simply put, the faithful fans of the Miami franchise were nervous, with ample reason to be.

Then came the start of the preseason, and those worries grew as the Heat lost their exhibition opener in disquieting fashion to the Detroit Pistons. Sure, it was only a loss by four points, 87-83, and it was preseason, but the game seemed to reveal a disturbing lack of depth on the Heat roster at not just one position, but two, power forward and point guard. Although, the lack of depth at power forward was more to do with bad calls by the refs, and a quick exit by Udonis Haslem than anything else.

Dwyane Wade did his best to overcome the lack of help he got from his teammates, making some brilliant plays on the way to 18 points in limited play, and the Heat themselves nearly overcame a 17-point second half deficit, but in the end the Pistons won the day, and Mario Chalmers, the second-year guard who made a name for himself last year with his defense, couldn’t seem to contain the average Will Bynum at all.

When Chris Quinn was brought in, it got even worse, as he didn’t even seem capable of taking his defender off the dribble.

In a word, Miami seemed sloppy and discombobulated, and even though Center Jermaine O’Neal apparently spent the summer working himself like he’s never worked himself before in order to get into shape, he looked like he did when he came to the Heat at the end of last season, incapable at times of grabbing a rebound or controlling the boards.

It didn’t really get much better in the second game against the Orlando Magic, as the Heat, without Jermaine O’Neal and Daequan Cook in the lineup due to injuries, looked just as unsettled as they had against Detroit and lost to the Magic 90-86; albeit with another brilliant performance by Dwyane Wade who poured in 17 points in 27 minutes, and showed some of his mid-season form.

Their third exhibition matchup played out differently, but ended with the same result; a loss. The San Antonio Spurs, taking advantage of the stellar play of their newest addition, DeJuan Blair, even without Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, outplayed the Heat in the final quarter, overcoming a 78-64 deficit with a 23-8 run to close out Miami 95-93, who were without their own star, Dwyane Wade.

In the end, the Heat needed more, and everyone knew it. They were close to being a good team, and if everything goes well, they might be, but their serious problems at point guard caused Pat Riley and the Heat to make a move they probably didn’t want to make considering the luxury tax, which the Heat are already $3 million over.

In truth, there were plenty of veteran free agent point guards Pat Riley could have pursued, including Bobby Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley, Stephon Marbury, and Tyron Lue. Instead, he turned to a local product, Carlos Arroyo.

Arroyo, a former star at Florida International, wasn’t far away when he got the call, either; living just down the road in South Dade. Signing a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, Carlos drove right from his house to his first practice on Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena, and immediately brought some competition for starting point guard Mario Chalmers.

Make no mistake, Chalmers job at the point isn’t in jeopardy, but Arroyo brings a presence to the team that Chris Quinn, with all his heart, simply lacked. Carlos is a 6'2" playmaker, whose shot is pretty accurate, even though he’s struggled a little on defense in his career. He also has the handle that will allow him to matchup well with some of the backup guards he’ll face when he rolls with the second squad.

While the Heat still has some questions surrounding their forward positions, mainly because of the uncertainty surrounding Beasley’s role on the team, those questions will work themselves out. What the Heat have done in signing Arroyo, who will likely be a fan favorite because of his Latino heritage and local standing, is stabilize the most important position on the team next to Wade’s.

There should be no reason whatsoever now for Dwyane to be forced to run the point when Mario Chalmers is being spelled. This was a position the Heat was forced into far too many times during last season, with the result being Wade did too much.

Arroyo traveled with the team to Oklahoma and played in limited fashion against Oklahoma City. He didn’t score, but did contribute with three rebounds and two assists as the Heat, once again, found a way to let a preseason game slip through their hands as Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook fueled a comeback by the Thunder to top Miami 96-91.

This makes the Miami Heat 0-4 in exhibition games, and has got to have plenty of fans of the franchise from South Beach wondering just what’s going on with the club. Many nervous fans are probably even contemplating sports suicide, and are going to jump off the bandwagon; claiming all along they were fans of some other team.

My message to these Nervous Nellies; these anxious fans of the Miami Heat:

Bobby McFerrin said it best, Don’t Worry, Be Happy!

I have high hopes for this Miami squad. Even though they didn’t make some of the big moves some Heat faithful were hoping for (sorry guys, but Boozer wasn’t going to get us a ring anyway), they’ve done enough, that if everyone stays healthy, and focuses their abilities, and D-Wade is D-Wade, the Heat could still challenge for a title.

What’s more, next year there’s always the hope for LeBron, fresh from not getting a ring again, decides the grass is far greener in the Sunshine State, and that he and Dwyane Wade can be the NBA version of the dynamic duo, winning multiple rings for the South Beach crowd to admire.