Miami Heat: Writing a Comeback Story for 08-09

The Miami Heat won the 2006 NBA Finals, and ended this season with the worst record in the NBA. They traded Shaquille O'Neal away mid-season mainly for Shawn Marion. With Dwayne Wade coming back full strength, this team could easily win half of their games next year if they get their act together and their second pick of the '08 NBA Draft.

RUMORED WADE TRADE

The rumored Dwayne Wade trade. Any major NBA fan has heard of it and has to be scratching their head. Trading away an NBA Finals MVP sounds crazy, but I can sort of see the thought, and this would result in one of the youngest teams if not the youngest. Here is the rumored trade:

Wade to Chicago for the 1st pick and Kirk Hinrich (Possibly Joakim Noah, Thabo Sefolosha, others too).

Resulting Miami Lineup after the Draft and Miami selecting Beasley and Rose

PG- Derrick Rose

SG- Ricky Davis/ Marcus Banks

SF- Shawn Marion

PF- Michael Beasley/Udonis Haslem

C- Mark Blount

This team is filled with young guns who could develop into a highly effective team, but is probably a long shot that this will even make it to a table talk between Chicago and Miami.

MIAMI WITH THE SECOND DRAFT PICK SELECT DERRICK ROSE

Let's assume everything goes as Pat Riley wants, and Derrick Rose is available.

With Wade and Rose, you will see amazing plays every game. Lightning quick speed with the play-making ability of Rose and the play-finishing ability of Wade. Like a puzzle, I believe Rose and Wade will be a perfect fit after about 20 or so games and will be on ESPN Top Ten Plays nightly by after the All-Star Break.

If the rest of their team can find a way to mesh with Wade and Rose, and Ricky Davis can buy into the fact that it's Wade and Rose, not Davis and Wade, then they will be a solid team. We all know Marion will mesh well as he has always been a role player ever since Phoenix with Nash and Stoudamire.

This team would be ready to make a run for the playoffs if everything went as planned.

MIAMI WITH THE SECOND DRAFT PICK SELECT MICHAEL BEASLEY

Although Pat Riley fell in love with Rose, I'm sure he would be just as happy with the player who had arguably the best freshman season in all of college history, Michael Beasley.

With Beasley, obviously team co-captain Udonis Haslem would see less minutes. However, Haslem would be a great mentor for Beasley. They would be sort of opposites, with Beasley being the overall No. 2 pick in the NBA Draft, meanwhile Haslem worked his way into the league after being undrafted.

With a solid lineup and maybe a good free agent signing period, Wade could lead this team to the playoffs. Granted Beasley meshes well and scores like he has the ability to.

MIAMI HEAT 08-09=?

I truly believe that no matter who the Heat get the privilege to draft, they will be a playoff contender next year. The East isn't a strong conference. With Wade and his future Rookie of the Year candidate they will write a great comeback story on a much smaller scale as the Celtics did this year.