To The Depths: Why The Miami Heat Bench Is Up to Par

Over the past couple of weeks since the hype surrounding the Big 3 has died down, critics have been analyzing and critiquing the depth that Miami has.

Many say it is their downfall; many say that this lack of depth will be the difference between Miami and teams like Orlando, Los Angeles, and Boston.

Oh, how wrong they are.

Pat Riley deserves a medal. He took the bare scraps of cap room, and transformed it into a formidable second unit. Let's run through the bench.

Provided Mario Chalmers gets the nod and starts as point guard, and Joel Anthony starts at the Five, Miami's bench and main rotation will consist of.

Mike Miller

One of the best three-point shooters when he's on his game.

He does a bit of everything, plays defense, hits shots, and is a willing passer. Playing along with Dwyane Wade and LeBron, he will be getting plenty of open looks.

He definitely has to be considered when discussing the Sixth Man of the Year award.

Udonis Haslem

The ultimate work horse.

UD led the league in double-doubles off the bench last year, in only 26 minutes of action per contest.

He does a lot in the minimal minutes he receives, and his minutes will likely drop again this season. But for the time he is on the court, he will put in the hard yards and do all the dirty work.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

While the big man is getting old in years, he is still a veteran big man who gives Miami a presence in the paint. He can stretch the defense with his reliable mid-range game, and his chemistry with LeBron is well known.

Eddie House

Pure energy.

The fans loved Eddie all those years back, and they will surely do the same now. Eddie brings another shooter to the mix alongside Mike Miller. Expect him to come into the game and hit big shots off the bench. 

Carlos Arroyo

Solid backup point guard, with an amazing assist to turnover ratio. He can be a reliable spot up shooter, just as long as its inside the arc.

Arroyo likes to create for others, and is a future R&B superstar. That's got to count for something, right?

Magloire/Howard/Pittman

This trio offers 18 fouls on other big men, two veteran presences with a lot of NBA experiences, and a big, potential-filled rookie in Pittman. All of these guys are big-bodied bruisers who can try and stop other bigs.

While there may be other elite teams with more depth than Miami, what many are calling the Heat's one true weakness isn't really looking that weak.

I'm sure this second unit can't wait to silence the many critics they have amounted over the past couple of months.