LeBron James Miami Heat: 15 Reasons Why They Won't Win 2011 NBA Title
LeBron James will make his debut with the Miami Heat on Tuesday night as he and the Heat pursue their first NBA title as a unit.
Miami is the favorites to win the title this summer and with two of the best players in the world, there's no shock as to why. However, there are flaws on this team and things that can undermine this team and with that in mind, I've given 15 things that can give Miami problems this year and undermine the Heat's quest for a title.
The Heat are going to be a great team, but it's going to be interesting to see how they handle these issues.
No. 15: Perimeter Shooting
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While Miami does have players like Mike Miller and Eddie House, the Heat don't have many other players that can hit the outside shot.
Mario Chalmers, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade aren't consistent outside shooters and those are the type of players who should be seeing the outside shots late in games. It's a sign of concern when your top players don't have great outside games.
It won't hurt them every game, but late in close games, it could rear its head.
No. 14: Defensive Flaws
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Outside of Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem, there really aren't guys who are shut down defenders for the Miami Heat.
Chris Bosh doesn't have the strength to defend his position and all over the roster you find guys that are simply just bad, bad defenders at their position. They almost resemble a Phoenix Suns team the defense is so poor on this team.
Wade can lock down a top player and that helps but he can't help guard everyone.
No. 13: Lack of Big Game Experience and Success
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Outside of Dwayne Wade, Udonis Haslem and Eddie House, there aren't any players on Miami's roster who have an NBA championship.
On top of that, players like Chris Bosh don't know what it takes to win big games in the NBA. He didn't even play in big games in college, unless you count the NIT, which I don't. When you get into the playoffs, you want players who know what it takes to seal the deal. LeBron's shown flashes of it, but the last time we saw him, he got totally taken out of the series by the Boston Celtics.
It will be interesting to see how this team handles pressure situations.
No. 12: Lack of Defined Roles
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It's something that's been talked about since this super team was formed and something that will be compelling to watch once it happens.
What does Miami do when it's late in the game and when the Heat are down and someone needs to defer? Does D-Wade take over or is it LeBron's shot at the buzzer? There's been a lot of talk about it but pride is pride and sometimes ego gets in the way of what's best for the team.
I can't wait to see how that plays out.
No. 11: Great Expectations
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Once this team was formed and LeBron James announced he was heading to Miami, people have been counting down to next Tuesday's season opener against Boston.
There's a ton of pressure on this team to not only be successful, but to win a championship and anything less than that is looked at as a failure by the public. That's a lot to deal with, especially when you consider the public backlash against LeBron and the Heat.
I'm sure the people in the road arenas will be glad to see them.
No. 10: Lack of Chemistry
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While Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwayne Wade did play together as part of the American basketball team at the Olympics, it's a lot different than playing together in the NBA.
Especially when you factor in the fact that Wade missed most of the preseason with the leg injury, it makes chemistry a bit of an issue. It won't bother them all year, but I wouldn't be shocked to see the Heat a hair off during the first month or so of the season.
Regardless of how immensely talented they all are, they need time together to gel.
No. 9: Major Target
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With this super team being the topic of discussion in every NBA circle, every team in the league is going to play Miami like it's a playoff game every single night.
Regardless of how talented you are, that's going to wear on you as a team. The Heat are going to get everyone's best shot and while they've said they're ready for that type of attention, we'll see how they are as we get deeper into the season.
It's like playing as a defending champion without the ring to show for it.
No. 8: Los Angeles Lakers
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With Miami taking the spotlight in the offseason, it seems like people forgot about the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Lakers are coming off of a second-straight NBA title and added Matt Barnes in the offseason, someone who should help Los Angeles in terms of depth. That's before we get to Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom and Ron Artest.
You know that Phil Jackson has to be in his team's ear telling them that they're not getting any respect from the media.
No. 7: Erik Spoelstra
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The last time the Miami Heat had a team on the verge of an NBA title, Pat Riley came down from the front office and took over the team and led it to a title. Sure, that was after a year of Stan Van Gundy, but still.
Erik Spoelstra is the next coach who has been discussed as a possible victim of Riley and his desire to coach. People asked the question as soon as the team was formed and the Heat have had to deny this possibility.
However, if the Heat struggle at any point, could we see Riley take over? I guess we'll see if Spoelstra has the talent to manage all of these superstars.
No. 6: Boston Celtics' Additions
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One of the biggest issues that brought the Boston Celtics down in the NBA Finals was the Celtics' size. In the offseason Boston went out and signed Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal to add to its front court.
Those are players that are big and are tough to guard down on the block. You add them to Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and you've got quite the team on your hands. Sure, the Celtics aren't the youngest team in the NBA but veteran experience is hard to come by.
Boston knows this is likely its last shot at a title and the Heat are going to get their best shot.
No. 5: Dwight Howard's Offseason
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The one player that can totally destroy the Miami Heat on offense is Dwight Howard. There is not one person on that entire team that can guard him on their best day.
What did Superman do during the summer? He trained with Hakeem Olajuwon, working on his technique and post moves. If that training paid off, watch out. Hakeem had arguably the best post moves of any big man of all time.
Howard could dominate the Heat and the league if he can commit those moves to memory.
No. 4: Point Guard
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One of the biggest weaknesses on this Heat team is the point guard position. Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo aren't great players, especially on the defensive end and with some of the teams Miami will have to go through to get to the Finals.
Players like Rajon Rondo and Jameer Nelson could do major damage to Miami going against Chalmers and Arroyo and it has to be a source of concern if you're a Heat fan. Maybe Chalmers will grow up like Rondo did for Boston but I don't see that happening.
Make sure to keep your eye on Chalmers next Tuesday.
No. 3: Depth
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Other than Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller and to a lesser extent, Eddie House, I'm not a big fan of Miami's depth.
Zydrunas Ilgauskus is way past his prime and Carlos Arroyo isn't a great point guard either, regardless of what his defenders have to say. I watched him in Detroit and he's not that good and he didn't get much better after he left.
No point guard should hold the ball as much as Arroyo does and the depth is a concern for the Heat.
No. 2: Mike Miller Injury
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Mike Miller injured his thumb and no one is really sure how long he'll be out.
Miller was signed to be a huge three point guy for Miami this season and losing him is a huge blow to the Heat's roster. There's no formal diagnosis on the injury and how long it will keep him out for but Udonis Haslem told the media that they don't believe it will be season ending.
Getting Miller was one of the biggest parts of Miami's offseason outside of getting LeBron and Bosh and losing him will bump everyone up in the rotation and change things. If he's out longer than is believed it's a huge blow.
No. 1: Lack of Size
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One thing that Miami doesn't have is a lot of size on its front line.
Joel Anthony is the starting center and he struggled with rebounding this preseason, and while it's preseason action, it's still a cause for concern. Chris Bosh isn't an imposing force on the low post and he's not a great defender because of his size either.
I'm not a fan of the depth behind them other than Udonis Haslem but he's not big enough to guard centers. Teams like Orlando can cause Miami some serious problems in the front court.
