LeBron, Wade and Bosh: 3 Simple Reasons Why Miami Heat Will Not Be Champs

With the NBA regular season quickly approaching, there is no better time than now to address why the Miami Heat will NOT be hoisting up the Larry O'Brien Trophy in June.

Chris Bosh left the Toronto Raptors to join Dwyane Wade in Miami (undoubtedly due to the favorable climate change), and LeBron James then decided to take his talents to South Beach. Before the trio even played a game together, many basketball fans were crowning them as champions of the NBA.

While it is certainly impressive that the three have combined for 12 All-NBA teams, that does not guarantee a title. LeBron is the two-time reigning league MVP, but individual accolades do not always lead to team successes; his Cleveland Cavaliers only reached the NBA Finals once in his seven-year stay.

Now James joins two other perennial All-Stars, but the rest of the team is largely inexperienced and unproven.

When June comes around, and a championship parade is held, it might be in Boston, could take place in Los Angeles (no, not your Clippers, Bill Simmons!) or a few other cities, but it will NOT be in Miami for three simple reasons.

Reason One: Supporting Cast, or Lack Thereof

LeBron, D. Wade and Chris Bosh (who is still looking for a nickname) are better than the cores of most other NBA teams. Last year, the three combined for a total of 80.3 points per game, 17.5 assists per game and 22.9 rebounds per game. Truly outstanding numbers.

Once you get past those three players, however, there is a significant, and quite frankly, unacceptable drop-off. Starting center Joel Anthony, a Canadian native, averaged 2.7 points per game and 3.1 rebounds per game last season. While it is true that he only played 16.5 minutes per game, he also shot 48 percent from the field; most NBA centers shoot the rock at a clip above 50 percent.

Past Anthony on the depth chart is Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who does have one of the best names in the Association. The problem with his last name is that it is not seen very often on the court. Last season, he only had his warmups off for about 21 minutes per contest, and shot 44.3 percent from the field, an extremely low number for a center.

The only legitimate big man off the bench is Udonis Haslem.

In the backcourt, starting point guard Mario Chalmers struggled to shoot above 40 percent from the field last year. Beyond Chalmers are Eddie House and Carlos Arroyo, two players who are used mainly as spark plugs and cannot play consistent basketball.

Perhaps the best option off the bench, Mike Miller, suffered a serious thumb injury, and could be out until January. If one of the Big Three (for lack of a better nickname) gets in foul trouble, their backups quite simply will not be able to play at a high level for extended periods of time.

In a year or two, free agents can be signed to increase depth, but as for this year, the bench does not offer enough quality to make a deep push into the playoffs.

Reason Two: There's Only One Ball

This seems to be a pretty obvious statement. Every game is played with one ball on the court, right? Undeniably, this is true. The reason it brings up issues with the Miami Heat is because of the un-complementary styles of play of their stars.

A simple argument comparing this Big Three to the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen can support this claim. When those three individuals were assembled in Boston, their styles of play complemented each other perfectly.

KG was a post presence with a great ability to pass. He had six straight seasons in which he recorded five-plus assists per game, and amongst those six seasons were four in which he shot at least 50 percent from the field.

Paul Pierce, a slasher, was bound to benefit from such a talented post player. He thrived off of Garnett's presence, and saw his shooting percentage increase from 44 percent the season before to 46 percent, along with 2.5 more free-throw attempts per game.

Insert Ray Allen into the equation. Allen, who broke an NBA record by hitting 269 three-pointers in the 2005-06 season, was the perfect shooting guard to play with a passing big and an effective slasher. He shot 40 percent from downtown in his first season as a Celtic.

Bosh, in comparison to Garnett, has a measly career average of 2.2 assists per game. LeBron is an extremely effective slasher and driver, but has a limited long-range game; he is a career 33 percent shooter from beyond the stripe. Pierce, however, is a career 37 percent three-point shooter, and even won the Foot Locker Three-Point Shootout at the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.

Allen, compared to Wade, is a perimeter scorer. Wade is a career 29 percent three-point shooter, and thrives off of driving to the basket. The bottom line is that the Big Three assembled in Boston all complemented each other and benefited immensely from each other's talents. In Miami, Bosh is primarily a post scorer, and James and Wade score mainly by driving to the basket.

Boston had a perfect balance of talents, and that balance allowed them to win the 2007-08 NBA Championship. The South Beach trio will not run as smoothly as Boston, as the three individuals usually need the ball in their hands to be effective.

Once again, there is only one ball on the court, and there will always be at least two Miami stars without the ball at any given moment.

Reason Three: Joel Anthony

This heading really isn't fair. Message to Joel Anthony: I am not taking a shot at you, even though you are from Canada.

With that being said, Miami could really use a more established and talented center. If you take a look at the starting centers of the championship teams of the past decade, you will notice a popular trend. 

2000-02: Shaquille O'Neal

2003: David Robinson/Tim Duncan

2004: Ben Wallace

2005: Tim Duncan

2006: Shaquille O'Neal

2007: Tim Duncan (he just doesn't go away)

2008: Kendrick Perkins

2009-10: Pau Gasol

In those 10 NBA championships, five of the teams' starting centers were the Finals MVPs. In the other five years, the starting center played a significant role. The only name on that extremely impressive list that stands out is Kendrick Perkins.

Perkins, like Joel Anthony, played alongside three superstars. Unlike Anthony, Perkins shot 62 percent from the field, compared to Anthony's career average of 48 percent. I saw Perkins' prowess in person, when he scored 22 points in the first half against the New York Knicks. So with that quickly cleared up, I just can't picture Joel Anthony's name on this list.

Heat fans, answer this question honestly: Can you?

In order to be champions, the Heat will have to get through the likes of Dwight Howard, Andrew Bogut, Joakim Noah, Amar'e Stoudemire, Perkins and the Brothers O'Neal, and Brook Lopez in the East.

If they do reach the NBA Finals, they could very well face the Gasol/Andrew Bynum tandem of the Los Angeles Lakers.

In reality, the Heat need a more talented starting center if they want to last deep into June.

Once again Joel Anthony, this is not a shot at you. If it makes you feel any better, you would definitely be the starting center of my high school team.

I am not a HeatHater (my new word), but I just do not see them winning a title in their first year with LeBron and Bosh. This definitely does not mean that they will not be a great team, or win a championship or two in future years. This year, however, there are too many good teams in the league, and the Heat will need a year or two to effectively mold. Sorry LeBron fans, this is just not your year. Did I mention that Joel Anthony is Canadian?