NBA Rumors: How Much Does Miami Heat's Lack of Trade Flexibility Hurt?

With the newly constructed Miami Heat starting their first year together cold, much has been said regarding LeBron James and Chris Bosh’s decisions to join Dwyane Wade in South Beach.  Many have wondered if James made a mistake, if perhaps South Beach with two other superstars really wasn’t a recipe for multiple championships after all.

Plenty of Miami’s critics claim that the Heat will never win a championship without a young, talented center, which is a fair point as both of the Heat seven footers are 35 years of age at the end of their careers. 

Not many teams have been able to succeed in this league without a force to be reckoned with down low. Miami also has struggled greatly on the boards, which too supports this theory.

Other critics claim the Heat lack a true point guard who is capable of running this high powered offense. You can’t blame this them for assumption, as Carlos Arroyo has been more of a shooter than a facilitator this year, and Mario Chalmers is still unproven. On the other hand, there are many who view Chalmers as an emerging young guard who has the potential to be "the guy" to run this team's point.

Therefore, with the current lack of flexibility of the Heat to make moves, the doubters are positive that the Heat’s model is a failure. 

For this year, at least.

However, just about every member of the Miami Heat organization would tell you otherwise, particularly James who continues to stress that coming together as a team is a “process” which wasn’t expected to be easy.

And don’t look now, but ever since their players only meeting the Heat are off and running on a five-game winning streak and moving their way back up to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. Sure, those wins may have been against much weaker opponents, but no one deny that the big three and their supporting cast are beginning to look more like a real team with each game.

Last week, in James’ much-anticipated return to Cleveland, he and the rest of the Heat showed what they are truly capable of. 

Not only did James play like his old self for the first time in a Heat uniform, but he also played very well off the ball. He and Wade finally appear to be developing some sort of chemistry, which is what every team feared when this superstar lineup was constructed in July.

Chris Bosh has also been on fire as of late, averaging near 20 points and 10 rebounds each game.

Also, aside from the fact that Miami appears to be coming together, don’t forget this is only the first year of the big three’s contracts, which happen to last for six years. If Miami fails to win a championship this year, there will be plenty of time for Pat Riley to make moves to bring in the necessary pieces.

It’s a popular belief down in South Beach that the Heat will make moves in the offseason no matter what, to bring in a more qualified big man and perhaps even a point guard.

Doubters of the Heat must also remember that Miami is playing without two of its biggest assets, Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem—both of whom are valuable roll players who are missed sorely by their teammates.

Miller is expected to be back in the lineup within the next month, and should Haslem return in April, this team will be healthy and much more apt to compete against the elite teams of the league.

Basically, it’s just way too early for any sort of judgement on whether or not this team will work or not. If the Heat fail to win a championship this year, those criticisms can and certainly will gain more steam.

However, the bottom line is that we simply will not be able to say whether or not this model works until the big three’s time is up and we can take an unbiased, clear look at their career together in Miami. 

Until then, everything is pure speculation.