Miami Heat: Which Players on the Team Should and Shouldn't Go Overseas

With so many players contemplating going overseas at the end of October rather than suiting up for their respective team, it leaves a lot of franchises and their fan bases in suspense of whether their players are going to depart or not.

All-Star Deron Williams and a few lower-tier players have already signed with overseas clubs or have considered signing. For the Miami Heat however, no player on the team has openly come out and said their decision for what they'll do next season aside from Dwyane Wade saying that he'll play somewhere come next year.

Since it's looking more and more likely that the season isn't going to start on schedule, players are beginning to make their final decisions of whether they should go or not.

I make the decisions for the Heat's entire roster of whether any of their players should play in a different league during the lockout, so that they don't have to think for themselves and make these tough decisions.

The Cellar Dwellers

Juwan Howard:

The last thing Juwan Howard should be doing is playing basketball. He was incredibly sluggish in his 17th season last year playing in 57 games and averaging two points and two rebounds per.

He was only utilized for extended periods of time because of the Heat's lack of depth at the power forward position once Udonis Haslem succumbed to a foot injury that kept him out from November until the Conference Finals.

Let this last season be Howard's last hurrah with the team that originally drafted him. The pace of European basketball, or basketball anywhere, is going to be too fast for a player like Howard who could barely trudge his way up and down the court after a few minutes.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas:

Ilgauskas is coming off of the worst statistical season of his career averaging five points and four boards per game in his first season with the Miami Heat and outside of Cleveland.

He was the starter at center for the majority of the season until his lack of defense outweighed his offense and he was sent to the bench for most of the postseason, playing in only nine games.

If Ilgauskas can barely work his way up the court in the NBA, he's going to have equally as much trouble overseas. If he should depart for anywhere, it should be for his native Lithuania where he should retire.

Jamaal Magloire:

Magloire wouldn't have to go overseas to play in his native homeland Canada and he could possibly give some sort of legitimate minutes to a club not in the NBA.

Despite his size, Magloire was used in only 18 games last year and averaged only two points and three boards per. He was utilized mostly as an enforcer, for garbage time, or because the team was out of answers and he was there.

If the Heat and their lack of a legitimate center refuse to play Magloire, then it's going to be tough for him to find any kind of work anywhere else in the league.

Dexter Pittman:

Only playing in two games and spending most of his time in the D-League, Dexter Pittman should continue where he left off by taking his talents to another league if the lockout persists.

He's incredibly raw, but has great potential for a player of his size at 6'11" and 308 pounds. He has barely any experience at the professional level playing less than 10 minutes for the entire season, so Pittman should use the lockout to his advantage by getting some professional experience overseas.

With most of the other centers coming into the NBA from overseas usually shooting-oriented, Pittman could take a league by storm with his wide frame.

The Corner of the Bench

James Jones:

Set to receive a deal from a few NBA teams after shooting a near career high 43 percent from beyond the arc, James Jones could take his talents to a new league after being scorned by his own team.

After being relied on as the No. 1 perimeter option for the entire season, Jones played in only 12 playoff games and didn't even make an appearance in the NBA Finals where his shooting could have been greatly used.

Despite never getting a legitimate role on any of the NBA teams he's played for, Jones could make a team breathe easier with his ability to hit shots from the perimeter. He probably shouldn't go overseas however as all the shooting he would do there could affect his shot here considering he shot so well in the first half of last season and then faltered in the second half after winning the three-point shootout.

Eddie House:

Europe would love a player like Eddie House who prides himself on taking wayward shots and converting them at an inconsistent rate.

House is in his second stint with the Heat after signing with the team last year as the third string point guard behind Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers at the start. He shot 40 percent overall and 39 percent from deep, but succumbed to James Jones syndrome as he found himself on the bench in the NBA Finals despite the team desperately needing a shooter.

House could find work in the NBA and overseas, but he should remain here and retire here rather than fizzling out overseas.

Erick Dampier:

If you're 6'11" and can barely dunk, the last thing you should be doing is playing in a different league that requires speed and plenty of athleticism.

Erick Dampier was brought in mid-season last year after the team's struggles at center proved to be too overwhelming. Rather than waiting for young talent, the Heat signed yet another big man on the brink of retirement in Dampier. He started in 22 games last year and averaged three points and four boards per.

Overseas just isn't the place for a player like Dampier to be. He can barely work his way up and down the court for an extended amount of time rendering him pretty useless on a team that needs a center to fill the paint for an entire game.

The 6-7-8

Mike Miller:

Competition could do Mike Miller some good after enduring the worst year of his career statistically and overall.

Miller suffered a thumb injury to start the season and wouldn't be the same the rest of the way after returning in late-December. The injury threw off his shot and he couldn't connect on anything consistently, especially from beyond the arc where he was hitting 48 percent the season before with Washington.

Miller can hit the three-point shot, and we know what he's capable of and how terrific of a pure shooter he is. As much as it would help Miller to improve his shot if he's playing overseas, the last thing the Heat needs is another injury to their sharpshooter.

Udonis Haslem:

Much like Miller, the last thing the Heat needs is another injury to one of its main bench producers.

This time, it involves Udonis Haslem who suffered a more significant injury that kept him out from November all the way until May. It was the first drastic injury of his career as he tore a number of ligaments in his foot. With no Haslem, the Heat were left without answers when looking for someone who could consistently hit the mid-range while rebounding at a solid rate as well.

The second to last thing the Heat want is another injury to their sharpshooter. The absolute last thing is another injury to their hardest worker, one of its top defenders and rebounders, and its most consistent mid-range shooter.

Mike Bibby:

There isn't much of an explanation necessary for this one.

Did you watch the postseason? If you did, then you'd understand why Mike Bibby should go overseas and stay there for a really, really long time.

The Other Guys

Mario Chalmers:

It's getting tougher and tougher deciding if Mario Chalmers truly is the point guard of the future for the Miami Heat.

We were convinced after an impressive rookie season where he led all first years in steals per game, but he would regress the following two seasons by failing to put up the same numbers he posted in his first year. He was inconsistent with his shot and ability to lead a team at the one spot, was very mistake prone, and could barely defend one-on-one.

Yet, we're still not convinced after Chalmers was one of the team's best and most consistent in the NBA Finals. Rather than making him stay and playing with the Heat, maybe Chalmers can go overseas and learn the game in a different league before making his triumphant return.

Joel Anthony:

Joel Anthony isn't going to learn how to be effective when playing offense. He's an unbelievable hard worker and a terrific defender, but he's just not going to get how to play consistent offense when he'll be 29 years old next season and still hasn't even learned the concept of catching and finishing.

Anthony actually regressed on offense last season averaging only two points per game in 20 minutes worth of time a night. His offense is notoriously awful and is most remembered by his failure to put in a simple layup.

He's got everything else going for him, so maybe the 6'9" athlete could possibly learn the concept of offense overseas or in any league for that matter.

The Big Three

Chris Bosh:

Maybe when he was searching for his identity at the beginning of the season, Chris Bosh might have taken a chance looking overseas for a job. After identifying his niche on this Miami Heat team however, there really isn't a true reason why Bosh should go somewhere else to play basketball if the lockout persists.

Dealing with the toughest transition out of the big three, Bosh was forced to adjust to the role of first scoring option to mainly being used a third option with Wade and James taking up most of the looks and the majority of the shots. By the end of the season, Bosh was figuring out his place on the team and was beginning to produce at a more consistent rate while helping his team reach the NBA Finals.

Like the rest of the big three, Bosh has no reason to play anywhere this offseason. He should use the lockout as a mental break and as practice between himself and the rest of his team.

Dwyane Wade:

After eight years of physical abuse at the hands of the NBA's most diabolical front courts, the last thing Dwyane Wade should be doing during a break is playing more basketball.

Wade has been relatively healthy for the past three seasons which comes as a surprise considering injuries were supposed to greatly limit his career after two consecutive seasons playing in only 51 games and hardly having the same impact than he had when he was leading the Miami Heat to championships.

Dwyane has been healthy for the past three months with no significant ailments keeping him out for awhile aside from an injury last year that kept him out the entire preseason besides the first five minutes of the first game. The last thing the Heat need is for Wade to go overseas and get hurt in the short amount of time he plays over there.

LeBron James:

LeBron James has been relatively quiet this offseason and for good reason. Why else would he want his name back on ESPN for another 24 hours a day and for seven days a week this time discussing whether he should take his talents to Real Madrid or any club overseas?

James had a solid season in his first year with the Heat averaging 26 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists and had an even more solid post season before reaching the NBA Finals. Prior to the Finals, James was leading the charge for the Heat as he hit a number of big shots during each of the teams three postseason series in the Eastern Conference playoffs.

With James' mentality still hurting from the Finals, there's no need for him to follow any other All-Star and play in a different league. He needs to stay back home and practice and take a mental break from the competitive part of the game.