Why Nene Playing in Miami Could Be Good for Fans and Haters of the Heat

Those of you reading this who aren't Heat fans are probably envisioning throwing a brick at my head. 

I understand your anger.

Before you think I'm just another bandwagoning Miami Heat fan, you might be surprised to know that my favorite team is the New York Knicks.

So, why do I think Nene taking his talents to Miami could be good for both Heat fans and haters? Am I crazy? Am I senile? Am I an idiot? 

As far as I know, I don't think I'm any of those things, but then again, what crazy, senile idiot knows he or she is a crazy, senile idiot?

Okay, I should probably start explaining.

Even though there's boatloads of ambiguity in regards to what the next Collective Bargaining Agreement will entail, it's feasible to believe the Miami Heat aren't going to have enough cap room to sign moderate-salary players—let alone an All-Star-caliber player like Nene.

While the projected price tag for the Brazilian big man's services is around $10 million per year, he has hinted about his interest in signing with the Heat and that money is by no means the foremost factor in determining who his next NBA team will be. 

Miami does have a solid Brazilian population. Sometimes a player is more than willing to forgo money in order to have some of the comforts of home. Also, Nene will be 29 by the scheduled start of next season and he may be willing to try out Miami for a couple of seasons in pursuit of a championship.

If Nene does sign with the Heat, the rest of the NBA will probably feel an instant ice-cold chill run down their spines. The center position was easily the Heat's weakest on offense last season.

Joell Anthony is a solid defender, but to call him offensively-inept would be a compliment—especially when he's making a pass like this or missing a dunk like this. A starting lineup of Chalmers/generic point guard, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Nene (along with a bench of Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem and some throw-in players) could help the Heat threaten the 1996-1997 Chicago Bulls record of 72 regular season wins. 

Yes, the Heat would probably steam-roll opponents throughout the season and likely make the NBA Finals after a tough series or two in the East. However, once the Finals began, things could get much different. The grand stage in any professional sport is capable of turning a great player into a shell of his or her self. 

LeBron James knows that very well.

Even though the Heat choked against the Dallas Mavericks last season, there were still some who viewed their season as successful and weren't ready to write them—and especially Lebron James—off yet.

With Nene though, the expectation of a championship will increase exponentially from last season and unless Lebron finds a way to shut the outside world off, he'll likely go through a lot of nervous moments both on and off the court during the Finals (assuming they get there).

Just imagine if the Heat fail to win an NBA championship with a Big Four of Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Nene. Haters would again rejoice in jubilation—especially in Cleveland—while fans would again be disappointed; questions about the ability of the Heat's current nucleus to win a title would sky rocket.

Heat fans are probably the NBA's worst and least loyal fans (although there are some real fans of the team), so their turning against South Beach's most popular professional basketball squad would be a strong possibility. 

If the Heat do win the next NBA championship with a Big Four, haters could still put down the team and argue they couldn't have done it without getting another All-Star-caliber player, while fans would just be happy that the team finally reached its goal. Still, LeBron James likely wouldn't receive the type of accolades and respect from fans and the media that he would have gotten had the team won this past season's title (unless he averages crazy numbers and hits some game winners). 

Of course, none of this will matter if Nene announces he has no intentions of playing in Miami or the next Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn't feature midlevel exception contracts—which is something the Heat might try to lure Nene with.