2011 NBA Free Agents: Why Tayshaun Prince Fits Perfectly with Miami Heat

After bringing in LeBron James and Chris Bosh last season, the Miami Heat don't need to make a huge splash in the 2011 free NBA agency market.

That being said, they do have some very defined needs moving into the eventual shorted season now that the lockout is over, and long-time Detroit Piston and current free agent Tayshaun Prince would be the perfect free agent acquisition for their team.

There's no doubting the star-power the Heat possesses, and obviously the "big-three" or "dream team" of James, Bosh and Dwyane Wade has been chronicled to the last detail.

There's also no doubting that their plan came up miserably short as they fell in six games to the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals.

While the star power got them most of the way, there was a desperate need for role players to help support the big-three and take them the rest of the way.

In the end, it became too easy for the Mavericks to concentrate on locking down Bosh, James and Wade.

While this isn't the teams only problem, having that "glue-guy" or constant veteran presence was a huge piece of the puzzle that the 2010 Heat was missing.

Prince would fit that role perfectly.

He's a durable veteran that has the playoff and championship experience that the Heat could really use coming off their bench.

He's played in 118 playoff games during the course of his career and two NBA finals, including one ring.

Prince is the consummate glue-guy, meaning that he can do a little bit of everything. He has career averages of 12.9 points per game, 4.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

He knows how to fill a role, as he was the major role player in a once dominant Pistons lineup that included Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Ben Wallace, and Rasheed Wallace.

He's also had moments where he stepped up to dominate a game offensively, especially in the past few years during the Pistons decline. Look no further than his career high 34 points on the road against Miami for proof of that statement.

As if that's not enough, he's also heralded as one of the best defensive players in the league, and has four NBA All-Defensive second team selections to show for it.

The Heat could definitely use a player of his caliber coming off of the bench, but the question now is how do they get him?

The first thing the heat would have to do is convince Prince to come off the bench and be a role player in pursuit of another championship, which I don't see being too hard.

The second would be money, but they should be able to clear that up by using the potential amnesty clause that has apparently been agreed on to offer up a fair chunk of change to Prince.

The Heat obviously can't do it with their current core of players, and as talented as they are Bosh, Wade and James can't do it on their own.

They need a proven veteran that can do all the little things that makes a team championship worthy.

Prince is the perfect fit for that job description.