Miami Heat Rumors: Eddy Curry Is a Great Fit for LeBron James and Co.

The deal that we have all been waiting for has finally gone through. After months of speculation on where this mammoth player would be headed and after countless scenarios on where his NBA career could be headed, a decision has been made and it could change the outlook of the NBA for good.

That's right. Eddy Curry is making his return to the NBA and he'll be joining none other than the Miami Heat.

What? You were expecting bigger news to come through the wire? This is the biggest news we could have possibly heard as the former Chicago Bulls and New York Knicks center that was reported at weighing 350 pounds at one time will be coming back to the NBA and could soon be a starter for the Miami Heat if no other deals go through.

With Joel Anthony as the current starter, the Heat may just have Curry suiting up to start by the season opener if the team deems him fit and ready to run the court for 48 minutes. The chances of that happening are doubtful, however, as Curry missed the entire season last year and was only featured in 10 games in the two years prior to the 2010-11 campaign.

Curry had a promising career stop in its tracks after weight issues and conditioning became a recurring problem before he was eventually traded to Minnesota and then waived following the deal that sent Carmelo Anthony to New York. The 29-year-old now gets a second chance of becoming relevant in the NBA as the Heat are expected to sign Curry for a year at the veteran's minimum.

The Heat were actually prepared to give Curry a contract last March, but the organization told him to lose weight and get in shape before they could even consider giving him a contract. After months of working out and reportedly dropping 50 pounds thanks in part to legendary trainer Tim Grover, Pat Riley and the Heat have deemed Curry suitable and capable to play.

For those who don't know of Grover and his work, have you seen what Dwyane Wade looks like today? You can thank Tim. He's the same trainer who got Wade back into shape following the 2006-07 season where it appeared his career might have been on the decline after a series of injuries and surgeries.

Despite Grover working out with Curry and Riley trusting his conditioning, this deal is still being met with a great deal of criticism from NBA fans and Miami Heat fans alike. There's the prevalent talk of Curry's weight, his commitment on the court and how it won't change, and how he's only played in 10 NBA games over the past three seasons. All good points, but we also need to take into account that none of those things matter now as it appears that Curry is completely different person.

Regarding his weight and conditioning troubles, not many people are aware of the Miami Heat's training camp and how arduous it is just to make it through a practice without vomiting or fleeing to another team. Some of the greatest athletes in the world have passed through the halls of the Heat's training camp and they'll all tell you the same thing about the Heat and their training camp: It sucks.

That's the beautiful thing about signing a player like Curry. Weight issues shouldn't become a problem because of how hard the organization is going to work him out. The team wants to see every player at their athletic peak when they hit the court in the season opener and that means Curry is going to have to continue making progress in his weight loss if he actually does want to see the court and eventually earn that starting job.

Curry joins Dexter Pittman, another Miami Heat center who has also lost a great deal of weight since joining the team and is now looking slimmer than ever since entering college ranks at 400 pounds.

For those who want to complain about Curry's commitment, I would love to see Isiah Thomas and the New York Knicks go up to Eddy Curry of 2008, tell him to drop 50 pounds and then expect a positive answer. These are two different players we're talking about here. 

The difference between the Curry then and the Curry today is that he's desperate. He realized he made his mistakes in the league and he found himself without a job by the age of 27, which is a sad thing for a player who could have made a few All-Star teams had he stayed committed and applied himself to rebounding, playing defense and staying in shape.

He's shown how committed he is to earning another NBA paycheck. Once he earned that workout following that desperate period by the Heat to get a center and being told he was too big, Curry went to work and has lost 50 pounds since then. Once he becomes an official member of the Heat and joins the regiment at training camp, the weight will continue drop and we'll begin to notice a trimmer Eddy Curry.

Plus, adding another committed player to this team is just adding more motivation to a team that thrives on inspiration, ambition and drive. Every player on the Heat has the same mindset of winning games and doing whatever it takes and Curry has that same drive, but just applies it to something more important which is his personal well-being. Curry was tired of being 350 pounds and without a job so he made the commitment to lose weight and get back in the NBA. He now finds himself on the roster of a championship-bound team.

And for those that think this experiment won't work out, so what? Curry's been signed for a year and probably for a little more than $1 million, which is change for a team that has an owner who owns a cruise line and a team that based in one of the most prosperous tourist spots in the country. It's a low-risk, high-reward situation and the Heat are willing to give it a shot.

This doesn't exactly mean that the Heat are going to stop shopping just because they signed Eddy Curry and Shane Battier. They were lucky enough to sign Battier to the mid-level exception as well as possibly signing Curry for the vet's minimum, which means a cheap center like Kwame Brown, Jeff Foster or even Samuel Dalembert, if he wants to take a pay cut and be near his family, could possibly join the team.

I'm not attempting to convey that Curry is going to be a world-class center, but this is an excellent move by the Heat as they pick up a center for the cheap that could turn out to be somewhat valuable. Keep in mind that the Heat are not asking for much from a center and that they're mostly looking for a center that can hold down the fort, catch and finish quickly, and grab rebounds at a somewhat effective rate.

When you have Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Erick Dampier and Joel Anthony as your starting centers, you tend to realize how important little things like that are. Just having an influence that can attract a little bit of attention in the post is all the Heat need when it comes to running an offense. Having LeBron James and Dwyane Wade drive, attracting double-teams from the center and then dishing it off to Curry, who can finish around the rim, is all this team needs on offense.

As for defense, that's going to be stressed out of Curry. This Heat team pride themselves on their defensive intensity and they're not going to allow any weak links in the chain, which means that Curry will need to play to his full potential in order to earn a consistent starting job.

Don't write Eddy Curry off yet and don't write this team off as desperate for signing him either because this is a strategical move that comes at a cheap price and possibly a high reward. Applaud the Heat on this move because they could have potentially made one of the smartest moves in this year's offseason.