Miami HEAT Team Preview 2010-2011 Season

By Eric Yearian
   
After an offseason saturated with coverage of the Miami HEAT and their new triumvirate, there isn’t much left to be said. All that’s left is for the team to take the floor and begin playing together. The team finished 47-35 last season, but this is a far different team. The only players remaining from that team are Dwayne Wade, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, Mario Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo, James Jones, and Jamaal Magloire.
    LeBron James
Last season, while Cleveland was busy trying to patch together enough talent to keep LeBron James in town, and Toronto was hoping against all odds that Chris Bosh would resign, the HEAT were playing out the season while waiting to see if their offseason plan would come together. Pat Riley has stated that the organization had “no plan B,” it was an all-in offseason bet for the HEAT. The organization had to sweat it out as Wade flirted with other teams, including his hometown Bulls. Miami eventually talked him into resigning, and bringing Chris Bosh with him. Once those two were in the fold, LeBron James announced his controversial decision to join the party in South Beach.
   
It was a controversial few months for Miami, as talk of collusion surfaced, but no action was taken by the NBA and the collusion discussion was replaced with the debate about whether the HEAT could surpass the Bulls’ record of 72 wins in a season. Whether that’s realistically attainable for the team is up in the air, but Jeff Van Gundy, brother of Orlando’s head coach, thinks it will happen. With such a talented team, it certainly is not out of the question.  The team has so much talent with the big three, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Udonis Haslem that they could grab 5 random spectators to suit up for the team before each game and still have a chance to host a playoff series come playoff time.
   
A team like this is unprecedented, but also has some parallels to the Boston Celtics, when Boston imported Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen a few years ago. Those two weren’t in their primes like James and Bosh, but both teams have the same weaknesses, an inexperienced point guard and a question mark at the center position. History tells us that playing alongside the big three helped speed up the maturation of Rajon Rondo, and Miami is hopeful Mario Chalmers will experience the same type of growth. The other question mark is how much production they can get out of their rotation of centers. Anthony is a skilled defender with no offensive game, Ilgauskas is very skilled and can shoot from outside, but is one of the slower players in the league, Magloire is a work horse who hasn’t been able to regain his all-star form, and Dexter Pittman is inexperienced.
    Chris Bosh
As good as the team looks on paper, there are also questions as to who will take the last shot, and how the three stars will work as a team. While those are legitimate concerns, the three players’ games mesh well. Bosh is an outstanding player who would be best cast in a supporting role. Wade is a tremendous scorer and will love playing alongside James, who is like a second coming of Magic Johnson in that, despite being one of the league’s best scorers, he may be the best passer in the league too. How many players can average 30 points and still be considered a pass-first player? That willingness to pass the ball will serve him well playing with Bosh, Wade, and talented shooters like Mike Miller, James Jones, and Eddie House.
   
Despite the fact that they might face small chemistry issues early in the season, the HEAT stand a very real chance at reaching the 70 win plateau. While they may not do it this season, they should challenge for the record of 72 wins at some point in the next few years assuming they get a few lucky breaks throughout the season. Regardless of whether they surpass 70 wins or not, they will likely be one of the NBA’s most improved teams this season, and will be content with nothing short of an NBA Championship.

Predicted Record: 68-14 (Last Year’s record: 47-35)   

Expected Team Roster
Name                               Height        Weight        School
PG: Mario Chalmers      6-1        190        Kansas
SG: Dwayne Wade        6-4        220        Marquette
SF: LeBron James        6-8        250        St. Vincent-St. Mary (OH) HS
PF: Chris Bosh              6-10        230        Georgia Tech
C: Zydrunas Ilgauskas   7-3        260        Lithuania
6: Mike Miller                  6-8        218        Florida
7: Udonis Haslem          6-8        235        Florida
8: Carlos Arroyo             6-2        202        Florida International
9: Joel Anthony               6-9        245        UNLV
10: Eddie House            6-1        175        Arizona State
11: James Jones            6-8        220        Miami (FL.)
12: Jamaal Magloire      6-11        255        Kentucky
13: Juwan Howard          6-9        253        Michigan
14: Dexter Pittman          6-10        290        Texas   
15: Da’Sean Butler          6-7        230        West Virginia