Look out folks, we have another powerhouse in the East. The Miami Heat has just signed Chris Bosh to their what-seemed-to-be a team on the downfall since their championship in 2006. Needing someone strong on the inside, they figured out quickly that Michael Beasley was not the answer they were hoping for. Miami has not made it out of the first round since their championship, and even posted a league worst 15-67 record in 2007-2008 season. Dwyane Wade was about to leave Miami. And all seemed lost.
Yet now, the Heat are back. And not only that, they are now an instant contender in the East, if not for the NBA championship. It seems that that the only thing missing is to have LeBron join the Dynamic Duo when he announces where he is going on Thursday on ESPN, in which people believe it would be the most dominating Big 3 in the history of sports. But that is to be decided on Thursday.
Now if we look at Miami, they have 2 players who are arguably the best in their position. The only problem is the rest of the team. For the last couple years, you could have renamed the Miami Heat to the Miami Wade. He averaged a whopping 26.6 points per game last season, but his team only scored 96.5, the sixth least in the NBA. So take that Wade is injured, or isn't playing well, you can move that 26.6 points down to 15 points, making that number 89.9 points a game, which averages a loss by 4 points. And if Wade was injured, he was also the leading assist man on the team with 6.5 assists per game, meaning two things: the rest of the team depended on Wade to make their shots and if he's gone, they can't create their own shots.
Now if you add Chris Bosh to the picture, you have a man who averages a dazzling 24 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. You also add a guy who can create his own shot and will tackle rebounds to give your team extra possessions, as he averages 2.9 offensive rebounds per game. You have instantly two guys who aren't dependent of each other but can work the pick-and-roll offense and can work off double-teams very well.
Here are two things that Miami will succeed in:
Be an offensive powerhouse: Adding Chris Bosh will essentially mean that he will replace Michael Beasley in the offense. Michael Beasley has been 14.8 points per game while Chris Bosh has been averaging 24. Mathematically, the difference is 9.2 points. If you add that to Miami's total team point average, the number is 106.7, making Miami the third best scorer in the league, putting them ahead of the Denver Nuggets and the Utah Jazz.
Be a rebounding monster: Statistically, Miami is in the bottom 10 in rebounding, averaging just below 41 rebounds per game at 40.7. Again, if you assume that Miami will keep Udonis Haslem and trade Michael Beasley (being the number 2 draft pick and having a bigger value in the market), you essentially replace 6.4 rebounds with 10.8, a 4.4 rebound bonus to Miami. Adding it all up, Miami averages 45.1 rebounds per game, again putting them in third best rebounding team in the NBA if you use the 2009 - 2010 season statistics.
However, here are 2 things that Miami will desperately need:
A better point guard - Miami was dead last in assists in the 2009-2010 season. Carlos Arroyo, their starting point guard, averages 3.1 assists per game and Mario Chalmers averages 3.4 assists per game. If Miami wants to succeed in the future, they are going to need a point guard that can run the floor, run the fast break, and run the offense. Getting Rafer Alston won't add much either. The best get right now would probably be Raymond Felton from the Charlotte Bobcats, whom they are going to meet anyway. Felton's numbers are great, averaging 12.1 points and 5.6 assists per game, easily outshining any of Miami's current point guards. He also a huge part in Charlotte's run to the playoffs in 2010. He would probably be their best bet at the moment.
A better bench - No doubt that bench run by Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, Dorell Wright, and Joel Anthony won't be the route to a championship. Altogether, they average 26.8 points per game, which is mediocre because even if you remove Wade, the starters will a 42.2 points per game a total of 15.4 more points. The bench could use some better names and scoring. Already, Miami is trying to get Blazers' Rudy Fernandez and Andre Miller, even though the potential trade is very unlikely to happen. Another big name would try to get Kyle Korver, an excellent shooter who would likely work with Quentin Richardson to be a 3-point shooting duo. Even that will add significant amount of scoring and energy off the bench.
My prediction for Miami, if you keep the team the way it is while adding Chris Bosh to Miami and trading Michael Beasley, is to finish second in the Southeast Division with a 59-23 record, third in the conference behind Orlando and Cleveland, if LeBron stays in Cleveland. But in the end, the Chris Bosh pick up will prove to uplift Miami to be a contender for years to come.
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