Can the Heat win a title? Where do they go from here?

[Piotr Rasputin]

I figure a lot of media were saying the lakers need to blow it up (and maybe they do), but it's worth considering.

James window for winning titles is apparently over according to some of you geniuses.the Heat are only going to get better.

Are they?

Let's say next season is canceled. Unlikely, but let's say it is.

Then the next time Miami has a chance to play for a title, Wade is 31 years old, having taken a pounding his entire career. Does LeBron add anything to his two main offensive moves of "Bull to the basket!" and "Dribble around, then jack up **** with the clock winding down"?

Can OKC get that much better? Can the Lakers come back? If the Bulls get a goos shooting guard, are they world beaters?

Is the NBA more fun to watch with a clear "villain"?

Will there be a hard cap? Has anyone ever seen David Stern and Myles Brand in the same room together?

Why are we here?

 

[zagoshe]

I have a nomination of most idiotic thread of the year

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

I have a nomination of most idiotic thread of the year

But zag . . . you're the one who said they will only get better.

How so? Or are you just looking to stir the ****, as usual?

 

[TigerVols]

The simple fix is down the hall in the bigger office.

 

[YGBFKM]

The Heat should trade LeBron to Cleveland for those two top picks. Bring in some younger, hungrier players with upside.

 

[zagoshe]

They will get better because they are still young and this was their first year playing together and this experience is another step in the journey.

Terry and Dirk have played together for a lot of years without winning.

The big three will get better by playing together more.

And I think the coach will get better as well

 

[Piotr Rasputin]

They will get better because they are still young and this was their first year playing together and this experience is another step in the journey.

Terry and Dirk have played together for a lot of years without winning.

The big three will get better by playing together more.

And I think the coach will get better as well

Either by replacement or experience, the coach will get better.

I have to think they need to get deeper. Wade can't play a lot of minutes forever.

 

[PCLoadLetter]

I'd love to think the Heat will be a failure, but long term, they really should get a title out of this... and probably more than one.

It's going to be a very attractive spot for free agents. No, they can't afford guys like Chris Paul, but that's not what they need. The Heat needs better role players, and they should be able to get them.

The Heat will probably be the team to beat for a few years.

 

[slappy4428]

Oh, let's hope not

 

[JonnyD]

Depends on how well Wade and James age. I especially think James will age poorly and quickly. That's a big frame that's been going through NBA seasons for 7 years already.

 

[amraeder]

It seems to me that, more than better role players or whatever, the biggest thing the Heat need is to figure out how to run the offense with two guys on the court who need the ball in their hands. Right now, LeBron and Wade don't compliment each other on the court. They need to figure out how to change that.

 

[cjericho]

Depends on how well Wade and James age. I especially think James will age poorly and quickly. That's a big frame that's been going through NBA seasons for 7 years already.

a big frame? so if he was built like Tayshaun Prince he'd be less likely to break down? maybe i'm missing something but it would seem that LeBron just needs to have his mental game (decision making, playing with Miami, etc.) catch up to his physical game. not sure where i see him breaking down or slowing down physically.

 

[Mark2010]

Oh, sure, they'll win eventually. Too much raw talent. Even the best teams sometimes take a while to jell. I'm just glad they didn't win their first year together. Would have set a horrible precedent.

 

[LongTimeListener]

The Bulls are also going to get better. They aren't as cap-jammed and they have great appeal to free agents. If you're thinking three years out, you have to think Chicago will be better than Miami. So I think there is a finite window of opportunity that Miami has to get it done.

 

[sgreenwell]

Unless the owners create some weird CBA that would require the Heat to basically give away James, Wade or Bosh, I don't see how you can write them off as title contenders for the foreseeable future.

1) As is, with the decaying corpses of Mike Bibby, Eddie House and others at the point, they managed to get to game six of the NBA finals. The supporting cast around the core trio is probably never going to be above-average, but this year is proof it didn't have to be, as they managed to get through Chicago and Boston with surprising ease.

2) While they might get rid of the midlevel exception, the Heat can still sign minimum salary and draft picks, I would assume. They haven't been the best drafting team around, but they just need filler and rotation players as opposed to guys playing major minutes.

3) If they don't get rid of the midlevel exception, then the Heat will just pick-up a veteran a year or every two years and probably make it that way.

4) Players seem to like Lebron and Wade and Bosh, and the Heat are probably going to win 50 to 65 games a year. It's not hard to envision them recruiting some veterans who want a chance at a ring.

5) The competitive balance of the East isn't overwhelming. Boston and Orlando looks like they could be going through downturns, and Atlanta's current team has probably peaked. Chicago would be the main competitor, and they have as many "questions" as the Heat would - They rely on one player for a ton of offense (Rose), they need a shooting guard, they're near the cap and Boozer has injury woes as well.

I will say that I didn't realize Wade was already 29, so yeah, his health would be the most worrisome thing. His game is built on athleticism as opposed to fine shooting, so I wouldn't expect him to age as well as an elite shooter would (Reggie Miller, Ray Allen). That Jordan guy prolonged his career by really developing a post game, but he was also a sociopath when it came to hoops.

 

[steveu]

I don't want to see an NBA lockout. Part of me would like to see this league go away for a long time, yes, but I am thinking of the hotels, restaurants, team employees, etc., that would be hurt.

That's not the point here. You bet the owners are going to want some sort of a hard cap that breaks up the Heat or at least forces the team to give away one of the big three. I'm not a cap person by any means (witness my baseball stance on salary caps), but I could see it happening.

 

[joeggernaut]

They need to add depth, which as was said before, means adding a couple veterans and a few quality draft picks. It also wouldn't hurt if their coach gave James and Wade a little more rest during games so they can be fresh in the fourth quarter. The main reason they didn't close games well was because of fatigue after playing 48 minutes a game for a 100+ game season.

They were good enough to dominate the East and make a strong push for the title after one season and with the lack of any type of bench play. They'll only improve next year.

 

[secretariat]

The Heat don't have a first-round pick this year; it belongs to the Bulls. And I'm not sure they have one next year, either.

 

[cjericho]

They need to add depth, which as was said before, means adding a couple veterans and a few quality draft picks. It also wouldn't hurt if their coach gave James and Wade a little more rest during games so they can be fresh in the fourth quarter. The main reason they didn't close games well was because of fatigue after playing 48 minutes a game for a 100+ game season.

They were good enough to dominate the East and make a strong push for the title after one season and with the lack of any type of bench play. They'll only improve next year.

tough task in getting a few quality draft picks this year. they have 1 pick.

 

[sgreenwell]

The Heat don't have a first-round pick this year; it belongs to the Bulls. And I'm not sure they have one next year, either.

True, but they could just buy one, since you have spendthrift owners like the former Suns guy.