Controlling the Heat in Miami this NBA season
The Miami Heat's practices should be better this upcoming season than many other team's regular season games. Several off-season acquisitions, specifically from the Celtics and Grizzlies, make the Heat scary good in the East. Stan Van Gundy has a huge task ahead of him in being tasked to architect a starting lineup with a deep bench, and how to effectively corral all that talent into a cohesive, productive unit.
Even after the loss of the Joneses (veteran Eddie and rising star Damon) this is the most impressive hardcourt assembly on paper since the 2004 Lakers. Guys so good even non-fans know them by their nicknames: Diesel. Zo. White Chocolate. 'Twoine. The Glove. D-Wade.
If the team that was one game away from the NBA Finals this past April has any roster concerns, it would be the backcourt. The Heat is loaded with size with the bench being chock full of quality forwards. But the Miami guards, outside of Dwayne Wade, whose durability should allow him to set a career high for minutes played, aren't complimented by a pure shooter. The loss of Damon Jones really sacrifices a deep shooting threat
Here's my projection:
Starters
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C - Shaquille O'Neal
SG - Dwayne Wade
PG - Jason Williams
SF - Antoine Walker
PF- Udonis Haslem
Bench
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PG - Gary Payton
C/F - Alonzo Mourning
F - Wayne Simien
F/G - James Posey
F/G - Shandon Anderson