With the NBA season right around the corner, Bullz-Eye.com breaks down the league, ranking each team division-by-division. Who are the likely starters? Who were the key additions and losses for each franchise this offseason? What questions does each team face as the season approaches? We’ve got it all right here, along with a look at a few impact rookies, fantasy hoops tiered rankings and some of the best and worst basketball movies of all time.
MIAMI HEAT
2005-06 RECORD: 52-30 (1st in Southeast, 2nd in Eastern Conference)
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: PG – Jason Williams, SG – Dwyane Wade, SF – Antoine Walker, PF – Udonis Haslem, C – Shaquille O’Neal
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUP: Alonzo Mourning, James Posey, Gary Payton
KEY ADDITIONS: The Heat didn’t make any major moves this offseason, going with the philosophy that if this group of players was good enough to win the title last year, then it’s good enough to win it this year. With Jason Williams coming off knee surgery and Gary Payton’s continuing decline, it’s not clear why the team didn’t go after one of the point guards (Marcus Banks, Speedy Claxton) that was available for the mid-level exception. Banks would have been an especially good fit with his accurate FG% and 3PT%, and all teams, no matter how successful, can use some new blood to keep things fresh.
KEY LOSSES: Derek Anderson wasn’t getting any playing time, so the Heat bought out his contract so he could try to find minutes elsewhere.
THE BIG QUESTION: Will the Heat hit the wall?
There weren’t too many believers in Pat Riley when he brought in Jason Williams, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker last summer, but everything worked out well in the end. The biggest challenge the Heat face this year is age. They only have two players – Wade and Haslem – that are in their prime, while the rest of the main rotation is over 30. When age hits, it usually hits fast, so Riley will have to walk the fine line between playing his vets enough to win enough games in the regular season while limiting their minutes to keep them fresh for the postseason.
2006-07 OUTLOOK: Payton is going to start at the point until Williams is healthy enough to take over. That, coupled with the games that Shaq will no doubt miss to various injuries – he’s played more than 67 games only once in the last five seasons – is going to make it difficult for the Heat to earn home-court advantage in the playoffs. Still, it doesn’t look like any of the other teams in the Southeast are ready to dethrone the champs, and with Wade and Shaq, the Heat have as good of a chance as anyone in the East to advance to the Finals. Keep an eye on Wade’s injured hand – if he shuts it down for any period of time, the team falls to the middle of the pack talent-wise, assuming O’Neal is playing, of course. If they’re both out, the Heat are in trouble.
