Miami Heat

Starting Five		Player Rating
C	Shaquille O'Neal	9.5
PF	Udonis Haslem	5
SF	Rasual Butler	4.5
SG	Eddie Jones	7.5
PG	Dwyane Wade	7.5
		34

* Player Rating on a 1 to 10 Scale. 10 denotes best at position in the NBA with no weaknesses, 5 would be average player who holds his own etc.

Reserves		Position Rating
C	Michael Doleac / Zhi Zhi Wang	5
PF	Christian Laettner / Malik Allen	6
SF	Matt Freije / Dorrell Wright	4
SG	Wesley Person	6
PG	Damon Jones / Keyon Dooling	6
		27

* Ratings based on ability of bench to fill in a position. More than one backup at a position would influence the rating as would one player's ability to play multiple positions. No players signed yet for Denver.


Sep 04

Shaq is motivated and slimmed down. That's enough to get the league to worry. But is Laettner at power forward really a solution? Miami's season is going to depend on Laettner and Wesley Person assuming Shaq is his usual dominating self and Eddie and Wade replicate last year's performances.

Shaq needs to dominate on defense for this team to be really special because SF and PF are the Heat's weakest spots -- ie. Shaq will not have much help in the paint. While Laettner can hit the mid-range jumper if Shaq is doubled in the post, I doubt he can hold his own against the elite PFs (though he won't see too many in the East) much less help out when Shaq is exposed on those pick and rolls.

If Eddie loses a step and Wade's jumper is not falling, this team could be in big trouble. They'll get to 50 wins if Shaq stays away from injuries but will lose 80% of the games he sits. Expect a third seed in the East though Boston or Philly (my dark horse for this year) could knock them down a peg or two.

 

Old Post - July 04

Needs:
Shaq's coming to town! But the rest of the team is leaving, so this team needs depth badly. One guy who should be quick to sign on the dotted line could be Derek Fisher. I don't think he would be half the player he was in LA without Shaq in the middle and he probably knows it. Miami also likes to play Wade at the 2 so they definitely need a PG. Wouldn't be surprised if they tried to get Malone to come along too. At the bargain price of the veteran's minimum, he's always welcome. After that they'll grab the best talent available for the money they have left to spend.

Prediction: Most sports writers think this team automatically becomes a contender. I disagree. Wade is an upcoming star but he does not dominate his position. Shaq is not half the defender he used to be and is definitely not capable of playing tough defense for over 40 minutes a night. They will win some big games but unless they get real lucky with some good signings before the start of the season, a third seed in the East may be the best they can hope for with about 50 wins.