The Miami Heat are about to start a new era.
When you take a look at the Heat’s roster for this upcoming season, it’s hard to believe the team is just months removed from a 37-45 non-playoff season.
The roster matches up with the very best the Eastern Conference has to offer. The Heat have three former All-Stars, an emerging young center and a former All-NBA selection in its starting lineup. With the exception of a select few players such as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, the lineup looks drastically different compared to the team that took the court for the 2014 NBA Finals.
Even former Heat superstar LeBron James took notice of Miami’s strong offseason. The four-time MVP stated the following during an interview on Bleacher Report Radio:
“They’re going to be a contender. I think Miami is doing some great things. They drafted the kid out of Duke, Justise (Winslow). I think he’s going to be a really good player. They’ve added some big pieces. They signed Amar’e (Stoudemire), I saw that. And Gerald Green is a big piece, I think, as well, coming from Phoenix. And the re-signing of (Goran) Dragic, and C-B coming back, one of my good friends, he’s coming back off of injury, and by getting D-Wade back, they’re going to be a contender.”
In other words, Heat Nation is in for a treat as the team looks ready to return to contender status.
Here are the top five reasons why Heat fans should be hyped for this upcoming season.
1. Will Dwyane Wade Live Up to $20 Million?
There’s no doubt that Wade is the face of the franchise.
He has won three championships and an NBA Finals MVP during his 12 years in Miami. When he opted out of his contract which would have paid him a little over $16 million for this upcoming season, he did it with the intention that he’d receive more money and a longer commitment from the organization.
Well, he got one of the two.
Pat Riley gave the Heat superstar a $20 million salary, but on a one-year deal. This is the perfect compromise for both sides. Wade will receive the money that he coveted, and the franchise avoids locking themselves in a long-term commitment just in case Wade deteriorates as he turns 34 years old this season.
While his play may decline, that was not the case last season. Despite James departing from Miami, Wade ranked 11th in points per game while carrying a depleted Heat team.
As he enters his 13th pro season after another a year of ailments, will Wade prove to the franchise that he’s worth $20 million a year and a long-term contract for next summer?
Next: New Additions
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2. New Additions
While the Heat have one of the best all-around starting lineups for this upcoming season, it’s the additions to the bench that will lift this team into contender status.
Justise Winslow, Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire are the three big names that were added to the bench over the past couple of months. Winslow was added by way of the draft, while Green and Stoudemire were both signed as free agents. All three were steals for the Heat as Winslow unexpectedly slipped to the No. 10 overall selection, and Green and Stoudemire were both signed to the veteran’s minimum for roughly $1.5 million apiece.
In particular, Stoudemire took a huge pay cut as he earned $21 million just last season while playing for the New York Knicks and Dallas Mavericks. It is the largest pay cut for any player this season.
It is no doubt the definition of sacrifice for the sake of winning. The 13-year veteran said as much following his signing with the Heat:
“I think with Miami, it’s now time to make a push. We have a team that understands what’s there for us this year. We’ll go into training camp with that mentality (of winning) and see what we can do.”
The Heat had one of the worst benches in terms of scoring last season, as they ranked in the bottom three in the league. Adding a former All-Star, a three-point shooting specialist and a talented rookie should improve the bench in a huge way.
Next: Starting Five Healthy for First Time
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3. Starting Five Healthy for First Time
That starting five that Riley envisioned when he acquired Goran Dragic at the trade deadline last February was a nice dream, wasn’t it?
That dream never became a reality as the starting lineup of Dragic, Wade, Luol Deng, Bosh and Hassan Whiteside never saw the court together a single time last season.
This won’t be the case for the 2015-16 season as all five players enter the new season healthy. In 2014-15, coach Erik Spoelstra played 31 different starting lineups, a franchise record.
With the exception of Whiteside, every member in the lineup has a history of accolades. Collectively speaking, the group has amassed five NBA championships, 23 All-Star selections, one Finals MVP award, 10 All-NBA selections, four All-Defensive selections, one scoring title and one Most Improved Player of the Year award.
The resume speaks for itself. Now it’s time for the starting five to live up to its resume.
Next: Will Heat Live Up to the Hype?
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4. Will Heat Live Up to the Hype?
Many pundits and figures are expecting the Heat to possibly win the Eastern Conference this season. It’s not just James that expects the Heat to be contenders, but major media outlets such as ESPN have the same opinion.
Four out of five ESPN experts projected Miami to take the biggest leap of any team in the Eastern Conference for the 2015-16 season.
Ian Begley of ESPN.com detailed why the Heat should improve from last season’s abysmal record:
“Miami gets the nod over Toronto here. After a disappointing 2014-15 season, Pat Riley brought back Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade and convinced Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire to sign deals that were considered below market value. Those transactions, in addition to adding a healthy Chris Bosh, should help Miami quickly rebound after a 37-win campaign in 2014-15. Here’s hoping we get a Heat-Cavaliers series in the playoffs.”
Many had projected the Heat to remain a top-five team in the East despite losing LeBron entering last season. As injuries mounted and mid-season trades changed the look of the rotation, Miami was never able to escape mediocrity throughout much of the 2014-15 season. After December 1st, 2014, the Heat were unable to climb over the .500 mark.
It’ll be of the utmost importance for the Heat to escape their run of bad luck by starting strong next season.
Next: Cavaliers-Heat Rivalry
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5. Cavaliers-Heat Rivalry
Yes, technically this rivalry is just a year old.
While the two teams had a couple of good games last season—including two wins for the Heat over the Eastern Conference champions—the rivalry lacked real luster due to the fact that Miami was never a threat to Cleveland in the East due to their porous record.
Well, things should change this season.
Many pundits expect both clubs to be the top two teams in the Eastern Conference for the 2015-16 season.
Instead of both teams meeting in four meaningless regular season games like last season, here’s to hoping we can see a best-of-seven series in the playoffs with everything on the line.
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