The Miami Heat – Failed Experiment or work in progress?
Part I
Are LeBron James and Dwayne Wade legitimate candidates for this year’s Championship ring? Was the assembly of this star-packed team ever going to guarantee a championship for the Heat? Is the 2010-‘11 Miami Heat going to go bust?
There are a lot of questions going around the league, and the most significant one is, whether the Miami Heat’s decision to pair LeBron, Wade and Chris Bosh ever going to be fruitful? Do they stand a chance against the big three of the mighty Boston Celtics, a revamped Orlando Magic and the streaking Chicago Bulls?
The Miami Heat, having lost 5 of its last 6 games, is as confused as the fans as to what has gone wrong. When Pat Riley brought LeBron in from Cleveland amidst all the hoopla and public hype regarding ‘the decision’ and subsequently snared Bosh from Toronto, both of whom were free-agents in this off-season, word around South Beach was that this new Big Three would be guaranteed championships for the years to come, but for the Heat, this opinion hasn’t really translated onto the floor.
The team has at times looked confused to a point where, if it were a movie shoot, the director would have yelled ‘cut’. It has not been smooth sailing for Miami; there is turbulence in the water. They have blown huge leads, came up short in the clutch and had all sorts of trouble against teams with a winning record. Ever since the season started it seemed as if everyone wanted them to fail, because they bluntly refused to accept this unjust collection of All-Stars; LeBron, Wade, and Bosh. The new Big Three. And that is where the cracks first appeared.
A good team, regardless of its superstars, needs depth. Any GM is aware of that. The Center and Point Guard positions are often the most critical ones in any team, and consequently, the most difficult ones to fill out. So, while, LeBron continues his heroics on the court, amassing amazing numbers for this season again, the rest of the team have had issues. Mario Chalmers has been mediocre, the recent inclusion of Mike Bibby hasn’t helped much either. Though Wade is also posting good scoring numbers, when James goes out, they all seem confused.
It may be due to the fact he does so much for the team. He averages 26 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7 assists for the season, and can occasionally be seen playing the 1-guard position. And do we even need to get started on Chris Bosh? As talented a big man as he is, he hasn’t been quite able to translate the success he enjoyed as a Raptor here in Miami. Bosh is no more the go-to clutch performer that had become his staple in Toronto, but then again he never had to play in the shadows of arguably two of the best scorers the league has ever seen.
With the three stars taking up two-thirds of the Heat payroll, there is not much left to offer the missing pieces. Miami has not seen a lot of contribution from its bench lately, and that might just be the reason for their below-par performances and meltdowns. What it needs are role-players.
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