| Miami Enters New Season With Confidence Authored by Andrew Friedman - October 31, 2006 - 12:49 pm
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2005-2006 season. Miami has a few of the same weaknesses as last season and it should be the Heat’s priority to fix, or at least conceal, each one of them before opponents catch on.
While the Heat’s transactions the past summer weren’t nearly as bold as the previous three summers, they tell a lot about the team’s mentality heading into 2006-2007. Alonzo Mourning and Gary Payton, two future Hall of Fame champions, have every right to retire. They have each played about a decade and a half of stellar professional basketball and have each accomplished their ultimate goal of winning a title after innumerable hard-fought playoff defeats. The fact that this duo decided to resign with the Heat is a good indicator Miami’s squad truly believes it can and will repeat as NBA champions.
Miami also decided to maintain its mini-youth movement of Dorell Wright, Earl Barron and Wayne Simien. The latter two will have a tough time finding minutes behind the Heat’s loaded frontline. However, Dwyane Wade doesn’t have a definite backup, making the 2006-2007 season the appropriate stage to unveil Dorell Wright. He is already entering his third season with the club and has impressed NBA scouts every time he has gotten significant playing time, whether it’s been in the summer league or the last two games of the 2005-2006 regular season. Wright plays hard in practice, has had an extraordinary group of mentors during his two seasons with the Heat, and plays like a longer version Dwyane Wade. Though he is dealing with a preseason injury, he should be able to find his niche on the Heat in no time. Wright could also make people forget the Heat has the oldest team in the league, with seven players who will be older than 30 years old by the season’s end. The seven elderly Heat players does not include Shandon Anderson, unless the Heat decides to eventually resign the veteran swingman.
The Heat also showcased a group of undrafted rookie free agent guards during preseason. Two of them stood out enough to earn roster spots: Chris Quinn, with his outside shot and steady handles and Robert Hite with his shooting stroke and quickness. Vincent Grier showed good hustle and active defense, but ended up being Miami’s final preseason cut. All three excel in areas where the Heat do not.
The significance of the rookies’ roles is amplified as Miami looks for help at point guard depth behind 38-year-old Gary Payton and Jason Williams, who will be out until around November. Williams struggled with his shot last season due to a knee problem, but the offseason surgery he underwent should be able to relieve much of what hindered his performance and he could end up being a much more effective player once he finally heals, particularly with his three-point range.
Antoine Walker should have a bigger role this season as Shaquille O’Neal could see more of the load taken off of him. Players will need to assume more ball-handling responsibilities with Williams out and the Heat will need help scoring, meaning Walker may see more touches and may dictate the offense more than last season.
The Heat has also gone two consecutive summers without using its mid-level exception. It can use the exception throughout the season, although it may want to avoid using it to avoid the luxury tax. Several players who may be able to fill Miami’s various needs could become available and Miami will be in the best position to sign them financially. The Knicks, for instance, have let go of Jalen Rose. The Heat could use Rose’s talent on the perimeter as a handler, shooter and playmaker. He could be the answer for Miami’s needs at guard while injuries heal. Furthermore, the Heat has a history of success with ex-Knickerbockers, such as Anthony Mason, who became an All-Star with Miami, Shandon Anderson who excelled as a member of the Heat, and Pat Riley, who led the Heat to its first ever title. If the Heat doesn’t select Rose, there will surely be other options as the season progresses. Signing a proven veteran, however, shouldn’t be a necessity for a team that has retained almost its entire roster from the season prior.
As age and perimeter play, including a lack of quality shooters, weak perimeter and transition defense and a plethora of turnovers offensively continue to be among Miami’s most glaring weaknesses, chemistry shouldn’t be. Miami is returning at least 13 players from last season’s ’15 Strong.’ However, what could come with the Heat’s high-chemistry, high-confidence defending-Champion status is complacency. The Heat will almost undoubtedly feel signs of apathy during various parts of the regular season. Even last season, when the stakes were the highest and the Heat hadn’t yet one a championship, the players were criticized for playing as though they were merely going through the motions with a lack of urgency. Between Shaquille O’Neal and Pat Riley, the Heat has plenty of repeat-championship experience. Their leadership will be of utmost importance, especially during playoff time.
Teams throughout the Eastern Conference were busy this past summer, regrouping to challenge Miami. The Pistons added Flip Murray and Nazr Mohammed, which should help them offensively. While losing Ben Wallace is a major blow on the defensive end, they are now better equipped offensively. Overall the Pistons don’t look better than last season’s group, but could still pose a problem for Miami. The two advantages Miami has in this match up are that the Pistons have no answer for Dwyane Wade and may still have the same underlying acrimony in the locker room after last season’s team deteriorated.
The Bulls also made headlines over the summer by acquiring Wallace as a free agent. Chicago will surely win more games and be a higher seeded team. Be that as it may, one of the lesser-known factors that allowed the Bulls to challenge Miami in two playoff games was scoring from the center position against Shaquille O’Neal, particularly by Michael Sweetney, who shot 4 for 5 in the Bulls’ biggest win in Game 3. The Bulls caught the Heat somewhat off guard. O’Neal, on the other hand, historically shines against Ben Wallace. In fact, O’Neal’s best playoff series was against Ben Wallace last year. While Wallace may help the Bulls against 28 other NBA teams, he won’t have the same impact against O’Neal and the Heat.
Miami is continuing through what could be the final chapter of the franchise’s most grueling, yet satisfying, era. There should be only one goal in mind: defending what took more than a decade to achieve, the NBA championship. However, it’s twice as hard the second time around and Miami’s biggest threat could be the team itself. Miami needs to stay focused and play with the sense of urgency under the overwhelming talent of Wade that allowed them prevail in the 2006 playoffs. |
