Heat Preview: Dwyane's World
Perhaps the Heat should look into cloning Dwyane Wade
By JANIE CAMPBELL
Updated 10:13 AM EST, Wed, Oct 28, 2009
They're baa-aack! On the court, that is -- the Miami Heat certainly never left the headlines. (Think Eric Spoelstra wants any "what I did over the summer" reports? Not on your life.) The hot boys will take on the Knicks tonight at 7:30 to open the season, and then spend the rest of the year trying to be just good enough to convince Dwyane Wade to stick around. Here's what to expect when you're spectating.
Recap
In: Carlos Arroyo, Quentin Richardson, Shavlik Randolph
Out: Jamario Moon, Mark Blount
Previously: 43-39, 3rd in the Southeast Division
Eric Spoelstra puberty watch: any day now
Team
Make no mistake, this is still Dwyane Wade + 14 "and guests", only now half the supporting cast are nearing their expiration dates and taking a final bow. The whole shebang's built around keeping Wade and banking on major improvement from Michael Beasley to help them survive until next summer, when they can refresh the roster around Wade in free agency. Or maybe replace him with another superstar if he bolts. No one knows. And that means this team is essentially in a holding pattern until mid-2010, which isn't exactly the stuff fans' dreams are made of.
Still, you can expect Wade to be Wade, or even more Wade-like as he ramps up on and off the court for free agency, and you can expect everyone not named Beasley or Deaquan Cook to be playing like their contracts/market viability depend on it.
Because they do.
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Beasley spent his off-season working out at small forward, but it looks as if coach Eric Spoelstra is backing off that a bit: players said Beasley will replace hometown favorite Udonis Haslem in the starting lineup at power forward. It's not pleasant, because Haslem is the sort of beloved, gritty defender fans don't ever want to see benched, but it's necessary, because the Heat have to determine if Beasley is who they thought he was when they drafted his upside, or far too flaky to be their future.
Surprisingly, Quentin Richardson looks to have quickly made his way into the starting lineup at small forward, joining temporary fix Jermaine O'Neal at center and Mario Chalmers at point.
Biggest question not about Wade or Beasley
Chalmers grabbed the starting spot in last year's rookie season because there really wasn't any other option, and the Heat wanted to develop him. Results were mixed: he can steal the ball, sure, but he faded late in the season and lost his shot for uncomfortable stretches of time. His pre-season was unspectacular. Can he improve, or is this all there is?
Upgrades
AmericanAirlines now has digital menu boards, more than 500 flat-screen LCD TVs, and a 15-foot HD scoreboard (merits debatable). Some of those screens will display Twitter messages in real time. That'll end well.
Oh, and Wade's in Jordans now. Perhaps you heard?
Forecast
This is not a championship-caliber team. Chalmers wouldn't be starting on one, Dorrell Wright will shoot too much, O'Neal won't stay healthy, and acquiring Quentin Richardson is no one's answer to sweeping off-season upgrades across the East, though he's solid skill-wise. Carlos Arroyo provides depth and a push to Chalmers, and Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire provide a bit of help with the bulk the East is sending their way. But neither they nor O'Neal fill the void left by Zo or Shaq, or are likely to enjoy similar hardware.
It's not a situation you can just put a Band-Wade on: look for the Heat to hover around .500, if everything goes well.
And if it doesn't? Well, judging from recent headlines, at least this squad will be entertaining. And by next summer, it should be entirely different.
Janie Campbell believes in ballpark hot dogs, the pro-set, and a write-in vote for Udonis Haslem. For anything. Her work has appeared in irreverent sports sites around the Internet.
Copyright NBC Local Media
First Published: Oct 28, 2009 4:47 AM EST
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