The Miami Heat are trying to keep their composure after LeBron James’s decision to take his talents back to Cleveland.
Thankfully, Pat Riley has managed to avoid a total destruction of his team, following LeBron’s departure. Chris Bosh was re-signed to a long term contract, Dwyane Wade will also be back and the Heat managed to land one of the top free agents available in the market this summer, Luol Deng. So, what lies ahead for the Heat? How far can this team really go?
It’s notable that the Heat are gradually forming their roster with valuable pieces. Even before LeBron’s departure, Miami had already brought in two quality role players, Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger.
Shortly after the announcement of The Decision V2.0 the Heat announced that they will bring back Udonis Haslem and Mario Chalmers, too. Rookie point guard Shabazz Napier will also be there to help the team and of course Norris Cole will be a main member of the rotation. In fact, Cole was the only player under contract for the Heat up until a few days ago.
Miami can now set targets for the upcoming season. For sure, the Heat won’t enter the 2014 – 2015 campaign among the top championship contenders. However, they will definitely be a playoff caliber team. Thanks to the presence of the New Big Three, Bosh, D-Wade and Deng, Miami will probably be capable of remaining competitive. On top of that, by inking Wade and Bosh to long term contracts, the Heat now have two strong pillars onboard, two stars who can emerge as true leaders of the team going forward.
In fact, during the 2014 – 2015 season Wade and Bosh will have to take on many more responsibilities for Miami, on both ends of the floor. Due to the absence of the former No.1 facilitator and finisher of the team, LeBron James, Chris Bosh will have to try and get back to a level of performance similar to the one he had during his Toronto Raptors days. Dwyane Wade will also have to take more responsibilities on offense and now, he will have to also deliver in more clutch situations.
Pat Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra will have to adjust the Heat’s plan moving forward. With several new players onboard and with the big void LeBron left behind, the team will have to alter its style of play, especially on the offensive end. The bail-out guy won’t be there anymore.
Another significant fact both coach Spo and Pat Riley will have to keep in mind is the Miami Heat’s future. At the moment, the core of the team is gradually getting older. The respective performances of Chris Bosh and Dwyane were declining over the last couple of seasons and this trend might as well continue next year. So, Pat Riley will have to gradually start building the Heat’s future, either by targeting another superstar or aiming for some first round draft picks over the next few seasons.
Ron Leyba is the content manager of Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues – premier source of fantasy basketball updates, rankings and rumors. For more of his fantasy basketball updates, follow Fantasy Basketball Money Leagues Google+ account.