Hey fellow NBA and Heatles fans! The last time I checked, Miami Heat was steaming 12-4 this season. No season opener nightmares, no 9-8 scores, no serious player injuries (Curry's back, FINALLY!) and no over hyped clutch issues. So far this season, we have witnessed Heat win without wade and LeBron, LeBron improve his post play, and the general consensus of both wade and LeBron to fire fewer threes. And, of course, that the Miami bench is second to none. Miller made an emphatic comeback in Heat's blowout of San Antonio Spurs, and Curry resurrected his claim why he was regarded as one of the best back-to-the-basket scorers during his days in New York.
So the Miami roster as of January 21st, 2012 goes like this :
PG - Chalmers, Norris cole
SG - Wade, Mike Miller, James Jones, Terrel Harris
SF - LeBron, Shane Battier
PF - Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem
C - Joel Anthony, Eddy Curry, Juwan Howard, Dexter Pittman, Mickel Gladness
Last year, Heat tried as many as 7 - yes, 7 Centers, who could do anything but play ball. So the Canadian , Anthony, who had averaged 2 PPG, started for Heat in the playoffs. Sure, Miami is a defense first team, but they generally were playing 4 -on -5 Basketball while on offence. This year though, with Curry back in line up and looking more dedicated and fit than ever, Heat have a solid Center, who can score and a big body for defending guys like Bynum and Howard. I'm confident that the Heat culture and work ethic will make Curry relevant again and he'll be the starter in a few more weeks. And of course, there is no way that the Curry deal could ever explode on Riley's face. At worst, it would be another million dollar down the drain, which could have otherwise been wasted on guys like Dampier.
The Heatles also hit the jackpot when they drafted the rookie Norris Cole as the no. 28 overall pick. So far, he has won them a game against Boston, and there have been plenty of speculations about him replacing Chalmers as the starting PG(which obviously, is not what the Heat want, as Chalmers is comparatively a better 3 Pt. threat). So all in all, they seem to have solved their PG and C dilemmas. Apart from these, Heat now have Battier, who is an exceptional defender and a consistent 3 Pt. shooter, and a fit career 40% shooter in Miller.
LeBron now has everything he could ask for, post presence, perimeter threat and slashers. There is NO WAY Heat won't win the championship this season, and if they don't, LeBron has absolutely no excuse this time.
So the Miami roster as of January 21st, 2012 goes like this :
PG - Chalmers, Norris cole
SG - Wade, Mike Miller, James Jones, Terrel Harris
SF - LeBron, Shane Battier
PF - Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem
C - Joel Anthony, Eddy Curry, Juwan Howard, Dexter Pittman, Mickel Gladness
Last year, Heat tried as many as 7 - yes, 7 Centers, who could do anything but play ball. So the Canadian , Anthony, who had averaged 2 PPG, started for Heat in the playoffs. Sure, Miami is a defense first team, but they generally were playing 4 -on -5 Basketball while on offence. This year though, with Curry back in line up and looking more dedicated and fit than ever, Heat have a solid Center, who can score and a big body for defending guys like Bynum and Howard. I'm confident that the Heat culture and work ethic will make Curry relevant again and he'll be the starter in a few more weeks. And of course, there is no way that the Curry deal could ever explode on Riley's face. At worst, it would be another million dollar down the drain, which could have otherwise been wasted on guys like Dampier.
The Heatles also hit the jackpot when they drafted the rookie Norris Cole as the no. 28 overall pick. So far, he has won them a game against Boston, and there have been plenty of speculations about him replacing Chalmers as the starting PG(which obviously, is not what the Heat want, as Chalmers is comparatively a better 3 Pt. threat). So all in all, they seem to have solved their PG and C dilemmas. Apart from these, Heat now have Battier, who is an exceptional defender and a consistent 3 Pt. shooter, and a fit career 40% shooter in Miller.
LeBron now has everything he could ask for, post presence, perimeter threat and slashers. There is NO WAY Heat won't win the championship this season, and if they don't, LeBron has absolutely no excuse this time.
