2014-2015 Season Previews: Miami Heat Q&A
To help get ready for the 2014-2015 NBA season Pelican Debrief is going through each of the 30 NBA team’s with help from other Fansided NBA sites. Today we are joined by Wes Goldberg, editor of All U Can Heat, Fansided’s Miami Heat blog. Wes talks Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and more as the Heat move on from LeBron James.
1. Obviously losing LeBron James is a big deal and hurts in a lot of areas but where does it hurt the Heat most heading into this season?
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Wes: There was a certain mentality on the team the four years that “Hey, LeBron will bail us out.” That’s why you saw a lack of urgency so often from the league’s most talented team. That mentality really exposed itself last season, and LeBron didn’t have enough to beat the San Antonio Spurs all by himself. However, the Heat will obviously miss his greatness. It’s going to be an adjustment to see if Wade can reclaim alpha-dog status, or if Bosh can become that player. The team is facing an identity crisis.
2. At this point in their careers Chris Bosh is probably the better player than Dwyane Wade. Do you expect the Heat to play that way or to try and let the Heat lifer in Wade try and carry the scoring load early?
Wes: Erik Spoelstra has always called Chris the most important player on the team, and that will be exponentially more visible this season. Offensive sets will revolve around his spacing as opposed to LeBron’s gravity while posting up. No one will “carry” the scoring load, as the Heat will try to replicate San Antonio’s ball movement. The real question is: Who gets the ball at the end? Plays will be designed for Bosh to score as much as he wants, but do you think Dwyane’s giving the rock up without a fight?
3. The Heat tried to manage Wade’s games and minutes last year and it didn’t work out in the Finals. Do you expect them to do something similar again this year? How many games does he play?
Wes: The Heat did manage the games Wade played, but when he did play it seemed they had no limit on his minutes. That seemed strange to me, and it’s something I don’t think will continue. With Danny Granger, Shabazz Napier and James Ennis in the fold (and Chalmers taking reps at the 2), I expect some kind of minutes cap for Wade. The Heat will be hoping for something around 70-75 games this season.
4. The Heat added some nice pieces in Loul Deng and Josh McRoberts in free agency. Which has the bigger impact this season?
Wes: Look, I love me some McRoberts. I was absolutely stoked when the Heat signed him. He could have a Boris Diaw-like impact. But Deng is the more proven player and, if I’m betting money on this question, I’m going with him. Oh, and don’t forget that he has a giant chip on his shoulder this season after being rejected by the Bulls, traded to the Cavs and slandered by the Hawks. Deng smells blood.
5. What is the best case scenario for the Heat? The worst? What do you think the Heat do this season?
Wes: Miami’s ceiling is the Eastern Conference Finals. They will need the playoffs to break in their favor, and if Wade is healthy and they get significant contributions from their role players they could get there. The worst-case is that their odd bunch of role players (who were mostly relevant 2-3 years ago) doesn’t pan out, Wade is inconsistent and the team struggles to a 6-8 seed. I see the Heat getting a top 5 seed in the playoffs and getting through the first round before a very competitive second round.