will the heat be extinguished?

will the heat be extinguished?

The Miami Heat finished the 2013 season falling short of a 3rd straight title, losing the to the San Antonio Spurs in 5 games in the NBA Finals. It wasn’t looking good for Miami, Dwyane Wade looked old and out of shape, Lebron was burnt out, and they couldn’t really find scoring anywhere else. The Miami Heat finished the season with a 54-28 record which was second best in the East. After sweeping the Hornets, the Heat beat the Nets in 5 games, then defeated the struggling Pacers in 6 games to advance to their 4th straight finals. Going into the offseason the goal for the Heat was to keep the big 3 in south beach.
First we will start with the draft where Miami had the 26th pick. As the draft when on Lebron was tweeting about his favorite draft prospect Shabazz Napier. Everyone knew the Heat were going to draft him if he was still available at 26. With the 24th pick the Hornets selected one Shabazz Napier. The heat took little time to work out a trade to get him. The heat gave up the 26th pick and two 2nd round picks. I personally don’t like the move as it didn’t seem like they drafted the prospect they wanted, but it was rather a desperate move to try and keep Lebron in Miami.
Shabazz is a solid point guard and a National Champion. “He has been the league guard since his sophomore year and has a ton of experience, which is why he projects to be a backup point guard in the NBA. His lack of athleticism hurts his stock, but he can score at a high level and should be a high second-round pick with the possibility of sneaking into the late first round.”-WalterFootball.com. Shabazz is a good player but his athleticism or lack there of, is going to hurt. I think he might even be starting sometime soon. Now on to Free Agency where the Heat were one of the most active teams in the NBA.
The first move the Heat made was signing Josh McRoberts to a 4 year 23 million dollar deal. Mcroberts had his best season last year with the Hornets in 2013. He is a great passer for a big man with 4.3 assists, and also is a great dunker. He should be a solid starter for the Heat and should compliment Chris Bosh really well.
In the Offseason Lebron held the NBA hostage on which team he was going to. On a Friday morning July 11 everyone woke up to Lebron’s Sports Illustrated article stated “He is coming home to Cleveland.” Once news broke out, Chris Bosh heavily considered taking a max deal from the Houston Rockets. Chris Bosh decided to resign with the Heat on a max 5 year 118 million. I like the move as they needed to bring back Bosh. He consistently averaged 20+ points in Toronto and his stats dropped when he joined the superstars in Miami. His long range jump shot has improved and he has stated he will be going back to the post. I think his stats will improve now being the main scoring option on offense with Lebron gone.
Next move the Heat made was resigning the last player from the Big 3. Dwyane Wade resigned with the Heat on a 2 year 31.5 million dollar deal. I never expected him to leave when he opted out, and it was nice to see him take a 11 million dollar pay cut. This offseason he needed to get back in shape as during the playoffs he looked out of shape since he was rehabbing his knee. His points have slowly declined since averaging 30 in 2008 and this season was the first time Dwyane averaged under 20 points since his rookie season. I expect him to bounce back and have a better season.
Next move was resigning starting Point Guard Mario Chalmers. The Heat resigned Chalmers for 2 years 8.3 million. Chalmers is a good starter and should see an increase in touches without Lebron. I like the signing by the Heat.
Next signing was Lebron’s replacement Luol Deng who signed a 2 year 20 million dollar deal. Deng is a solid scorer, rebounder and is a great defender. He is a great piece and Lebron’s replacement. Also the Heat picked up a backup for Deng in Danny Granger. Grangers signed a 2 year 4 million dollar deal and should be a solid backup for the Heat.
Last free agent move was resigning the long time Heat member Udonis Haslem. It was a 2 year 5.5 million dollar deal. This move is my favorite out of them all. Haslem has spent his entire career in Miami and has been a solid player for them and I love the loyalty he has shown by staying in Miami when he could of made more money elsewhere.
So what to expect from the Heat in 2014? The Heat replaced Lebron with 200+ million dollars in free agency. The Heat traded a star with depth. The Heat will snag the 5th seed in the East. The East has improved a ton and the Heat will find themselves in the thick of it. I don’t see this team going past the second round, but the Heat could make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. The biggest X-Factor to me is Chris Bosh. Now that he is one of the major leaders on the team he has to take over the scoring load and has to be a superstar. This team will go as far as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh take them. Have a Great day!

will the heat be extinguished?