Heat Turn To Next Season
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – The sting of losing the NBA Finals may still be fresh with the Miami Heat and their fans, but the team now must look to next season and learning from the lessons they faced during the 2011 NBA season.
But before they move on, there will be a few things the Heat tuck away in their memory for next season. At the top of the list may be billionaire Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert. The Cavs owner took to Twitter following the Heat's Game 6 loss to take a shot at the Heat and LeBron James.
"Old Lesson for all: There are NO SHORTCUTS. None," Gilbert tweeted.
The message was not without some irony considering he bought the Cavs with LeBron hoping to win a title through no roster building of his own, and then got mad when LeBron chose to leave for a better team. But that's been Gilbert's modus operandi all season, much like a petulant child.
Then there's Mo Williams of the L.A. Clippers who tweeted, "Dallas just healed my Heart." This is the same Williams who played with LeBron on the Cavaliers just last year, celebrating being a lowly-Clipper by cheering for the Heat to lose.
And for LeBron, he has faced the most hatred, scrutiny, media pressure of any athlete in recent memory for simply choosing to play for a better team. Needless to say, he's been frustrated all season by the fan reaction and took aim at all of the people who hoped he would be a disaster in Miami.
"All the people that were rooting for me to fail, at the end of the day, tomorrow they have to wake up and have the same life that they had before the woke up today," James said. "And I'm going to continued to live the way I want to live and continued to do the things I want to do."
The Heat will now turn towards the new season and will be looking to upgrade the roster surrounding Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, and Mike Miller. The obvious positions of interest will be point guard and center.
Among the point guards that will be available for the Heat via free agency (depending on the free agency rules in the new collective bargaining agreement that has still not been finalized) are: T.J. Ford; J.J. Barea; Earl Boykins; Andre Miller; and others.
Barea and Ford would be two of the more intriguing options, especially considering how Barea torched the Heat in the Finals. But he's likely to re-sign with Dallas and become their starter. Ford commanded a high price this season, but was a reserve option and would likely be a decent backup in Miami.
At the center position, there are some big names, but they are likely to command big contracts. At the top of the list is Marc Gasol of the Grizzlies. He's a restricted free agent and Memphis will match any offer outside of a max contract and probably even that one.
Besides Gasol, Tyson Chandler of the Mavericks will hit free agency but will also command a high price and has no love lost for the Heat. Then there's Samuel Dalmebert. The 6'10", 250 pound center has averaged 8 points and 8 rebounds for his career and would bring toughness to the center position.
But, Miami may not have the cash to get Dalembert. On the other hand, he's from Haiti and South Florida has a big Haitian population and is the closest NBA city to Haiti, which can't hurt the Heat's chances.
Plus, if Dalembert wants to win a championship, joining up with the Big Three and company would be the quickest way to that goal.
At power forward, there are a few options including: Glen Davis; Andrei Kirilenko; and others that could add rotational power to the Heat's front line.
Small forwards will be at a premium as the Heat needs someone to give LeBron a breather in games, especially during the playoffs. Grant Hill, Tayshaun Prince, James Jones, and others will be available at the position.
Then there's the NBA Draft, which Heat president Pat Riley has almost given up on in the past few years to attain the Big Three. The Heat have the first pick of the second round and could have some big names sitting there for them that could help the team out.
Nolan Smith, who commanded the Duke Blue Devils for most of the 2010-2011 season could be available. He's a 6'4", 190 pound combo guard who can run the point at a high level. Another Duke star could also be in play, small forward Kyle Singler. He's a shooter who was consistent as a Blue Devil. He's no star, but is a great role player.
The Draft's biggest player, USC center Nikola Vucevic could be on the board when the Heat picks and if he is, he may get picked in a hurry. Vucevic stands 7-feet and weighs 260 pounds. He'd bring a limited offensive game but decent rebounding and a physical presence to the Heat's front line.
