Miami contender or pretender??

[Amphatoast]

Wow they just got there ass whooped by anther "elite team" as in Dallas. They play the pistons on Sunday. This team is highly disappointing, they seem to can't beat the teams they supposingly suppose to beat or at least compete with. Do you guys think Miami will turn things around in the up and coming months in order to make a push for the chip or they just anther playoff team that just ain't a championship contender?

[kinokong]

see lakers 2004 only with much less success.... shaq is older and heavier, wade isn't kobe bryant plus they have some crazy personalities on this team.... equals to a 2nd round or ecf exit and a whole new shitload of retooling during the summer

[-BHZMAFIA-]

I said that they weren't going to do anything at the beginner of the year so it isn't a surprise to me. They are pretenders and they won't win a championship this year and most likely not next year either. I believe they will either lose in the 2nd round or of the Eastern Conference Finals with no competition.

[Axel]

I don't even consider them a contender. They could be good, it just seems that at times they aren't inspired to play. All I ever hear is "Pat Riley will get them to play better defense" - I haven't seen it.

They need a trade before the deadline. I would trade for someone who can shoot the 3, and defend... someone at the SF position. Right now they are getting zilch from that position. Posey only plays well in complete blowouts.

[Matthew]

Kinkong, this team isnt the 2004 lakers. Karl Malone was still serviceable and when healthy a great compliment alongside Shaq. Dwayne Wade, despite his populairty, is no kobe bryant, and Jason Williams isnt a better play than what Payton is now, let alone what he was a couple of seasons ago. Plus they had Derek Fisher on that lakers team.

As for Miami's chances, the biggest change I've seen hasnt been defensively, its been the way the ball goes into shaq much more often than when Stan Van Gundy was in charge. Riley probably noted the way Wade, Walker and Williams weren't initaiting the offense inside to shaq enough, and realised the team was heading downhill unless that changed.

You have to remember they are still in a transitional stage of their rebulding. They have time to make a run, and Detroit/ San Antonio aren't unbeatable.

[Arcane]

if they kept most of last years team but traded off 2-4 crap roster filler players from the bench they would be a contender this year. The trades they did this year weren't great and the team chemistry was lost.

[Matthew]

Dragon, thats a fair enough point. But if you look at last years team, they didnt win becuase they really only had wade as an option. Walker helps that out, but I wouldn't be starting Williams. Let Payton start and dictate the game.

[dada]

I think they would have been much better off keeping last years roster rather than this one. They had great role players who did what they had to when necessary, and Eddie was a perfect complement to Wade and Shaq. If they were still together, this years team would be a more focused bunch and the chemistry would have been 10x better. Of course, I am still of the opinion that the group they had with Lamar in Wade's first year should have never been dismantled and they would have been a force in the East with youth around this time.

[Matthew]

Theres no telling how good Butler and Wade could have become, but in that trade they did get rid of Brian Grant and Odom's salary (and i know they got shaqs in return, but shaq is worth what he gets, those 2 werent).

[dada]

Theres no telling how good Butler and Wade could have become, but in that trade they did get rid of Brian Grant and Odom's salary (and i know they got shaqs in return, but shaq is worth what he gets, those 2 werent).

I actually thought Odom fit perfectly in their offense down in Miami back then. I much preferred to se him play pf than sf because I dont have that feeling he is gonna commit an offensive foul everytime he touches the ball. I mainly liked the fact they were young and had the opportunity to mesh over a number of years. Right now, I dont like Wade as much as I used cuz Shaq has been filling his head with too much rubbish. Egos...

[Matt]

Miami's roster is really talented. Problem is, they have weaknesses that the elite teams will take advantage of.

Defense is a problem, teams will abuse the pick & roll with Shaq and J Will or Payton will not stop Billups or Parker getting into the lane (not that anyone can stop Parker). The only role player with a defined role on this team is Haslem, well i guess Mourning to.

They aren't getting enough out of Posey on either end, and A Walker does not scare anyone, he's not the same player that used to torch the Pistons in his Boston days. He can fill it up, but those days a fewer and further away.

Shaq's 20 & 9 avg will not fly against elite teams, he's gotta raise that (which is most likely will).

A long way to go, but they'll have to play at their best to win a championship....they'll have to do it on the road too.

[Andrew]

I felt like they were definite contenders last year and the fact they came within one game of the NBA Finals would suggest that was indeed a pretty good team. Not to take anything away from the Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs but take out a couple of the nagging injuries and the Heat could be defending champions. As it stands, they were a team on the brink of the Finals which is still a mark of a very good team.

But then they went and tinkered and while it looked good on paper even at the time I felt it was a risky move. Bringing in Walker addresses some problems mostly at the offensive end but changing a team that came so close to being able to play for all the marbles, as the Heat did this past offseason, opens up the opportunity of messing everything up as much as it creates the opportunity to go that next step.

This season they're dancing the fine line between contender and pretender. I still think they're capable of making a good enough run at the championship to be given pretender status but their chances aren't as good as last year and as such I'd rank them lower amongst the teams that could be called contenders this year.

[magius]

pretenders. somethings off with that lineup, it just doesnt feel right if you know what i mean. hopefully they'll prove me wrong and pin it to the injuries .... that is if shaq can turn on the magic in the playoffs.

[Arcane]

they only chose to use wade and shaq as an option they didn't use eddie jones or even zo, haslem or rasual butler to their full potential there was a huge gap between 2nd & 3rd option. Look at game 7 wade had 6 straight misses, could he have passed the ball or settled/slowed down the play and await a better shot option either by himself or fellow team mate. Miami could have honestly kept the team they had last year just learn how to really use 2-3 players as more of a key role instead of just dump it to shaq or wade and hope for the best.

On another note they did carry alot of injuries in the playoffs wade shaq ej dj weren't playing 100% healthy/fit.

[Nel]

Shaq being payed 20mn is pathetic. I think hes the main reason why the heat are struggling. Hes not in shape and keeps on bricking FT's. Zo is playing better than him and leads the league in blocks considering he came from a kidney ailment. I do know believe why kobe can't stand this guy. Too much talk and less work.

[kinokong]

I do know believe why kobe can't stand this guy. Too much talk and less work

i thought it was the other way around while he was on the lakers.... shaq and the lakers excluding fisher couldn't stand kobe

[Mazzocchi]

Pretender.
Their starting lineup is like an all-star team.
When a team has an all-star team lineup, that never works.

(that and Shaq's been hurt a lot, so that kinda sucks)

[ixcuincle]

Defense is a problem, teams will abuse the pick & roll with Shaq and J Will or Payton will not stop Billups or Parker getting into the lane (not that anyone can stop Parker). The only role player with a defined role on this team is Haslem, well i guess Mourning to.

Exactly. This team lost to the Pistons last year because of defense , and you'd think management would learn from this and get some more defense to improve themselves , because afterall , "Defense wins championships". Instead , they made an idiotic trade for more offensive players and neglected to address their weakness. Now they are 30-20. I seriously hope they miss the playoffs so I can continue to mock the franchise , either that or the Wizards surpass them for first in the division . Either one would be great.

[mark_30_112]

Pretender.
Their starting lineup is like an all-star team.
When a team has an all-star team lineup, that never works.

(that and Shaq's been hurt a lot, so that kinda sucks)

That's true it's good to have about two allstar players and the rest average but as for Miami

-Pretender

[KIG1]

PRETENDER!

[Cloudy]

Pretenders! Shaq aint bringin' no championship to Miami.

[AlwaysWhat,NeverWhy]

Any team with Shaq in the lineup come playoff time is a contender . Provided the big fella is remotely healthy. He's cruising now, he's wiser than he appears to be.

[Matt]

Their starting lineup is like an all-star team.
When a team has an all-star team lineup, that never works

Detroit?

After this season, the window for Miami has passes unless they get rid of the guys they brought in this season.

[John WB]

Ha! Serves them right. Shows how under-rated guys like Eddie Jones were for that team.

[maes]

Contender, but barely. In losing Eddie & Damon they lost two critical things for a playoff team: solid perimeter defense (in eddie, not damon) and the ability to punish teams with 3's for collapsing the paint. They're San Antonio with no Bowen, Detroit with no Tayshaun.

They gave up the future for the past: shaq, payton, walker, zo, and williams all way past their primes.