Heat a Team of Uncertainty

Dwyane Wade is coming back, and he's healthy. That's about the only thing that you can say with certainty for the 2008-09 Miami Heat.

After losing Shaquille O'Neal in a midseason trade in February 2008 and playing Wade in vain as he struggled with knee problems from the previous season, the Heat are hoping to come back somewhere near the place they were when they unexpectedly won the NBA championship in 2006. Much has changed, but much has also remained the same. Pat Riley's not the head coach anymore (again), but they have a new head coach that was a long-time assistant and Riley's right-hand man in Miami (Erik Spoelstra). Udonis Haslem is around and Alonzo Mourning is, too.

Outside of seeing whether Wade is truly coming to his original, dynamic form, many eyes will be on the likes of Shawn Marion and Michael Beasley, the No. 2 pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. Marion, being as versatile as he is, will finally get to play with a healthy Wade, which will keep Marion productive as his compliment. Beasley, a taller and more skilled version of Marion, will be sure to make a significant impact, and the three of them may be a really productive trio on the perimeter and near the paint.

That makes four starters named thus far in Wade as the team's premier shooting guard, Marion and Beasley sharing interchangable duties at small and power forward, with Haslem moving over and taking the center spot as his own. Point guard remains the issue of the Heat, and the dark horse starter could very well be Chris Quinn, the scrappy point guard from Notre Dame. While not a "name" player that immediately comes to mind, his play in spot duty over the past two seasons has been quite productive and steady. Rookie Mario Chalmers from Kansas University is the favorite, but he may not be to Spoelstra's particular liking in experience, but his talent is undeniable. Former lottery pick Marcus Banks has yet to really blossom with the Heat (or with the Phoenix Suns or with the Boston Celtics), but he may still do well in a backup role as a scorer of some kind.

The bench is really a bigger concern, and size is a really big concern. Joel Anthony is a project, still, Mark Blount isn't highly productive and Jamaal Magloire has deteriorated drastically in the past three seasons, so his positive contributions aren't a sure thing. There are some silver linings in the pine in a few other players. Daequan Cook comes to mind as a potential high-scoring sixth man and Wade clone in his scoring and tenacity. James Jones has also joined the Heat as the three-point shooter Miami has needed ever since they let Jason Kapono go to the Toronto Raptors in 2007. Yahkouba Diawara will be a valued defender and Dorell Wright is still expanding his game, since being drafted as a high school prospect in the first round of the 2004 NBA Draft.

All in all, Miami will contend for a playoff spot, but unless Riley pulls off a great trade, gets more size and deepens the bench, it can be certain that the Heat will not be in championship form for the season.