LeBron James took his ball and went home…and Miami fans should thank him. If you like actual basketball (not that non-stop isolation offense crap), you’re going to love this team. Also, since you got rid of LeBron, you probably got rid of most of the bandwagon fans who did nothing but jack up the price of tickets (and cause the remainder of NBA fans to hate your fanbase).
Miami probably won’t be in the NBA Finals this season, but I like the team they put together. They spent their cap money pretty well. They may have overpaid Chris Bosh, but we’ll see what kind of player he is without LeBron. He could be worth every penny.
We will be posting a team preview for every team up until the start of the regular season.
Here is the 2014-15 NBA season preview for the Miami Heat.
2013-14 Win/Loss Record: 54-28
Key Additions: SF Luol Deng, SF Danny Granger, PF Josh McRoberts, PG Shabazz Napier, PG Shannon Brown, SG Andre Dawkins, SF James Ennis & SF Shawne Williams
Key Losses: SF LeBron James, SG Ray Allen, SF Michael Beasley, SF James Jones, PF Rashard Lewis, SF Shane Battier & C Greg Oden
Projected Starters: Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade & Mario Chalmers
Fantasy Sleeper: SF Danny Granger – He’s a starter for Miami, but I expect him to play around 20 minutes per game. He’s a former All-Star who has a year under his belt post-knee surgery. He won’t play at an All-Star level again, but he’s worth a late-round flyer.
Team Analysis: Hey, Miami fans. Take a deep breath. You’re no longer the villains of the NBA.
I’ve hated on Miami a lot the last few years. A lot of it comes from the fact I’m a Pacers fan. Miami & Indiana had some memorable battles. I can now look back at them fondly. It won’t quite be the same without that vitriol. I actually like this year’s team.
First off, they have two former Pacers on the team. Danny Granger was the lone shining light on the Pacers during the ‘White Boy’ years. Also, I’ve had a man crush on Josh McRoberts for a few years. You can read this poorly-written post I wrote about him four years ago. I was drinking a lot back then and I think that one slipped by the proofreading ninja.
Miami might hit a few rough patches this season, since they will be trying to find themselves as a team. It’s clearly still Dwyane Wade’s team (in theory), but Chris Bosh will take on a larger role. I expect Bosh to have a career year and go into ‘eff you’ mode when the Heat face the Cavs this season.
Also, I have a feeling Birdman and McRoberts will be super ‘bros’ by the end of the year.
Miami will be a team I check out on NBA League Pass often.
2014-15 Wins Over/Under Betting Line: 43.5 (Prediction: OVER)
2014-15 Projected Win/Loss Record: 44-38 (5th in Eastern Conference)
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About the Author…
Bobby Roberts (otherwise known as Sweetbob) is the creator of ‘America’s White Boy’ and contributor at Project Shanks. His writing has been featured on ESPN’s ‘SportsNation’, Sports Illustrated’s Hot Clicks, Guyspeed, and various other sites. You can follow him on Twitter at @Sweetbob.