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Who poses the greatest threat to the Heat?

Barkley: "There's a very short list of teams that can actually win the championship. I think Brooklyn is interesting. You have to wonder how much Paul (Pierce) and Kevin (Garnett) have left in the tank. I think that's going to be a great story line to watch. I think the Pacers — the Pacers are legit. The Pacers are flat out legit. I think you've got to figure out how well (Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell) Westbrook is going to come back to see what Oklahoma City has. But I think the big question marks — what we're talking about — to me is going to go down to the Dwight (Howard) story, which is fascinating, but the big key to me is going to be the Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan (story line) and how they got better as players. (The Clippers have) all the other pieces, they just don't have inside guys who can get their own shots and dominate. That's all they're missing.

Are the Clippers title contenders?

Barkley: "Obviously, Doc (Rivers) is a good coach, and I like them getting (free agent center) Byron Mullens. I think that was a sleeper pickup. But it's going to come down to Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. Have they gotten better as players? All that other stuff is irrelevant. That role player stuff (the Clippers landed Jared Dudley, J.J. Redick, Antawn Jamison and Darren Collison and re-signed Matt Barnes), that don't mean anything. It's going to come down to how much better Blake and DeAndre have gotten as players, but I do like the Mullens pickup. That was a steal. … But unless Blake and DeAndre have gotten better as players, they're not going anywhere."

Kerr: "I think it was really good timing (to part ways with former coach Vinny Del Negro and sign Rivers). I think Paul and Griffin are ready to take that next step. And I think Doc adds so much credibility. And he's legitimately such a good coach that I think he could help get them to the next level — whatever that means. (It's) not necessarily to win the whole thing, but to be a better playoff team, to be more efficient, more difficult to guard. I think he'll make them better and they'll be in the hunt. I worry about their frontcourt. I don't think they have enough behind Griffin and Jordan. They're counting on Antawn Jamison and maybe Mullens, and those guys may fit in and find their roles. But to me they're one player short in the frontcourt."

Sam Amick, USA Today