Where will Miami be next year?

[NO-KG-AI]

I think they would be better served trading Marion for some size, even if it's a few big upper tier role players. I don't think Beasley is nearly as bad defensively as people want to pretend, but I just can't see Miami doing anything significant if one of Beasley or Marion have to guard someone like Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan....

[BrettNYK]

Florida

Good prediction.

I think that they'll be around the fifth seed... I'd be surprised if they don't make the playoffs (Assuming that Wade plays 60 games or so). They terribly underachieved last year, and with a healthier Wade they'll be much better. Beasley, Marion, and Wade are all going to be very good next year. They'll make the playoffs in a weak East.

[Flash3]

5-8, unless we can land a starting C or a better PG ( Felton?).

But, we've yet to sign any FAs, use our MLE, complete any trades etc.

We've DEFINITELY improved since the season ended, that's for sure!

[CB4MiamiHeat]

Low playoff seed. Marion is more or less useless without someone to create a shot for him. It'll be a two man team with Wade and Beasley and Marion will occasionally have a good game here and there.

well we have Wade to create for him....... Wade assisted a lot of his shots, but Marion deserves credit for moving well without the ball, he made it easy for Wade to get assists..its a two way street. Same with Nash, he gets all the credit for making Marion "better"..but Nash did play better with Marion, than he did with Shaq..much better. And before that, i guess Marbury was making him better right? Come on..

And about the Heat, maybe im a homer..but with Zo coming back, i think we are about even with Orlando as 4th in the conferece..Orlando is also a team that relies heavily on their Big 3.

[AgEnT50]

As of right now. . .this is the top-8 in the east in my eyes

1)Boston
2)Detroit
3)Orlando
4)Cleveland
5)Toronto
6)Washington
7)Miami
8)Milwaukee

[AgEnT50]

Low playoff seed. Marion is more or less useless without someone to create a shot for him. It'll be a two man team with Wade and Beasley and Marion will occasionally have a good game here and there.

well we have Wade to create for him....... Wade assisted a lot of his shots, but Marion deserves credit for moving well without the ball, he made it easy for Wade to get assists..its a two way street. Same with Nash, he gets all the credit for making Marion "better"..but Nash did play better with Marion, than he did with Shaq..much better. And before that, i guess Marbury was making him better right? Come on..

And about the Heat, maybe im a homer..but with Zo coming back, i think we are about even with Orlando as 4th in the conferece..Orlando is also a team that relies heavily on their Big 3.

Yes u are...
Orlando has beat the Heat 8 times in a row. The HEAT are not on the same level as the Magic, even with a healthy D-Wade

[Wade2k6]

I'd say when healthy they're about a 5th seed. Healthy Wade is a top 5 player in the game, Haslem could be a great role player off the bench. Marion is an all-star SF and fit the team great or be packaged to land a legit C. Either way you look at it, the team is much better. Not only because beasley and Chalmers came along, but also because we will see Wade-Marion-Haslem healthy to start the season.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

Yes u are...
Orlando has beat the Heat 8 times in a row. The HEAT are not on the same level as the Magic, even with a healthy D-Wade

cmon were talking about a whole new team here, not a Dleague team ...

I think its gonna be a good race for the division..

[kookie_819]

Low playoff seed. Marion is more or less useless without someone to create a shot for him. It'll be a two man team with Wade and Beasley and Marion will occasionally have a good game here and there.

well we have Wade to create for him....... Wade assisted a lot of his shots, but Marion deserves credit for moving well without the ball, he made it easy for Wade to get assists..its a two way street. Same with Nash, he gets all the credit for making Marion "better"..but Nash did play better with Marion, than he did with Shaq..much better. And before that, i guess Marbury was making him better right? Come on..

And about the Heat, maybe im a homer..but with Zo coming back, i think we are about even with Orlando as 4th in the conferece..Orlando is also a team that relies heavily on their Big 3.

Call me a homer, but I actually have the Magic as the 2nd seed after Detroit makes their inevitable trades...

Also, Orlando probably will not be relying as much on the big 3 as they did last season... We're gonna get Battie back, Lee is going to be an instant contributor off the bench or as a starter, Nelson showed his effectiveness against Toronto's suposedly better PGs, and we also have the MLE this offseason, which will probably go to signing a big man.

We really focused on our starting lineup last season because our bench basically sucked, but with added guys and guys back from injuries, we will have a great rotation.

[Rampage]

Defentily

I see people here butcher the word definitely all the time, especially by adding an 'a' in for some reason, but that spelling you have there is highly creative.

[mattyj]

They will probably make the playoffs...but Sooky La La Wade will probably get another injury (like that shoulder injury that required a wheel-chair) and miss most of the season...Beasley is overhyped, wont have a rookie season anywhere near what Durant did...

[magicman123]

new coach, possibly 2 rookies starting, marion doesnt have nash to feed him easy baskets all night, wade might miss several games like he has the last 2 years, not much depth right now, i seen them fighting for the last couple playoff spots

[GameTime_3]

Sorry guys but the heat tanked last year. This year your adding a R.O.Y type player, a player in marion that plays(Shaq was misssing in action) and a new coach that likes to score. Overall, they are a middle of the pack team and anybody that does not see that is crazy.

[tsherkin]

I think they would be better served trading Marion for some size, even if it's a few big upper tier role players. I don't think Beasley is nearly as bad defensively as people want to pretend, but I just can't see Miami doing anything significant if one of Beasley or Marion have to guard someone like Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan....

Agreed on all accounts; more size is extremely important and Beasley on Duncan or Garnett would bea disaster of epic proportions... through little fault of Beasley's. Even Marion, an excellent defender, was routinely smashed by those guys, they are former MVPs who know how to score from various spots on the floor.

[Flash3]

new coach, possibly 2 rookies starting, marion doesnt have nash to feed him easy baskets all night, wade might miss several games like he has the last 2 years, not much depth right now, i seen them fighting for the last couple playoff spots

considering marion put up better/identical stats to what he did in Phx, this is a moot point.....

[Heatmagic84]

Lots of holes to fill and questions to answer.

I see the Heat fighting for the last couple spots as it stands. Let's see how things play out as we get closer to the season.

[magicfan4life05]

cmon were talking about a whole new team here, not a Dleague team ...

I think its gonna be a good race for the division..

Sorry guys but the heat tanked last year. This year your adding a R.O.Y type player, a player in marion that plays(Shaq was misssing in action) and a new coach that likes to score. Overall, they are a middle of the pack team and anybody that does not see that is crazy.

agreed

The heat came out huge in the draft with two players who will produce right now (one of them expected to put up 20/10 right away and the other was considered the best defensive pg in the draft who can take and hit big shots ie ncaa championship game). I expect them to make some moves in FA like trades to fill in the remaining holes. IMO Riley is once again proving he can rebuild a team on the fly.

BTW Although their new coach will be in his first year, but this guy has been molded into head coaching material since he got to miami. They've been grooming him to be their 'heir apparent' for a while, and I've heard so many people say he's a great coach from SVG, JVG, Riley, and a couple of others, who know what they are talking about. I think he's gong to do a great job, When watching a couple of his practices on tv (one of those nbatv behind the scenes thing), I just get the feeling the guy has been there before, he has the authority needed, and he's going to be a successful coach for them. Staying 'in family' was a great decision for them, he's going to have a mix of Riley philosophy but with more offensive imagination. I believe he will be very successful this season and onward with the Heat. He wasn't just any assistant hiring that usually goes on in the league, this guy was made to coach, has been learning under the best while waiting for this job, and once he gets experience will be a top one IMO.

IF miami has a solid FA period, they will be right there in the thick of it all in the Eastern Conference.

[PurpleTestament]

As of right now. . .this is the top-8 in the east in my eyes

1)Boston
2)Detroit
3)Orlando
4)Cleveland
5)Toronto
6)Washington
7)Miami
8)Milwaukee

Miami ahead of Atlanta? I also think Chicago could be on the rise again so Miami will probably be back in lottery purgatory again unless the unlikely event of Wade remaining uninjured for the season happens.