they are targeting Mark Blount w/the MLE...add his interior defensive presence to pair up w/Brian Grant & augment the youthful athleticism on that team, & they will have the makings to challenge for the Eastern Conference title for years...they still won't be a challenge for the top Western Conference teams though, unless they get a legitimate low post scoring presence.

i said before the playoffs that I thought that miami could win the east.

They can beat indy

and i think that they can beat detroit or nj in the east finals too.

Posted by BigSm00th:

Miami still has two big problems, one named Eddie, the other named Brian.

As long as those two guys are going to be there, they're going to be stuck in that pretty good team stage and won't be able to make a jump to a championship contender with an aging 2 and 4 with ENORMOUS contracts.

There's the MLE, which would be huge for them if they could get a center like dampier. and jones and grant are good vets that stabilize the team and know their roles. sure they over paid, but who else would mesh as well in miami? grant at the very least is a warrior down low, playing center pretty much every night at 6-8/ 6-9, which is solid. i mean, their lineup is great

pg: wade (needs to take care of the ball more and develop an outide j, but amazing baller), backup: rafer

sg: jones (solid vet, can be clutch), backup: rasual butler - good sg

sf: caron butler (regressed a bit this year - i think/thought he could be an artest clone, but he looks tiny next to artest - his defense, offense, and competitive fire seem dimmed this year, but he's pretty much the 4th option on offense: odom/wade 1a/1b, jones 3, butler 4) - butler would probably be better coming off the bench as a super sixth man

pf: odom - would be better as a SF, but great as a versatile PF still.

c: grant - should play at PF, and may return to natural position if someone like dampier can be brought to town

miami's bench is a little thin, but they dont mind

Posted by djsunyc:

miami is solid. nice young players that win at home. it's all about jelling at the right time and i think that's what happened with miami (i.e. the knicks of 99). the difference is that the knicks had enough talent to go to the finals where i think miami is done with indiana.

but i also think this is a little indicative with the roster in indiana and how so far, they just don't know how to win the big one. reggie miller is now becoming an albatross to that team. if he doesn't shoot, why is he on the floor. tinsley isn't ready to lead them to serious championship type basketball either. if artest isn't artest, then this is a 3 seed at best.

i think blount or dampier will end up in miami. sheed, if he signs for the MLE, will be with ny.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 05/13/2004 17:59:53]

very good analysis, I created a thread addressing this, the pacers have good players but they still don't know how to win yet and that is why I think the knicks are not that far off from these teams.... As far as people thinking Jones and grant are holding the team down, that is crap, those two are the heats best defensive players..Listen fellas, there is nothing wrong with having 30+ year old players on your team, the key is you win with talent, regardless of the age...

I know what you mean. 10 games into the season I thought for sure that the Knicks were better than the Heat. I was dead wrong. The Heat are one of the top 4 teams in the East

Posted by gunsnewing:

I know what you mean. 10 games into the season I thought for sure that the Knicks were better than the Heat. I was dead wrong. The Heat are one of the top 4 teams in the East

the heat had more gelling time though, with no major injuries during their final season run and into the playoffs. imagine jones and caron butler out (similar to our houston and tim thomas out). where would they be? a lot of the playoffs is a game of "who do you have healthy"

if Houston and Tim Thomas were healthy, the first round against the Nets might have been different. Shandon wouldnt have started. Shandon wouldnt have chucked up airballs. Penny could have been a 6th man. etc, etc

we know the heat will be better next year. wade is a big reason since he was always a big time player in college ( i am a kentucky fan so i know how it fells being a victim of his shooting barrage). but i agree that without odom, we probably wouldn't be talking about miami right now. odom is starting ( and i am emphasizing starting) to become the player he was destined to be three years ago. a clutch performer who is amazingly versatile enough to play every position on the floor. someone said that he is best suited as small forward but the key here is that he is a power forward in which other pf have a hard time containing him. jermaine o'neal is a very good defender but odom just beats him off the dribble to pretty much get any shot he wants. i hope this season is a springboard of better things for odom. i really liked him when he came into the league and was rooting for him but injury, egos, and bad management pushed his greatness back a few years when he was pretty much wasted in la. it is amazing what happiness can do for a player. now he is a power forward in the size deprived east and living in miami playing for a team with a very bright future. what more can you ask for?