This is a pivotal year for Pat Riley and his Miami Heat. Joining recently resigned Dwayne Wade are superstars LeBron James and Chris Bosh along with Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwan Howard, this is most definitely the team to beat in the Eastern Conference. Head coach Eric Spoelstra will have his hands full finding minutes for his players but rest assured that the franchise will expect nothing less than a championship in 2010/11.
After being bounced out the 2008/09 NBA playoffs by the upstart Atlanta Hawks, the Miami Heat looked to regroup. Major decisions had to be made. Was this the beginning of the rebuilding years or was the franchise going to be able to some put together a squad capable of competing in the rough and tough Eastern Conference of the NBA. Look for the Heat to take the East with Orlando, Boston and Chicago hot on their heels.
In the offseason, the Heat drafted Arkansas alum Patrick Beverly who plays in the Greek League and Memphis forward Robert Dozier who also plays in the Greek League. The team did manage to acquire Jermaine O’Neal and Jamario Moon from the Toronto Raptors for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks. They also signed Carlos Arroya and Shavlik Randolph (later cut) and finally picked up Quentin Richardson in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Heat are sitting just one game above .500 12-11 and are struggling with a lack of depth. Dwayne Wade has pleaded with his team to bring their A-game every night but the team and its head coach are still trying to find the character of this team. Will they be able to pull through and come together as a team to take on the mighty Eastern Conference? Only time will tell and you can be there in the front row when you get your Miami Heat Tickets to the next game. Come on out and support your Miami Heat!
The Miami Heat came into the league in the 1988 expansion with the Charlotte Hornets and has been one of the most successful expansion teams ever fielding 13 of 21 teams that made it into the playoffs. In their short time, they have won 7 Division Titles, 1 Conference Title, and 1 NBA Championship.
They were the first NBA team in the state of Florida and hired Ron Rothstein who resigned before the beginning of the 1991-92 season. The franchise would hire Kevin Loughery who stayed on through the 1995 season when the team hired Pat Riley to be the new President and Head Coach. Riley would shake up the team and the city of Miami by sending Glen Rice and Matt Geiger and a host of other players to the Hornets in exchange for Alonzo Mourning.
It would take until 2006 before all the pieces of the puzzle were in place for a championship run after the acquisition of Shaquille O’Neal and featured stars Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton and Antoine Walker, all first time champions.
They would be unable to repeat due to injury and in 2007; Shaq left the team to join the Phoenix Suns. After posting the worst record in franchise history, the Heat drafted Michael Beasley with the #2 overall pick in the 2008 draft. They also selected forward Darnell Jackson and Kansas Guard Mario Chalmers.
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