Written by Chris O’Dell
With the new NBA season right around the corner, it’s still hard to believe what Pat Riley pulled off in Miami.This past summer for the Miami Heat has looked like a video game franchise straight out of “NBA Live.” Get rid of everybody, convince three of the best players in the league to sign for less than market value and form an All-Star team in South Beach.However, despite LeBron James and Chris Bosh joining current Heat player Dwayne Wade in Miami, the Heat still won’t win the championship this season. Several reasons stand out for the Heat’s future playoff upset.For starters, the Miami Heat still isn’t the best team in the league. It might have the best trio in the NBA, but a team effort is needed to win championships, and that is something the Heat desperately lacks right now.Take away two superstars in James and Wade and one forward in Bosh, and the Heat is left with a well-below-average supporting cast. If the Heat matches up against a dominant defense, it might end up looking like three-on-five for a quick postseason exit.The Los Angeles Lakers are still the most complete and talented team in the league. Not only have the Lakers won back-to-back championships, but they also have the most reliable and clutch player in the game today: Kobe Bryant. Bryant takes his share of heat from the media, but he has accomplished more in his career than LeBron could hope to do with a Playstation controller, “NBA 2K11” and weeks of free time.Not only do the Lakers have Bryant to rely on, but they also boast one of the league’s best big men in Pau Gasol and the best supporting cast in basketball. The combination will prove too much for three players (two who have yet to accomplish anything in the postseason) to overcome by themselves. Another reason for the Heat’s inevitable demise is LeBron James himself.Not only do James’ and Wade’s basketball games collide on the court, James has been used to being the big guy for his entire career. In Miami, James will have to accept that he is joining Wade’s team and will now be demoted to No. 2 on his team.The self-proclaimed “King James” has never shown hopes of postseason greatness. The only thing James is the king of right now is winning meaningless regular season awards that don’t translate to postseason success.So can LeBron, Wade and Bosh really carry an entire team to 16 playoff wins against the likes of Kobe and the Lakers, the Boston Celtics or Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic? Not only is it doubtful the Heat takes down the defending champion Lakers, I find it difficult to see the Heat as a top-three team. The Lakers, Celtics and Magic are three teams more equipped for a championship run in 2010-2011. Couple that with the danger of teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks, San Antonio Spurs and Chicago Bulls, and the Heat might be an average team come playoff time in the NBA.The Miami Heat might soon become another lesson for NBA personnel that forming All-Star teams doesn’t translate to championship rings. How long will the Heat last before the team is blown up and rebuilt from the ground up?
