Editor's Note: As the NBA season approaches and with NBA training camps opening up at the end of the month, Timberwolves.com wanted to give fans a little refresher on what has been a busy offseason. For the next two weeks, we'll be releasing season outlooks for teams throughout the NBA.
Dane MizutaniWeb Editorial AssociateEmail / TwitterOverview: The Miami Heat failed last season. They were thoroughly dismantled by the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA finals, and while the last four years was one of the most impressive stretches in NBA history, that loss to the Spurs ended an era in Miami. San Antonio fired on all cylinders en route to the title and LeBron James and company had no answer for the depth the Spurs brought forth. There was still hope amongst the Heat franchise, even after the season came to an abrupt halt, that the team would rebuild and be back next season. That hope, however, evaporated as rumors started to swirl about James. Miami appeared to be a frontrunner for James as the offseason wore on, but when James dropped the bomb that he’d be returning to Cleveland, the Heat were left scrambling to pick up the pieces. They signed a bunch of role players that should help this season, though none of those players amount to anywhere close to LeBron James. It’s been a tough six months for Miami as it lost a shot at another NBA title, and then lost the greatest player in the world. It can only go up from here.
Record Last Season: 54-28
Key Additions: Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng, Danny Granger
Key Losses: LeBron James (and nothing else matters)
How They Did Against The Wolves: Miami and Minnesota split a two-game set last season where the Heat cruised in the first game and the Wolves battled tough for an overtime win in the second matchup. LeBron James dominated en route to a 103-82 win for the Heat early in the season. James flirted with at triple-double and finished with 21 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists. Kevin Love didn’t play in the loss from the Wolves and Nikola Pekovic led the team with 18 points and 12 boards. In the second game of the season series, Minnesota played one of its best games of the year en route to a 122-121 win in double overtime. Love led the team with 28 points and 11 rebounds, Ricky Rubio added 13 points and 14 assists, and Corey Brewer nailed a clutch shot from the charity stripe to help the Wolves eek out a win. James went off for 34 points in the loss for Miami.
Projection: This will be a season of growth for the Heat. LeBron James leaving town hurts everyone on the roster. Miami will more than likely make the playoffs simply because the team boasts enough talent to compete, and the Eastern Conference is so bad. That said the Heat likely won’t compete for an NBA title this season. Chris Bosh is now the team’s No. 1 option on offense and that does not necessarily bode well. Bosh is a great NBA player, but when he was a No. 1 option for the Toronto Raptors those teams stunk. Dwyane Wade is older than dirt as this point, and while the team is hoping he returns to his old ways this season with a couple months of rest under his belt, he is still a shell of what he used to be on the floor. James leaving town means Bosh in the No. 1 option, Wade is likely the No. 2 option, and Josh McRoberts is the No. 3 option. That says a lot about the state of the franchise. The Heat had four good years with James in town, but now it looks like it’s back to the drawing board for Pat Riley and his staff.