Last year was Erik Spoelstra’s first as a head coach in the NBA and he showed that he was more than capable of doing a great job. He led the Heat to a 43-39 record (52.4%) during the regular season. Spoelstra is also 3-4 (42.9%) in the playoffs. The Heat are looking towards making the next step this season and getting into at least the 2nd round of the playoffs and I think Spoelstra can get them there.

31-year old Jermaine O’Neal will be the starting center for the Heat this season. He played in 68 games for the Raptors and Heat last season in which he averaged 29.8 minutes, 13.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 2.0 blocked shots per game. O’Neal will improve on those numbers if healthy this season. Think 15 points and 9 rebounds per game as he is way too talented to put up similar numbers to what he had last year. 31-year old Jamaal Magloire was a All-Star just a few seasons ago and he will back up O’Neal. He played in 55 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 12.9 minutes, 2.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. 27-year old Joel Anthony’s game is defense and rebounding. He played in 65 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 16.1 minutes, 2.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 0.4 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. Udonis Haslem could also get some playing time at center when the Heat want to go with a small lineup.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE CENTERS IN 2009-2010: B

20-year old Michael Beasley will likely be the starting power forward this season for the Heat. He has unlimited potential and the Heat hope that he plays up to his ability. Beasley played in 81 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 13.9 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 assist per game. Beasley could also slide to small forward if something were to happen to Quentin Richardson. 29-year old Udonis Haslem will likely back up at both power forward and center this season for the Heat. Haslem played in 75 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 34.1 minutes, 10.6 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Haslem plays hard every night on both ends of the court and he will still likely get 30 minutes a game this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE POWER FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: B+

29-year old Quentin Richardson was traded four times over the off season before finding a home in Miami. He will likely be the starting small forward for the Heat this season. He played in 72 games for the Knicks last season and he averaged 26.3 minutes, 10.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has the potential to score much more than he does but he will likely be the #4 option on offense for the Heat this season. 29-year old James Jones will back up Richardson at small forward. He played in 40 games for the Heat last year and he averaged 15.8 minutes, 4.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Jones will likely put up better numbers this season for the Heat. 27-year old Yakhouba Diawara will be #3 in line for minutes at small forward. He played in 63 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 13.5 minutes, 3.4 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.4 assists per game. Diawara might see his playing time drop some this season as he only shot 35% from the floor last year. 25-year old Shavlik Randolph is trying the make the Heat. He only played in 10 games for the Trailblazers last season and he averaged 3.7 minutes, 1.8 points and 1.8 rebounds per game. Randolph is a decent player when healthy but that’s the catch as he is very injury prone. Second year forward Michael Beasley could also get some minutes here but he is likely to start at power forward this season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SMALL FORWARDS IN 2009-2010: C-

27-year old Dwyane Wade took his game to a new level last season for the Heat. He played in 79 games for the Heat last year and he averaged 38.6 minutes, 30.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.3 blocked shots per game. It’s hard to imagine Wade having a better year than last season but he was healthy for the first time in a long time so I wouldn’t bet against it. 22-year old Daequan Cook will back up Wade again this season and he will also likely play a little bit at small forward. Cook played in 75 games for the Heat last season and he averaged 24.4 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.5 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game. 23-year old Dorell Wright seems like he has been on the Heat forever. He has awesome athletic ability but he has not converted it into much success in his NBA career yet. He only played in six games last season for the Heat and he averaged 12.2 minutes, 3.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 0.3 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2009-2010: A+