The Miami Heat need 27-year old power forward Chris Bosh to muscle up and get back to the player he was with the Raptors.  He isn’t helping the team by shooting 20-foot jumpers.  Bosh played in 77 games (all starts) for the Heat last year and he averaged 36.3 minutes, 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.  He has now played in 586 games (574 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 20.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.1 blocked shots per game.  31-year old Udonis Haslem will get playing time at both power forward and probably center this year for the Heat.  Haslem played in 13 games (0 starts) for the Heat this year and he averaged 26.5 minutes, 8.0 points, 8.2 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game.  He has now played in 530 games (386 starts) in his career with the Heat and he is averaging 30.8 minutes, 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  The Heat will welcome Haslem’s hustle and toughness when he’s in the game.

26-year old small forward LeBron James put up good numbers in the regular season last year, but he disappeared for the most part in the NBA Finals.  He remains the King without a ring!  James played in 79 games (all starts) for the Heat last year and he averaged 38.8 minutes, 26.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game.  He has now played in 627 games (626 starts) in his first 8 years in the NBA and he is averaging 40.1 minutes, 27.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.0 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  James needs to put his money where his mouth is when the games get big instead of going into a shell.  After all, he was the one bragging out winning 6, 7 or 8 championships in Miami.

29-year old Dwyane Wade will again be the main man for the Heat in 2011-12.  Wade played in 76 games (all starts) for the Heat last year and he averaged 37.2 minutes, 25.5 points, 6.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game as he hit 50% of his shots from the floor.  Wade has now played in 547 games (539 starts) in his NBA career so far (all with the Heat) and he is averaging 37.6 minutes, 25.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.3 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocked shots per game.  Wade is the best player in the history of the Miami Heat and it’s still his team.  33-year old Eddie House will backup Wade this year.  House played in 56 games (1 start) for the Heat last year and he averaged 17.5 minutes, 6.5 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game.  He has now played in 717 games (31 starts) in his NBA career and he is averaging 17.3 minutes, 7.5 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game.

As of right now, 21-year old rookie Norris Cole would probably be the starting point guard for the Heat.  I’m starting to think that the Heat might be better off playing big in 2011-12 and using LeBron James or Dwyane Wade at the point in order to get Mike Miller into the starting lineup.  The Heat could also bring back Mario Chalmers, who is a restricted free agent, but he won’t be cheap anymore.  Regardless of what the Heat are going to do at point guard, I see them bringing in at least 1 natural point guard after the lockout.

The Miami Heat were 47-35 last season and if that happens again, Erik Spoelstra will be looking for a new job.  The expectations are that the Miami Heat will win the NBA Championship and anything less will be judged a failure!  This puts a lot of pressure on the coach especially when you consider that Pat Riley kicked Stan Van Gundy to the curb and led the Heat to the NBA Championship the last time the Heat was loaded.  Spoelstra is 90-74 (54.9%) in the regular season in his first two years running the Heat and he is also 4-8 (33.3%) in the post season.  It’s win the title or bust for the Miami Heat and Erik Spoelstra.

The Miami Heat have a lot of veterans at center so they will probably play matchups. 28-year old Joel Anthony will likely be the starting center on opening night because of his defense and rebounding. Anthony played in 80 games (16 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 16.5 minutes, 2.7 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game. He has now played in 169 games (45 starts) in his first three years in the NBA and he has averaged 17.0 minutes, 2.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 1.4 blocked shots per game.

35-year old Zydrunas Ilgauskas followed LeBron James to South Beach from Cleveland. Ilgauskas played in 64 games (6 starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 20.9 minutes, 7.4 points, 5.4 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. Z has now played in 771 games (673 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 28.3 minutes, 13.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 blocked shots per game. Ilgauskas is the Heat’s best offensive option at center unless they use Chris Bosh there.

37-year old Juwan Howard really played well for the Blazers last season so he might have a little bit left in the gas tank. Howard played in 73 games (27 starts) for the Trailblazers last season and he averaged 22.4 minutes, 6.0 points, 4.6 rebounds and 0.8 assists per game. He has now played in 1,116 games (898 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 32.1 minutes, 14.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game. He can also handle power forward if the Heat need him there.

32-year old Jamaal Magloire is still around for the Heat. He played in 36 games (0 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 2.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game. Magloire has now played in 628 games (313 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 22.4 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HEAT CENTERS IN 2010-11: C-

26-year old power forward Chris Bosh will be the muscle man for the Heat this year. He played in 70 games (all starts) for the Raptors last season and he averaged 36.1 minutes, 24.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.0 blocked shot per game. Bosh has now played in 509 games (497 starts) in his seven years in the NBA and he has averaged 37.0 minutes, 20.2 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.2 blocked shots per game. It will be interesting to see how Bosh adjusts to being the third wheel of the offense instead of the go-to man. The Heat will also likely slide him to center once in a while.

30-year old Udonis Haslem is a great back up to have coming off the bench. Haslem played in 78 games (0 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 27.9 minutes, 9.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. He has now played in 517 games (386 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 30.9 minutes, 10.0 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game. Haslem might not get as much P.T. as he did last season but he’s still a very important part of this team.

22-year old rookie Jarvis Varnado is a great rebounder and defender which could get him some minutes as a rookie. Varnado played in 36 games for Mississippi State last season and he averaged 13.8 points, 10.3 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 4.7 blocked shots per game. He played in 141 games in his college career and he averaged 10.0 points, 7.8 rebounds, 0.6 assists and 4.0 blocked shots per game.

22-year old rookie Dexter Pittman will likely have essentially a redshirt season this year for the Heat. Pittman played in 34 games for the Texas Longhorns last season and he averaged 10.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 1.9 blocked shots per game. He played in 134 games in his college career and he averaged 6.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 0.9 blocked shots per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HEAT POWER FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A+

25-year old small forward LeBron James is the best player in the NBA who has never won a thing. Sure, he won back to back MVP Awards but he’s certainly not the guy you want taking the last shot of a game. Lucky for him, D-Wade is still in South Beach so he won’t have to make big shots. James played in 76 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers last season and he averaged 39.0 minutes, 29.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. James has now played in 548 games (547 starts) in his 7 years in the NBA and he has averaged 40.3 minutes, 27.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 7.0 assists, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocked shots per game. James’ only weakness is his long range shooting as he has only hit 32.9% from three point range. I don’t think James will score as much as he did in Cleveland because he won’t have to. Look for his rebounding and assists to go up though.

30-year old James Jones is a good long range shooter hitting 39.5% from three point range but that’s his only skill that’s better than LeBron James. Jones played in 36 games (6 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 14.0 minutes, 4.1 points, 1.3 rebounds and 0.5 assists per game. Jones has now played in 366 games (65 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.9 minutes, 6.4 points, 2.4 rebounds and 0.6 assists per game. I think Jones will pretty much be the #3 small forward on the Heat this season due to Mike Miller who will also be playing some shooting guard.

22-year old rookie Da’Sean Butler will start the year watching a lot of games as he tore his ACL during the NCAA tournament last year. Butler played in 38 games for West Virginia last season and he averaged 17.2 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He played in 146 games in his college career and he averaged 14.3 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.1 steals per game.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HEAT SMALL FORWARDS IN 2010-11: A+

The Heat will always be 28-year old shooting guard Dwyane Wade’s team as he will always have one more ring than LeBron James and Chris Bosh as long as they play together. D-Wade played in 77 games (all starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 36.3 minutes, 26.6 points, 4.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.1 blocked shots per game. Wade has played in 473 games (461 starts) in his career with the Heat and he has averaged 37.6 minutes, 25.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 1.0 blocked shot per game. I can definitely see D-Wade running the point quite a bit this year so the Heat can get Mike Miller in on the action.

30-year old Mike Miller can handle shooting guard or small forward. He is a perfect fit for the Heat because he is a good passer and long range shooter. If the opposing team doubles James, Bosh or Wade…..Miller will be deadly from three point range. Miller played in 54 games (50 starts) for the Wizards last season and he averaged 33.4 minutes, 10.9 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.9 assists per game. Miller also shot 48% from three point range last season which is eye popping. Miller has now played in 692 games (528 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 32.4 minutes, 13.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game.

32-year old Eddie House will be #3 in line for minutes at shooting guard. He played in 68 games (0 starts) for the Knicks & Celtics last season and he averaged 17.9 minutes, 7.0 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. House has now played in 661 games (30 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 17.3 minutes, 7.6 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.6 assists per game. He has shot 39% from three point range in his NBA career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE HEAT’S SHOOTING GUARDS IN 2010-11: A++++++++++++

The Heat look pretty weak at the point for 2010-11. But, LeBron James and D-Wade could get some P.T. at the point this year. 24-year old Mario Chalmers could get a lot of minutes this year as long as his head is on straight. Chalmers played in 73 games (23 starts) for the Heat this year and he averaged 24.8 minutes, 7.1 points, 1.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 steals per game. He has now played in 155 games (105 starts) in his two years with the Heat and he has averaged 28.6 minutes, 8.6 points, 2.3 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Chalmers could play either 25 minutes per night this year or he could sit at the end of the bench….it’s up to him.

31-year old Carlos Arroyo will also likely get some minutes at the point this year. Heck, he could even win the starting job if everything breaks right for him in training camp. Arroyo played in 72 games (34 starts) for the Heat last season and he averaged 22.0 minutes, 6.1 points, 1.8 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game. He has now played in 505 games (147 starts) in his NBA career and he has averaged 18.7 minutes, 6.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Arroyo passed Chalmers on the depth chart halfway through last season and he could do it again this year.

Kenny Hasbrouck will be #3 in line at point guard coming into the 2010-11 season. He played in 10 games (9 starts) for Rio of the D-League last year and he averaged 32.5 minutes, 16.9 points, 2.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Hasbrouck is a longshot to get much if any playing time for the Heat this year.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE MIAMI HEAT POINT GUARDS IN 2010-11: D