okay here goes nothing...
my dislike for lebron and diane wade has to do with their gynormous ego's, and the fact that lebron acts like a selfish overgrown child-like douchebag who doesn't understand why anyone could possibly not like him. their race, color, sexual preference or cock size does not have any bearing on my opinions on the team whatsoever.
would i be shocked if miami won the nba title? not in the least. like i said, i can see 5 teams winning it all... the lakers, the bulls, the heat, the thunder and the celtics. if a good team were able to get carmelo without sacrificing their entire roster then i could put them in the mix as well, but that's yet to be seen.
the lakers have to be the favorites to win it all still. they won it last year (barely) and have improved themselves this offseason. if durant takes the next step then he could very well be the best player in the league, and would make the thunder instant contenders. nobody else in the west have a shot in my opinion, unless someone pulls off a coup for 'melo.
in the east it comes down to boston, chicago and miami. all three have great strengths and glaring weaknesses. boston is old. last year may have been their last hoorah, but you have to at least include them in the conversation until somebody knocks them off. plus nobody plays better defense, and the idea that boston would have to zone up miami in order to contain them is laughable.
chicago filled their longstanding glaring weakness by signing boozer. they also screwed miami out of kyle korver, a very under-rated move. they will be a much improved defensive team with thibedou at the helm. they have the best team in the east, in my opinion. their pieces fit. their pieces also could be used as trade bait if needs be, 'cause they have a ton of depth.
question about chicago? sure... who's taking the last shot? is it rose, or is it boozer? you'd like to see one of their wings be a better scorer... and you also have to wonder if there was a reason why thibedou went so long before getting a head coaching job. not every great assistant is meant to be a great head coach.
miami? obviously they have two of the top 5 players in the league, and a third player who's in the top 20. the idea that bosh is a top 10 player in the leauge is comical. he wasn't even the best power forward available this offseason, and may have been the third best 4 behind stoudamire and boozer. but lebron and wade are a dynamic pairing, and will be difficult to stop on most nights.
problems? yea, plenty. they have zero depth. they have a very food 4th wheel in mike miller, but the drop off from that point is a steep cliff. who is their 5th starter? who is their 6th man? do they really think Z can still play? are the heat willing to buy into playing defense the way boston has and chicago will? who is the point guard? who's taking the last shot? can lebron and wade, who's style of play is very similar in that they dominate the ball, coexist? can spoelstra get the job done with pat riley looming over his shoulder? can wade stay healthy? who's guarding dwight howard in the playoffs?
i'm not worried about bosh complaining about shots... like has been said, he pulled the wool over a lot of people's eyes... he's not in the same class as the other two, not even close. stoudamire is better, boozer is better. i think he's just happy to be along for the ride.
but again... this idea that the heat are a dynasty in waiting who are unstoppable, except for the lakers if they get lucky, is a ridiculous statement.
I completely understand (and I agree) that LeBron is a gigantic egohead. I cant say the same about Wade. Wade for the most part keeps to himself. I dont like LeBron as a person (although I'm sure anybody would want his skills on their team).
We will see about the defensive styles of teams. Boston is probably one of the very few teams that wouldn't have to run zone against Miami, but the point is during the playoffs the Heat had one man, Dwyane Wade. Who was essentially triple covered. And still produced. Boston cant do that anymore.
I dont understand why Bosh being top 10 would exactly be 'comical' although I'd agree with you in saying he's not top 10. But in terms of positions... they have top 5 players in each of their respective positions. IMO though, Stoudemire > Bosh > Boozer.
Furthermore, this Miami team honestly looks like the equivalent of last years Cleveland Caviliers (+ Wade + Bosh). That's why it yells a potential dynasty. It depends on what you really call a dynasty though. Perhaps I'm using the word out of context... but if they are a top 3 team in the league for 6 years straight it might be different as opposed to winning 5 championships.
I really find it quite unfair to say they have 0 depth. Big Z, Joel Anthony (a defensive shutdown, that's who will be guarding Dwight Howard), Udonis Haslem, and Bosh can all serve at the center position. Furthermore, if I were Spoelstra (I hope he gets fired to be honest, he's horrible), it wouldnt take a genius to cycle these 3 players. If you keep one on the bench at most times, you have scoring threat constantly.
And for the comment about Bosh carrying his team to a 40-42 record... to carry a team doesnt mean you need to carry them to the playoffs. Face it, without Bosh they were really, really bad. He carried them night in and night out. If Miami cycles those 3 players, Bosh can essentially make up for that proclaimed lack of depth on the bench.
If you have any combination of the 3 out on the court at any single time, it's probably better than what the Raptors, Heat, or Cavs had all last season. Needless to say with the addition of Boozer, Chicago has almost created the same form of a triple threat.
I never said that the Heat are a dynasty in waiting. I said that if they can put it all together, they are. That's a fair statement. It's not guaranteed that they do, but if they can all work together and play as well cooperatively as they did individually last season (and play defense), 1+1+1=3. It adds up.
I guess only time will tell. But the potential is definitely there.
