Are the Miami Heat in Trouble?
This offseason has been quite the eventful one for the Miami Heat. In this case, it has been mostly bad news for Heat fans, with the exception of the contract extension for their star center, Hassan Whiteside and bringing back the young guard, Tyler Johnson. Now as the season is approaching, a few questions comes to mind. Are the Miami Heat going to be a team that can compete in this league? Head Coach Erik Spoelstra has faced diversity before and still lead his team to the playoffs, can he do it again with a younger core?
The rough offseason began with long term franchise star, Dwyane Wade choosing not to resign with the Heat and moving on to join the Chicago Bulls. The bad news continued to pile up as their young up and coming star, Josh Richardson injured his knee during a summer workout. Due to a partially torn MCL, he is now questionable to return and be 100% healthy by the start of the season. This sadly is not the end of the bad news for Heat fans. Their All-Star Power Forward Chris Bosh has reportedly failed his team physical. Bosh, who has been dealing with blood clot issues and has been fighting to get back on the court, may be forced to sit out even longer now. There has been talk that Bosh might just have to retire, as he will not be able to play anymore. Also there is talk that the Heat may just be looking to move on past Bosh at this point.
How successful can this Miami Heat team be now that Wade is gone, Bosh is unlikely to return, and a big piece of their young core dealing with injury? Las Vegas has the Heat projected to win around 36 games, which would be a huge loss after going 48-34 last season. My pre-season prediction is that this team will struggle early due to not have a go-to player like Wade anymore, which may cost them a chance at the playoffs.
