The free agency period has unofficially died down, Summer League is in full effect and that is beginning to show which teams made the right choices. There were many stories that transpired as soon as July 1st came around.
For the Miami Heat, it was their roster and how to keep everyone happy while also having some flexibility for the long-term. And boy did they do that. The drafted Justise Winslow who has played beautifully in Summer League. They locked up Goran Dragic, they gave the Mayor of Wade County the $20 Million that he wanted while also helping themselves out for when the cap skyrockets. Luol Deng took his option which gave Pat Riley a sigh of relief.
After they got their team from last year back. They then took a week to regroup and then unleash phase 2 of their master plan. Signing the super athletic Gerald Green and the veteran Amar’e Stoudemire, both great signings that will produce great plays in terms of substance and just pure flair.
So with all those moves done and remembering they have a recovered Chris Bosh and a Hassan Whiteside that was the definition of a ‘diamond in the rough’. I am here to tell you that the Miami Heat are BACK BABY! It took them only a year and in my mind, they are in a better position long-term than they have ever been in since they drafted Dwyane Wade. Not only do they have Winslow. They have Whiteside, Shabazz, Richardson and Tyler Johnson. That could be thier future starting 5! You never know.
Now obviously everybody has the Cleveland Cavaliers as the outright Kings (no pun intended) of the East. Which is understandable, they made the Finals without 2 of their big 3. But why be so quick to hand them the conference? At this moment in time they still haven’t hooked up J.R. Smith or Tristan Thompson yet. Two players that were critical to their success last season. Now I’m not stupid, I know they’ll probably lock them up at some point. But just yesterday Thompson said that it is “Every Canadians dream to play in Toronto“. Now I don’t want to suggest anything but. If they lose Thompson, they better hope Mozgov becomes the Russian Bill Russell, that’s all I’m saying.
On paper, I prefer the Miami Heat. I am NOT saying that as a Heat fan, I’m being 100% objective. The Heat supporting cast is much better than the Cavs. Don’t you dare mention Dellavedova to me. The Cavs trump the Heat in star power, no doubt about that. But when it comes to role players, the Heat have the advantage and if the Cavs proved anything during the NBA Finals, they proved that the bench can really come and provide.
And if you’re a fan of a team such as the Raptors or Washington Wizards. I’d like to give you these two words. Playoff. Experience. The Heat have tons of it, the Cavs don’t but have LeBron. The Raptors and Wizards however, do not and I guarantee you that even if the Raptors or Wizards end the regular season above Cleveland or Miami. They won’t be part of the Eastern Conference Finals, you can book that.
The Miami Heat have won this offseason just by making smart moves that provide nothing but pluses. They had a list of needs and crossed pretty much all of them off. The Cavaliers still have work to do. The Heat don’t. And I think that sense of a job well done will resonate with the rest of the organization and they will look at the next season with their heads held high.
