NBA Miami Heat

Miami Heat Starting Lineup Still A Work In Progress

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By @blackirishpr

Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Luol Deng

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“I’m open right now to everything,” coach Erik Spoelstra said via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “It’s a new team, you have to be open.”

The journey into the 2014-15 NBA season has been a pretty rocky one for the Miami Heat — one that featured plenty of questions coming into training camp. But if there was anything we all thought they were set on, was the opening day starting lineup.

Chris Bosh was to revive his role at center, while Dwyane Wade manned the wing. Luol Deng was penciled in as his do everything sidekick — or his LeBron James-lite. Mr. Multifaceted, Josh McRoberts, had the other forward slot, and Mario Chalmers was back as the resident point guard.

However coach Spoelstra’s early quotes have been nothing close to a glowing endorsement for that five-man rotation, which may not be a bad thing.

If you break down the two positions in question, you will see the plus side to change and competition.

First, Chalmers’ comfort in knowing that he was all but guaranteed to be James’ designated ball handler — because of little brother status — could have been part of his gradual drift into complacency that eventually deteriorated in the Finals. However, with “the King” gone, he suddenly finds himself in a battle with a duo (Shabazz Napier, Norris Cole) of young players that coach Spoelstra has seemed eager to publicly praise. He even went out of his way to say, “It’s probably been the most competitive that position has been.”

Just as surprising may be a shift in the power forward rotation that will probably not be much of a coach’s choice.

With McRoberts signing a four-year, $23 million contract, you would expect him to share a role in player introductions. Unfortunately, offseason toe surgery has him looking at a spot on the bench, while Shawne Williams creeps in as the team’s new stretch forward.

At least that was what the Heat’s open scrimmage would have you believe, with the pro being that the move would give Miami some much-needed punch off of the bench. It may be unexpected, but he would be an athletic, passing big man that their reserves never had in the Big Three era. And it doesn’t hurt that he also has a decent shooting touch.

At this point everything is still up in the air, but the possibilities could be endless.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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