2009-10 Miami Heat Predictions

Written October 26, 2009 by Jack Jones

Dwayne Wade showed why he is one of the best players in the game a year ago, when he took a team that won 15 times in 2007-08 when he played just 51 games to a 43-39 record and a first round playoff loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Now this team is going to have to make another jump if it wants to keep it’s superstar happy and on the team as he becomes a free agent next summer. It’ll be up to the young guys (Michael Beasley and Mario Chalmers) to get better. The NBA odds makers have the Heat taking a step back, with the over/under win total projections at 40.5. The odds to win the Eastern Conference are 16-to-1 and the odds to win the title this year stand at 35-to-1. If you are going to do any NBA betting this year, make sure you get a great signup bonus like the $500 in FREE money offered to our readers by BetUS!

Backcourt

Chalmers gets the nod at point guard and he’s a long and quick defender, which allows him to cause problems for the opposing teams with how he creates turnovers. Offensively he shot 42% but needs to be better at finishing in the lane. Wade was unreal a year ago, scoring 30.2 per contest while dishing out 7.5 assists and grabbing 5 rebounds per game. He can slide over to play the point, and seems to handle the ball more in crunch time. Last year he improved his game by adding a 3-point shot and getting better on defense, however he can’t do it alone so somebody else has to take some pressure off of him. Daequan Cook backs Wade up and comes in when he slides over to the point. He’s a dangerous outside shooter who got a little cold down the stretch, but won the Shootout at the All-Star Weekend.

Frontcourt

Beasley was second on the team in scoring a year ago at 13.9 points per game and he needs to keep improving in his second campaign. He’ll be asked to play power forward and maybe center as well when this team goes small, so how he handles his increased responsibility will go a long way in determining how well this Heat team will do. Jermaine O’Neal might be getting too old to be a solid contributer. He’s been in the league since 1996 and has had knee problems that hampered his effectiveness. He vowed to return to his All-Star form and was going to work hard this summer to get healthy. If he returns to anywhere near his peak form that would give Wade someone else to lean on. Udonis Haslem starts at power forward and even though he’s not much of a scoring threat, he led the team in rebounding and works hard out on the floor. James Jones, Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony will all come off the bench.

Summary

Miami is a team with a lot of upside since so many young players are talented and just need to gain experience. I don’t think they can make the jump up to the elite with the Celtics, Cavs, and Magic, but they should be a solid mid-tier team this season. With my NBA predictions I”m taking them at second in the Southeast Division. If you are looking for winning NBA picks to help you beat the spreads each night, take a look at what our handicappers have to offer.

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