Summer League Sucess

If free agency wasn't enough of a victory for the Miami Heat, then the Summer League will seal the Heat's deal for a fantastic summer!

The Miami Heat has had major success in the Summer League so far, going 3-0 VS the Pacers, Nets and Pistons. Justise Winslow is leading the Heat's pack, with an average of 15.3 PPG, 3.0 RPG and 1.3 SPG. A few other helping hands have come from James Ennis with 9.5 PPG and 6.5 RPG, not to mention Tyler Johnson with 10.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.5 APG, plus Zoran Dragic (Goran Dragic's brother) with 10.5 PPG and 3.0 RPG. A new face to the Heat that could make the regular season roster is Willie Reed, who puts up a respectable 12.3 PPG and 8.0 RPG. He recently had a double-double VS the Pistons that helped cruise the Heat to victory. A few more people to keep your eye on include Josh Richardson (9.7 PPG, 2.7 RPG and 2.3 SPG) and Tyler Kalinoski (8.5 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 2.0 APG). But no matter what, the Heat has a lot of potential in this team of young ballers!

What Has Happened Recently

Heat fans can rejoice today with the signing of many key players coming back to the Miami Heat!

So many things have happened with the Heat in the past few days, but I will start with a few. First, Luol Deng exercised his player option, allowing him to stay with the Heat. Then, on July 1, Goran Dragic (as predicted) signed a 5-year, $90 million deal with a player option in the final year. To complete the Heat's perfect summer, Dwyane Wade came back and signed a 1-year, $20 million deal. Here's my new prediction of the Heat's line-up:

Starting Five:

PG- Goran Dragic

SG- Dwyane Wade

SF- Luol Deng

PF- Chris Bosh

C- Hassan Whiteside

2nd String

PG- Mario Chalmers

SG- Josh Richardson

SF- Justise Winslow

PF- Josh McRoberts

C- Chris Andersen

Why Winslow Will Fit

Justise Winslow is officialy the 10th pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, which means he's headed to the Miami Heat!

Winslow was a crucial part in Duke's championship. In the regular season, he averaged 12.6 PPG and 6.5 RPG, not to mention an outstanding shooting percentage of .486. He also plays the position of Small Forward, which is the position of possibly departing Luol Deng. Winslow would serve as a replacement and wouldn't take a lot out of the salary cap, which will be HUGE in acquiring either long-time franchise star Dwyane Wade (who might be departing to the Los Angeles Lakers) or Monta Ellis, a new free agent from the Mavs who the Heat have shown interest in. Winslow is also a great transition athlete and makes many plays. The Heat's future is bright now, with so many ways that the Heat can have a great season. Here's my projected starting line-up (very early, but I'm just predicting)

PG:Goran Dragic

SG: Dwyane Wade/Monta Ellis

SF: Justise Winslow

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Hassan Whiteside

KEY RESERVES: 

Chris Andersen

Mario Chalmers

Josh McRoberts

So because of Winslow, the pieces have began to fall into place. It will happen slowly, but when the pieces have come together, it will be one beautiful picture!

The Top 5 Picks Are...

Yes, this is a Miami Heat blog, but I thought I might go ahead and post the top 5 picks in the draft. So here you go: 

1. Karl Anthony-Towns (Minnesota Timberwolves)
2. D'Angelo Russell (Los Angeles Lakers) 
3. Jahlil Okafor (Philidelphia 76ers)
4. Kristaps Porzingis (New York Knicks)
5. Mario Hezonja (Orlando Magic)

Good luck to those 5 men!

It All Goes Down Tonight!

June 25, 2015 could be a day that affects the season for the Miami Heat (plus many other teams)

At 7:00 PM tonight, the 2015 NBA Draft will begin, and this may be one of the best draft classes ever. Here are a few highlights from this year: 

Karl-Anthony Towns, Center/Forward, Kentucky, 7'0

Jahlil Okafor, Center, Duke, 6'11

D'Angelo Russell, Guard, Ohio State, 6'5

Kristaps Porzingis, Forward, Spain, 7'0

Justise Winslow, Forward, Duke, 6'7

The Heat's potential pick could be one of these 6 players (or anyone else)

Devin Booker, Guard, Duke, 6'6

Mario Henzonja, Guard, Spain, 6'8

Stanley Johnson, Forward, Arizona, 6'8

Sam Dekker, Forward, Wisconsin, 6'9

Myles Turner, Forward-Center, Texas, 6'11

Frank Kaminsky, Forward, Wisconsin, 6'11

History could (and probably will) be made tonight. It's just time to wait and see. 

Could the Heat sign Monta Ellis?

Monta Ellis has officially opted out of his contract with the Mavs and is unlikely to resign. So who will he go to? The Heat have shown interest in him...

Monta Ellis is only 29, but plays like an experienced veteran. He plays like a leader and puts up great numbers. Last year in Dallas, he put up a respectful 18.9 points per game, 4.1 assists per game and 2.4 rebounds per game. But Dallas wasn't working for him, so he left to look for a new home. Our main competition for Ellis are the Indiana Pacers. However, the reason Ellis would work for us is due to the possibly departing Dwyane Wade. Wade wants a lot of money, but it looks like the Heat can't give it to him. Therefore, Ellis would be a great fit for the Heat. Luol Deng is also likely to leave, but we can make a great 2015-16 roster with Chris Bosh, Goran Dragic, Ellis, Hassan Whiteside, Josh McRoberts and our tenth draft pick (which we will find out TOMORROW!!!), not to mention young players with potential (think James Ennis and Tyler Johnson) that will spark a playoff run. So even if Deng and Wade leave, if we get Ellis, our future is bright!

Could Birdman and Chalmers be Traded?

The Heat are looking for ways to free up cap space in an effort to sign Dwyane Wade. One option they're considering is trading Chris "Birdman" Andersen and Mario Chalmers.

Mario Chalmers has been on the Heat since he was drafted in the 2008-09 season. Chris Andersen was brought in during the middle of the 2012-13 season. Neither of their pasts matter, however, because now they could be shipped off to a new team. 

Dwyane Wade is becoming more and more interested in signing with the Lakers. He would get more money there, as we don't have much cap space to sign him. But the Heat won't go down easy, so they are now doing all they can to get D-Wade back where he belongs. And one way to do that is free up some cap space by getting rid of a few players. And Mario Chalmers and Birdman are the ones on the chopping block. 

Mario Chalmers was a second round pick for the Heat in the 2008 draft (their first round pick was Michael Beasley, who would be cut by the Heat for a while but was resigned) and was very successful. He eventually became the starting point guard. Birdman is known for his mohawk and many tattoos, not to mention his great plays on offense and defense. However, neither of them have had more of an impact then Dwyane, who led the Heat to the 2006 ring and helped win the 2012 and 2013 championships too. So now, it's clear ANYTHING can happen this offseason. We just have to wait and see!