October 26th. That is the date that the Miami Heat finally begins their regular season in Boston against the Celtics. Unfortunately, until then Heat fans and NBA fans everywhere continue to be teased with games that do not count featuring players we really couldn’t care less about.
The preseason is an essential time for every team. It is a time when coaches make roster cuts and develop line up rotations. It is a time when coaches can become acquainted with new players and construct strategies to accentuate team strengths and minimize weaknesses.
Yet most importantly, it is a time where a team attempts to become a cohesive unit and set goals for the upcoming season. While fans everywhere can bemoan the fact that starters play minimal minutes and that the games count for as much as a LeBron James Cavaliers jersey, each team must make important decisions that have a lasting effect on the season.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has a big decision on who will start at point guard between Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers.
Arroyo is the more experienced of the two, but Chalmers arguably has more talent. Chalmers is clearly a better defender; however, Arroyo has the benefit of being the incumbent starter and seems like the more stable of the two options.
With both players missing the last game versus San Antonio, the battle remains up in the air. Coach Spo still has two weeks to make his decision, so only time will tell.
Fortunately, Dwyane Wade's injury is not extremely serious; however, as with any team Miami should be concerned with getting healthy and staying injury free throughout the preseason.
Chris Bosh and LeBron James should see limited playing time in order to avoid costly injuries. If the Heat have any sense, they will keep Wade out for the majority of the preseason.
Every Heat fan is excited to see the Miami Thrice finally play together for an extended period of time, but Coach Spoelstra would be wise to limit their playing time in order to avoid unnecessary injuries.
With 20 players on the roster currently, the Heat have several cuts to make with plenty of talent on the back end of the roster. Da'Sean Butler would have been a first round draft pick had he been healthy although he is not expected to recover from a torn knee ligament until midseason.
There are four centers currently on the roster with Joel Anthony and Zydrunas Illgauskas virtually guaranteed spots. Miami could keep Jamal Magloire and Dexter Pittman, but four centers may be too many to keep on the roster.
Patrick Beverley has been impressive so far after a couple years in Europe and put up a double-double in the most recent preseason game against San Antonio. Kenny Hasbrouck had an abysmal performance against the Spurs which may be enough to lose him a spot.
No matter what the final decisions may be, these players will most likely see some decent minutes of mop-up duty in the regular season if the Heat blowout their opponents.
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