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2008 Miami Heat Predictions & Season Preview

Written by Luke Knight

Pat Riley has guided the Heat for all but two seasons since 1995, but this season Riley has given the reins over to Erik Spoelstra. The Heat played horrendous defense last season, despite the fact that the Heat allegedly preach defense as the bedrock of good basketball. To increase scoring, Spoelstra hopes to capitalize on the extraordinary athleticism of Dwyane Wade, Shawn Marion, and Michael Beasley. Spoelstra is the youngest head coach in the NBA this season, but he is 37 and there have been younger coaches in the past. Read on to see if we think the Heat will recover from last season where they were a league worst 15-67. Check out BetUS where the Heat are at +300 odds to win the Southeast Division and +1800 odds to win the Eastern Conference.

Marcus Banks will be the starting point guard for the Miami Heat this season. The point position has been problematic for the Heat recently, but Banks has excellent quickness and excels in the open court. He averaged 9.5 points per game last season. Rookie Mario Chalmers out of Kansas will backup Banks. Chalmers hit the dramatic 3-point shot that helped Kansas beat Memphis in the NCAA Championship game last season. He had a strong showing in the summer league and was a three-time Big 12 Conference All-Defensive team selection.

Dwyane Wade played just 51 games last season and the Heat suffered for it. He didn’t play the last 21 games because of tendinitis in his left knee, and the Heat won just 4 games in that stretch. Wade played in the Olympics over the summer and should be back in old form when the season kicks off. In 51 games, Wade averaged a team-high 24.6 points. Daequan Cook will backup Wade. Cook averaged 8.8 points per game during his rookie season.

Shawn Marion is one of the most complete strong forwards in the NBA. Marion averaged 14.3 points a game and contributed 2.5 assists last season, but his strongest asset is his defense. Marion can guard pretty much anyone on the floor. Dorell Wright will get minutes when Marion needs a break. Wright averaged 7.9 points in 25.1 minutes. He also picked up 5.0 rebounds per game. Wright is making progress entering his 4th season and the Heat hope he can continue to make strides.

Udonis Haslem has started at least 79 games at power forward in three of the last four seasons for the Heat. Haslem is a team player, who is willing to do whatever is best for the team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Haslem’s starting status will probably fade throughout the season with the emergence of Michael Beasley. Beasley was the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. He is an elite athlete who excels at both ends of the court. As a freshman at Kansas State last season he averaged 26.2 points and 12.4 rebounds.

Mark Blount stepped in when the Heat traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Suns and in 46 starts averaged 8.4 points and only 3.8 rebounds. Joel Anthony will backup Blount. He is a solid defensive presence in the paint. Most likely, Udonis Haslem will move into the middle if Michael Beasley emerges like everyone expects him to.

Final Analysis

While Pat Riley won’t be on the bench for the Heat this season, he will be overseeing the entire basketball operations, which is good for Miami. Riley has an insatiable passion for winning, and he will constantly be looking for ways to improve the Heat. Miami has a lot of talent with D-Wade, Shawn Marion, and Michael Beasley, but they need a reliable point guard to emerge and they have a gaping hole in the center. The Heat should be better than the 15-win team last season, but that may not translate to a bump in the division. With our NBA predictions we have the Heat finishing 5th in the Southeast Division and missing the playoffs again this season. BetUS has the Heat at +4000 odds to win the NBA Title this season which means they probably will be a better team to watch than to do your NBA betting on.

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