Miami Heat Roster: Is South Beach Still A Title Contender? Only If Bosh Gets Out Of His Shell

With LeBron James out, the Miami Heat Roster which just completed its fourth consecutive trip to the NBA Finals, looks nowhere in title contention, at least on the surface. However, if we take a look at the team's current roster, it is still heavy with talent considering what Heat president Pat Riley has done in the past weeks. 

Miami now has legitimate options in scoring with Danny Granger and Luol Deng joining the fold. Both can hit the three as well as post up smaller players to their advantage. In addition, Deng is a great perimeter defender who has guarded the best wingmen in the league, including James. 

The addition of Josh McRoberts as a playmaker from the post will help redirect the defense while the offense sets up. He has done well with Charlotte in distributing the ball in spite of the fact that he mostly resides in the shaded lane. 

Of course, we will not forget this team's franchise player, Dwyane Wade, who has known no other team aside from Miami during his stellar career in the NBA. But at 32 years old and with weakening knees, Miami can only rely on him too much. 

This brings us to the current main man of the Heat - Chris Bosh. 

For the past four years in South Beach, Bosh has been decent, and that's it. He averaged 18 points and 8 boards during his first two years, but declined further after averaging only 16 points and 6 rebounds in the past two seasons. Still, he is considered as a crucial weapon for the Heat if they plan on making a fifth consecutive NBA finals appearance. 

When at his game, Bosh is next to unstoppable whenever his midrange and now his three-point shots are falling. Aside from his jump shooting, Bosh is also effective in the shaded lane posting up on smaller defenders, as well as crashing the boards. 

During his stint with his first NBA team, the Raptors, Bosh was at his best being the primary offensive player of the team. He averaged 24 points and 10.8 rebounds - both career-high averages - in his last year in Toronto. He may just have to bring those impressive numbers once more when next season begins. 

With James returning home, and Wade's health still a problem, it is up to the third 'star' in Miami's Big Three to step up and once again establish himself as one of the game's best. 

Tags
NBA
miami heat
chris bosh
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