For the first of three games this season, the first two of which will be in Miami, The team kicked off their season on Wednesday night as they welcomed the Chicago Bulls to the FTX Arena.
Before that happens, preseason predictions are usually all the rage, and one Miami Heat legend has his. Here’s what Udonis Haslem had to say when asked about his preseason pick from the East.
Simple, direct, and to the point, Haslem lets you know something. He believed, first of all.
Secondly, he should say so as one of the team leaders and tone-setters. But there are realities to all of this, and UD’s claim isn’t a crazy concept when it comes to those realities.
Even after the offseason, everyone seemed excited that Boston, Philly, and Milwaukee were much better than the rest of the East, something Haslem mentioned in his appearances.
But back to the Heat, where he came out of the Eastern Conference, although he should repeat it, it has legs. The reason is the depth of the Miami Heat.
Yes, they lost a crucial part in P.J. Tucker. However, with the addition of Nikola Jovic and Jamal Cain, and Caleb Martin in the starting lineup, you can have a solid rotation there.
This and some other options you might try. Then you want Victor Oladipo back to health and what looks to be a re-emerging Duncan Robinson as a second unit, as Tyler Herro now appears to be the starter and has already started the blockbuster of the lineup.
Again, think about Jovic and Kane, but in the end, it’s Gabe Vincent, Max Strus, Dwayne Dedmon, and anyone else Spoelstra wants to put in the Miami Heat to have one with a few others. The starting five-equivalent second-team team will drop points this season.
Simply put, their depth is why they won the Eastern Conference and the NBA Championship this year.
We’ll see this happen over time, so there will be more discussion along the way, but for now, here’s why Udonis Haslem’s Miami Heat “won The Eastern Conference champs” prediction doesn’t sound crazy.