Heat nothing more than a cloud of Smoke...

It all started Christmas day with a loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. It continued last night with another loss to the same Cavaliers. There was once a day that Cleveland's supporting cast could not hold a candle to the supporting cast of the Heat. The Heat have the most dominant player of his era in center Shaquille O'Neal, quite possibly the most dominant player ever. They also have Dwayne Wade, the all star, finals MVP, and media darling. They also have one of the best coaches in the history of the NBA, Pat Riley. Riley is known for having teams that play ferocious defense, and having a knack for being able to motivate his players better than anyone else. Two years ago, it began with the saying "15 strong", and that resulted in the first championship ever for the Heat. Since then, the heat have been swept out of the playoffs by the Chicago Bulls, and appear headed for a lottery pick this year. With a record of only eight wins and an astounding thirty-two losses, a lottery pick could be just what this team needs to get back on track. In order to fix this team, a mid-season trade is not going to do the trick. Wade is doing everything he can to get this team back on its winning ways (despite not being 100% healthy), and because of that the Heat have been competitive in most games this year. Of the games decided by 6 points or less, the heat has lost 12/18. They have had numerous leads going into the fourth quarter (including last night's game), but always seem to let the victory slip out of their grasp. The Heat needs a solid player that can be paired with Dwayne Wade so they can be in contention every year. A trade will not accomplish that. However, this year's NBA draft is expected to be loaded with talent. Many diaper dandies are expected to come play at basketball's highest level. Players like USC's O.J. Mayo, Memphis point guard Derrick Rose, UCLA center Kevin Love, and Indiana guard Eric Gordon are expected to come out of college after their freshman year. But don't discount the upper class men either, with prospects like 7'2" 270 pound Georgetown center Roy Hibbert. If the Heat can draft one of these players, or another player of their caliber, the franchise will be ready for success for years to come. Without them, it will become a question whether Dwayne Wade will want to stick around Miami. He can elect to become an unrestricted free agent in two years, along with Pat Riley leaving the bench and heading back to the Heat offices. If those things happen, there will be many more of these down years in the Heat's future.