NBA Finals 2011? Miami Heat Have Great Players, L.A. Lakers Have a Great Team

Most signs point towards LeBron James announcing he will join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, thus forming the NBA's first super team, but before anointing the Heat as next season's league champions, a little perspective may be needed.

ESPN's Tim Legler recently said that anyone making the assumption that Wade, James, and Bosh couldn't coexist is just plain wrong, and I tend to agree with his statement.

All three players have formed a friendship from years of playing together in the NBA and from time on the Olympic team so it's unlikely they will fall victim to the usual trappings of ego-related problems.

James and Wade both have the reputation of players who need to dominate the game in order to be effective, but based on James' eight assists per game, and Wade's lack of a quality point guard, that theory fails to hold weight.

If James can lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to 126 wins in two seasons imagine what he can do when it's players like Wade and Bosh on the receiving end of his passes, instead of Mo Williams and J.J. Hickson?

If James signs with Miami, the Heat will have the most impressive three-man rotation in the NBA, however championships are not won on the merits of three-man teams and some creative tinkering is needed before any thoughts of a South Beach parade are realized.

To say the signing of all three players would limit the Heat's financial options to add other is an understatement, and the only two players on the roster currently under contract will likely be needed to make the deal work.

The Toronto Raptors will likely trade Bosh to the Heat in exchange for Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley, and once they are gone the team will consist of Wade, James, Bosh, and draft picks Dexter Pittman and Da'Sean Butler.

The Heat will be forced to fill the rest of their roster with minimum wage NBA earners, and it's doubtful they can assemble enough talent ...

About the Author