Full Court Roto Report

Every team has to go through a rebuilding stage before they can become successful. It has happened to the Celtics (although most teams cannot afford a payroll like that to hasten the process) and the Lakers as well, even though they have the best player in the world. The Miami Heat won it all in 2006 and since have shipped Shaq to the desert and taken their Finals MVP and heart of the team off the court on a wheelchair. Last season, the Heat won fewer games than the New England Patriots did, and even the Knicks – the Knicks - laughed at them! This season, the Heat are on a mission to show everyone (including the Knicks) that 2006 was not a fluke and to restore balance upon the Eastern Conference.

The New Orleans Hornets will win it all this year, but they will play the Heat is the Finals to do so. The 2008 Olympics answered a huge question for all that follow the Heat – Dwayne Wade is healthy and ready to begin his fight back to the top. Anyone that has followed the NBA knows that Wade is famous for “getting up.” Commercials and shirts have been made to show that the 6-4”, 216lb warrior never gives up. He wills his team to win, much like Allen Iverson does and Michael Jordan did.

During the 2006 NBA Finals, everyone from ESPN to the local press wanted to compare Wade to Jordan. He would not do it. He told then to let him write his own story and that no one should be compared to Michael Jordan. A great player is one thing, but a great player with a level head on his shoulders is another thing entirely. During their run to gold in the 2008 Olympics, Wade was the level head on the team that helped keep Kobe Bryant and LeBron James in check when their emotions got the best of them. In a heated contest with Spain for gold, (yeah, I stayed until 1:00 in the morning to watch, cause I love America! Furthermore, I am terrified of Freddy Kruger) Wade was “nudged” out of bounds by the unfortunate player assigned to guarding him. Anyone who saw the “nudge” would have had not been surprised to see a form of retaliation, but all they saw was Wade pick himself up and jog back onto the court. He knows when a team is trying to mentally wear him down, and he will not let it happen. During the championship season back in 2006, Wade famously ran the length of the court to tackle Shaq. He was not starting a fight for his close friend Kobe; rather he was trying to keep Shaq from picking up his last foul and an ejection from the game. Leadership with a level head (Hey! I think I just created the Knicks motto for next season!).Late last season, the Suns traded Shawn Marion to the Heat after Marion was unable to find the appreciation that he felt he deserved in the desert. The Heat were able to unload an aging Shaq and add another All-Star to their roster. The Matrix was unable to make a noteworthy impact in the games he played late last season, as the Heat had lost Wade and were playing to win the draft lotto. With the combination of Wade and Marion, the Heat now have a 1-2 punch that they did not even have when they won it all. Marion wants to be appreciated, but also knows from playing with Steve Nash that this is Wade’s team and always will be. Marion wants to win to justify his demands for a trade and will do whatever it takes to help make a team successful. Add a young and talented Michael Beasley into the mix and the Heat look to back to their “White Hot” days of old. Many will question whether Beasley can find success in the NBA and with questions already rising about his character, he will have to fight hard to control himself and become a team player and not a distraction.

I do not think that will be a problem, not with Dwayne Wade leading the way.