Fantasy Basketball: Miami Heat Edition

Tonight, October 29, marks the start of the 2014-2015 season for the Miami Heat. As they take on the Washington Wizards at 7:30 p.m. ET at the AmericanAirlines Arena, the quest to prove the team can survive without LeBron James officially begins. However, besides yesterday just marking the start of a new year for NBA fans, fantasy basketball began as well.

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For those of you unfamiliar with this pastime, the basics mirror those of the league. Each person creates a team by drafting players, and each week that team goes head-to-head with someone else’s. Depending on each individual player’s real life performance, you earn a score based on statistics like points, rebounds and assists; and obviously, the person with the highest score wins for the week.

This year, I went ahead and drafted both Chris Bosh and Luol Deng to my team (and cleverly named myself “The First Lady of Hoops”). While Bosh is ranked within the top 20 according to both ESPN and Yahoo Sports, I still got made fun of for my selection. And then I realized something: fantasy or not, the Heat have to earn the respect they lost in 2010, all over again.

Naysayers will cast their doubts until Miami gives them a reason not to, but for the rest of us, here is how I feel about them in a fantasy-sphere (ratings based on Yahoo Sports’ O-Rank):

Norris Cole– Anyone who knows me, knows Cole is my boy. While I understand how 238 makes sense given how many point guards are in the league (and more importantly, how highly ranked many are), I think he should be given a little more consideration. Hopefully he will start over Mario Chalmers this season and prove his worth.

Dwyane Wade– Currently ranked 36, people have to consider one thing: baring any injuries, Wade will absolutely play more minutes than last season. That, coupled with the fact that solid shooting guards are hard to come by, I have a little more confidence in Wade than his ranking suggests.

Luol Deng– Although I would not necessarily recommend having Deng be the best forward on your roster, he should be a valuable assist. At 86, his ranking sounds about right. Deng is as hard-working and consistent as they come. Combine that with the probability that this season he will be taking significantly more three’s, I doubt he will be a disappointment.

Chris Bosh– Ranked at 17, I would score him higher. I foresee an at least 20-point game from him nightly, and there is no reason for him not to record a double-double to boot. Anyone sleeping on Bosh will be sorry.

Josh McRoberts-Without much knowledge or opinion, I will take the easy way out and agree with Yahoo on this one, leaving McRoberts at 137. I should also add that he has yet to take contact in practice, since he had toe surgery during the offseason. In other words, stay away and find someone else to draft.

Udonis Haslem– 322 seems fair enough for Haslem, considering his last few seasons in the league. I definitely would be in no hurry to pick him up.

Danny Granger– Coming in one point below Haslem at 323, I would say this is pretty accurate. I was surprised that the Heat picked him up during the offseason, given how injury-prone he is. Try again elsewhere, this guy will do nothing for your fantasy squad.

Mario Chalmers– Honestly, I have lost all faith in Chalmers. As ridiculous as it may sound, to me, 134 still seems too high of a value. While he does add some intrigue with his shooting guard abilities, point guards run deep. Therefore, I can think of a number of other guys I would be more comfortable drafting.

Shabazz Napier– 481 is logical for a rookie, especially given that with Cole and Chalmers on the squad, his time on the court will probably be limited at best.

Chris Andersen– The Birdman comes in at 193, and really, only time will tell how accurate that is. Towards the end of last season, Andersen stepped up considerably, both offensively and on defense. However with the Heat’s new additions, his role and temperament may shift.

James Ennis– Among rookies, 605 seems a bit low for Ennis, give the promise he has already shown in preseason. However, I too would look elsewhere during draft night. He earned a DNP last Tuesday, putting him out of the Heat’s rotation, at least for now.

Shannon Brown– 373 seems a bit low given his performance level while on the Los Angeles Lakers, but then again, in this league people are quick to forget the past.

Andre Dawkins– Dawkins is the second lowest ranked on the Heat at 578, although I would actually place Ennis above him. That is about all I have to say on the matter.

Justin Hamilton– At 435, I would deem it highly unlikely that there was ever a situation in which Hamilton needed to be picked up. Nothing against the guy, but despite his heavy minutes in Friday’s matchup, he still has yet to reveal his worth.

Shawne Williams-Mr. 310, Williams will cover for McRoberts until his toe heals. However, he did not show much promise during the preseason and unless you are in a deep league, there are better fish in the sea.

So, who will/did you draft for your fantasy basketball teams this year? Leave your answer in the poll below.

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