5. Chris Andersen
I have a feeling this pick will be met with controversy, but let me explain.
There are several Heat centers who posted better per-game averages over their Miami tenures, such as Kevin Willis’ 14 points and 14 rebounds, but Andersen meant a lot more to this franchise than just the numbers in the box score.
When the Big Three first came together, one thing was clear, they had a huge problem at center. Joel Anthony, who has a career 2.3 points per contest average, was the team’s starting center for the entire 2010-11 season. It was obvious that Anthony wasn’t enough for the Heat to make a serious run at a title, but with the contracts of Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and LeBron James, they didn’t have many options.
Then came along Chris “Birdman” Andersen. He was an athletic freak for his size, but he spent most of his career dealing with substance abuse problems and other off-the-court issues. Signing Andersen came with risks, but it turned out to be one of the most underrated signings in team history.
A lot of people don’t realize Birdman was arguably the fourth-best player on the Heat, during the 2012-13 Finals and playoffs. During that postseason, he averaged 15.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per 36 minutes, all while shooting a league-best 80.7 percent from the field.
Andersen became the perfect pairing with LeBron James, grabbing offensive rebounds and connecting on alley-oops (similar to the role Tristan Thompson played in this past Finals).
Next: To Hassan Be the Glory