The Miami Heat were supposed to be a threat in the Eastern Conference, but fate had other ideas.
This season was supposed to be the one that put the Miami Heat back on the map after the LeBron James departure. Chris Bosh was back and healthy. Hassan Whiteside was set for his first full season after his breakout. Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade looked like a dynamic back court and Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson offered some hope for the future.
Everything had come together. Until, well, it all fell apart.
Starting with the elephant in the room, which is Bosh’s health scare and the drama that followed. Bosh fell victim to blood clotting again around the All-Star break and was sidelined for the remainder of the season, despite his desperate attempts to play. While player rights are something I am 100 percent behind and I believe the old adage “no one knows their body like the player” to be true, the Heat were absolutely right to hold him out to protect not only Bosh, but also themselves.
While there was skepticism around Whiteside’s maturity and how deserving he’d be of a max contract, he pleasantly surprised and performed well. He stayed out of trouble (for the most part) and made his case for the most dominate big man in the league. But when the team needed him during their winnable series against Toronto, like Bosh, he was sidelined due to injury.
Dragic and Wade showed flashes, but never really looked like a dominant one-two punch that Pat Riley hoped for when he traded first-round picks for Dragic and signed him to a long-term deal.
Wade was really good for most of the season and turned back the clocks for a vintage post-season run, but asking a 34 year old to carry the load when surrounded by so much talent isn’t ideal. Although the “Father Prime” nickname is a nice touch, the Heat have to know they’re on borrowed time given Wade’s age and injury history.
More heat: Why the Miami Heat's season was actually a success
On a team that is short on youth, not being able to capitalize on a great situation stings a bit. The Heat are team full of veterans, and veterans are more likely to get dinged up. Injuries can derail seasons, and Miami fell victim at the wrong time. Injuries are a part of the game, sure, but this may have been the first season I’ve been saddened by how they’ve changed the course of what could have been.