Column: Miami Heat’s track record offers hope for fans

It’s been quite the eventful offseason for the Miami Heat, maybe one of the more devastating in franchise history. Of the starting five from last season, only Bosh, Dragic and Whiteside remain, and the Heat have yet to make a clear statement on Bosh’s current health situation. With Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade and Joe Johnson all changing zip codes in the recent weeks, Pat Riley and the front office find themselves in a drastically changed mood from this point a year ago.

Having made the playoffs in seven of the last eight seasons, the Heat now finds itself in “soul search” mode. Who will take over the leadership role now that Wade is gone? Will Bosh be able to return to his old self for an entire season? Are Dragic and Whiteside going to live up to their new positions on center stage? Questions circle, and answers are yet to be found.

Now in uncharted waters, it’s very unclear how Miami will find its way, but the young talent and potential is promising. Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson both showed tremendous upside last year, the latter leading the NBA in three-point percentage during the second half of the season. With veterans like Dragic and Bosh to lead the way blended with Erik Spoelstra’s unique coaching style, the young duo alongside Tyler Johnson should develop rather well. While immediate success may or may not be in the near future, there’s certainly reason to keep hope alive in South Florida.

Ever since Pat Riley was brought on in 1995 after Micky Arison purchased the team, the Heat have always been about doing things the “right way,” and for over 21 years now, that’s exactly how they handle business. They know what they’re doing, and they know what it takes to be successful and what it takes to win. Of course, it doesn’t hurt when the man running your organization sports nine championship rings on his ten fingers.

While Miami certainly isn’t in the same position it was in back in 2008, there’s definitely no title aspirations circling around Heat Nation at this point. Instead, there’s faith and hope. With Bosh, Haslem and Dragic as the only true “elder statesmen” in black and red (the latter boasting no championship and/or Finals experience), it’s very possible they may struggle a bit. Winslow and Richardson are only entering their second seasons, and it’s still very unclear whether Bosh will be directing traffic on the court or from the sidelines.

Adding more fuel to the “doubt” fire, the Heat failed to make any key additions outside of Whiteside’s return, signing solid players such as Wayne Ellington and James Johnson to attempt to fill the voids left by Wade, Deng and Johnson. It’s now time to see if Winslow will live up to being the 10th overall pick. Countless footage and reports have shown both he and Richardson working tirelessly on their games this summer, and there was even an Instagram video posted of Winslow smoothly knocking down shots from beyond the arc, an area he struggled mightily with last season, shooting at just a 28 percent clip.

While Richardson was quite the polar opposite when it comes to shooting, there is no doubt there’s room to improve there as well. It’s easy to spot up in the corner and get open looks off of Wade double teams, it’s a whole different story when the scoring load is now placed on your shoulders. His athleticism and defensive ability can not be questioned, but we’re going to find out just how good Rook 1 and Rook 2 can be.

Then there’s the aforementioned Whiteside, who just inked a lucrative 4-year, $98 million max deal not even a month ago. Coming off a season in which he put up career highs in points, rebounds and blocks, he’s primed for an even bigger campaign this year. I have no doubt in my mind he’ll be coming for that defensive player of the year award, but will the Heat truly be able to be successful with him as their best or even second-best player?

That remains to be seen, and only a question that can be answered with time. Whiteside has had attitude issues in the past, keeping him out of the league for quite a while. Just this past season, Heat fans probably can’t even count on all fingers and toes how many times the young center appeared visibly frustrated and disinterested while sitting on the bench, while other times he looked as ecstatic and as jubilant as ever. Heat Nation certainly didn’t hold back the criticism either, firing off countless tweets aimed directly at Whiteside and his attitude on the bench.

Needless to say, there’s plenty of room to improve from every aspect, and it may take some time. Becoming a title contender is no overnight process, even the Big Three took years to put together, from the time extensions were signed in 2006 to Pat Riley clearing enough cap room to afford the contracts of James, Wade and Bosh as well as taking care of co-captain Udonis Haslem in the process. Remember how crazy Miami fans went when James infamously delivered his “taking his talents to South Beach” line? Remember the unbridled joy those two consecutive titles brought? None match the first, but boy were they close, especially that epic 2013 Finals series against the veteran San Antonio Spurs.

In closing, my one word of advice to Heat Nation everywhere: patience. The Heat will be back, and when that moment comes, all the struggles will be forgotten.