And lastly, give me your perfect starting lineup, using Heat players past and present, excluding players from the Big Three era…
Leniart: Excluding the players from the Big Three era makes this much more interesting, as all three of those guys would have made my All-Time Heat starting lineup. There are two players that are locks for this lineup: Wade and Shaquille O’Neal. Wade, being a Heat Lifer, is not excluded from this list even though he played in the Big Three Era. (Editor’s note: this is cheating.) He is, without question, the greatest player to ever put on a Miami Heat uniform (for more than four seasons). His jersey will undoubtedly be retired in Miami and I am sure the team will build a statue for him outside of the AAA. O’Neal was one of the most dominant players in the history of the NBA. Even though recent trends in basketball have made low-post big men less valuable, he is one of the few exceptions. If he were in his prime now, there is no doubt that he would be an All-Star in today’s NBA. The selections for the remaining three spots are all up for debate. I went with Tim Hardaway, Glen Rice, and Rony Seikaly. That trio gives me a solid mix of ball-handling, shooting, and rebounding to round out my ideal starting lineup.
Eyrich: 1) Tim Hardaway 2) Dwyane Wade (editor’s note: this is also cheating) 3) Eddie Jones 4) Udonis Haslem 5) Alonzo Mourning
Shofner: Excluding the use of any of the Big Three, here we go… PG – Hardaway, SG – Ray Allen, SF – Rice, PF – Mourning, C – O’Neal And for fun, my bench would look like this and be a nasty bunch as well… SG – Steve Smith, SF – Jamaal Mashburn, C – Sheikaly, SG – Eddie Jones, PG – Williams, PF – Brian Grant. This would be a very exciting team to watch with few holes in the lineup.
Rahming: Since the Big Three aren’t allowed even though Dwyane Wade is a homegrown superstar, this will be tough. Let ‘s go with Hardaway, Allen, Mike Miller, Mourning, and O’Neal. This team would be rugged at the point guard position defensively, while being smart on the wings. Sure, you might wish for more athletic wings on the defensive end but Miller and Allen would have their heads in the game the whole time, and could be depended on to make the right choices. There are no words necessary for O’Neal and Mourning in the paint besides “Nothing Inside.” The offensive end would have plenty of pick and roll opportunities for them and Hardaway, as well as iso moments. The Heat would be one of the best post-up teams in the league while destroying teams from the beyond the arc. It would take all the kings men and all the kings horses to figure out spacing and scheme with the two bigs, but I’d pay a team to see them work through it with two Hall of Famers… Wouldn’t you?
And now, it’s back to reality.