2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Miami Heat

Welcome to theScore's preview of the 2014-15 Miami Heat. Visit our preseason hub for previews of all 30 NBA teams.

Miami Heat

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2013-14

When you have the best player in the world and are coming off of back-to-back championships, you're measured against a different standard than most teams. In that regard, it's hard to see the Heat's 2013-14 season as anything other than a disappointment.

The Heat regressed on the defensive end, finishing outside the top-10 in defensive efficiency for the first time in five years, Dwyane Wade missed 28 games, and the team's .659 winning percentage was the worst of Miami's Big Three Era.

Miami went 11-14 over the final 25 games of the season, but cruised to a top-two seed in the laughable East regardless, conceding the top spot to the Pacers midway through the year.

In the postseason, the Heat steamrolled Charlotte and the Nets, took down the top-seeded Pacers in an East final that proved to be more hype than substance, then proceeded to get run off the court in a five-game Finals loss to the Spurs.

Offseason Roundup

In a complete reversal of the events of July 2010, Cleveland's gain was Miami's loss, as Lebron James took his talents back to Ohio.

In response to losing James (and Shane Battier, Ray Allen and James Jones, among others), the Heat locked up Wade, Chris Bosh, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Chris Andersen - giving Bosh the five-year max - while also adding Luol Deng, Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and Shabazz Napier. Some of those pieces were added with James in mind, but it stands as a decent haul anyway.

You can't lose a player of James' stature without taking a step back, but the Heat still put in work this summer.

Additions

*C Chris Andersen (2/$10M)
*PF/C Chris Bosh (5/$118M)
*PG Mario Chalmers (2/$8.3M)
SF Luol Deng (2/$19.9M)
SF James Ennis (2013 Draft)
SF Danny Granger (2/$4.2M)
*PF Udonis Haslem (2/$5.6M)
PF Josh McRoberts (4/$22.7M)
*SG Dwyane Wade (2/$31.1M)
SG Reggie Williams (undisclosed)
SF Shawne Williams (undisclosed)

*Re-signed

Departures

SG Ray Allen (free agency, possible retirement)
PF Shane Battier (retired)
PF Michael Beasley (free agency)
SG Toney Douglas (free agency)
SF LeBron James (free agency)
SG/SF James Jones (free agency)
PF Rashard Lewis (free agency)

2014 Draft

G Shabazz Napier (1st round, 24th overall)

Whether the Heat will ever admit it was to appease LeBron, the fact of the matter is that months after he tweeted in favor of Shabazz Napier, and with James on the precipice of free agency, Miami traded up in the draft to select the Connecticut guard.

Napier is undersized and isn't exactly a pure point guard, but the two-time national champion can flat out score, and he's a great defender for his size who will give you an honest effort on that end of the floor.

With or without LeBron, snagging Napier late in the first round is a solid draft night for a playoff team.

Starting 5

• PG Mario Chalmers
• SG Dwyane Wade
• SF Luol Deng
• PF Josh McRoberts
• C Chris Bosh

Breakout Player: Mario Chalmers

For the last four years, Mario Chalmers has been somewhat of a whipping boy for the Heat's Big Three. But Chalmers has been among the more consistent three-point shooting guards in the league, he's durable and he's probably an underrated defender.

With an increased role this season, as what remains of the Heat try to pick up some of James' offensive slack, Chalmers will get an opportunity to earn a reputation of his own.

Chalmers is already 28-years-old and isn't going to suddenly explode into an All-Star caliber point guard, but he's never attempted more than 8.1 shots per game in a season, so even a modest increase in his field goal attempts could see his numbers jump.

A big part of Chalmers getting the "breakout player" nomination is the fact the Heat just don't have that many breakout candidates, but his production in a post-James world is at least worth monitoring.

McRoberts is another possibility here, although you can make the argument he kind of broke out already in Charlotte last season.

Season Expectations

Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra, Wade, Bosh and others in Miami will tell you otherwise, but it's no longer championship or bust for the Heat. Nevertheless, the team Riley and company have pieced together is still talented enough to compete in the weak Eastern Conference, and no one should be surprised if the Heat are fighting for a top-three seed again.

The top two spots in the conference should go to the Cavaliers and Bulls, but the Heat figure to be in the mix with the Raptors and Wizards (and potentially the Hornets and Hawks) for seeds three through five and a second round appearance, while battling Washington for another Southeast Division crown.

If one of Cleveand or Chicago should run into a few bad bounces, however, the Heat could very well find themselves in another East Final, looking for an unlikely fifth straight conference title.

Of course if they run into their share of bad breaks, if Wade can't give them 65 games or if their shaky bench completely falls apart, the Heat could become first round fodder.

1 to Follow on Social Media

Chris Bosh's quirky demeanor makes him an easy target for the haters, but the nine-time All-Star lives a pretty interesting life full of sitcom cameos, appearances on Ellen and Hell's Kitchen and his own tie collection cleverly named "Mr. Nice Tie."

Add in the fact that Bosh will get the chance to be a No. 1 option again for the first time since averaging 24 and 11 with the Raptors five years ago, and the fact that his Twitter bio simply reads "The coolest dude alive" makes the choice for who to follow is pretty easy.