And So It Ends...

Miami's season ended with a 91-78 Game 7 loss to the heavily favored Atlanta Hawks. I'm not entirely dissapointed with the whole season, but I really was hoping for at least second round outing. Miami almost got what it wanted in the regular season - they almost got home court advantage in the first round finishing with the 5th seed and eventually losing in seven to the 4th seeded Hawks. Overall, it was a relatively "good" season to start after the awful 15-67 W-L record last year.

With hindsight, here are my thoughts for this season:

1. Michael Beasley? He's good and he'll be better. He definitely will be a cornerstone of this franchise. I can see him as a consistent 20-10 player 2 to 3 years from now.

2. Dwyane Wade - There has been a lot of talk about whether D-Wade will be staying after his contract expires. People are saying he'll take a look at the roster and that there is no one there absolutely worth staying for for competing for a championship. Again, there have been no indications that he is considering leaving - but you never know. I think with the impending cap space and with Chalmers, and Beasley, and Spo - he's got lots of reasons to stay although the lure of a better roster somewhere else will still be on his mind. And the entire Heat Nation. But dang, the entire Heat Staff (and Wade) should be taking care of his body - it seems that at every season's end - he's nursing something bad. Definitely not a good sign for him.

3. The Trade - I didn't agree with it then, and I still don't agree with it now. If we had Marion instead of Jermaine, we'd be preparing for the the Cavs.

4. Jermaine O'Neal - exactly what he turned out to be - old and hobbled. Not exactly what we hoped for. Sayang. It means that we will be paying his contract next season instead of say - Carlos Boozer's.

5. Erik Spoelstra - he was in the midst of COY talk, and that's huge for a rookie coach. From 15-67 to 43-40 wasn't just about D-Wade's health - it was also about Spo's coaching. Go Pinoy!

6. Mario Chalmers -Like B-Easy, he'll get better. I expect him to work in the offseason with his shooting. His defense is spectacular - he tied the Heat franchise record for most steals in a game (9), and he has shown a propensity for hitting big shots as well. But, right now, it's just hard to see him as a starting PG for a championship caliber team. Hopefully, when I said "he'll get better" it means better in every basketball catgeory.

7. The Bench - Daequan Cook and James Jones, Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire. Looking at purely offensive and defensive awareness, this could be the bench for being competitive. However, with how the season ended, you'd think that there still is something missing. And there is - consistency - specially on offense. If Cook and Jones aren't hitting their shots, it makes it that much harder for Miami to win a game, any game for that matter.

8. 2010 - The year of the free agents. We can hope right? Ultimate scenario - Wade and Bron; 2nd Ultimate scenario - Wade and Bosh; Somewhat realistic scenario - Wade and Stoudamire; Nightmare Scenario - Wade walks. I think we'll end somewhere in between realistic and nightmare.