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The end of last season was disappointing, a departure from the high standards that define Miami’s culture.
No matter their seed, the Heat isn’t supposed to go out in the first round.
To make matters worse, it came from the eventual world-champion Boston Celtics. The Heat were so beat up that they could do nothing more than serve as a speed bump for the Celtics.
Coming into this season, the Heat has returned to a veteran-led Eastern Conference threat it has been in the past season, even though most experts are picking the Heat to finish outside of the top four in the conference.
After the championship years, Eric Spoelstra has been able to operate in a drama-free environment, but this season might be different because of Jimmy Butler’s contract situation. Butler holds a $52.4M player option next season, so this season is a major one for him. If Butler performs well, does he opt out? If Butler continues down the injury road, how much does it hurt the Heat if Butler chooses to opt in?
Trading Butler might be difficult, as teams will have little space under the apron until the new media contract kicks in.
On paper, Miami should be more prepared to go through the ebbs and flows of an NBA season.
