When LeBron James and Chris Bosh announced that they would be joining fellow NBA All-Star Dwyane Wade in Miami, sports critics predicted that the team would challenge the Chicago Bull record for most victories in a season.
But after 17 games, an eight game loss has the Miami Heat going through a publicized crisis.
During the team’s Nov. 27 loss against the Dallas Mavericks, James and head coach Erik Spoelstra bumped shoulders in a move that seemed far from accidental. Bosh and James have both criticized coach Spoelstra during interviews with the media. Many believe that Heat’s President Pat Riley will eventually take over as the head coach.
But the Heat’s problems extend beyond bad coaching. While the team has three of the best players in the world, the Heat’s roster lacks players at key positions. They’re likely to struggle until they sign a play-making point guard, a la Rajon Rondo of the Boston Celtics, and a physical rebounder and shot blocker. Bosh has been exposed as a weak defensive player.
The President of the United States has even felt compelled to speak on the Heat’s recent struggles. President Barack Obama, who recently had to get 12 stitches after taking an elbow while playing basketball, offered advice to the team.
“It takes some time for the team to come together,” Obama said. “There’s no ‘I’ in team. So no matter how good a player is, no matter how good a group of players are, if they haven’t played together before they are not going to be as good as a team that has played together a long time.”
It’s still early in the season, but Miami’s dream team is slowly turning into a nightmare. –amir shaw
