“Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies”

– Andy Dufresne, on the 2014-15 Miami Heat.

So it begins.

Again.

As the Miami Heat prepare themselves for another season of basketball, the outlook is much different than that of the last four seasons. LeBron James’ departure has diminished the perception of the Heat in the eyes of many, as now they’re going to have to battle their through every game in the upcoming season.

And I’m excited!

Of course I’d rather the Heat be a favorite to reach the Finals. It’s always fun having that expectation to be there at the end; maybe because I’ve grown up a Dolphins fan and they’ve managed to routinely kick me in the [edit] the last three decades that it was nice to be on the other side. But that comes with a price: the 82 game grind of the regular season tends to be dull when you’re sitting around waiting for June to come.

I love basketball. I love watching random games in January that feel like they could have some importance in the standings. Last regular season lost that feeling; felt like it was a waste of time to go through the process of getting there. Even Chris Bosh said as much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the 2010-11 season. Granted, I felt so exhausted when that season ended. Every game felt important. It had an energy to it that has been missing the last few years. That first year of the Big Three Era had that spotlight that was shining ever so bright on the Heat and the fans that it felt like a Game 7 every night.

But now the Heat face a perceived slide back into the pack with the Toronto’s and Washington’s of the East, just trying to avoid facing the favorites in Cleveland and Chicago in the first round. That should be life without the best player on the planet.

Or is it?

Yes, the spotlight of doubt will be on Dwyane Wade, as his health will help dictate how successful Miami can be this season. Barring a serious injury *frantically knocks on wood*, Wade is going to have to play close to 70 games, as this new roster needs plenty of time to gel heading into the playoffs. But if you’re going to point out Wade’s health, I can then make the same statement about the Cavs’ Kyrie Irving, who has played only eight more games in the regular season than Wade the last three years. What about Bosh? One max contract that some found to be questionable and all of a sudden people forgot how good he really is. LeBron didn’t prop him up. He’s going to have to find a middle ground between previous four seasons and the guy that was a monster in Toronto. Also, has Luol Deng recovered from Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau running him into the ground and/or suffering from playing half a season in Cleveland?

Why can’t the Heat be a threat in the conference? Have you seen the East? It’s still the same underwhelming mess. Even the favorites have some doubts to them – the Cavs have to figure out how they’re going to play defense with a new coach coming into the NBA, while also trying to see how their players will mesh together; the Bulls have to concern themselves with Derrick Rose coming back from his second major knee injury in three years. Even the Wizards and Hornets – Miami’s main competition in the Southeast Division – have new faces that have to fit in with the grand scheme. Can Lance Stephenson take a James Harden-like step in Charlotte, or will he continue to be all sizzle, but no steak? What about Washington? They lost Trevor Ariza and replaced him with Paul Pierce, who isn’t exactly the same guy he was in Boston (although as we saw this past weekend at Fenway Park, he might not realize that). And are the Raptors even legit?

Why do I have hope? It’s because this franchise has a culture that knows how to bring the best out of their players and help them win. Of course, having stars is a big advantage to building a championship contender, yet a team needs the guys around them that help complete the puzzle. But they can only complete the puzzle if they buy into the Heat culture. There’s a reason why Pat Riley re-signed guys like Udonis Haslem, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Andersen: players that are not stars by any stretch of the imagination (although Chalmers’ imagination would probably beg to differ) that have experience with winning and can help bridge the gap to the new guys. Think that’s silly? Then why did LeBron make it such a big deal to have Mike Miller and James Jones go to Cleveland? Their effects on the Cavs will either be situational (Miller) or just a veteran that can get in a youngster’s ear (Jones).

Most importantly, I believe in Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. He managed to milk a top 5-seed out of a Heat team that had Michael Beasley as its second best player in 2009 and 2010; you’re telling me he can’t get a division championship and top 3-seed with Bosh, Wade, and Deng? Spo is the same guy that found a way to make LeBron an all-around force of nature, made Wade an efficient scoring machine, and Bosh into a floor-spacing weapon. He finds players strengths and finds way to put them into positions to take advantage of them. But he’s going to have a hard time winning the Southeast?

That will be a part of the beauty of this upcoming season: nothing is set in stone. We’re going to see the latest evolution of the Heat. One of franchise that is still the reigning – and defending – four time Eastern Conference champions. That’s something that can’t be lost in all of this: a champion looking to defend its crown, but with the added bonus of a giant chip on its shoulder. I’m going to guess Spoelstra will point that out from time to time.

The Miami Heat prepare themselves for another season of basketball. Now, no longer looked upon has a Finals contender, the Heat must fight their way for respect this season. But that seems to be a running theme for this franchise.

So it begins.

Again.