A: First, don't understate the contributions the past two years from Deng, who served as the type of veteran glue often needed to hold together young teams, such as the one the Heat are about to offer. And Amar'e Stoudemire and Rashard Lewis also offered quality depth when called upon. But, yes, there have been some missteps along the way. What the Heat's latest signings offer is the opportunity for a player to finally get it right. But the reality is that Wayne Ellington, James Johnson, Derrick Williams and Luke Babbitt all have had their opportunities elsewhere, so I'm not sure this is about them "panning out." In fact, what I believe this season should be about is Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Tyler Johnson, and perhaps even the likes of Briante Weber, Rodney McGruder and some of the talent from the summer roster. Those are the players positioned to make breakthroughs. If, anything, the danger would be counting too much on journeyman veterans (even if they're younger than 30) at the cost of minutes for the Heat's true prospects.