Miami Heat (Photo : Photo: Twitter)
It was a rough NBA season last year for the Miami Heat.
The team lost an MVP when LeBron James decided to take his talents back to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
They missed the services of a perennial All Star forward in Chris Bosh whose season was cut short due to blood clots in his lungs.
Of course, there's Mario Chalmers, who, as of now, is still light years away from fulfilling his so-called stature as a "top 10" NBA point guard.
These factors - in more ways than one - contributed to the Heat's struggles, thus finishing with a measly 37-45 win-loss record good for 10th in the Eastern Conference.
This season, head coach Erik Spoelstra looks to bring back lost glory by simply taking full accountability for the past's shortcomings and looking forward to a new beginning with the team.
"Yes, there's some things I would have done differently," Spoelstra claimed. "Is it necessary for me to go through the whole autopsy right now? No. I take responsibility for it and that's where it should be."
He continued: "It should be on my shoulders. I'm not running away from that. And now my energy and my focus is on this team with big expectations. And you know what? That's the way we like it."
As of this moment, Coach Spo seems to have the right tools to once again contend in the East.
"Now it's about putting together a team that we feel has an opportunity to compete for a championship," he said. "We're not hiding from the expectations."
Franchise cornerstones Dwyane Wade just signed a one-year extension, while Chris Bosh is healthy and raring to go.
Steady contributors Goran Dragic and Hassan Whiteside are about to enter their first full training camp with the Heat.
Furthermore, welcome additions such as veteran forwards Amare Stoudemire and Gerald Green, as well as highly touted rookie Justise Winslow provide versatility on the wings.
"I'm putting five basketball players out there," Coach Spo stated. "People can interpret that however they want to. The way our guys are - some of our perimeter guys are better playing near the basket and in the paint, and some of our bigger players are better on the perimeter and outside the paint."
Fans and media persons alike like to come up with fancy terms with regard to the offensive style of a team.
There's Golden State's "small ball" revolution; New York's "triangle" system; and Cleveland's "give-the-ball-to-LeBron-James-and-spread-out" offense.
For Erik Spoelstra, labels don't make a difference. He's just happy to have a set of players who can do wonders for the Miami Heat.
"We're going to try to leverage those strengths. Whatever you want to call that type of basketball, it doesn't matter to me."
