Dwyane Wade handles the ball during a home court game in Miami. (Photo : Mike Ehrmann | Getty Images Sport)
The Cleveland Cavaliers hogged the headlines in the offseason and monopolized the Eastern Conference Championship predictions.
However, LeBron James' former team made some significant moves that give them the ability to pull the rug from the King.
Bold predictions from Fansided has the Miami Heat winning the Eastern Conference which almost all experts have awarded to LeBron's Cavs.
"The Heat will be walking into the finals with a date against a very formidable Western Conference opponent. Oh, and Erik Spoelstra is going to take home another Coach of the Year award for his outstanding job at the helm."
They note some of the reasons.
"With the addition of Justice Winslow in the draft, along with Amar'e Stoudemire and Gerald Green in free agency and the returns of both Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts from injury, the Heat have their best depth in a long time."
Pat Riley managed to nab some veterans for less than their market value which means they are all in to make a run this season. They also have a prime point guard (Goran Dragic) and they have a center who is actually relevant (Hassan Whiteside)--two things that James didn't have.
The Heat also got lucky-Justise Winslow, a coveted player in the draft, unexpectedly fell into their lap, providing a strong, solid option at LeBron's former position.
Fansided also pointed out that aside from the improvement of the Heat, the Cavs are not as comfortable as one might think.
"Looking at the East, the obvious favorites for most are the Cavaliers, but I'd argue they have as many issues as anyone in the conference. With Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving still recovering from their respective injuries, LeBron is going to be asked to do a lot, and while we know he can handle the load, it could burn him out as the season wears on."
The Tristan Thompson holdout can be crucial for the Cavs. The Heat now have a stacked frontline while the Cavs rely on the injured legs of Kevin Love and Anderson Varejao as well as Timofey Mozgov. Thompson's youth, energy and tenacity is needed to face Hassan Whiteside and Chris Bosh but right now, the Cavs don't have him.
Grantland's Jalen Rose predicted that the Cavs would not win the title without Thompson and while many believed that it's because they can't win in the NBA Finals. The Heat may not even let them get that far.
