5 Burning Questions for 2005-2006

Tonight the Heat kick off another NBA season - but arguably its most anticipated season to date. After the arrival of Shaq last season, that seems to be a very hard feat to top. Nonetheless, here we are.

What I would like to do here is list 5 questions that we will need to keep in the back of our minds as the season progresses. So, here we go:

5) Will Dorrell Wright or any other young player be able to contribute to this year's team success? Wright is in year 2 of his NBA career and outside of practice, doesn't have much experience to show for his time thus far. He missed the Summer League with an injury, but came on pretty strong in preseason. Still, he is very young and may need time to develop. Despite the talent upgrade this team went through, there maybe not enough depth at certain positions without having to rely on some of the young talent the Heat have. This means Wayne Simien, Earl Barron, Matt Walsh and Wright may all have to step up their education in order to help out this Heat team at some point during the season.

4) Will the new guys adjust? The question isn't really whether or not there is enough shots to go around, or enough touches, but whether the players on this team will buy into a reduced role while at the same time challenging themselves to become more efficient players. All of this for the sake of a championship and winning.

3) Will the Heat have enough 3 point accuracy? After losing Damon Jones, the Heat have had to scramble to replace his .432 three point FG% as well as the .372 clip of Eddie Jones. Jason Kapono can hit the three, but that is about it. Jason Williams and Gary Payton are not strong three point shooters historically, and Dwyane Wade very rarely attempts the trifecta. Defenders may cheat down and double up on the interior and force the Heat to shoot.

2) Will Dwyane Wade be able to adapt and continue to grow his game? Michael Jordan experienced it early in his career and it looks like Dwyane Wade is now faced with a similar challenge - the growth and maturation of his game. Dwyane Wade started to develop an outside shot last season under the tutelage of Erik Spoelstra, Heat assistant coach. Even gaining some confidence with a buzzer beater in Madison Square Garden against the Knicks. Yet now, with the new cast, Wade will be asked to move without the ball more. While this means less wear and tear as he is not asked to handle the ball as much, it could also serve as a growing pain to Wade's game as he tends to rely on having the ball in his hands to make plays. We could see either an evolution of Dwyane Wade's game or possibly see his shortcomings in a higher relief.

1) Will there be a parade down Biscayne? Riley said he dreamed about it, envisioned it when he first came to Miami about 10 years ago. After landing Shaq and the uber-development of Dwyane Wade, and pulling off the biggest trade in NBA history, the Heat seem to have all the ingredients necessary to make the impossible a reality. Don't worry about the Riley-to-coach story, although that is something to definetly keep an eye on, there seems to be little evidence to warrant Riley taking over. If anything, Stan Van Gundy has demonstrated himself to be one of the most dynamic coaches in the modern-NBA - going from the Lamar Odom, Dwyane Wade and Caron Butler fun-and-gun playoff team to the Eastern powerhouse of last season. The coaching staff and the core players are tempered by the excitement and expectation of a playoff hunt and that could go a long way towards hoisting the trophy. If the Heat are to grasp the title, it will have definetly been earned.

Burn baby, burn.