Does the Miami Heat have what it takes to win the championship this year?

You know the rants NBA legends like Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley and Magic Johnson have thrown over this new-formed triumvirate. We know how Cleveland reacted when James bolted out of town to go South Beach. Even Phil Jackson takes a jab at this newly minted contenders (“I always refer to when Wilt Chamberlain was traded from Philadelphia to Los Angeles and that put Baylor, West and Chamberlain together — three of the top scorers in NBA history — and they never won a championship together the four years they were together. It’s not always scorers and talent that wins it. But it’s teamwork that does it.”).

Phil obviously has a point, but I think he also missed on the issue that those three partnered near their dog days much like this edition of the Boston Celtics. These three are young driven individuals who want the championship. But can they? That is the question.

Honestly THEY can. But will they win it this year? Maybe not. Maybe yes. And I'll break it down for you.

Recently the Celtics tried the same stacking formula and it worked in their favor. But you need to remember how they did it. Just before their season ended the team fortified the little chinks in their armor. They added veteran Sam Cassell and PJ Brown. Sam may not seem much at the time but an aging former NBA all-star guard, but the guy has been a winner all his career. He knows how to win it all -he was a rookie when he won his first ring - and is a steady guy down the stretch heck he even help that awful Los Angeles Clippers make the play-offs his first year there. How about old reliable PJ Brown? PJ honed his game in the rough 90's. This guy was an enforcer. Remember the Knicks-Heat rivalry near the end of the 90's he was in the middle of it (PJ flipped Charlie Ward to the sidelines, body-slamming him, and a melee ensued. They also got Tony Allen and James Posey as defenders. Now you know what kind of fortifications the Celtics did yo ensure they get to that elusive crown.

Which brings us to Miami. Does the Heat have that kind of depth to make a serious run at it. Yes they've shored up on the big men but I don't think their big men is as talented or would be capable of stopping the likes of Shaquille O'Neal (even in his down years) and Dwight Howard. With the kind of Bigs they have, mostly offensive minded guys, I don't think they'll be stopping lots of talented big guys out there. Their backcourt is as depleted as well, with Mario Chalmers probably their best stake at PG. Yes the Miami Thrice is there but those three can only do as much and will be limited to 6 fouls. I'm also not that high on Chris Bosh, as he always shy away form contact and prefer the perimeter to take his shots. I think the Heat would benefit more from playing a conventional back to the basket power forward than play another perimeter wannabe guy like Bosh in their offense.

The Heat have lots of things to do before they can really be a real threat to the Lakers crown. But mind you the talent is there, team chemistry is another thing and if the Heat can shuffle it's roster one more time middle of the season... They might just pull it.


Picture: From Web