With LeBron James now in Cleveland, one would assume that the Miami Heat would likely be more willing to play their youth a bit more.
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However, that doesn’t appear likely as the Miami Heat are still determined to be a contender in the top-heavy Eastern Conference and the Sun Sentential believes that desire will keep young players stapled to the bench.
Asked if the Miami Heat would attempt to develop some of their youth this season, Ira Winderman suggested that is unlikely.
"Honestly, I’m not sure this is the time to do it. I think this season will be about (has to be about?) showing they can withstand the loss of LeBron James and remain competitive. It basically is what Micky Arison said in his letter to fans, and what Pat Riley said in his video to fans."
Winderman did go on to suggest that he does believe the young talent on the Miami Heat roster will get some run, though it won’t be much.
That seems to be reasonable with what the Miami Heat are attempting to accomplish, though you’d like to see a mix of both situations in order to prepare the young talent for when Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade begin their decline.
It’s expected that the bench end of the rotation will feature a combination of Udonis Haslem and Reggie Williams/Shawne Williams, leaving little floor time for the rest of the roster. Of course, the Heat could attempt to keep the veteran legs fresh on the roster by playing the youth more, but that currently does not seem likely.