Although Dwyane Wade still may be the face of the Miami Heat franchise, especially now that LeBron James is back with the Cleveland Cavaliers, it remains to be seen if he’s their best player.
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That title may go to Chris Bosh who returned to South Beach this offseason after nearly signing with the Houston Rockets in free agency. The Miami Heat were persuasive enough to retain Bosh, who according to Ira Winderman is not only likely to emerge as a leader of the franchise this season but will also be more vocal in doing so.
"First, I don’t think that’s necessarily Luol’s locker-room personality. Plus, even when LeBron James was the center of attention, Erik Spoelstra kept Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as the two co-captains, and I certainly don’t expect that to change. What I do expect to change is Chris Bosh’s voice. As the highest-paid player on the team (a distinction he previously shared with James) and holding the longest contract on the team, his voice has to resonate more than it has during the past four seasons."
Winderman went on to suggest that he believes veteran forward Udonis Haslem will remain the emotional leader of the locker room, though it will be Bosh who is looked upon by those on the roster.
Of course, that wasn’t a strength of Chris Bosh’s during his time with the Toronto Raptors, but it’s possible the veteran is more comfortable in his skin at this point of his career and is willing to be more of a shot caller moving forward.