Continuing with our NBA draft previews, Darren Heitner previews the Miami Heat. Heitner blogs for SportsAgentBlog.com. If you would like to contribute a preview of your own, then send an e-mail to cchadmin (at) gmail.com.

Last Year’s Record: 44-38

This Year’s Picks: #20

Needs: Young players to surround Dwyane Wade.

With only one pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, the Miami Heat have to make it count.  At least the Heat hold one pick this year, after having squadoosh (zero for you non-Tony Reali fans) in 2006.  44-38 is a respectable record for a West Coast team, or the Atlanta Hawks, but for the defending champions, it was short of expectations.

So what can the Miami Heat do to return to its glory year, short of developing a flux capacitor and going back into time with Christopher Lloyd?  The only way that the Miami Heat can return to the past is to look to the future, and the future must be shaped with players who can feed Dwyane Wade the ball and pick up his scraps off the board.

What do Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, and Antoine Walker all have in common?  They are all ready to start playing shuffleboard outside of their multi-million dollar mansions in Miami.  Jason Williams and James Posey are creeping up there too.  The Heat’s biggest need is more draft picks, but in all likelihood, they will have to use their one first round pick to fill a hole.

As long as the Miami Heat do not follow the Miami Dolphins and draft a 26-year-old quarterback (John Beck), the team should do just fine with the critics.  Udonis Haslem will be sticking around for a while, and Dorell Wright will continue to develop into a good small forward/shooting guard.  Jason Kapono can also shoot the ball, and will contribute his fair share off the bench.  The 2-4 slots should not be addressed.

That leaves the Miami Heat with choosing between addressing their current lack of depth at the point, or picking a big man to replace O’Neal and Mourning in a year or so.  I think that looking center is more important, as a front court consisting of Michael Doleac and Earl Barron is extremely scary…nightmarish.

Many of the draft boards disagree with me.  They see the Heat drafting Gabe Pruitt, Javaris Crittenton, or Acie Law IV.  All of them are young point guards who would do a good job taking the ball up court.  If available, I think that the Miami Heat should choose Tiago Splitter, a 7’1 player out of Brazil who is listed at power forward, but could definitely play the center position.  He is a great defender, and the Heat have been playing abysmal defense.  Spencer Hawes out of the University of Washington would not be a bad pick either, if available at pick #20.

At the 20^th slot, the Heat needs to be flexible.  If their top centers/power forwards are off of the draft board, I could understand going point guard.  However, I think that the team should be looking to go big man if the right player is still available.

If you want additional Miami Heat discussion, do not go to I Want to be a Sports Agent, because you won’t find any there.  If you want the latest sports business/law/agent news, then I Want to be a Sports Agent, is a place that you will love!