Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Kobe Bryant led Team USA to a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. (GETTY IMAGES)

USA Basketball recently announced the 20 finalists who will compete for the 12 spots on the senior men’s national team that will represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Among the finalists are holdovers from the 2008 gold-medal winning team in Beijing: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Carmelo Anthony. Assuming all eight accept invitations to London, there are 12 players fighting for four spots which leaves USA Basketball president Jerry Colangelo and head coach Mike Krzyzewski the dirty task of having to cut star players without embarrassing them in public.

RELATED: USA Basketball selects the 20 finalists for the 2012 London Olympics (July-August)

Injuries will certainly play a big part of the selection process, especially with Bryant (wrist) and Wade (foot). Both have hinted they would love to play in London, but it’ll depend on how their teams finish and if their injuries will get worse should they play through the summer. Not having Kobe or Wade in the Olympics will be a huge blow to Coach K but those two were the go-to guys in Beijing. When Team USA needed a basket in the fourth quarter, Coach K called on Kobe’s number first and then Wade was a very close second. That was evident in the gold-medal game against Spain when Wade was the catalyst in the first half and Kobe closed the deal.

With or without Bryant and Wade Team USA should field a dynamite team in London and be heavy favorites to win gold again. But just like the 2008 team Colangelo and Krzyzewski can’t pick a team based on star power or All-Star game appearances. Talent alone won’t get it done in London, just ask the 2006 U.S. squad that lost to Greece in the FIBA World Championships. The 2012 Olympic squad needs to be balanced and flexible enough to adapt to any situation. The guards must be physical enough to play through a lot of contact because the international referees oftentimes will allow physical play, the forwards have to knock down 3-pointers, and the big men must be quick enough to defend the perimeter.

Here are the 12 players who should make the 2012 U.S. Olympic team:

CENTER: Dwight Howard

Comment: Because the majority of the big men in the Olympics are perimeter oriented, you really don’t need more than one true center. Dwight Howard wasn’t a huge factor four years ago in Beijing and, at times, struggled to guard the 3-point shooters. Hopefully four years of experience will help Dwight adapt to the international game.

FORWARDS: LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Andre Iguodala

Comment: Two years ago in Turkey, Kevin Durant showed the world what he can do in the FIBA World Championships. Now, it’s time for USA Basketball to recognize Durant as the centerpiece of the 2012 U.S. Olympic team. Durant has the perfect game to play against international competition. We know about his consistent outside shot (something LeBron and ‘Melo struggle with at times), but what the 6-foot-10 Durant presents is a mismatch at the forward position. He’s too big for small forwards and too quick for power forwards. Iguodala played well in the 2010 world championships, especially on defense. Iguodala can match up against guards or forwards, and his length and athleticism really bothered the great scorers from Europe. Love and Aldridge are better fits because they can knock down shots, which is extremely important in opening up the court for dribble penetration. Love and Aldridge can also play some center if needed, and in some instances Love or Aldridge are probably better options at center than Howard. This means the committee will have the tough choice to exclude Chris Bosh and Blake Griffin from the team. There will be a ton of pressure to add Griffin on the squad because of the excitement and hype he’ll bring to London, but it’ll depend on how many guards Coach K will carry on the roster.

GUARDS: Kobe Bryant, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Derrick Rose, Deron Williams

Comment: It will be hard to knock off any of these guards off the team, but if Kobe or Wade decide to pass on the Olympics, then Eric Gordon should be the next man up. Gordon played well in Turkey in 2010 and he has the game and built to play against the rugged competition. One key factor to watch is how Paul and Rose will keep defenses from zoning on them. Teams will gladly give up 3-point shots to CP3 and D-Rose to take away their dribble penetration. Rose was up-and-down at the 2010 worlds because he wasn’t too confident with his jump shot, something he has aggressively worked on the past four years. Coack K also has the option of playing Williams at shooting guard with Paul or Rose at the point, and won’t rule out moving Iguodala at guard to make room for another forward if Bryant and Wade are not available.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Popularity: 2% [?]

President Barack Obama shows his basketball skills at a 'Let's Move' clinic with members of the NBA, WNBA and the Harlem Globetrotters. (GETTY IMAGES)

President Barack Obama has recently announced that he is launching the Obama Classic Basketball Game. The game is set to feature more than two dozen NBA players, including superstars such as Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, New York Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony, and Orlando Magic Center Dwight Howard.

The game, set to take place on Dec. 12 in Washington D.C., will also feature Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets, Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat, Ray Allen of the Boston Celtics, and many others. There is no word whether the game will be televised on ESPN, Direct TV, or elsewhere yet. According to the CS Monitor, tickets for the Obama Classic will price from $100 to $5,000, all of which will go towards the Obama Victory Fund, a combined fundraising effort between the Democratic Party and Obama’s re-election campaign.

The news of The Obama Classic comes in the middle of one of the most heated labor disputes in National Basketball Association history. But the lockout may be ending soon as the league and the players have tentatively reached a new collective bargaining agreement. There is much paperwork needed to be done, but Commissioner David Stern expects both sides to agree to the deal and open training camp on Dec. 9.

Two weeks ago, the NBPA and the hardline NBA owners couldn’t seem to agree on a new labor deal, which forced the players to unanimously dissolve their union and restructure it into a Trade Association.

Doing so set the stage for the two antitrust lawsuits that have been filed against the owners of the NBA in the name of the players. The two lawsuits, which had been filed in the Northern District of California and in Minnesota. However, attorney David Boies, who had been hired to represent the players, recently decided to consolidate the two lawsuits into one, which will be heard in Minnesota.

The listed plaintiffs for the newly consolidated case includes Chauncey Billups, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Rajon Rondo, Steve, Nash, Baron Davis, and others. The owners have yet to officially respond to the lawsuit, though David Stern did hold a conference call with each of the owners, and also described the lawsuit as a waste of time. However, Boies stated at the time that after giving concession after concession, the players had no other choice.

– Home page photo courtesy of US Presswire

Popularity: 2% [?]

With the absence of a new NBA collective bargaining agreement – and neither side isn’t budging at this point – basketball fans are stuck with glorified scrimmages organized by the league’s superstars.

The latest installment of this very expensive pickup game is Saturday night’s exhibition game in Miami featuring a team led by LeBron James against a squad headed by Heat teammate Dwyane Wade.

Team LeBron has some serious star power on its roster. Scheduled to play with LeBron are Heat forward Chris Bosh, Boston Celtics guard Rajon Rondo, Atlanta Hawks guard Jamal Crawford, Memphis Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay, Houston Rockets guard Jonny Flynn, Philadelphia Sixers guard Lou Williams, guard Damon Jones (LeBron’s former teammate with the Cleveland Cavaliers), Cavs rookie forward Tristan Thompson, and Oklahoma City Thunder stars Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. It’s interesting that LeBron picked up Durant on his squad because the last high-profile exhibition game had James going head-to-head with Durant, who has been on a tear this summer.

Team Wade features Heat guard Mario Chalmers, Dallas Mavericks forward and D-Wade’s good friend Caron Butler, Wade’s former Heat teammate and current Golden State Warriors forward Dorell Wright, New York Knicks stars Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, New Orleans Hornets guard Chris Paul, Washington Wizards guard John Wall, and Thunder guard James Harden.

In the end, Team Wade outlasted Team LeBron, 141-140, in overtime. It was a typical offseason exhibition game. Lots of dunks, lots of alley-oops, lots of breakaways, lots of one-on-one, and very little defense. Somewhere in New York, David Stern is chuckling.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh. (GETTY IMAGES)

Chris Bosh on the court is all about finesse, but the Miami Heat star rolled up his sleeves and flexed his muscles on Wednesday by responding to the verbal jabs from ESPN’s Skip Bayless.

For much of last season Bayless took shots at Bosh’s “soft” game and subpar performances by calling him Bosh Spice, suggesting that the 6-foot-10, 235-pound forward plays more like one of the Spice Girls.

Bosh, while sitting across from Bayless on the ESPN First Take debate desk, revealed that he personally didn’t have a problem with his TV critic, even calling Skip a “professional.” However, Bosh did admit that the not-so-flattering nickname irked him a bit.

“My only problem is just the whole misuse of the name,” Bosh said. “If I stink it up on the court that’s fine, I don’t have any problems with you. I love jokes. I love cracking jokes. My thing is, my family, we take a lot of pride in our name. My ancestors, my great grandfather, my father, my grandfather, my aunts and uncles, we’re very prideful with the Bosh name and I don’t like it being made fun of. And I don’t think they appreciate it either. That’s all.”

Bosh added, “You know, the Bosh name, that’s all we have. We’re hard-working guys. My father and his father, they paved the way to do what I’m doing today. That’s my main issue.”

To Bayless’ credit, he did not back off the Bosh Spice comment and explained to Bosh, face to face, why he came up with the nickname. “I respect the Bosh name,” Bayless said, “but I have no regrets by referring to you occasionally, especially early and at midseason, as Bosh Spice.”

Bayless continued, “I admit I was very tough on you but I thought that your performance with the Miami Heat, the Heatles, warranted an occasional use of that nickname. I thought it was fitting and accurate because occasionally early on with this team I thought you were soft and passive and unaggressive. And [Bosh] always had the power all year long to defend the Bosh name, you can shut me up at any time by simply performing and ultimately in the postseason you didn’t hear me calling you Bosh Spice anymore.”

Bayless reasoned that because Bosh chose to leave the media-friendly confines of Toronto for the red-hot spotlight in Miami that he instantly became an easy target, along with his Heat teammates LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bayless hammered the point that the Heat brought the heavy scrutiny to themselves with the team’s over-the-top preseason celebration and LeBron’s infamous boast that the Heat will win “not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven” championships.

Bayless pointed out one game against the New Orleans Hornets early in the 2010-11 season in which Bosh recorded one rebound in 34 minutes, and the next day Bayless slammed that weak effort and started calling the Heat forward Bosh Spice.

Normally, whenever athletes are verbally attacked like this, they jump out of their chair and threaten physical harm to reporters (are you listening Bobby Bonilla and Jim Everett?). But Bosh took Bayless’ stab and even admitted that the stinging criticism gave him a lot of motivation the rest of the season.

“I feel like I could have played a lot better. I’m my harshest critic. I just want to make sure everybody knows that,” Bosh said. “There’s nothing anybody can say that I haven’t heard.

“I don’t like the [Bosh Spice] reference, but I can’t say anything about the performance.”

The biggest revelation from the Bosh-Bayless debate was the fact that athletes, as much as they deny it, are affected by what reporters, columnists, analysts and fans say about them. Whenever you hear or see an athlete say he doesn’t hear the criticism, that’s a complete lie. They do listen and are not immune to it just like everyone else. Athletes are extremely sensitive. The majority of them have been coddled for much of their lives and any little negative feedback is met with anger, disappointment and disgust.

In Bosh’s case, he faced one of his “haters” and defended his position without getting confrontational. He gave a very intelligent response and even won over Bayless at the end as the Diabolical Hater hinted that he may pick the Heat to win the NBA championship next season . . . if there is a 2011-12 season.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManfastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

Popularity: 3% [?]

Dwyane Wade is the biggest reason why the Heat are up 2-1 on the Mavericks in the 2011 NBA Finals. (US PRESSWIRE)

Every great team has a pecking order. For the Miami Heat, it goes something like this: it’s Dwyane Wade first, LeBron James second, and Chris Bosh third. Everyone else falls in the back of the line.

That was evident in Game 3 of the 2011 NBA Finals when Wade decided to take the lead and everyone else should follow him. And they all did, including LeBron and Bosh.

The Heat won Game 3 because of Wade. Not LeBron. Not Bosh. It was Wade. He carried the Heat offensively when things got tense, he grabbed every rebound within his reach, he played aggressive defense, and he motivated his teammates – mainly James and Bosh – by getting in their face and letting them know what is at stake. History has shown that when a series is tied in The Finals the winner of Game 3 usually wins the series. Wade knew the importance of Sunday’s game in Dallas so he sent his message on Saturday by going extra hard in practice. His teammates definitely noticed.

“They can tell I wanted this game,” said Wade, who finished with a team-high 29 points on 12-of-21 field goals and had 11 rebounds. “I’ve been here before so I’m just trying to lead, and my guys did a great job of following that lead.”

With Wade leading the way, the Heat were able to hold off Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks and reclaim home-court advantage in the series. If the Finals MVP was handed out after three games, Wade easily wins it. He has been the Heat’s best player in all three games, and his only competition for MVP is Nowitzki.

“He played spectacular basketball today,” Bosh said of Wade. “He took all good shots, and we kinda rode that wave for a little while. He really set the tone for us.”

There was a point during the game when ABC analyst Jeff Van Gundy mentioned that Wade was playing at a different speed than anyone else. He was. After dropping a heart-breaker in Game 2, the Heat needed one of their Big Three to step up and play like a superstar and Wade embraced the moment and took on that challenge.

“We felt this was a must-win and we had to put it upon ourselves to take back home court in a sense, by any means necessary,” said Wade. “I took it upon myself as a leader to try to lead my guys by example.”

When asked about his animated conversations with James and Bosh during the game, Wade said: “Them guys understand. They know me. The things said was all for the better of the team. It’s all about winning. I want it. And LeBron knew that. Things that I was saying to him and saying to Chris was the same they would say to me. We have enough respect for each other, but at the same time I wanted it.”

While Wade was busy putting his entire team on his shoulders and matching Nowitzki shot-for-shot late in the game, LeBron – who only had 17 points and was a nonfactor in the fourth quarter – sort of disappeared. During the postgame conference, a reporter brought up the fact that LeBron hasn’t played like a superstar in each of the fourth quarters in the NBA Finals, even suggesting that the self-proclaimed king is “shrinking” on the game’s biggest stage.

Obviously bothered by the question, LeBron gave a very terse response. “I think you’re concentrating on just one side of the floor, and all you’re looking at are the stat sheet,” James said. “Honestly, I’m a two-way player. Tonight D-Wade had it going offensively so we allow him to handle ball and we allow him to bring us home offensively. You can watch the film again and see what I did defensively. You ask me a better question tomorrow.”

As for getting an getting an earful from his buddy Wade, LeBron said: “We’re teammates. There is no room to hold anything back. Our friendship allows us to don’t care about that moment. In that situation, he had to say what he had to say to me and as a competitor you love when guys challenge you. He challenged me in the locker room at halftime, he challenged me on the court and as a competitor I respect him.”

And what exactly was said? “It’s about winning,” said the captain of the Miami Heat. In case you don’t know who that is, he’s the one introduced last when the starting lineup of the Heat are announced and he’s the one wearing the championship ring.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

Popularity: 6% [?]

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh is quietly silencing his critics in the 2011 Eastern Conference finals. (US PRESSWIRE)

Prior to the start of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals, Chicago Bulls forward Carlos Boozer hinted that the Miami Heat have only two real superstars on the team, an obvious slap-in-the-face directed at Heat forward Chris Bosh.

Bosh claims he wasn’t upset with the comment, but you bet he read Boozer’s remark and wasn’t very pleased about it. Some players say they’re not affected by bulletin-board material, but every athlete in the world uses every little diss, no matter how big or small, as motivation.

Three games into the Heat-Bulls series, Bosh is playing like a man looking to put a muzzle on someone (hello Mr. Boozer!). He scored 30 points in Game on 12-of-18 shooting, and in a pivotal Game in Miami the supposed third wheel in the Big Three cog poured in 34 points on 13-of-18 shooting to push the Heat to a 2-1 series edge.

“I just want to be aggressive and have some kind of imprint in this series,” Bosh told TNT’s Craig Sager. “I had an aggressive Game 1. Game 2 was so-so but we still won. Here on our home floor I just wanted to be aggressive and it turned out to be a good game.”

Bosh has been so efficient in the series that even even the outspoken Joakim Noah has nothing but good things to say about the much-maligned Heat star. “He played excellent,” Noah said.

LeBron James said he changed his game plan in Game 3 to accommodate Bosh, allowing him to get more looks at the basket. “If I needed to get it going offensively I could, but the great thing about it is CB had it going. When we have someone on our team going, we continue to give the ball to him. The team feeds off his energy offensively and he brought it home for us.”

Bosh is without a doubt winning his one-on-one battle with Boozer, who has been real quiet in this series. Boozer did post nice numbers in Game 3 (26 points and 17 rebounds), but he only had 14 and 9 and 7 and 8 the previous two games, not exactly the type of numbers the Bulls were hoping from their high-priced free agent acquisition during the summer.

If the Heat are going to advance to the NBA Finals, the Heat know they need Bosh to play like an All-Star. Statistics show the Heat almost unbeatable when Bosh plays well. And so far the former Toronto Raptor is making Boozer eat his words.

Popularity: 2% [?]

Things haven't gone as planned this season for Heat trio Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra admitted after Sunday’s 87-86 loss to the Chicago Bulls that some of the players in the Heat locker room were crying.

Seriously? Crying after a regular-season loss? Crying after dropping from the second spot in the Eastern Conference to the third spot? Was there a trophy involved? Did the Heat get eliminated from playoff contention? This is unbelievably childish. The Heat treated the loss to the Bulls as if some schoolyard bully just shoved them to the ground and stole their lunch money.

“The Miami Heat are exactly what everyone wanted, losing games,” Wade said after getting swept by the Bulls for the season. “The world is better now because the Heat is losing.”

That statement from Wade paints a clear picture of the current state of the Heat, and it explains what is wrong with the team. Basically, they are kicking, screaming and pouting like a petulant child who can’t handle the pressure of the situation.

Spoelstra’s extremely fragile squad, with a mental toughness of a 7-year-old, is now 0-9 against the top teams in the league and mired in a four-game losing streak. Miami is struggling mightily at the end of games. In games decided by three points or less, when the game is on the line in the final 10 seconds, Miami’s self-proclaimed Three Kings – LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh – are a combined 1-for-18 from the field.

Just in the last few weeks, LeBron had the game in his hands with time winding down, but he came up short each time.

In Feb. 24 at Chicago, James completely missed the rim on a 3-point attempt. In a prime-time showdown against the new-look New York Knicks, James drove to the basket and got denied by Amare Stoudemire. A week ago at home against the Orlando Magic, the Heat blew a 24-point lead and Bosh and James both missed wide-open 3-pointers at the end. And then came Sunday’s showdown with the Bulls. James had the ball at the top defended by Joakim Noah. James drove to his left, his strong side because he’s a natural lefty, and inexplicably short-armed a shot. It looked like LeBron couldn’t decide whether to power up for a layup or throw a half hook. Then, Wade gobbled up the loose ball and had a chance to save his friend, LeBron, but Wade missed from the baseline.

The Heat have lost its confidence, clearly. They are also in a state of shock that things are not going as planned. They were already planning a championship parade back in July when LeBron and Bosh came on board. LeBron promised to unleash hell on all the “haters” and Wade spoke about how they were going to “dominate” during the season, and there were even talks of a 70-win season.

Well, when you talk the talk you better be ready to walk the walk. The Heat were thumping their chests and boasting about their intentions when, in reality, they haven’t accomplished anything.

James has been to one NBA Finals and got swept, and his Cleveland teams were favored to reach the Finals the last two seasons and failed both times – losing to Orlando in 2009 and then to Boston in 2010. Bosh has never played in a meaningful playoff series, and Wade is still living off his reputation from the 2006 Finals when he had veterans Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Gary Payton, James Posey and Antoine Walker to lean on.

The big, bad Miami Heat were acting like bullies at the beginning of the season but now they’ve been reduced to crying babies sitting in a corner sulking in their misery.

Popularity: 6% [?]

LeBron James told reporters on Friday that he wouldn’t mind seeing less teams in the NBA, a stance that goes against the players’ union. Union president Derek Fisher just so happens to be on the other side of the court today when the Los Angeles Lakers host LeBron and his BFF Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat at Staples Center in the marquee game of the NBA’s Christmas Day schedule.

Fisher told ESPN News’ Sara Walsh on Friday, “I’m going to be real. Other than just going out and playing against a good team, it’s not necessarily personal. Of course, I want a win against the Heat on Christmas Day. That’s the best gift I can give myself.”

Things just got more interesting in the budding rivalry between the Lakers and the Heat.

Fisher is one of the more politically correct people in the league, so he’s not going to drag this brewing issue to the media. However, don’t be surprised if Fisher sends LeBron a little message in the form of a forearm to the chest. Remember the Luis Scola play? Things could get a little testy. Here’s a look at the matchups:

Dwyane Wade could be matched up against Kobe Bryant for much of today's highly anticipated contest. (GETTY IMAGES)

GUARDS: Other than Dwyane Wade, the Heat really don’t have much while the Lakers have a wealth of experience in the backcourt with Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Steve Blake and Shannon Brown. The only way this position matchup evens out is if Carlos Arroyo or Mario Chalmers has a career game – which is probably not going to happen. It will be interesting to see if Wade guards Kobe for the majority of the game. If he does, Wade’s offense will suffer a little bit because he’ll have to waste a lot of energy on defense. If he doesn’t, then his buddy LeBron will likely draw the assignment, but that would mean Wade would have to guard Ron Artest which is no walk in the park either. EDGE: LAKERS

FORWARDS: LeBron James will likely face Ron Artest in a head-to-head showdown worth the price of admission. Artest may be the only player in the league who can dislodge LeBron off the box, and the Lakers don’t have to send an extra defender toward LeBron because Artest can play him straight up. The Chris Bosh-Lamar Odom matchup is an interesting one. Both are lefties and both are streak shooters. Against any other team, Artest and Odom should prevail. But against a Heat squad with two All-Star forwards, the Lakers will have their hands full. EDGE: HEAT

CENTER: The Heat may have The Big Three but the Lakers have The Hollywood Hills in Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum. Gasol will start the game, but expect Andrew Bynum to have a major impact in the game off the bench. Outside of Zydrunas Ilgauskas, the Heat don’t have another 7-footer who can bother The Hills. Gasol and Bynum are matchup nightmares for 29 teams in the league, and the Lakers are nearly unbeatable when both are healthy. The Heat will be at a severe disadvantage. EDGE: LAKERS

COACHING: Erik Spoelstra is one of young, bright coaches in the league but, let’s get real, he’s facing a living legend in Lakers mastermind Phil Jackson. End of story. EDGE: LAKERS

PREDICTION: LeBron and D-Wade need to be extra special for the Heat to have a chance, while the Lakers just need to play their normal game to take control of the game. Lakers win, 99-93.

Popularity: 11% [?]

After suffering their second consecutive defeat, LeBron James made a comment that teams appear to be anticipating what the Heat are doing on offense. James’ remark is a clear shot at head coach Erik Spoelstra, who is under tremendous pressure these days as the Heat continue to hover around .500.

But the Heat’s troubles can’t all be placed on Spoelstra’s shoulders. Sure, he may be a bit overwhelmed with all the hoopla surrounding his ballclub, but his philosophies fall under the Pat Riley school of basketball. It is, essentially, the same offensive and defensive schemes that earned the Heat an NBA title in 2006.

So, what is ailing the Miami Heat? Here are five reasons:

1) BLAME JAMES: Before LeBron passes the blame to his head coach, he should take a hard look at himself as well because he is much to blame as anyone else in the current state of the Heat. His “decision” to take his “talents to South Beach” instantly created a huge target on the backs of the Miami Heat, and he compounded it by saying he’ll keep on those hate messages in his locker room for motivation. Well, other NBA teams hated the fact that the Heat grabbed all the attention all offseason and were basically crowned champions even before the season started. Each time the Heat take the court, they become the trophy teams are gunning for.

2) BOSH PLAYING SMALL: Chris Bosh, the third member of the so-called Miami Three Kings, is not earning his big salary and is only averaging 6.0 rebounds. Six rebounds! One of my favorite Charles Barkley lines, I have a lot of them, is this: “What do you call a power forward who gets less than eight rebounds? A small forward.” Bosh really needs to step up his game if the Heat will truly contend for an NBA title. At 6-11, he should average at least 10 rebounds a game. I think Bosh is worrying too much about his lack of productivity in terms of his scoring, but what he should be concerned about is his inactivity on the glass. Bosh needs to take notes from Udonis Haslem on how to play the position.

Chris Bosh is averaging a paltry six rebounds through 10 games this season. (GETTY IMAGES)

3) WADE HAMSTRUNG: Dwyane Wade’s hamstring injury really set Miami back. LeBron, Bosh and Wade played less than one quarter together during the preseason and the first part of the NBA regular season has become training camp for the trio. Wade seems to over his hamstring injury, except when he plays against the Celtics. He was downright awful in the two games against Boston. The way this Miami team is constructed, Wade and James can’t have bad days. Both of them have to firing on all cylinders for this team to win each night. It will take some time before all three stars will find their rhythm and be able to take advantage of each others’ strengths.

4) CENTER IN PIECES: When you bring in three maximum-salaried players, you’re going to suffer in other places and the Heat are severely lacking in quality big men. Joel Anthony started the season at center, but now he’s been replaced by Zydrunas Ilgauskas. At this stage of Big Z’s career, he’s more of a backup center than anyone else. He can still produce on occasion, but asking him to play heavy minutes may be too much on his aging body. In all of the games the Heat have lost, they were thoroughly outmuscled in the paint. The Heat’s fourth-quarter lineup has included Bosh and Haslem as the bigs, which is woefully small especially against physical teams like Boston and Utah. That is going to be a recurring theme all season if Bosh and the rest of the Miami big men keep getting pushed around.

5) POINT OF NO RETURN: Point guard is another weak spot on the Heat. If Carlos Arroyo is your starting PG, you’re in trouble. Arroyo is another backup masquerading as a starter. And what has happened to Mario Chalmers? If he can’t unseat Arroyo, you have to be concerned about his future. Here’s a quick fix to this problem area: put LeBron at point. By making James the point forward, you’re putting the ball in the hands of your best play-maker and it allows Wade to just be a scorer and puts the other guys in their proper places. When Mike Miller comes off the injured list, the Heat should toy with this idea because the threat of Miller’s outside shooting will open up the court for Wade and James.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. To read his previous posts, visit OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.

Popularity: 10% [?]

LeBron James claims he is keeping a journal to document all the haters who ridiculed him for jilting Cleveland for Miami this past summer. What he should be focusing on is rehabilitating his shattered image and learning how to make better decisions in the future. It had nothing to do with race, LeBron!

On the court, expect nothing less than another MVP season from the NBA’s reigning most valuable player – and he’ll have Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to lean on when things get too heavy. There is little doubt that the new-look and new-improved Miami Heat is the beast of the Eastern Conference for the 2010-11 season. But there are two other teams in the East who could crash the party in South Beach: Boston and Orlando.

The Celtics, last time we checked, is the defending Eastern Conference champions and, when healthy, they remain a powerhouse. And you can’t find a more tough-minded ballclub. Last year, head coach Doc Rivers managed some of his “older” players so that they are ready to go for the playoffs. Expect much of the same this season, as Rivers will lean on Rajon Rondo even more during the regular season and the roles of bench players Nate Robinson and Glen Davis could expand.

At one point during last year’s playoffs, the Magic were the sexy pick to make the NBA Finals. But something went terrible wrong during the series with the Celtics and the Magic left very disappointed. Orlando is probably regretting not re-signing Hedo Turkoglu because Wince Carter can’t be relied on during crunch time. Dwight Howard must add some post-up moves to his game in order to lift the Magic past the Heat and Celtics.

The rest of the conference will be fighting for the other five spots. Chicago and Milwaukee will be competing for the Central Division title, and with it homecourt advantage in the first round. Atlanta has been moving up the ladder the past two seasons, but the Hawks have some in-house issues they must address. Larry Brown is good enough to get Charlotte in the playoffs, but the Bobcats may max out at No. 6-7. The final two playoff berths will come down to Charlotte, New York, Washington and Cleveland (yes, even without LeBron).

OneManFastBreak.net publisher and editor Joel Huerto predicts the eight teams that will make the Eastern Conference playoffs:

1. MIAMI HEAT (Projected record: 66-16)
The moment LeBron said “he’s taking his talents to South Beach” the Miami Heat instantly became the team to beat in the East. Nothing against the Boston Celtics or the Orlando Magic, the last two NBA finalists from the conference, but the reloaded Heat have the recipe for an NBA title. They have arguably two of the best perimeter players in the league in James and D-Wade, an All-Star forward in Bosh who won’t clog the lane and is a decent rebounder, a capable sniper in Mike Miller and a veteran frontline that includes Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem. And don’t underestimate Erik Spoelstra as a game manager. There is a reason why Pat Riley handpicked him to take over the Heat program.

Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James haven't played a meaningful game together as members of the Miami Heat, but they're still favored to win the East. (GETTY IMAGES)

2. ORLANDO MAGIC (Projected record: 60-22)
Stan Van Gundy is a very underrated head coach, and he certainly has a great feel for this Orlando team. Van Gundy has point guard Jameer Nelson to execute his offense, and Nelson has been playing at an all-star level the past two seasons. The plight of the Magic starts and ends with all-world center Dwight Howard. If Howard ever decides to improve on his low-post skills and become a more consistent, then the Magic could move into championship level. But if Howard stays status quo, then the Magic will fall back into the second tier of NBA contenders.

3. BOSTON CELTICS (Projected record: 58-24)
The Celtics are a year older and another deep postseason run has added more mileage to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. Doc Rivers claims that KG will be better this season because his leg is now completely healed, but Rivers may be underestimating Garnett’s odometer. Pierce came into training camp in great shape, losing at least 10 pounds. Despite his advanced age, Allen remains a top gun in the league and he’ll have a better backup in Delonte West. Young guns Rajon Rondo, Nate Robinson and Glen Davis will need to do most of the heavy lifting during the regular season to keep the old guys fresh for the playoffs.

4. CHICAGO BULLS (Projected record: 54-28)
This season, Derrick Rose will have to adjust to a new head coach in Tom Thibodeau and a new backcourt partner with the departure of the very dependable Kirk Hinrich, who really complemented Rose well the past two seasons. Free agents Ronnie Brewer and Kyle Korver will share time at shooting guard. The addition of power forward Carlos Boozer – whenever he’s ready to come off the injured list  – will help Chicago’s points in the paint and provide much-needed help to Joakim Noah on the boards. Boozer sets excellent screens and should fit into the Bulls’ pick-and-roll sets.

5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS (Projected record: 52-30)
Scott Skiles is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and that was more evident last year when he pieced together a broken-down team and got them to the playoffs. Skiles’ floor general is second-year point guard Brandon Jennings, who could have easily been the 2010 Rookie of the Year. With a year under his belt, including a playoff appearance, Jennings is ready to take that next step and jump into the conversation that includes Rondo, CP3, D-Will, D-Rose, Nash and Westbrook. A healthy Andrew Bogut is the only thing keeping the Bucks from winning the Central Division.

6. ATLANTA HAWKS (Projected record: 51-31)
After winning 53 games last season, the Hawks will take a step back this season. The Hawks gave a ton of money to Joe Johnson (probably undeserved), but didn’t really improve their roster. With powerhouses Miami and Orlando in the same division, the Hawks will be hard-pressed to duplicate last year’s feat. Larry Drew takes over for Mike Woodson, who did a nice job rebuilding the Hawks but just couldn’t get them into the first tier. Drew is contemplating about moving undersized center Al Horford to power forward, move that will surely force Marvin  Williams to the bench. Reigning Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford wants a new deal, but after giving Joe J. a fat $124 million contract, Crawford will be lucky if he remains in the ATL.

7. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS (Projected record: 46-36)
Larry Brown is one of the best Xs and O’s bench jockeys in league history, and he will need every ounce of his teaching skills to get this Bobcats team into the playoffs again. Charlotte will lean heavily on swingmen Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace to set the tone for the tough-minded Bobcats, who led the league in defense last season. D.J. Augustin will take over the role of starting point guard with the departure of Raymond Felton. Brown has always preferred Augustin over Felton anyways so this shouldn’t be a tough transition. The biggest weakness for Charlotte is its ineptness on the offensive end. When Jackson is not hitting his shots and Wallace is sidelined (which is guaranteed to happen), the Bobcats can barely score 70 points.

8. WASHINGTON WIZARDS (Projected record: 43-39)
How good is John Wall? He’s good enough to push the Wizards into the playoffs this season. The 2010 first overall pick out of the University of Kentucky is a special player, and he will be the 2011 Rookie of the Year. Wall destroyed the competition at the NBA Summer Pro League in Las Vegas and paired really well with young stud JaVale McGee, who nearly made the U.S. national team. The addition of Kirk Hinrich helps the Wizards in a couple of ways: 1) he adds a veteran presence on offense and 2) he’s a lock-down defender, something the Wizards have never had since their Washington Bullets days. Gilbert Arenas has a lot to prove this season and could contend for Comeback Player of the Year.

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