Miami Heat

Why the Heat are the most interesting team in the league

Published Sep. 1, 2015 8:13 p.m. ET

foxsports

Heading into the 2015-16 season, the Miami Heat are probably the most unpredictable team.

If all goes well, and luck bounces their way, the Heat have the starpower, talent and depth to challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for the Eastern Conference crown.

Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade can still be top-5 performers at their respective positions, Goran Dragic produces like an All-Star, Hassan Whiteside can dominate the paint on the both ends of the floor, Luol Deng is still an above-average small forward, and coach Erik Spoelstra is as good of a coach as anyone not named Pop. Throw in Pat Riley's savvy, the Heat's recent history and the draw of South Beach and, well, you have an attractive situation for prospective free agents. Kevin Durant, anyone?

On the other hand, if luck doesn't go their way, the Heat could be in for a long season and next half-decade -- the team has moved several first-round draft picks to contend immediately.

Wade and Deng have a history of being injury prone, Bosh and reserve forward Josh McRoberts are coming off major injuries, Whiteside has yet to prove he can play as well as he did last season consistently, Dragic couldn't recapture the magic of his 2013-14 season last year, and Spoelstra's principles don't match the core of this roster. In the absolute worst case, the Heat can give the Knicks a run for their money as Lakers East -- a team with old, injured stars that tries to lure star free agents with no palpable foundation.

Which is a long way of seeing no one knows what to expect out of the Heat, which is what makes them so darn intriguing.

Over at Grantland, Zach Lowe further explains what makes the Heat so compelling:

"There are still so many questions — so many things that need to go right, and so many variables that could torpedo Miami’s season. Assume normal luck, and this looks and feels like a 47-win team — good enough to make noise but not to contend for a title. Being in the East obviously makes it easier, and the Heat know how to pace themselves for the playoffs. Coast into the no. 4 seed, stay healthy, rejoice in the absence of back-to-backs, and the Heat could be one Kyrie Irving ankle sprain from the Finals.

"There is a huge space between contending for titles and living out the worst-case scenario, and the most likely outcome is that Miami exists in that space. Even if the Heat end up in that ho-hum end point, the journey there will be exciting. Here’s to the entertainment value of Riley going all in. Cleveland owner Dan Gilbert wrote the infamous letter vowing to win a title before LeBron got one in Miami. The Heat are actually pursuing that goal in a way the Cavs never did."

Durant's looming free agency and all of its implications make the Thunder the "team to watch" this season, but the Heat, as Lowe points out, are surely right there with them.

(h/t Grantland)