With Lebron James gone, will Miami Heat stand a chance in the upcoming NBA season?
That is the question that basketball fans have been asking after the Heat's star player decided to return to Cleveland Cavaliers during his free agency period. But Bleacher Report believes that the old and new Heat line-up will have more motivation now to prove that they are still a team to watch out for in the 69<sup>th season of the league.
In an interview with the sports website, Mario Chalmers said that he believes that he and the team can work well to show that the new Heat can still be a strong force even without James.
"I feel like I've finally got a chance to shine, show my real game. Me, CB, D-Wade and the rest of the guys, we're going to pick it up, we're still going to play Miami Heat basketball, and we're still gonna be a competitor," Chalmers said.
After signing for a two-year contract allegedly worth $8 million, Chalmers had been busy working out with the rest of the team to enhance his skills and to prepare his new role as the team's shooting guard.
On the other hand, veteran Heat player Chris Bosh is given a heavy role of stepping up to lead the team, now that there is no more LeBron James to fill that up. Though he almost left the team for the Houston Rockets, Heat managed to get him to sign up again for this season by offering him a staggering deal that will be hard to refuse.
To add up more big men in the roster, the Heat is apparently working to sign up free agent Emeka Okafor to help Bosh and Udonis Haslem to man the painted area. He is considered as the top free agent option on the market. However, the team had to make sure that he will remain healthy for the rest season after being sidelined due to a neck injury last time.
The Heat camp had also announced that they have signed the undrafted power forward Khem Birch from UNLV just last Sunday.
