With the 20th pick in the draft, Heat fans were hoping for a PG at pick #20 most preferably Acie Law or Javaris Crittenton. Unfortunately for the Heat, both were taken before they had the chance to pick them. Acie Law went to Atlanta at 11 and Javaris Crittenton went to the Lakers at pick 19.

Pick #20

With the 20th pick and the best PGs off the board, the Heat went after their second biggest need, a big man. The Heat drafted Jason Smith, a PF from Colorado State. Smith was not in Miami for very long as the Heat traded Jason Smith to Philadelphia for Daequan Cook, a 2009 2nd Round Pick, and cash considerations.

Pick # 39

With the 39th pick in the draft, the Heat dipped into a market they had never picked from before taking the team’s first oversees draft pick in the franchise’s history. The Heat drafted Bosnian C Stanko Barac. Like their previous draft pick, Barac did not stay with Miami for long as he was sent to Indiana for a 2009 2nd.

The Facts

With Wade’s recent injuries and most of our SG’s aging or expiring, Daequan Cook was a good pick. Wade could miss the beginning of the season, Cook could play a big role in the Heat’s success next season.

My Thoughts

I think Derrick Byers at pick 20 would have been a better and safer pick than Cook, while Cook has more potential, Byers is a good shooter and is more NBA ready which would help more next season if Wade does in fact miss some games at the beginning of the year.

At pick 39, I think Barac was a bad pick. Instead of picking a guy that will most likely spend atleast the early part of his career oversees, we could have picked someone we actually need, PG Taurean Green. The Heat’s scoring last year was 3rd worst in the league and adding a great outside shooter like Taurean Green wouldve been great. Instead of a good scorer and PG who couldve helped right away we get a 2009 2nd round pick from Indiana. 

If the Heat do not take one of the previously mentioned guards, the other position that needs to be adressed is the big man spot. While the franchise has already invested money in Udonis Haslem as their future Power Forward, there is still some huge question marks in the Heat’s post players. We all now that Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O’Neal will not be here forever, so the Heat could be looking to improve their post game instead of their PG position.

The Heat do have some young guys at the bigman spots. The Heat already have their starting PF spot covered with Udonis Haslem but what about the back-up role. Do we really expect Antoine Walker to hold that spot forever? Should we really put all our chips on Wayne Simien, who while might be a great kid has been plagued by injuries since he started in this league? At C, Shaq and Mourning will both be gone in a few years, do we really expect Earl Barron to be the guy when they leave? I think not. Here are some guys they might look at with pick number 20:

Josh McRoberts

While we do need a big man and Josh McRoberts will be picked around where the Heat are, I dont think McRoberts is the answer to our problems. With haslem at PF, McRoberts has nowhere to play, he is too slow to play SF and doesnt have the post game of an NBA Center. While McRoberts could turn out to be a solid ballplayer in the NBA, I dont think he fits in where the Heat need him.

Tiago Splitter

Tiago Splitter, who is slightly bigger than Josh McRoberts, could be a better fit than Josh for the Heat. I am not completely sold on Splitter as he is said to be weak both mentally and physically and is also injury-prone. Splitter however, has a nice scoring touch around the paint and if he puts on some weight and adds muscle, he could become a pretty good Center.

Marc Gasol

Marc Gasol, brother of NBA Star Pau Gasol, is another big man who could be interesting come draft day. While Marc is not much of an athlete he is very big and strong. Gasol has great upper body strangth and can establish himself as a good offensive threat in the paint. It seems all he needs to become a great player is to improve his conditioning and footwork.

I would rather see the Heat take a Point Guard with their pick, but it is important to look at all the options in this draft. After all, this could be a very important pick in the future of the Heat.

Who should the Heat take with Pick number 20? This question has been goiing through every Heat fan’s mind for the past few weeks. Its obvious that change is necessary for this team to succeed in the future, but in such a talented draft, who do you pick? Right now, the Heat have a few main spots they need to address. Their main problem is at the Point Guard spot where Jason Williams and Gary Payton are just not getting it done for this team. This will be where I think the Heat will go with their pick. Here are some possibilities at PG:

Acie Law IV

While Heat fans would salivate at the thought of Acie Law and Dwyane Wade on the same court at the end of the game, this while unfortunate, seems very unlikely. I believe Acie Law will be gone before the Heat have a chance to pick him, however if the Heat get lucky enough for Law to slip, I think he is a no-brainer at 20. Widely considered as the second best PG in the draft behind OSU’s Mike Conley, Acie Law would be perfect for the Heat. Jason Williams is losing the ability to take over a game with his play-making ability and Acie Law could take big minutes right away and be ready to make a big impact in the Heat’s starting lineup the year after when Jason Williams’s contract expires. Law would give the Heat a very good play-maker and another scoring option late in the game.

Javaris Crittenton

Javaris Crittenton is the more realistic option at the PG position. While I believe he is not as good of a play-maker as Acie Law, he has the size and athleticism to be very successful in this league where many players get by on just how high they can jump. Javaris is a very similar player to Wade, he is a good slasher and will dunk over any defender that tries to deny him from the rim. While he still needs to become a better decision maker and improve his jumper, he could turn into a great PG especially because of his size and desire.