Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem: The core of the Miami Heat

As we all know, LeBron James got a lot of negative attention for switching teams after playing in Cleveland for the first 7 years of his career.  Some were mad for the way he did it, some were mad for him taking so long to make his decision and some were just mad that he left. 

Crazy as it seems though, he wasn't the only guy to leave a team after playing there for a while.  Several guys did it, but since LeBron is best around and he did it in such a glorified way....lets just say that I don't think all the negativity is undeserved.  Regardless, he is a grown man and knew what he was doing and I have to assume was well aware of how people were going to react. 

Forgive me for not getting to my point quicker.  LeBron's tenure in Cleveland got me thinking about what players had been with their teams the longest.  Believe it or not, there are six guys in the NBA on six different teams who have played for those teams for over 10 years.

At the top of the list is Kobe Bryant who has played with the Lakers for all 14 years of his career.  Then its Tim Duncan (13 years in San Antonio), Paul Pierce (12 years in Boston), Dirk Nowitzki (12 years in Dallas), Jeff Foster (11 years in Indiana) and Michael Redd (10 years in Milwaukee).  I also have to give credit to the Spurs for keeping their core for so long.  Along with Duncan, Tony Parker has been there for 9 years and Manu Ginobili has been there for 8. 

To me, its very important for a team that wants to be good year in and year out to have a consistent and talented core.  The Heat have that core and their roots run deep.  Both Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem have been with the Heat for all 7 years of their careers and both are going to be here for several years to come. 

It's no coincidence that those men are the captains of the Heat.  They have been with the team through good times, great times and really bad times.  From an NBA championship in 2006 to a 15-win season in 2008.  They've seen all-stars come and go and been coached by three very different and very good coaches.

That core of those two talented leaders is key for this team because of all the new faces.  There is an automatic respect that goes to them because even though the new guys haven't played with them, they know from being in the NBA what D-Wade and Udonis have done for this team on and off the court. 

It also helps that Dwyane let Bosh and James know how much he looked up to Udonis before they came down here, and both of them acknowledged that U-D was very much a leader of this team.  The other new star on this team is Mike Miller and he has been very close friends with Udonis since their days together at the University of Florida, so he is also well aware of what Haslem means to this team. 

Granted, Wade and Haslem are the only two guys with a long Heat history but this is a team that is going to grow together.  LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Zydrunas Ilgauskas all come to Miami having played their entire careers with one team.  Joel Anthony and Mario Chalmers have only played for the Heat during their short careers.  And then there's Eddie House, Juwan Howard and even James Jones who are all just looking to contribute and do whatever they are asked to in order to compete for that elusive NBA title. 

Starting in a few weeks, these guys will all play together on the same team for the first time.  But thanks to the awesome Pat Riley, there is going to be a strong core that will be playing together for many years to come.  Wade, Bosh, LeBron, Udonis, Mike Miller and Joel Anthony are all signed for 5-6 years. 

The blueprint is there for not just a championship team, but a dynasty.  They laid the foundation with superstars, they surrounded them with complimentary talent and finished it off with veteran savvy.  All the main components are signed on for several years, and the other roster spots will be filled with fresh role players whenever necessary. 

It all comes back to D-Wade and Udonis though.  They have been here the longest and earned the respect of not just their current teammates but players throughout the league.  I'm sure that over the next few seasons the core of the Heat will get stronger but considering how many new faces are here, it's a perfect situation for the Heat to have a couple of established leaders already in place.

I'll leave you with this final thought.  Kobe Bryant has been with the Lakers for 14 years and won 5 NBA Championships.  Dwyane Wade's contract has him playing for the Heat for at least 13 years (he's played 7, 6 to go) and he has 1 NBA Championship.  When D-Wade gets to that 13^th year, will he have as many titles as Kobe?