You found out yesterday that I'm a little disgusted with the state of the Heat roster. For this team, as constructed, is lame. Crazy lame. Lame enough to make Dwyane Wade think that it's always going to be lame.

The plan all along has been to be aggressive in 2010 free agency. I get that, and I've always agreed with it. But we've also got to play a little defense to keep our own guy happy. And two more years of this is going to make all of us want to opt out and explore free agency.

There's no guarantee we can land anyone worth having in 2010. Most guys just re-sign with their current team so they can make more money, keep their kids in the same school and avoid having to find a new weed dealer. Players usually only leave because their current team has created such an awful situation that they can't imagine volunteering to return. A situation like the Heat are threatening to create now.

So it''s time to do something. Carpe the day. Seize the diem. Whatever. Make a damn trade. Get a center who won't get laughed out of the jump ball circle, and/or someone deserving of the spot next to Wade in the backcourt.

After the jump, a handful of ideas to cash in Marion and improve this team right now.  

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It's only preseason, but there are a handful of areas worth careful attention in Sunday's Heat-Pistons preseason opener.

1. The Beasley-Marion Dynamic

Do they run with each other, or into each other? Does Beasley's presence open lanes for Marion or clog them up? Do they both crash the boards, or does one take off running on the shot? Is there a clear power forward and small forward, or are they just two interchangeable forwards (not that that's a bad thing)?

2. Point guard defense

It's unclear when new signee Shaun Livingston will have an impact in the ongoing battle to win the starting point guard spot, so I'm still looking at it as a three-horse race between Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn. And I'm looking for one specific thing from those three: keeping the opposing point out of the lane, whether that's Chauncey Billups or Rodney Stuckey. The younger and more athletic Stuckey might even be a better gauge than Billups, who will mail in whatever minutes he gets. Whichever Heat point best keeps Stuckey from driving will establish himself as a front-runner for the opening night gig.

3. Joel Anthony

I was infatuated before, and even moreso now after the early returns from camp. I expect huge things from Anthony this year, and Detroit's front line is good enough to either fuel those expectations or extinguish them for a while. If Anthony holds his own against Rasheed Wallace, plays to a draw against Antonio McDyess and Jason Maxiell and tears up Kwame Brown, I'll know my suspicions about his breakout potential were warranted.