Miami Heat Tickets

The Miami Heat know that this season is more pivotal than just the typical wins and losses: it will likely define the future of their franchise.

With Dwyane Wade set to become a free agent after the season, the Heat must show their star guard the committment to putting a championship-caliber roster on the floor.

While some of that will require more offseason moves and draft picks, it's important that Wade sees improvement and progress from some of the key pieces that the Heat already have on their roster.

One of those key pieces is Michael Beasley, who is entering his second year in the NBA after a very disappointing rookie season.

Beasley had some off-the-court issues before the start of the season as he battled depression and drug abuse. However, it seems that he is getting past some of those issues and set to play the kind of basketball the Heat expected from him when they made him the No. 2 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.

The team also recently drafted Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers, two talented young guards who could be a part of the Miami organization for a long time to come. They also brought in Quentin Richardson, another athletic wingman who has a sweet stroke from behind the arc.

Another important piece is Jermaine O' Neal, a supremely talented big man who has fallen short of expectations in recent years. Injuries, especially to O' Neal's knees, slowed him during his time with the Indiana Pacers and eventually led to his departure.

Hoping that the knee issues are finally past him, O' Neal is determined and focused on becoming one of the league's top centers yet again.

As for Wade, he has his own injury problems. While widely regarded as one of the top NBA players when healthy, Wade has had a problem staying on the court. The aggressive Wade gets hacked time and time again when attacking the basket, and some wonder whether he can continue to play such a reckless style of basketball.

Wade has shown before that he can single-handedly dominate a game in only a way you see from Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. He has often be said to be the most comparable player in this day and age to Michael Jordan, which is just about the highest praise one can receive.

The Heat certainly have enough talent surrounding their star to make a run at the wide-open Southeast Division title race and maybe even an Eastern Conference title, but will all the pieces come together to make that happen? Only time will tell.