Before the NBA trading deadline on February 19, teams were actually looking at slim pickings for firing off trades to boost their respective line-ups and increased their chances to make it to the playoffs.
So when the NBA trading deadline came and trades began to happen, there was one thing clear at the end of it all. When the smoke cleared and the dust has settled, it was the Miami Heat who got the best deal of them all.
Take it from Miami Heat President Pat Riley to pull the right strings and make the last minute plays to pull off surprises because he just did yet again by landing point guard Goran Dragic during the NBA trading deadline.
The good thing about it is that Goran Dragic came to Miami Heat from the Phoenix Suns with Miami being his preferred destination actually, which means things are really looking up with the Heat yet again, cites Yahoo! News.
Playoff bound
Right on the trading deadline, the Miami Heat was holding on to the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference even with a below .500 win-loss record of 23-30. That speaks how sub-par the Eastern Conference teams are in the current NBA season.
Prior to the NBA trading deadline, there were talks that the Miami Heat were looking to acquire Jeremy Lin from the Los Angeles Lakers to boost its point guard rotation.
There was no talk at all of Goran Dragic being eyed by Miami Heat. But leave it to Pat Riley to make the buzzer-beater so to speak. He swooped down late with an offer to Phoenix and Goran Dragic and the team got the deal.
After acquiring the dynamic point guard Dragic from the Phoenix Suns, Riley said that he is happy to announce to take another step in getting the Miami Heat franchise to real championship prominence once again.
He disclosed that Goran is an All-NBA player and that the team felt that once the Slovenian player becomes available, it would do everything possible to get his services. And they did, through the initiatives of course of Pat Riley.
A competitive team if healthy
The addition of Dragic really bolsters the playoff chances of the Miami Heat and its quest of going deep into the playoffs.
The Miami Heat’s starting unit will have the potent combination of Goran Dragic at point guard, Dwyane Wade as off guard, Luol Deng as small forward, Chris Bosh as the big forward, and upstart but very promising big man Hassan Whiteside at center.
Riley said that when the team picks up the best player that is available in the market, it is actually positioning itself for a run for the championship in the short-term.
However, Chris Bosh is possibly out for the remainder of the season when he was diagnosed a few days ago of having blood clots in his lungs. Dwyane Wade is in an on-and-off injured state and is occasionally out of the Miami Heat rotation. So unless two more players step up for the team in place of Bosh and Wade, it will be a grinding finish for the team in the current NBA season and the playoffs too.