One of the biggest sports stories of this year was 2 of the best basketball players in the world playing on the same team. Drama was at a all time high and everyone was eagerly anticipating the start of the NBA season. 1/4 of the way in the season, it’s time to take a look at the Miami Heat and whether they got the right foundation for a championship team, both for this year and beyond.

LeBron James and Dwyane Wade

Smart basketball analysts were wondering whether Lebron James and Dwyane Wade could co-exist in the same team, and after 20 or so games, there have been no encouraging signs that they can. Don’t take their recent winning streak fool you – they were against lesser opposition and as we all know, championships are won and lost in the playoffs where the toughest oppositions await.

The Boston Celtics have completely dominated the Heat in their meetings and there’s no indication that there’s anything that the Heat can do – even if Mike Miller is to come back, Spoelstra is to magically increase team chemistry.

The problem lies solely in the skill sets of the LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. They both have the ability to create for themselves or others off the dribble. The problem is that there is only one person that can do that per possession – leaving the other less than effective when he becomes the passive player.

The reason that the Boston Celtics Big 3 were so effective was due to the 3 players perfectly complementing each others game. You had Paul Piece the slasher, Ray Allen the shooter, and Kevin Garnett the inside presence. You added Rajon Rondo’s playmaking skills, and a tough center to clog the middle, and you have a winning team.

This is a bold proposition – but it looks highly unlikely that a team compromising both Wade and LeBron can do well. Pat Riley would be better off to trade one of the two for the likes of a dominant big man and a capable point guard. Of course, we know that will never happen.