Heat25

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SB Monday, October 22, 2012 SunSentinel.com Sun Sentinel | 5C

Line em up one through 25? Not as simple

as it sounds, especially when you consider a

players value during a particular period.

Staff writer Ira Winderman started cov-

ering the Heat before their first game. He

picks his top Heat players of all time.*

1. Dwyane WadeWithout Wade there likely would have beenno LeBron James in Miami. Without Wade,Pat Riley may never have been rejuvenatedenough to create the current mix.

2. LeBron JamesSimply the best player of his time, even if histime with the Heat has been relatively brief.To say any Heat player has been better would

be a stretch, but Wades longevity gives himthe slightest of edges.

3. Alonzo MourningThe scowling face of the Heat for the start ofthe Riley era displayed a defensive energyheretofore unseen from the franchise.

4. Tim HardawayAlthough known as a playmaker, the feistypoint guard was the Heats Mr. Big Shot whenit came to the franchises playoff successunder Riley.

5. Shaquille ONealMade the Heat matter as a title contenderfrom the moment he arrived, the greater goodovershadowing the uneven departure.

6. Eddie JonesKept the franchise afloat in the transitionfrom the Mourning-Hardaway era to theWade era. Not only scored, but also thrived asa perimeter stopper.

7. Chris BoshJust two seasons here, but both those twoseasons include appearances in the NBA Fi-nals. His contribution was second only toJames when it came to the 2012 title.

8. Glen Rice

During the lean times, there always was therainbow possibility of another Rice 3-pointer.One of the franchises first stars, arrivingwhen needed most.

9. Rony SeikalyAt the start there was nothing but a raw centerout of Syracuse whose early growth in manyways mirrored the growth of the franchise.

10. Steve SmithA combo guard who found greater successelsewhere, but whose silky NBA game firsttook hold at Miami Arena.

11. Udonis HaslemThe stats hardly tell the story. Instead Mr. 305stands as a decade-long inspiration on thepossibilities of hard work and local roots.

12. Jamal MashburnAs skilled as any Heat small forward otherthan James, with a game that almost made itlook too effortless at times.

13. Grant LongHustle has been valued since the franchisesinception, with Long the first to show thateffort can find a way in the NBA.

14. Sherman DouglasIt could be argued that the Heat has producedmore quality at point guard than any otherposition, with Douglas at the beginning.

15. Bimbo ColesPlayed in attack mode on both ends of thecourt, with more than 4,000 points with Heat.

16. Keith AskinsFourth on franchises list of games played,

behind only Mourning, Wade and Haslem.First on all-time list of floorburns.

17. P.J. BrownIf Mourning was Rileys ultimate warrior,then Brown was a close second. He made clearevery moment on the court that he cared.

18. Kevin EdwardsA double-figure scorer in each of the Heatsfirst five seasons. When no one else couldscore, the other 1988 first-round pick could.

19. Caron ButlerDuring one of the Heats darkest hours, Butlerwas as a gift from the 2002 lottery, talentedenough to later be packaged in the Shaq trade.

20. Bruce Bowen

Arguably the best Heat perimeter defenderever, offering the type of deterrence on thewing that Mourning provided in the paint.

21. Brian GrantMade up with heart for lack of size as anundersized fill-in center when Mourning wassidelined by his kidney illness.

22. Dan MajerleFive seasons with the Heat, all in the playoffs.Contributed even when barely ambulatory.

23. Voshon LenardLen-ard! bellowed Jack Ramsay over theairwaves. Many forget his impact.

24. Eddie HouseArguably the franchises most exciting streakscorer. Even Rileys daughter wanted to FreeEddie House!

25. Brian ShawHelped quarterback the first Heat playoffteams. A needed calming veteran influence.

*Players with more than one Heat season.

Top 25

all-timeplayers

These were elections largely devoid of the need for debate. When itcomes to the Sun Sentinel reader poll for the Miami Heats25th-Anniversary Teams, the franchises periods of championshipdomination and playoff torment dominated.

The numbers -- with readers casting more than 20,000 votes --basically tell the story of the contender Pat Riley built and the champi-onship teams he rebuilt.

As for talking points, it all comes down to power forward, where theHeats lineage of Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and P.J. Brown created thetightest race.

(For those who still want their voice counted, well keep the poll openthroughout the season. You can find it at SunSentinel.com/heat)

Center Alonzo Mourning received the most votes in the readers poll at 3,879 votes.

ROBERT DUYOS/STAFF FILE PHOTO

READERS POLL: MIAMI HEAT FIRST TEAM

Center:Shaquille ONeal, 2004-08, 687 votesPower forward: Udonis Haslem, 2003-present, 1,661votesSmall forward: Glen Rice, 1989-95, 282 votesShooting guard: Eddie Jones, 2000-05, 2007, 49 votesPoint guard: Mario Chalmers, 2008-present, 161votes

Remaining votes from Sun Sentinel ballot at each position:

Center: Rony Seikaly 59, BrianGrant 21, Jermaine ONeal 13, KevinWillis 11.

Power forward: P.J. Brown 394,Grant Long 121, Michael Beasley 29,Clarence Weatherspoon 10.

Small forward: Dan Majerle 67, Ja-mal Mashburn 29, Caron Butler 19,James Posey 14.

Shooting guard: Steve Smith 35,Voshon Lenard 26, Eddie House 11,Kevin Edwards 9.

Point guard: Jason Williams 76,Sherman Douglas 28, Bimbo Coles24, Brian Shaw 9.

NOTE: Only players with multipleseasons with Heat were included inpoll.

Heat celebrate 25The players and events that built a franchise

SECOND TEAM

OTHER PLAYERS WITH VOTES

I onlyavoice: Whos the center thatbrought the championship? SHAQ!How many times did Alonzo take theteam to the Finals? None. Good centersget honorable mentions. Elite centerswin championships.

I Tony Ruler: Zo would be a beast intodays game given his mobility.

I Derek: Alonzo Mourning was theheart and soul of the Miami Heat for somany years. Couple that to the come-back he made after his kidney trans-plant and the strongest of desires tohelp the Heat win their first champi-onship, it is easy to say he trumped allother centers including Shaq.

IBig Sarge: Zo wasnt even the bestplayer on the team. Hardaway carriedthose early Riley teams.

IAlan C: If Brown were in decenthealth and condition right now, and

joined the Heat this past season, hedhave been our best center, and possiblythe second-best power forward.

IDoctor B: Why even put out othernominations at small forward otherthan LeBron? This is like, Which is thebest dessert? and you name four veg-etables along with chocolate-custardcream pie.

I Sanity Now: James. Just not JamesPosey.

IBig Sarge: At shooting guard thevoting should be unanimous. I cantimagine anyone not voting for Wade.

IHHS: These polls really serve tohighlight just how far the Heat havecome

Voters comment on polls

Center

AlonzoMourning

1995-2003,2005-20083,879 votes

Powerforward

ChrisBosh

2010-present2,222 votes

Smallforward

LeBronJames


Shootingguard

DwyaneWade


Pointguard

TimHardaway

1996-20013,184 votes

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