Championship Expectations Return to Erik Spoelstra's Miami Heat
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- One year after LeBron James bailed and it's amazing to think championship expectations have returned to the Miami Heat.
That's exactly what's happened as the 2015-16 season nears, with Pat Riley pumping out another productive summer of roster tinkering, highlighted by the re-signing of core players like Goran Dragic and Dwyane Wade.
Compiled with adding intriguing, proven vets on the cheap like the sharp-shooting Gerald Green along with capable scorer Amar'e Stoudemire and what many consider to be the steal of the NBA Draft in Justise Winslow, the pressure is cooking again at the American Airlines Arena.
"We think we've added the essential and needed depth that you need to compete for a title," Erik Spoelstra said at the onset of Miami Heat Media Day. "And to be able to absorb all the unpredictable things that happen in an 82-game season.
"We know what the expectations are. Look, I'm starting my 21st year here and I've said it before. Every single season that I've worked for Micky Arison and Pat Riley, we know what we're trying to play for."
Many think they look capable of hanging with anyone on paper, but it will be up to Spoelstra, a two-time NBA champion as a head coach, to mold this unique blend of talent into a beast capable of contending in the Eastern Conference.
LeBron and the Cavs await the revamped Miami Heat.
