Pressure falls on Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after LeBron James left Miami for Cleveland. (GETTY IMAGES)

The decision 2.0 was widely anticipated this summer and LeBron James decided to go home to Cleveland.

Miami Heat president Pat Riley wasted no time adding players, he was signing players in an effort to convince James to stay after they lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals.

Josh McRoberts was added before James left and while he is certainly no superstar, he is a serviceable role player who can start at power forward, allowing Bosh to play center. Last season, he averaged 8.3 points per game, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.3 assists for the Charlotte Bobcats who made the playoffs. McRoberts wasn’t the sole reason, but he was part of the reason with his ability to pass to the open man and step outside and hit the outside shot (36% on 3-pointers, and 47.1% in four postseason games). Signing McRoberts means Udonis Haslem will be a backup and given his age, that’s not a bad thing. At 34, Haslem is best suited to playing no more than 18 minutes per game.

They also brought in Luol Deng and while he’s no LeBron, he’s certainly not a bad replacement at all. He’s a solid defender and a capable offensive player who can score enough (15-16 points) to be a nice third option behind Bosh and Wade. He struggled in Cleveland last season after the Bulls traded him there, but he’s still just 29 and should be able to bounce back strong with a better supporting cast than he had with the Cavs. Danny Granger was brought in to add depth and back up Deng. At 31 and having battled injuries the last several seasons, Granger may be just a shadow of the player he used to be — 2011-12 was the last time he showed much, playing in 62 games and averaging 18.7 points. Bringing him off the bench is the best possible situation for him.

If either one of them experience injuries and that’s a definite possibility given their recent history, second round draft pick (50th overall) James Ennis (Long Beach State) will get an opportunity to play. He showed some ability in preseason, scoring 17 points twice in their first six games in limited minutes.

So, now it’s clearly on Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade’s shoulders to carry the burden of a LeBron-less Heat team. Bosh was the main offensive option when he was in Toronto and the Heat will look to him to once again be the man. Bosh, 30, was given a huge contract to stay in South Beach and now expectations will be even bigger after the deal he signed.

In his last season in Toronto, he averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds. It was all the way back in 2009-10, but what is undeniable is Bosh is a better offensive player now than he was back then. He has improved his outside shooting (he made 33.9% of his 3-pointers last season) and while he probably won’t come close to 24 points, he should be able to average 20 points and 8 rebounds. His rebounds should increase (career-low 6.6 last season) without James around to help clean the backboard. Chris Andersen was brought back to be a reserve and provide about 14-15 minutes of energy off the bench to keep Bosh rested. Justin Hamilton played in just eight games last season with the Heat and Bobcats and is a long-term project, if he makes the final cuts.

Wade will be the second option on offense and with James gone, he may also take over more of the ball-handling duties, just like he had before James came to Miami. Wade averaged 6.5 assists the season before James arrived and his assist numbers should go back up. The question is, can Wade stay healthy?

And it’s a fair question since he’s averaged just 54 games over the last three seasons. IF healthy, Wade should be back close to the old Wade, say maybe 18 points, 6 assists and 4-5 rebounds. Shannon Brown had a lost season playing in just 29 games with the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs, but he gives the Heat a veteran backup for Wade.

Mario Chalmers returns and will start, but his tenure will be challenged by rookie Shabazz Napier and Norris Cole. Cole has teased Miami for three seasons, but Chalmers struggled in the playoffs last season and Cole may be finally ready to take his job. Napier is the Johnny-come-lately who will try and show he can make the jump from college to the pros.

Outlook

The Heat clearly won’t be the same team they were with Lebron, but they aren’t exactly devoid of talent either. Losing the best player on the planet won’t send this team into a tailspin, I think they’ll win about 45-48 games and be a top 5 team in the East. It’s on Bosh and Wade to step up and lead the way. And we’ll see what head coach Erik Spoelstra has learned from Riles.

Darren Jacks is a contributing writer for OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @djroxalot.

Tyson Chandler changed the culture in New York with his defense. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler was recently named the 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, breaking Dwight Howard’s three-year stranglehold on the award. Chandler helped improve the Knicks defense significantly and was a big reason why the team earned a playoff berth despite numerous injuries. So why in the world was Chandler on the second team of the all-defensive teams? Much like the do-nothing Congress, the NBA coaches and media couldn’t agree on who belongs on the list of top defenders.

The coaches had LeBron James, Serge Ibaka, Dwight Howard, Chris Paul and Tony Allen on the first team. Chandler was included in the second team, along with Kevin Garnett, Rajon Rondo, Luol Deng and Kobe Bryant. James and Ibaka deserve to be on the first team, but Howard should have swapped places with Chandler. And why is Kobe even on the second team? He’s not even the best defender on his own team.

To settle the debate, OneManFastBreak rates the 10 best defenders during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season:

SECOND TEAM

10) DWIGHT HOWARD — The Magic center had an up-and-down season on the off the court. He was caught in messy situation with Orlando management with the whole free agency threat, and then he was embroiled in a bizarre incident with head coach Stan Van Gundy. Despite all those distractions, Howard still managed to average a league-best 14.5 rebounds and second-best 2.2 blocked shots.

8) SHAWN MARION — Mavericks owner Mark Cuban thinks The Matrix belongs in the conversation with guys like LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Tony Allen in terms of perimeter defense. “There’s nobody who’s better defensively outside the center position than Shawn Marion,” Cuban said. The Dallas owner may be on to something because how many players can guard premier power forwards and point guards? “Marion is the only guy who comes to mind,” said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

8) KEVIN GARNETT — The Big Ticket somehow has discovered the Hot Tub Time Machine this season, leading Boston team to a No. 4 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs on the strength of his leadership and defense. KG will go down in NBA history as one of its best defenders. He’s just one of a handful of players who can defend all five positions. When you look up energy and effort in the program, you see a picture of Garnett’s face.

Kevin Garnett remains a defensive force for the Celtics. (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

7) TONY ALLEN — The former Celtic and current member of the Memphis Grizzlies earned his reputation as one of the toughest perimeter defenders in the league during the NBA Finals when he went toe-to-toe with Lakers star Kobe Bryant. Allen gets up in your face and doesn’t allow much air space between him and his opponent. He’s also one of the best help defenders in the league, and among the league leaders in steals. Allen can lock down on shooting guards and point guards, and occasionally small forwards.

6) LUOL DENG — The Chicago Bulls owned the best defense in the NBA and a big reason for it was Deng. Coach Tom Thibodeau says the Bulls are able to do what they do on the defensive end because of Deng’s versatility. “Lu can guard small forwards, power forwards, shooting guards,” said Thibodeau. Deng got snubbed last season when he wasn’t even included in the first or second teams. Anyone who still ignores Deng’s defense is looking more and more foolish each season.

FIRST TEAM

5) ANDRE IGUODALA — The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the best teams in terms of field-goal percentage, and a big reason why was Iguodala. The longtime Sixer was seventh in the NBA in steals (1.7) and only Kevin Durant (8.0) and LeBron James (7.9) had a better rebounding average among small forwards. Despite those numbers, Iguodala remains underrated as a top-flight defender because the Sixers are not on national TV each week. But Iggy Hops have convinced the experts after finishing seventh in the Defensive Player of the Year voting.

76ers guard-forward Andre Iguodala can guard any perimeter player (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

4) RAJON RONDO — Rondo is pound for pound the toughest guy in the league. The man came back to a basketball game after dislocating his elbow. Most guys in the league would have been halfway to the hospital if that happened to them. The Celtics remain one of the hardest teams to score on because they have a great backline defender in Garnett and an absolute pest in the frontline in Rondo. He is always among the league leaders in steals, and no point guard in the Association rebounds better than Rondo.

3) LEBRON JAMES — Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra marvels at how LeBron can cover so much ground on the defensive end it almost looks like there are five LeBrons out there. The Heat employ a help defense principle, which dates back to Pat Riley’s days as a Lakers coach. James has turned into the linchpin of the Heat D with his ability to guard every position on the court and, when Spoelstra needs to cool off a hot scorer, he usually calls on James to be the shutdown defender.

2) TYSON CHANDLER — Where would the New York Knicks be without Chandler? Right near the bottom of the league in defense like they’ve been in years past. It was amazing what Chandler did in his first season in Gotham. Not only did he contribute offensively with his league-leading 67% field goal percentage but he changed the culture of the Knicks by quarterbacking the defense from his center position. New York went from being the 22nd-ranked defense to fifth best in 2012.

1) SERGE IBAKA — Serge Ibaka earned the moniker Serge “Iblocka” for his penchant for sending away shots near the rim. The Oklahoma City Thunder power forward had a mind-bloggling 241 blocks (3.7 average) during the regular season which led the NBA by a mile. The next guy was L.A. Clippers center DeAndre Jordan who had a 135.

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (ASSOCIATED PRESS)

This is just Ibaka’s third season as a professional so the sky — or his case, the rim — is the limit for the man from Brazzaville, Congo. Ibaka finished second to Chandler in the DPOY voting with 294 votes to Chandler’s 311. But you have to wonder if Ibaka was playing in New York and Chandler was in Oklahoma City those votes would be flipped around.

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter @onemanfastbreak.

Derrick Rose celebrates with his teammates after a dominant win in Game 1 of the 2011 Eastern Conference finals. (GETTY IMAGES)

First of all, let me apologize to the Chicago Bulls for underestimating their greatness. Apparently, I’ve been listening to too many pundits who have already crowned the Heat as NBA champs once the Lakers and Celtics were eliminated from the playoff picture.

Put a big hold on that NBA Finals party in South Beach because the Bulls are not going away anytime soon. The top-seeded team in the 2011 Eastern Conference playoffs dismantled the star-studded Heat by 21 points in Game 1 of Eastern Conference finals and, the way the Bulls suffocated the Heat defensively, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James will need to be extra special for Miami to win this series.

What’s really stunning about Game 1 was the way James was completely taken out of the game by Bulls forward Luol Deng. Deng is a good defender, but the way he locked up James was absolutely ridiculous. Compounding matters was the way Deng outplayed James on offense, outscoring the two-time NBA MVP 21 to 15 and held him to 5-of-15 shooting from the field.

Despite his stellar defensive effort, Deng refused to take full credit.

“All of us as a team did a good job on all those guys,” Deng said. “We all know LeBron is a great player. He missed some shots he normally makes, we’re not going to take all the credit.”

He added, “We’re not playing the matchup game. We’re playing the team game. We’re just trying to win the game however we win it. Just coming out hungry, just coming out aggressive. We believe in each other, and that’s making us a good team this year.”

Now, I’m not going to jump ship and proclaim Derrick Rose the greatest player on the planet and the Bulls the greatest show on Earth. However, the Heat truly have their work cut out for them to try to figure out how to solve this puzzling Chicago defense, which has now defeated Miami four times this season.

“We took it on the chin tonight,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “Second-chance points was a big factor. Offensively, we got away from the things we normally do and went a little sideways in all those effort battles. Their defense was good, and we anticipated that. Their a great defensive team. You have to be able to execute.”

Spoelstra comes for the Pat Riley school of coaching, and Riley always emphasized that “no rebounds, no rings.” In Game 1, the Bulls outrebounded the Heat, 45-33, and came up with 19 offensive rebounds. The Bulls had a 31-8 advantage in second-chance points, a stat that certainly didn’t sit well with Spoelstra.

“They just took it to another level. The offensive rebounding really affected us,” the Heat coach said. “We had some great stops, but we were not able to come up with the 50-50 ball or rebound to seal it, and they made us pay.”

Also, Chicago’s game plan defensively is obvious: wall off Wade and James, and make Chris Bosh Miami’s primary scorer.

“They’re loading their defense so much on Dwyane and LeBron off the dribble that [Chris Bosh] was able to be a recipient in the paint,” Spoelstra explained why Bosh had a team-high 30 points.

“We’ll adjust, but certainly the fist fight under the glass will be the start.”

Joel Huerto is the editor and publisher of OneManFastBreak.net. Follow him on Twitter at: twitter.com/onemanfastbreak.