Can Heat Compete in East?

The 2009 NBA Draft is only one day away, but I'm not talking about the Draft. The Miami Heat's lack of a first-round pick and the Draft's weakness contribute to that; however, division rivals Washington Wizards and Atlanta Hawks have completed lopsided trades that could potentially put them ahead of the Heat. Washington traded away its No. 5 selection in the Draft, Etan Thomas, Darius Songalia and Oleksiy Pecherov for Randy Foye and Mike Miller. This instantly makes the Wizards a playoff-contending team when healthy. Foye, Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison can all put up points in a hurry. Miller and DeShawn Stevenson can come off the bench and stretch the defense with their shooting. Moreover, Washington still has Brendan Haywood and JaVale McGee, who are both 7-feet tall. The Wizards still have to become a better defensive team -- and the addition of Flip Saunders as the team's head coach doesn't help -- but Washington can be a playoff team that challenges the likes of Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta. The trade that could affect the Heat more is the one that ESPN is reporting today, though. The apparently imminent deal would send Acie Law and Speedy Claxton to the Warriors in exchange for Jamal Crawford. The newest member of the Hawks has been especially keen at picking apart the Heat's defense. His career-high 52-point game Jan. 26, 2007 against Miami officially cemented his status as a Heat killer.This deal does add questions to where free agent Mike Bibby will call home in October. The 6-foot-5 Crawford is not a true point guard, but could play alongside Joe Johnson in the backcourt for Atlanta. My guess is the the Hawks have Crawford and Johnson in the backcourt and wave goodbye to Bibby. No matter what Atlanta decides to do with Bibby, Crawford still gives the Hawks yet another offensive weapon. Just to make things clear, the Heat had no viable shot at either of these trades -- or the Richard Jefferson trade that sent the dynamic forward to San Antonio. Jefferson and Crawford have contracts that go beyond 2010; and while Foye and Miller both have expiring contracts, the Minnesota Timberwolves were looking for a first-round pick, something the Heat doesn't have. One has to wonder how this shakes up the Eastern Conference. Orlando, Cleveland and Boston are still leaps and bounds ahead of any other team in the East. Beyond Atlanta and Washington, Miami will have to fight Philadelphia and Chicago in the four-to-eight range. The Heat could conceivably go into the playoffs with the fifth seed, but putting Miami ahead of Atlanta right now would seem to be a bit of a stretch. Heat President Pat Riley has made it clear that his team's off-season will be quiet until he gets a definitive read on Dwyane Wade. The negotiations for a contract extension can start July 12, so Miami will likely have to be spectators as far as trades go until then. Wade has made it clear that he wants to fast-track the rebuilding process. Unless Riley comes to Wade with an agreement with another General Manager on the table, it is highly unlikely for Wade to sign that extension.After Washington and Atlanta clearly upgraded, Riley must know that this team cannot make a lateral move. Riley needs to make some moves that will upgrade his team and vault them ahead of Atlanta, Washington, Chicago and Philadelphia in the East. This team is not going to be better than No. 5 in the East if Riley does nothing. Wade wants to be on a championship-contending team, not a playoff-contending team. If he wants to keep Wade, Riley's going to need to be very busy.