While the New York Knicks front office is patiently waiting for the 2010 free agent bonanza, the Heat are under significant pressure to perform well in order to keep franchise cornerstone Dwayne Wade in Miami. In their first game of this year’s NBA campaign, Nate Robinson and the New York Knicks will head to Miami to face the Heat on Wednesday at 11:30 p.m. GMT.

Given the fact that the Miami Heat did not do much during the off-season one has to wonder about the long term plans of General Manager Pat Riley. More specifically, All-Star Dwayne Wade publicly stated that the franchise from Southern Florida would need more talent to make it to the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference. Reading between the lines, Wade implies that he might not stay much longer in Miami if the team experiences another first-round playoff exit. Yet, the Heat’s front office did very little over the summer except for adding wingman Quentin Richardson. Considering that Erick Spoelstra’s squad subsequently posted an unsatisfying 2-5 preseason record, the Heat might be up for a major trade if things do not work out in the early stages of the regular season.

The New York Knicks on the other hand have been dedicated to clear cap space since Donnie Walsh took over as General Manager. Nonetheless, the team around David Lee and Nate Robinson showed some improvement under the guidance of coach Mike D’Antoni last year. Although it looks rather unlikely that the Knicks make it to the playoffs in 2009-10, it is not beyond the realms of reality that the young team continues to mature and stays in the playoff race down the stretch. Ultimately, a somewhat acceptable season would increase the odds to acquire one or two maximum contract players on the free agent market next year.

Taking the situation of both teams into account, the Heat look like the favorites to clinch a victory at American Airlines Arena on Wednesday. Yet, the Knicks could give Miami a hard time if they manage to play well on both ends of the floor. After all, the Heat’s efficiency raises and falls with the performance of Dwayne Wade where as the Knicks’ workload is distributed evenly.

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