The one beautiful thing about our off-season is that I get to spend some of it in what I now call home—Miami. I echo the words of Will Smith and everyone else in south florida, as I say “Welcome to Miami (Bienvenido a Miami”) to Shaq Diesel. The Heat had an amazing run to finish the season last year, with phenomenon rookie Dwayne Wade leading the way. Shaq, without controversy over the spotlight that seemed to shadow him in L.A., knows this is HIS team and is embracing that role in superb fashion.

I don’t know if it’s true that opposites attract, but I would argue that in the case of Wade and O’Neal, they definitely complement each other. The first obvious difference is in stature: as Shaq’s 7’1” 325 pound frame towers over Wade at 6’4” 212. If I had to describe Shaq in two words, it would be “entertaining” and “dominate.” The most amazing quality about The Diesel is that he has the ability to make you laugh and smile as he demonstrates why you should respect the way he controls a game. Wade on the other hand is a “silent explosion.” He rarely shows emotion, and simply lets his game do all the talking–and believe me there is a lot being said.

Looking at the team in Miami after I was drafted down there in 2001, there are only 2 common dominators between that team and today: Eddie Jones and Malik Allen. This year Jones has done a good job of transitioning from franchise player, to veteran leader. Take those 2 players add in a few talented young players: Wade, Bulter, Haslem, and then throw in some key veteran free-agents: Shaq, Jones, and Doleac and you get a completely different team than the Days of Zo. Who can forget a head coach (Stan VanGundy) entering his second year at the helm, doing a tremendous job leading the way. If you are heading down south this winter, looking for a hotspot in Miami—American Airlines Arena is definitely one of the places to be!!