Welcome to The Launching Pad, a weekly roundup of Miami Heat basketball. Who’s playing well, and who should pick it up? What numbers should you be watching? What was that beautiful play Miami ran in the second quarter? You can find all of it here, every Monday.

It is easy to be a critic of Erik Spoelstra. But when it comes to critiquing a head coach that has won two championships, you are either unequivocally correct, or you are the dumbest person who has ever decided to express themselves on social media. There is no middle ground.

Basketball is back, baby! Those Miami Heat boys are back to doing what they do best: sports. Here’s a few things I’ll be hoping to see from the 2017-2018 Miami Heat as I wait for the inevitable heat death of the universe.

Our Miami Heat Beat experts use their collective brainpower to accurately predict the Miami HEAT’s 2017-18 season record. Just like were dead-on right last year, here it is all over again under one post, so it’s on the record.

Do you still like hot sports takes 🔥🔥🔥? Takes so strident and cocksure that you don’t care if they are both ridiculous and wrong? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Miami Heat Beat insider, Leif, and #HeatTwitter President, Alf, are here to bring you their hottest takes on every player the Miami HEAT are bringing into the 2017-18 regular season. All 17 to be exact.

You have a great opportunity, Dwyane. A chance to erase the nonsense of last season and restore your legacy.

The development of Justise Winslow is more important now than ever. By giving him the freedom to be a playmaker, Miami may see his game take a huge leap.

Seeking a second, and substantially more lucrative, contract, Josh Richardson remains an unknown commodity. Despite making a strong first impression with his lights out shooting and eye-catching physical tools, he disappointed many with a sophomore year plagued by injury and inconsistency. Now, he enters a crucial third season in Miami looking to overcome a crowded backcourt and limit durability concerns.

HEAT fans have been left questioning this roster’s ceiling and the direction of the franchise in general. Miami’s road back to contention is as unclear as ever and as a fan it can be difficult deciding how to approach this uncertainty. So what are your options as a fan?

Despite some lapses, Bam Adebayo showcased who he is (screen-setter, glass-cleaner), who he could be (face-up threat, shot-blocker) and how far he has to go (strength, positioning) in his NBA Summer League debut.

The Miami HEAT — equipped with the prestige of Pat Riley, as-seen-in-movies scenery to pitch, and a non-existent state tax — are top threats for top-tier talent again.

It is the duty of a journalist to search for the truth by any means necessary. I am not a journalist so I didn’t feel the need to exert a particularly large amount of effort in my search for the truth, but I did a few quick Google searches and what I found was shocking.

Tuesday night’s NBA Draft Lottery outcome was anything but a worst case scenario. In a league prone to tanking and where rest takes precedence over winning, what the HEAT accomplished this year is worthy of praise and admiration. Fans need to stop looking at a franchise’s assets not only in terms of draft picks and expiring contracts but in the value of standing and reputation.

It’s officially #DraftSZN! The Miami HEAT are projected to pick 14th, but we all know Adam Silver is probably going…

Tyler Matthew Johnson was never supposed to become the Toothless Terror that he is today. To understand how this undrafted 24-year old turned into this monstrosity, let’s start our diagnosis by examining his development beginning with his college years.

Miami has seven games left on their schedule beginning with Friday’s rematch at home against New York. So let’s take a look at seven of the biggest questions surrounding the team as they continue their playoff push.

Sources: HEAT fears Dion Waiters’ injury is a grade 3 ankle sprain, a complete tear of the ligament, one that would require a six-to-eight week recovery period that would keep him out for at least the remainder of the regular season. An MRI has yet to be scheduled because of swelling.

Be excited and hopeful about the future, because this organization has given you absolutely zero reasons not to. #TrustTheCulture, because it has proven to be stronger than any other “process” ever has.

Welcome to Give-and-Go! This is a series where we will point out some interesting numbers or film  for the Heat in a…

It’s hard to attribute all of the HEAT’s success to Okaro White, but since signing with Miami on Jan. 17, he’s added an invaluable boost off the bench on both ends of the floor—even filling in as a backup center. Here’s some stats and film to prove it.

It is trade deadline season. Our expert staff at Miami Heat Beat is here to tell you how to think!…

Sports are meant to be a form of entertainment. A short break from the stress and hardships of everyday life. Sometimes that is easy to forget.

A little less than three weeks ago, the Miami HEAT were on the fast track to a top-three pick in the NBA lottery. They were 11-30, injury-riddled, and visibly fluttering as the season seemed to be quickly slipping away. Now, the Heat are riding a nine-game winning streak and are within striking distance of the eighth seed in the East.

We’ve reached the midway point of the season. Our expert staff at Miami Heat Beat is here to tell you…

The ultimate #OfCourse is happening; Miami has inexplicably won five straight games and for whatever reason, Dion Waiters has been leading the charge. He’s been absolute flames on offense and a menace defensively. What is the secret behind this great stretch?

We’ve reached the midway point of the season. Our expert staff at Miami Heat Beat is here to tell you…

Following Josh Richardson’s play in his not-so-even-two-year career has felt like an elaborate roller coaster ride. He was objectively terrible…

Anybody who follows me on Twitter (@AlfonsoHoops) knows that I am a huge fan of Erik Spoelstra. As a fellow…

The vast majority of 20-year-old NBA players are a long way from being the fully developed basketball players you hope…

To argue against Shaq’s jersey retirement tonight is to against the culture of banners this franchise strives for—a culture Shaq helped shape while bombastically and polarizing. Despite the baggage he brought, Shaq remains beloved and his arrival to Miami came at the perfect time, setting a foundation of fandom for a new generation of fans.

We are a few months into the season. Our expert staff at Miami Heat Beat is here to tell you how to think! We’re borrowing on ESPN’s 5-on-5 idea where we take five of our staff writers and ask them all the same questions to hear their differentiating opinions on what’s going on with the HEAT.

LeBron left his hometown team in the summer of 2010 in pursuit of championships by any means necessary. He formed a super team in Miami with one of the few people who might have been his equal and another perennial All-Star. This was when LeBron lit the match of his Great Fire. Since then the league has been chasing him.

The (almost) 100 million dollar man, Hassan Whiteside, has been given the spotlight this year and he has taken a full advantage of it. Whiteside was left off the All-Star roster last year, but this should be his year to make his claim as one the NBA elites