Alonzo Mourning could never have envisioned his current situation when he decided to put off retirement for another year and come back to Miami in the hopes of repeating as NBA Champions.

Shaquille O'Neal has been sidelined for much of the season following knee surgery. Dwyane Wade has been in and out of the lineup with various ailments and injuries. And Pat Riley, the architect of last season's championship run, has taken leave from the team to have surgery on his hip.

So where does that leave the Heat? If the season ended today, it would leave them a half-game out of the playoffs and on the short and ignominious list of champions who failed to even make the postseason in the year of their title defense.

Still, the season is only half over, the Big Aristotle has several months to get himself into postseason form, and a mere .500 record would have Miami sitting pretty as the No. 7 seed in the East.

We want to know what you think. Will the Heat be able to turn it on in the second half and make the playoffs? If Shaq and Wade can get healthy, is Miami still a legitimate title contender? How important is Riley's presence on the bench to the success of the team?

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