Q: Of the whole roster, the guard rotation seems the most troublesome. The more I look at the Goran Dragic-Dwyane Wade combo, the less confident I feel about the success of the starting unit when they share the floor. I know Dragic will not have his wish granted and that the starting unit will focus on halfcourt offense (which can become highly effective and beautiful to watch if everyone buys into the ball-movement idea). I've struggled to watch Dragic act as nothing more than a spot-up shooter than the floor general as he deserves, and needs, to be with the starting unit. I can only see this starting unit being successful if Dragic is allowed to run the offense and Wade plays off the ball, like during the Big Three Era. But is Wade willing to take a backseat to someone not named LeBron, even if it jeopardizes the team's overall success? -- Benjamin, Miami.

A: You well may have hit on the crux of the season. Dwyane Wade, even more than LeBron, was the catalyst to making the Big Three work. He appears to be back in that position again. Dwyane can be incredibly stubborn. But he's also basketball savvy. He can't be waving off Dragic when it comes to advancing the ball. You can't treat Goran like Mario Chalmers, certainly not at that price point. This offense has to start with Dragic one-man breaks or Dragic pick-and-rolls with Hassan Whiteside or Chris Bosh. Then go to Wade if he has a driving angle or has made a lane cut. So much of the Heat success rests with Wade, as it almost always has. Just in a different way this time.

Q: Ira, which player, if any, you do see on the hot seat? Surely the 12th-15th man on the team knows he is only keeping his seat warm. -- Harold, Weston.

A: Unless there is a trade, I think everyone is safe beyond James Ennis. Ennis' guarantee has been timed for the Heat to see by the latter stages of December whether a different piece is needed. That, of course, is also when most (but not all) players signed in the offseason become trade-eligible.

Q: What is FiveThirtyEight thinking? -- Joe.

A: That this is not fantasy basketball, and that there are plenty of metrics that cast doubt on the composition of this roster. What wasn't factored into that ninth-place prediction was the creativity of Erik Spoelstra to make this mix work. Coaching will go (and will have to go) a long way with this roster.