The Miami Heat are perilously close to collapse following a poor and uneven start to the regular season.

Few people, in my opinion, truly get how devastating it was for the Miami Heat to lose out on Damian Lillard.

The executive management of the Heat has been telling its supporters for the past few offseasons that it will ultimately find another superstar to replace Jimmy Butler. And that all they needed was for a star who was unhappy to decide to go to Miami. And it seemed like the Heat’s time had finally arrived at the start of this summer.

The Heat seemed like they could finally find the last piece needed to win a title after making it to the NBA Finals twice in the previous four years. Miami had a good chance of being one of the offseason’s biggest winners. And hope was dashed when the Heat effectively missed the chance to deal for Beal.

After a few weeks, that choice seemed reasonable. Finally, a far bigger fish, Damian Lillard, had sought a trade, but only with the Heat. Finally, everything was coming together for Miami. Their off-season was this one. The huge splash to which the front office had been hinting was this.

But as history now reveals, Lillard was not signed by the Heat. To make matters worse, he was sent to a rival team of the Heat.

It appeared as though the Heat’s prospects of acquiring a star player had vanished along with Beal and Lillard’s departure.

It was the most devastating punch of all time. It was all written on the wall.

The Heat’s stock was moving lower in the days before the season began. It was generally anticipated that this team would suffer a significant setback. And those predictions appear to be accurate after the first five games of the season.

“We don’t want to go too far down this hole. That’s what’s worrying. The season begins in this manner, and by the time the deadline approaches, you have no idea what will happen. We just need to work things out. We have a terrific group of guys.

With their current roster of players, the Heat shouldn’t be 1-4. They are, for whatever reason. Furthermore, this team appears to have reached its peak. Miami was obviously in need of a shake-up as the offseason approached. It was hardly a safety net, even following the improbable run to the NBA Finals.

Nevertheless, the front office ignored all the warning signs and still elected to run it back with the same exact core.

And now they’re reaping all of that.

The concerning part for the Heat is that I’m not sure there’s much upside moving forward. Even if they’re able to somewhat right the ship, the ceiling for this team is probably a spot in the Eastern Conference semifinals. That’s not enough.