Miami Heat's losses merely reflect inexperience, but Dwyane Wade and LeBron James need to co-strategize

by Poor Man's Commish on Mar 5, 2011 5:43 AM PST in NBA

There's been an extreme, almost doomsday negativity aimed at the Miami Heat lately about their losses against the elite teams of the NBA, in particular their squandering of a 24-point lead to the Orlando Magic and their 30-point loss to the San Antonio Spurs. If people aren't pointing and laughing at them, people are certainly casting condescending frowns and wagging that disapproving finger. Even the Heat themselves appear to be greatly dismayed and flustered in the post-game interviews.

But while the rest of the world clamors on, I look back at my experience watching hundreds and hundreds of amateur, competitive, and below-the-rim adult rec league games in my Dream League -- we're almost in our tenth year and we run three seasons per year, ten divisions per season, perhaps three or four ultra-competitive divisions with legacy teams returning each season, so that's like 40 seasons not including the ones I played in other leagues prior -- and I've gotta say, I've seen this all before.

Sure, I'm just as surprised as the next guy that things aren't going so smoothly for talents as Hall-of-Fame-bound as LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, but then I remind myself: this is still the same old team game of basketball.

However, I'm not just satisfied to sit back and accept it, either. I definitely think LeBron and Wade can do better (as could Erik Spoelstra). They're just not quite experienced enough yet, but if I were their coach or GM, here's what I would advise...

Look, the Heat are simply inexperienced

First of all, accept that you are an inexperienced team. And by inexperienced, I not only mean that this team was only assembled less than a year ago, but I also mean the ages of the players. Let's take a look at all the "elite" teams that are over .600, which the Heat are 4-10 against...

Spurs: Tony Parker 28, Manu Ginobili 33, Tim Duncan 34, Richard Jefferson 30. Jefferson in 2nd year with Parker/Manu/Timmy. Parker/Manu/Timmy together since 2002 (9 years).
Celtics: Paul Pierce 33, Kevin Garnett 34, Ray Allen 35, Rajon Rondo 25. Pierce 13th year with Celtics. Rondo 5th year with Celtics/Pierce. KG and Ray-Ray formed Big Three in 2007 (4th year together).
Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki 32, Jason Kidd 37, Jason Terry 33, Tyson Chandler 28. Dirk in 13th year with Mavs. Jet in 7th year with Mavs. Kidd in 3rd year with Mark Cuban-era Mavs. Chandler in 1st year with Mavs.
Lakers: Kobe Bryant 32, Pau Gasol 30, Lamar Odom 31, Derek Fisher 36, Ron Artest 31. Kobe and Fish have played together for 12 years. Odom in 7th year with Lakers. Gasol in 3rd year with Lakers. Artest in 2nd year with Lakers.
Magic: Dwight Howard 25, Jameer Nelson 29, Hedo Turkoglu 31, J.J. Redick 26, Gilbert Arenas 29, Jason Richardson 30. Dwight and Jameer 7th year together, all with Magic. Hedo 6th year in two stints with Dwight/Jameer. Redick 5th year with Magic/Dwight/Jameer, 4th year with Hedo. Gil and J-Rich 1st year with Magic.
Bulls: Derrick Rose 22, Luol Deng 25, Joakim Noah 26, Carlos Boozer 29. Deng 6th year with Bulls. Noah 4th year with Bulls and Deng. D-Rose 3rd year with Bulls/Deng/Noah. Boozer 1st year with Bulls.
Thunder: Kevin Durant 22, Russell Westbrook 22, Thabo Sefolosha 26, Serge Ibaka 21, Nick Collison 30, James Harden 21. Collison 7th year with Thunder. KD 4th year with Collison/Thunder. Westbrook 3rd year with KD and Collison. Ibaka, Harden, and Thabo 2nd year with Thunder.
Heat: Dwyane Wade 29, LeBron James 26, Chris Bosh 26. Wade 8th year with Heat. LeBron/Bosh 1st year with Wade/Heat. Note: Udonis Haslem (30) has played with Wade/Heat for 8 years, but only played in the first 13 games this season before his injury.

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Even this duo has played together for three years already.

Most comparable to the Heat are the Thunder. But guess what, the Thunder are 4-11 against the elite teams listed above, including the 108-103 loss at home to the Heat. And even still, at least Durant and Westbrook have played together for 3 years. I'm sure we'd all agree that LeBron and Wade's first year together far surpasses the first year that Durant and Westbrook were together.

Next on the list of least-experienced teams are the Bulls. Believe it or not, they're 10-6 against the elite teams above. We can probably attribute that to Rose's MVP-caliber play this year, plus a clearly obvious pecking order in their system. Yet, the Bulls may have their own internal issues, with not one but two losses each (!) to the Clippers, Bobcats, and Knicks. Then there are the losses to the Nets, Raptors, and Warriors. It almost appears that they are the anti-thesis of the Heat, yet still exhibit their own youthful flaws as well, such as perhaps mentally checking out of games against losing opponents that they should beat. In any case, the Heat have already lost to the Bulls twice, one by 3 points and one by 4 points, and both games were in Chicago. It's not like the Bulls have dominated the Heat, though.

The other team you might say that has youth is the Magic, but then again Dwight, Jameer, Hedo, and Redick have spent a lot of years together. Still, the Heat are 2-2 vs the Magic.

The remaining elite teams obviously have the expected chemistry and longevity between their glue players (Spurs, Celtics, Mavs, Lakers).

OK, so you're not as smart and savvy as the others. So what? Well, start using your noggin! It's time to match your opponent's level of mental intensity.

What I've seen first hand

In my leagues, there's always the new up-and-coming young squad that has plenty of talent and potential, that joins the incumbents who have been fighting each other for years, who are often times trading championship runs. That's why I never had a problem with the Heat forming. To me, it was just like that new team that brought an added flavor to the league, that would increment the excitement and challenge of winning the next title, although they probably wouldn't win the first couple times around.

I will say that I was spellbound by the amazing superstar status of the Heat's Big Three, and incorrectly predicted that they would usurp the basic tenets of team basketball. Let's face it, the rest of NBA fandom which has not had the privilege (or some might say suffering?) of watching so many adult rec leagues unfold before their eyes, is probably still somewhat hypnotized under the same superstardom spell.

Lest we forget, the Chicago Bulls' 1995-96 72-win record was achieved in Michael Jordan's 11th year in the NBA, Scottie Pippen's 9th, and Dennis Rodman's 10th.

Let me assure you, in any league where athleticism does not overcome teamwork, skill, and execution, that young team almost never beats the savvy old vets (barring injuries). I recall as clear as day that these young teams would occasionally squander big leads or lose close games. As the sayings go, "You gotta pay your dues. You gotta earn your stripes. You gotta take your lumps." That has happened in basketball 99.9% of the time without fail, ever since I can remember.

But that doesn't mean I think the Heat have no chance to win the title this year. Sure, all signs are pointing towards "no way" and I've seen the script of the veteran team eliminating the up-and-coming team countless times, but I've always maintained that success on the basketball court is to hit your prime before it's time.

In my experience, ballers hit their prime at about age 26. At that point, if you're a star, the basketball IQ starts to catch up with the athleticism. By 30, they're about equal. After 30, it's up to the basketball gods as far as the athleticism goes, but the mind sharpens and sharpens at a rapid rate (unless, of course, you're mired on a bad team where the mental aspects can't really be exercised -- think Rip Hamilton).

The key is to train the mind far ahead of time so that the IQ catches up with the athleticism sooner rather than later. If you can do that, as perhaps the likes of Jordan did, then you'll enjoy a much longer stay amongst the elite, championship-caliber group.

The same goes for teams. The sooner you can gel, the sooner you can pick up on your teammates tendencies, where they are going to defensively funnel opposing players, how they come off screens, when in the game they start to fatigue, where on the court they like to go on the weakside, how they cut to the hole, and so on and so forth,. And that's raised exponentially by the IQ and age of the teammates.

Who knows, maybe the Heat can make that jump. Perhaps the recent downturns will help them gel. Perhaps the intensive nature of the playoffs can affect that too. No one can really know except themselves.

What's uniquely difficult for LeBron/Wade, and what could help them right now

The #1 flaw I notice about Wade and LeBron is their approach. First of all, let's break it down individually. Let's take MJ or Kobe as an example. If you were around during MJ's first three-peat, every playoff game was all about how he would come out: establishing scoring dominance or setting his teammates up. Perhaps he didn't even know until the game started, but he was definitely cognizant of the strategy of at least looking out for what would present itself. This now also happens on a game-by-game basis with Kobe, I'm sure. In other words, Kobe has actually taken the time to think through how he will come out in the beginning of the game. He has a personal plan, because he's good enough to have one.

65499_lakers_kobe___phil_basbetball_medium

Before every game, this man has a plan, an approach. Trust me on that.

Now you look at LeBron and Wade each individually. It seems that they start a game with no real strategy. For LeBron, it should be that he wants to setup his teammates (all of his teammates, including Wade). Maybe a personal goal would be 3 assists in the first quarter. For Wade it might also be to setup some guys, but more specifically, certain guys like Mario Chalmers, Chris Bosh, or even Erick Dampier. Some specific, easily targeted goal (let's say it's to get Dampier 3-4 touches near the hoop, via either straight post-ups or drive-and-dish). Right now, LeBron and Wade are just playing. They're making it up as they go. At high levels of skillful basketball, just playing on instinct is not going to get it done.

For example, against the Spurs, you could see that Wade was trying to create the sledge-hammer play on many a possession. Instead, he ended up forcing it. Ramming the ball down your opponents' throats is not really a strategy. You have to start counter-strategizing. You have to know that the defender has already concluded your greatest weapon is attacking the rim. It's Sun Tzu Art Of War time. Do what he least expects. Drive like you're attacking and stop. Pop the shot or dish out to a cutter. You've got to start playing the Thinking Man's game.

By the same token, LeBron would occasionally find himself up top with the ball and the Spurs defender deeply collapsed. Those are moments like on American Idol when a singer forgets the lyrics. You're in the spotlight, you have the mic, everyone's looking at you (in this case, your teammates), and you just kind of freeze for a half-second. LeBron's got to know that's coming. He's got to be more prepared. And my suggested solution to that would be to pass off to the wing and either cut through, or post up. I mean, basic basketball. Basic ball movement, some semblance of give-and-go. Of course, it's also the coach's duty to suggest these things.

Strategize, execute, react, adjust, re-strategize.

Now, some of you Thinking Men and Women out there are going to say, it's their defense. Well, I do agree with that, but for younger players, if there's no "fun" in the offense, they're not going to play defense. That's just how it is with younger teams. They are enamored by the made basket more-so than when they get older and appreciate the value of a stopped basket. Sometime in the near future, hopefully this innate basketball pendulum will start to shift, but I don't see that happening this year. I haven't bothered to research this, but when did the Jordan-era Bulls shift their focus to defense? Surely it didn't happen overnight.

Often times, because they are so talented, LeBron and Wade will go on a fastbreak tear, or simply get hot, and lead Miami to a double-digit lead early on. But by "just playing", they've essentially spit their wad. Elite teams are not going to let a run like that happen more than once per game, twice max. LeBron and Wade need to steady or stabilize their approach. I'm not saying they should stop running fast breaks, I'm just saying they need to be cognizant of what is happening. They need to know that elite teams will make adjustments. They need to settle back into their plan.

Further exacerbating the Heat's issue is that LeBron and Wade are so good, that even having individual plans could conflict with each other, as I'm sure you considered a few paragraphs ago.

Here's where the interesting part happens: LeBron and Wade need to consult each other about their beginning-of-the-game individual plans. For example...

LeBron: "Dwyane, they got a slow big man at the 4 tonight, so I think we need to get Bosh going. Let me worry about that. I'll be the one setting him up. I'll set you up too, so be ready for that. But I'm going to focus on getting Bosh some touches early. You should focus on somebody else."
Wade: "Right. I think I'm going to try taking my man off the dribble, but then trying to dish out to Chalmers or down low to Dampier. I'm going to make the defense think I'm attacking the rim, but really I'm just going to try to force them to start helping, then dishing off."

LeBron and Wade not only need to have their own personal plans, but because they are so good and almost equal in talent, almost equal in their alpha-dog status, they need to communicate their plans with each other.

Granted, these plans need to work within the context of the team offense, so if Spoelstra doesn't have the right plays designed, there's a good chance these "individual" (again, for LeBron and Wade, it's better said to be "collaborative") plans could get derailed by improper sets.

We've already seen Spoelstra stubbornly peck away with near-stand-around offense with either on-ball screens or high pinch-post sets. Those can get old in a hurry. If the offense gets stagnant, they might as well clear one side for LeBron or Wade (take turns), and get the opposition to adjust to that. Then recalibrate after that.

Whenever there is offensive stagnation, Spoelstra also ought to employ a zone just to shake things up for the transition game (defensive rebound, outlet, and attack with the early offense).

In short, there's a fair bit of responsibility held by the coach here, too. But nothing starts without a plan, and for these two, a customized collaborative plan is required.

As the game goes along, Wade and LeBron should continue to talk to each other about their in-game-evolving plans. For example, if it's late in the game and Wade is getting hungry like the wolf, let LeBron know and tell him to crash the boards, and let the 1 (Mike Bibby or Chalmers) know to be ready to play the safety valve when you crash.

It's like having two MJs or Kobes on the court. They need to know what each other is planning to do, what role they will each play. I'm sure you see the problems with having this duality. However, let me invite you to think about the advantages of having this duality, if it could ever work cohesively. That would be pretty special, pretty unprecedented, wouldn't it?

Natural evolution also works

Bear in mind, all of this points back to a process of maturity, both at the individual, Big Three, and overall team level. That maturity will happen, regardless. Even if you have a run-and-gun team.

For example, there's a team called the Daly City Wizards that has played in my league and various tournaments throughout the years. They had a ton of talent, speed, and shooting. They had a point guard named Jeremy DelaCruz who liked to take the hero shots and make the big gambles on defense. His M.O. was the steal at halfcourt and pull-up from beyond the arc on the ensuing fastbreak. He could therefore spark a 9-0 run all by himself with back-to-back spectacular anticipation on D, basically wreaking havoc. (Typical Filipino-American style, by the way!)

Well, the Wizards didn't win all that much in league play, at least not in Dream League where we had some really veteran squads. Sometimes they would win a tournament or two. But as they grew older and slower, DelaCruz didn't gamble as much. Guess what, they started playing smarter basketball. All of a sudden, they were a veteran team and while their pace slowed down, their IQ improved and merely because of Father Time, they passed the ball around much more as a team. Instead of the dynamic, havoc-wreaking young team, they are now the steady, consistent veteran team, albeit fraught with veteran issues such as more injuries.

So this will happen with the Heat, so long as their Big Three are bought into the long-term. Unless players on a team are simply uncoachable or otherwise dumb, the natural evolution of a team will just eventually happen. While I may offend some Orlando Magic fans, I would even say that this is happening with Dwight Howard and the historically unpredictable chemistry of Orlando. It's started to level out and veteran experience is just seeping out for them, because eventually it had to. You could see it transpire in the 24-point turnaround against the Heat, veterans knowing where to spot themselves on the court, and playing good help team defense.

The more interesting question is, do the Heat have the understanding and smarts to proactively take a marginal leap in maturity this year? I might even say that the only way it could have happened (or will happen) is after feeling the pain of blowing a 24-point lead and losing by 30 to the best team in the league.

Hitting your prime before it's time, however, continues to be a very rare accomplishment at all levels of basketball.

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Comments

Amazing piece, PMC

Fantastic insights. I wish I could rec this more than once!

There will be no extra point!

by Sleepy Freud on Mar 5, 2011 6:35 AM PST reply actions

Re'c, also PMC

Nice to read something that has so much effort and is trully worth reading every line.
Makes me ponder much of the opinions that players have reached the max of their potential at 24-26.

by Only In Fairfax on Mar 5, 2011 8:49 AM PST reply actions

By dont disagree that players may reach their athletic potential by 26 but the higher IQ and “driven” players seem to keep making strides. I feel that our team has a few of these that might even include Udoh(fingers crossed). Curry will be a very clever 30 year old. Monta may really suffer if his legs give out but so far he has been durable. Nellie and Smart may not be doing him any favors with the extra min though. Short term thinking at best.

by Only In Fairfax on Mar 5, 2011 8:57 AM PST reply actions

Anyway there should be a special archive catagory for a post like this one!

by Only In Fairfax on Mar 5, 2011 8:59 AM PST reply actions

Are you forgetting that Lebron, Wade, and Bosh played on TeamUSA
together :) Ok weeks of time is not the same..I know.

Good read. This is what all the Skip Bayless, Jim Rome, stats are everything-type people
who never played the game, are missing. So many supposed experts spout off with their supposed expertise yet don’t truly know the ins and outs of the game.

It’s all the intangibles within a team and players knowing eachother. I too have noticed that so many championship teams of the past have had rosters full of age 30+ players. Experience is huge, chemistry is huge in basketball. And both are amazingly understated and underestimated in the NBA.

by RowellMustGo on Mar 5, 2011 9:03 AM PST reply actions

agreed

But you have to admit, their supporting cast is bad. Secondly, Bosh has been a huge disappointment (that is much more correctable than trying to make Joel Anthony a good offensive player).

They might be the two best players everytime they step on the floor, but what they are giving up at the PG and Center spot, especially v. these teams is HUGE. I[’d argue greater than the advantage they gain at SG/SF.

Deng can come closer to holding Lebron at bay than Chalmer/Arroyo/Bibby can on Rose.

Beyond that, I still don’t feel Wade and Lebron play off each other. They just switch off. There’s a big difference. It’ll probably come with time.

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 11:58 AM PST up reply actions

i just want to see the superfriends loose.

doobie doob dubs

by evileman on Mar 5, 2011 9:20 AM PST reply actions

Miami Heat's losses merely reflect inexperience, but Wade and LeBron need to co-strategize

They need to get back to what made them the best players in the league. They are thinking TOO much and not using their athleticism. Lebron carried a team by himself for years so this should be a piece of cake for him if he wasn’t more concerned about decisions and about being the richest man in the sports world.

Lights please, lights please, turn off the lights.

by Skeptic con Urquell on Mar 5, 2011 9:52 AM PST reply actions

The problem is that they aren't improving

I could see copping the “inexperience” plea earlier in the season but they’ve been together for 3/4’s of a season now and they look worse than ever. They don’t run an offense and if you get them into halfcourt sets, you’ve already won half the battle. Over the year, the only experience that seems to have been gained is that other teams now know how to attack Miami better.
To say that they need to strategize is a major understatement because it ignores that Wade and LeBron don’t fit together and downplays the difficulty of getting one of them to make a major change to their game, especially since LeBron (the best candidate for change) has never shown the desire to do so. He often broke the offense in Cleveland and his penchant for that hasn’t changed with improved teammates.
Compare that the Celtics team that came together and won the title in year 1. KG and Allen ceded to Pierce. Their usage rate plummeted and Allen spent almost all of his time running around, moving off-ball and getting open. When LeBron or Wade (their usage rates have taken just small dips) have the ball, the other one is usually parked on the elbow or in the corner. If they do move to get open and don’t get the ball, they seem miffed. Yes, some of this is on Spoelstra who doesn’t seem to be an offensive mastermind in the slightest but judging from his quotes, it also seems like the team isn’t exactly running his offense as crisply and consistently as he’d like.
But perhaps the Heat’s main problem is attitude. They consistently make comments that make it seem like one day they’ll wake up and everything will click. They seem to think that they’ve already earned their multiple championships and don’t need to learn anything new or change their approach to win it all. They just don’t seem to get it. Bosh plays horribly in a marquee matchup but then says he redeemed himself by playing well in the next game… against the Wizards. It’s getting to be laughable.
I’d be more open to the inexperience excuse if the Heat were struggling to fit in their new roles but nobody’s even trying to. It’s less an example of inexperience and more an example of insanity – doing the same thing over and over but expecting a different result. (Also, losing to a overhauled Knicks team doesn’t do much to help the inexperience excuse.)
The upcoming homestand should be interesting. It will be their toughest stretch of the season and they are coming off their most embarrassing losses. Sadly for Miami fans, I don’t think any of Superfriends get it yet and they’ll just keep trying to same thing and be surprised when they get the same result (and then dismiss the result as growing pains.)

www.soulhonky.com

by SoulHonky on Mar 5, 2011 10:20 AM PST reply actions

To say that they need to strategize is a major understatement because it ignores that Wade and LeBron don’t fit together

I agree with this statement. Like PMC said, there’s really no past precedent for a team with a tandem of the talent level and alpha-dog status of a LeBron and Wade. It really is like having two Michael Jordans on the same team. And I just don’t think that’s a formula that can be conducive to championship-calibur success. Granted, I hate the Heat as much as anybody, but still, I can honestly and, I think, objectively say I don’t think this Heat team is gonna see any championships as long as they’re together. Not with teams like the Celtics, Bulls, Knicks, Spurs, Lakers and Thunder in the picture. FYI, I think the Bulls are gonna knock them off in the second round this year.

P.S. The Bulls shifted their focus to defense in the 1989-1990 season (Phil Jackson’s first as a head coach).

by Krazee max on Mar 5, 2011 5:16 PM PST up reply actions

Too Much Hype

There is nothing wrong with the Heat if they use the players they have. Everybody is focusing on LeBron and Wade, so the other Heat players do not get as many opportunities to step-up. Let’s face it, Wade and James are going to get theirs and they don’t have to hog the ball to do it. Bosh is being under-utilized and the Heat should make the opposition aware that they are not just relying on Wade and James. In skill level comparison, there is not a whole lot of difference between the Wade/James and the Jordan/Pippin tandoms. The team difference is the Bulls supporting casts became more confident in their roles. I have seen too many Heat players pass up a good shot so that Wade or James could take an unnecessary bad one! The hype is causing Wade and James to put a lot of pressure on themselves and they are making costly mistakes as a result. I do agree that the Heat has shown a lack of experience in closing out opponents and that problem must be resolved!

by Dawan on Mar 7, 2011 10:27 AM PST up reply actions

this would have been a great post

if it was in the Peninsula is Mightier. But not here at GSOM, imo.

doobie doob dubs

by evileman on Mar 5, 2011 10:36 AM PST reply actions

Heat losses are down to them not being as good as they think they are

Two superstars, Three excellent players. But you could make the case the Warriors playing 4-12 (after monta, curry, lee) as better than the heat.

Mike Miller is the only non-big 3 I’d want on Warriors.

While though 3 can route most teams just cause of how good they are, v. top teams they simply can’t. They may get the better of their counterparts (rose, pierce, etc.) but not by a wide enough margin to make up for the they are giving up so much at other positions/stretches in game.

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 11:45 AM PST reply actions

Let's not lie either. Both Wade and Lebron have huge weaknesses in their games which manifest in close games

Poor jump shooting and poor free throw shooting. Good defensive teams won’t let them get in transition particularly in the 4th and will keep them out of the lane.

As much as people want to claim they are best wings in nba, they are limited offensively cause this is all they do.

We’ve seen it many games now, Boston, Orlando, Chicago, Dallas, San Antonio all have good transition defense when they want to and can defend as a team to keep them out of the lane. That forces jump shooting which both wade and lebron struggle with.

I hate to quote Marc Jackson but he’s right “IF you can take away transition and keep them out of the lane/off the free throw line, they REALLY struggle”.

That all said, Bosh is the biggest disappointment. He isn’t rebounding, more than that, he’s not rolling to the hoop. A little more PnR might open up much more space.

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 11:50 AM PST reply actions

Oh, and of course rec'd PMC. Great work as usual, one of my fav contributors on GSoM

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 11:54 AM PST reply actions

(Typical Filipino-American style, by the way!)

Hahahah, I lol’d. Good piece, but I do believe that their bench needs an upgrade.

"I tell him straight, 'If you're going to lead, you have to be the first to practice. You have to come in, get your work down and be prepared for practice,' " assistant coach Keith Smart said. "He needs to figure out why he is having stomach problems and he's got to watch how LeBron (James), Kobe (Bryant) and D-Wade (Dwyane Wade) work. He needs to mimic that if he wants his teammates to speak volumes about him." -Keith Smart on Monta Ellis

by ejdacanay on Mar 5, 2011 12:13 PM PST reply actions

Chris Bosh

Waste of money.

by Anonymous1337 on Mar 5, 2011 12:16 PM PST reply actions

A bad fit for the team too.

I don’t like Bosh as a MAX guy and am very glad Da Bulls did NOT sign him. Boozer’s a better value for the money (14M but older).

Bosh’s style of play is worse for Miami which already have two perimeter players.

by joe.sez on Mar 6, 2011 2:26 AM PST up reply actions

Rec'd

Very enjoyable article PMC.

I think you really nailed one of the two big problems with the Heat. I’d say the other is depth. As others have already mentioned they are just so weak after the big three that it can get very tough to compete with those well constructed top tier teams. They had to deconstruct the roster in such an extreme way to land those three guys that they really didn’t have any way to fill out the roster properly in the same year.

I think with another offseason to fill some holes in the roster, and another full training camp (with a new coach?) to really define their roles, I think they could start to reach their potential. And a little heartbreak in the playoffs this year might be all the experience they need to sharpen up the mental side of the game for them.

by olympicmike on Mar 5, 2011 12:39 PM PST reply actions

I actually blame Riley for this

MLE for a SG/SF never made sense when you have no center or PG.

Because of strength of those three it’s not like they needed expensive signings to complete roster. Just some astute scouting to find the right pieces.

The media was ready to give him exec of year, but I can’t. He did an amazing job getting the core, but really swung and missed with rest of the roster. They had three draft picks between 30-42 and didn’t get a single player still on their roster.

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 1:32 PM PST up reply actions

Good points...

There was some opportunity to improve before the season. I’m willing to give him somewhat of a pass after working so hard to put that core together, but they definitely wasted some opportunities.

by olympicmike on Mar 5, 2011 2:22 PM PST up reply actions

Yeah, I guess I have less sympathy

Honestly, about 25 teams out of 30 are searching for their own Lebron or Wade. Let alone both.

Surrounding top level talent with role players isn’t that difficult, at least not as hard as getting the top level talent. Compare this to the Celtics who knew what they had in Rondo, Perkins and found right players to surround their big 3. And lets not even go to the spurs front office who is probably the best in the league.

by tafkasam on Mar 5, 2011 2:30 PM PST up reply actions

Ainge drafted well

Danny, god I hated him as a player, Ainge drafted better than Reily. He got good value with later 1st round picks. Those guys either stayed with the team or were used as assets to build his team.

He found a good mix of guys for the money spent.

Reily had to add talent of lose Wade. He wanted James which meant he had to land Bosh.

The rest is about finding guys to fit around the team. So far Meh.

by joe.sez on Mar 6, 2011 2:41 AM PST up reply actions

Tough to find the role players for this trio before this season

With the Lebron/Wade/Bosh trio, I don’t think Riley knew which style of play his big 3 would adapt. Also, would the Heat excel more as a running team, half-court team, etc.

Can Lebron consistently function as a quasi-PG offensively with Wade/Bosh on the floor? Not just questions offensively but defensively & rebounding. Can Lebron/Wade cover for a bad defensive point guard? Can they help out weak teammates in the post and still keep their defensive targets in check?

Too many unknowns for Riley to find the proper role players to start this season.

If there’s no lockout (and salary cap doesn’t shrink so that the big 3 salaries don’t prevent FA signings), Riley should find proper role players in one/two off-seasons.

by srsrs on Mar 5, 2011 7:05 PM PST reply actions

hey Lacob

SUCK IT!!!!!!!!!1

Trade Sabean/jk...Overthrow the Ydorks...
I am not a Warriors "real " fan because i can't afford season tickets.-Lacob

by Regulus on Mar 6, 2011 10:51 AM PST reply actions

I didn't agree with everything you wrote but it was an excellent piece.

Rec’d, maybe Atma can learn from you how to write a good front page piece.

Steph Curry and Reggie Williams all day baby!

by GovernorStephCurry on Mar 6, 2011 11:03 AM PST reply actions

Rec'd, PMC -- well written, very insightful, great work

However, I also think that Miami has relied too heavily on 3 players. Wade, Lebron and Bosh stack the box score every night, but the rest of the team is almost non-existent. The elite teams you’ve listed have 4-5+ players listed. The Heat have 3 (minus Udonis Haslem).

The point I’m trying to make is that the Heat have no depth at all, and every night they’re playing 3-on-10+ and expecting wins. The Lakers/Celtics have so much talent stacked behind their starting 5; the Heat look lost once Lebron/Wade/Bosh are off the floor.

Inexperience is part of it, but I feel pretty strongly when I say that Miami is relying solely on the performances of their Big Three and that’s what is costing them against the top tiered teams in the NBA.

by GoldenStateWinners on Mar 6, 2011 8:08 PM PST reply actions