Mediocre As Usual?

We are 13 days into August. There is no buzz around the NBA about a Miami Heat trade coming up. Some are concerned that James Jones, Bobby Jones, and Yakhouba Diawara is it when it comes to off-season acquisitions. Pat Riley dropped the ball last summer, but he has also pulled off some shrewd moves. And they have been relatively late in the off-season. In October of 2005, the Heat signed Jason Kapono. In September of that same year, Riley (and Shaq) lured Gary Payton to South Beach. In September 2004, the Heat signed ex-Duke star Christian Laettner, who proved to be a solid backup to Udonis Haslem. And in late August of 2003, Pat Riley acquired Lamar Odom.

Still, the memories of last summer seems to dampen hopes a little. These same arguments about how Riley likes to make trades late was said around this time in '07. What did Riles do? He may have gotten rid of Antoine Walker's contract, but the Heat still have Mark Blount. And the Heat won just 15 games that season. The excellent Draft helps make Miami's offseason more run-of-the-mill, more mediocre. But the Heat need more than mediocre if they can get back to the Eastern Conference elite.

It is important that the Heat do not rush into deals. The three-team deal that sent Mo Williams to Cleveland may look fine to the 'Cavs at face value. However, Williams' deal also goes through 2013. And while already making over $8 million, it will be harder for Cleveland to outbid other suitors for LeBron James in 2010. Meanwhile, the Heat have expressed interest in Delonte West earlier this summer. Will they try to go after him now that the Cleveland front office apparently wants to pair up James with Williams?

As I have said before, the Heat should not go for a point guard unless it is an upgrade over what they already have. I can't see anything that Delonte West can do that Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Quinn can't. The Heat have a big hole at the center position. That is their biggest concern at the moment.

Some have said that the point guard position is the most important in basketball. I beg to differ. Miami got to the Eastern Conference Finals with Damon Jones. They won a championship with an injured Jason Williams. The Bulls dominated with a post-Cleveland Ron Harper. The center position is a different story. While Kendrick Perkins is nothing special, the Celtics do have a low-post presence and defender in Kevin Garnett. So far, Michael Beasley hasn't proven he can be either.

Udonis Haslem doesn't have the size nor the strength to be a center. Neither does Joel Anthony. Mark Blount can't rebound and doesn't play defense. Alonzo Mourning is still far away from recovery. Riley needs, at the very least, someone who can rebound, block shots, run the break, and have somewhat of an offensive game. There are a bunch of people who can do that. Whether Pat Riley will be as innovative as in summers past, or just as innovate as last summer, is a question that still goes unanswered.