Monday, September 29, 2008

Why Defense Matters

Newly-anointed coach Erik Spoelstra has made clear his focus will be on defense for the Heat. More than three hours after Miami's first practice, no offense whatsoever had been covered. With several new faces on his team, Spoelstra needs to get his team to develop chemistry defensively.

I could not agree more with what Spoelstra is doing. When you hear compliments about an NBA player, you never hear, "He loves to win." You always hear, "He hates to lose." Why? Because defense wins games. I'm not going to say I don't like watching the Golden State Warriors or the Phoenix Suns. But when an offensively-oriented team is having an off night, where do those teams go?

Miami's best perimeter defender is undoubtedly Shawn Marion. He's your lock-down defender. The thing that has people scratching their heads is Miami's interior defense. Dwyane Wade loves to gamble for steals -- you saw him do it in the Olympics. Fortunately, Wade had Dwight Howard behind him when he gambled. Now, who does he have? Jamaal Magloire has never been a shot-blocker, but he could impose some force on opponents. Udonis Haslem has never been a shot-blocker and is undersized for the four.

Therefore, Miami is going to need some great team defense. A defense that doesn't gamble for steals, that stays in front on his man, that seldom lets a shot go uncontested. Everyone is going to have to commit to this team defense. If Michael Beasley gets lazy, a player can get open and the whole system can fall apart. But one advantage to having an early training camp is that this team can develop a little bit more.

Sideline Reports
  • Second overall pick Michael Beasley strained his groin earlier today and watched most of Miami's practice session from the sidelines.It is unclear how much time he will miss.
  • Power forward Udonis Haslem's foot injury is virtually completely healed. He stayed after the practice to work out.
  • After a hand injury, training camp invitee Matt Walsh's X-rays came back negative. He came back to the court today.

Friday, September 26, 2008

A Team in Search...


The Miami Heat's training camp opened with Media Day, in which several staff with the Heat spoke to reporters about the upcoming season.

Pat Riley was not confident that forward Dorell Wright will be able to participate in any of training camp's activities. Wright is recovering from a meniscal tear in his left knee which sidelined him for the final 24 games of the season. Wright had surgery to repair the damage.

When it was first announced that Wright would be back with the Heat, I didn't expect Shawn Marion to stay with Miami for long. Even at this point, I can't fathom why Pat Riley would sign Dorell Wright and keep all of his forwards. The Wright ship has sailed. The training camp will allow James Jones and Yakhouba Diawara to gel with this new-look team. Unless Marion is traded, then Riles just wasted money by re-signing Wright.

Riley also expressed concern with Udonis Haslem, who has been somewhat limited with a toe injury. I know that Haslem plays through pain frequently, but Riles may not want to raise the possibility of this injury augmenting into a more serious one. Haslem said all the right things in interviews, saying he embraces the challenge of his the starting spot he has retained for the past four season. However, this injury may give Michael Beasley a chance to unseat Haslem.

Riley said that he does not plan to sign another player, due to Miami's proximity to the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. Hm. So does that mean Alonzo Mourning won't be re-signed when he is healthy? I think people are smart enough on this one. Riles also said that he will keep undrafted guard Jason Richards, who tore his ACL and will miss the entire season. Something tells me he'll be the one to go if Mourning comes back.

I said at the beginning of this off-season that it was the most important of the team's franchise. Just 27 months removed from being atop the basketball world, the Heat have fallen to futility. They still have Dwyane Wade and have drafted the versatile forward Michael Beasley. But even after a "C" off-season, Coach Erik Spoelstra does not know who he will even start. I felt that trading Marion would have only been common sense. His contract ends after this year, he's going to walk anyway, so why not receive from value from him while you can? He's also one of the few players who has getting interest from multiple teams. There's still time to trade. But it appears difficult to have a team with Marion, Beasley, Haslem, Wright, and Jones and keep them all satisfied. Besides, the Heat have more pressing needs (at the five).

If I had to guess, I'd say the starting lineup that will be announced at Madison Square Garden in a little over a month will be: Marcus Banks, Wade, Marion, Beasley, and Jamaal Magloire.

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Miami Heat Season Preview

Over the past week since I've posted on my blog, Michael Beasley has been fined for vague reasons, Dwyane Wade has publicly said he wouldn't mind playing for Mike D'Antoni, and Wade has added that he wouldn't have qualms if Stephon Marbury came to play for him in the backcourt. Why haven't I spoken on these? I'll take it point by point. The Beasley situation is still unclear, we can speculate all we want. I'm disappointed that Wade would say that he likes D'Antoni because he preaches "all offense." If he wants to add a ring to his collection, he has to know that you have to play defense. Look at all of the teams that have won it all up to this point. And I don't see Miami signing Marbury regardless of Wade says about him.

The Miami Heat's training camp will begin this Saturday in England, earlier than usual. It is, therefore, an appropriate time to preview Miami's upcoming season and how they have retooled their team over the summer.

Guards: We will see Dwyane Wade starting at the two guard, but questions remain about his partner in the backcourt. Erik Spoelstra currently has Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Quinn as options. It'll be a fairly open field. Whoever makes the most impact in training camp will probably be starting at Madison Square Garden on October 29. If I had to guess, I'd say Banks will come out on top. He's got the experience, he's played under Steve Nash, and he can be a good three-point shooter and fiesty defender. Chalmers certainly has the potential, but he's going to have to prove his worth against the upper echelon of the point guards if he wants to start.

Backing up Wade, I expect to see Daequan Cook providing some three-point shooting off the bench. With a season under his belt, I expect Cook to become more consistent. We could also see free-agent signee Yakhouba Diawara playing some minutes behind Wade.

Forwards: The logjam is at the three. Shawn Marion, in his contract year, is the clear-cut starter. He can score if you set him up, he's versatile, athletic, and can rebound with the best of them. The sharp-shooting James Jones will be backing him up. Jones was a good signing because it gives Miami someone who can shoot from beyond the arc and is a long defender. He can develop into Miami's sixth man.

Miami re-signed Dorell Wright this year to a qualifying offer. It doesn't make much sense to me why Riles would take Wright and have him as a third-string small forward. I mean, can't Diawara do that? And he's making far less money than Wright is. I still can easily see Marion being traded to another team, possibly in mid-season. Jones can step into the starting lineup with ease and Wright can be a scrappy player off the bench.

Michael Beasley, Miami's first-round selection, is expected to start at the four. For now, I'd like to keep him there. Beasley will be able to make more mismatches at the four than he'll be able to do at the three. Udonis Haslem will be backing him up, although he could see some time at the five. I also anticipate seeing Mark Blount and Joel Anthony as options at the four.

Center: This is Miami's biggest problem. Pat Riley made a late signing to bring Jamal Magloire on board. Magloire, a former All-Star, has fallen from grace so quickly he couldn't even make the rotation of the Nets or the Mavs, and they were in desperate need of big bodies. Magloire's playing time is up to him. If he comes to camp motivated, he can start.

As I mentioned earlier, we could see Spoelstra go small and use the 6'8" Haslem in the middle. Going small can work sometimes, but Haslem is undersized for a power forward. The 7'0" Mark Blount is expected to get some backup minutes, as is the raw Joel Anthony. The franchise's favorite, Alonzo Mourning, has expressed interest in playing for one last season and could come back by the new year.

Final Offseason Grade: C Riley had a good start to his offseason with the drafting of Beasley and Mario Chalmers. He followed that up by signing a dead-eye shooter in James Jones. But from then on, Riley signed players who I've never heard of (Diawara) or players who I haven't heard of in a while (Magloire). Moreover, Riley has not traded Shawn Marion for the most pressing the Heat have, a center. He can still make things better. But right now I see Miami as a team that could squeak into the playoffs, but not go much farther.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Behind the Scenes...

Today, Yahoo! reported two stories that would have otherwise gone under Heat fans' noses unnoticed, including a reported trade involving Ben Gordon and Shawn Marion.

Yahoo! reported that, although talks died last week, a deal consisting of Marion and Marcus Banks in exchange for Gordon, Larry Hughes, and Joakim Noah was discussed. The talks will probably not rekindle, but there are a few intriguing aspects of this trade.

For one, the Heat are willing to put Marion's name in trade talks. To me, it's only common sense for Pat Riley to do so. Shawn Marion wasn't shy about voicing his dissatisfaction as a third wheel behind Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire. Now Marion finds himself as a third wheel behind Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley. Moreover, Marion will also have a worse supporting cast than the one he had in Phoenix. He won't complain this year because he knows he'll be getting a $17.2 million check next summer. But he'll go to another team, and the Heat should trade him when they can at least get something from him.

Pat Riley was apparently also fine with Marcus Banks as a trade chip. Does this mean that he feels comfortable with rookie Mario Chalmers and the undrafted Chris Quinn at the point? Or does it simply mean he felt that Gordon could play the point guard next to Dwyane Wade? I certainly hope it's the latter. It's always safe to have three players at each position. Besides, Chalmers and Quinn are both inexperienced. Chalmers did have a strong summer league outing, but so did Earl Barron.

The other Yahoo! story regarding Miami was that sources have said that Pat Riley is still interested in Shaun Livingston. However, the article did mention that Portland is the favorite to sign him. I don't understand why the Heat are trying to sign a point guard when they already have Chris Quinn, Mario Chalmers, and Marcus Banks at the spot. I don't see that much of a need for Livingston now.

I'm glad that the Heat are letting teams know that Marion is available. However, I would like to receive a center in return for the Matrix. Noah is a power forward and Gordon is a shooting guard. Larry Hughes is a swingman. The trade with the Bulls would not have worked out for Miami, and I'm glad it didn't come through. The Heat should make a trade involving Shawn Marion for a center, as I have said all along. It would be nice if it was before training camp, so that the new addition would be able to have some experience with the Heat's system before he goes up to Madison Square Garden.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Riley Re-Ups Quinny

In a move in which Pat Riley has been talking about for a while, Chris Quinn re-signed with the Miami Heat, giving the team comfort with three men at the point.

Chris Quinn will join journeyman Marcus Banks and rookie Mario Chalmers in sharing duties at the one. Unlike most NBA teams, it is conceivable that we could see any three of those guys starting on October 29 in Madison Square Garden. Quinn showed great maturation towards the end of the season. He can shoot the three and has good play-making abilities. But it's difficult for me to see Quinn in the rotation by mid-season. Banks and Chalmers both play with more defensive toughness than Quinn. Moreover, they also can shoot from beyond the arc just as good as Quinn can.

I would expect Heat coach Erik Spoelstra giving all three a fairly equal amount of playing time in the October and November. Towards mid-season, I would guess that Spoelstra would settle on Chalmers and Banks as his two main point guards, with the starting position up for grabs.

That does not mean that this was a bad move. At the very least, Quinn is an effective point guard who knows his place on the team. If an injury was to occur, I would feel confident in Quinn stepping right in and doing his job. Although I predicted that Chalmers and Banks would leave Quinn as the odd man out, it is still an open field. If Quinn shows more dedication than the two others at the depth chart, he could end up with a prominent role on the Heat.

This leaves Miami with Shawn Marion, Dwyane Wade, Mark Blount, Udonis Haslem, Michael Beasley, Marcus Banks, James Jones, Dorell Wright, Daequan Cook, Jamaal Magloire, Yakhouba Diawara, Mario Chalmers, and now Chris Quinn. That's 13 guys. Also, Jason Richards (who is out for the year after he tore his ACL) and David Padgett were given partially-guaranteed contracts. Kasib Powell, who had a strong summer league showing, was also given a qualifying offer. Alonzo Mourning said he is aiming for a comeback as early as December. It's evident Riley is going to have to do some trimming. Last year, he was unreasonable when he waived Penny Hardaway to sign Luke Jackson. Hardaway may have been old, but he at least contributed to the Heat last year. Luke Jackson was a sour disappointment. I hope lessons have been learned and he re-tools his roster wisely.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Rookie Mistake? Mario Gets Fine

A spokesperson for the NBA has told the Miami Heat organization that Mario Chalmers will not be suspended for his role in an incident which led to dismissal from the NBA's Rookie Transition Program.

Chalmers was fined $20,000 for his antics. There have been questions raised in recent days on whether there really was marijuana and reports that David Stern was infuriated at this circumstance. I'm sure the rookie guard just wants to put this behind him. It would be wise for him to get involved in his community. Chalmers' agent is attempting to appeal the fine. If Chalmers is able to show that his asinine occurrence was nothing more than a minor slip, the NBA may be nice and rescind the fine.

According to the Miami Herald, the Chicago Bulls reportedly spoke to Miami about restricted free agent Ben Gordon. Due to the big contract Gordon is holding out for, Pat Riley may not have interest in Gordon. He's a two-guard, and the Heat already have Dwyane Wade and the developing Daequan Cook to fill in that role. It's important to note that that Jon Paxson spoke to Pat Riley, not vice versa. Therefore, it could be safe to assume that Chicago is fielding offers for Gordon. I guess they thought after his "I'm not playing another game in a Bulls uniform" comment, Chicago is moving on. The problem is, they aren't finding a lot of interest.

What to make of the call about Ben Gordon? Nothing. Pat Riley has said that he plans to experiment with this team in October. With the silence of rumors, it's looking like Riley may not be lying to the media. I've said repeatedly that the Heat are still a quality big man away from being contenders; and I stand by that comment. Hopefully there will be a move by the trade deadline. But I don't see any more shake-ups before the September 26th start of training camp.

Sunday, September 7, 2008

The Fallout

In the midst of his induction into the Hall of Fame, Pat Riley addressed two pertinent issues about the Heat: the release of Stephane Lasme and the expulsion of rookie guard Mario Chalmers from the NBA's Rookie Transitional Program.

"We didn't know where we were going to head, as far as trades or whatever," Riley said, regarding the Lasme situation. "But we're really close to the tax, our roster's almost full, and we wanted to give him a chance, a real chance he could hook up with another team. He's got a lot of ability, and I think with the right team, he's going to hang in there. We have some other guys who probably are going to make the team in his spot."

Riley certainly has a point. Lasme is just 6'8", and Miami already has Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, and Michael Beasley. Barring an injury to any of those three guys, I never envisioned Lasme receiving much time on the court. But Lasme did have a strong summer league showing and appears to be fundamentally sound. I did not get the same impression when I saw David Padgett and Jason Richards two months ago. Padgett wouldn't have gotten a place on the rotation with Jamaal Magloire, Mark Blount, and Joel Anthony at the five. It would be difficult for Richards to find minutes with Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers, and the plausible re-signing of Chris Quinn. Pat Riley, despite being in the Hall-of-Fame, is not infallible. He makes mistakes. This was one of them.

On to fallout with the Mario Chalmers incident. He released a statement through the team in which he stated he used bad judgment. He said he was embarrased by what happened and broke the rules; but denied smoking marijuana. Chalmers was very coy about the situation. So was the only rule he broke the fact that he invited women? Therefore, was Darrell Arthur the one who brought weed? Or maybe he brought weed but didn't smoke it? Regardless of what really happened, David Stern could end up giving Chalmers a brief suspension at the commencement of the season.

Will the Heat make a trade that could trigger a ripple effect in the NBA? I have no idea. Although Jamaal Magloire gives Miami some size in the middle, he is not a quality starting center. I still have a hard time seeing Marion in a Heat uniform beyond this season. The Heat have already signed James Jones, Dorell Wright, and Yakhouba Diawara to contracts this off-season, all small forwards. Hopefully something will happen. Because a few phone calls to fellow GMs could improve Miami from a .500 team to a contender.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Plenty of Happenings with Heat

In the past few hours, reports have surfaced that Mario Chalmers was sent home from the NBA's mandatory rookie symposium after weed and women were found to be in his room, the Heat have waived Stephane Lasme, and are close to re-signing Chris Quinn.

The one that most people will be talking about is that Chalmers may not turn out to be Super Mario. Now, I don't want to be hard on the kid, but what Chalmers did was nothing short of idiotic. I'm not saying that weed is that big of a deal. But taking it to a rookie orientation program is just absurd. David Stern has installed programs such as NBA Cares to help with the League's image problem in the wake of the 2004 Pacers-Pistons brawl. Shouldn't he have players who are good examples?

Mario Chalmers could face a short League suspension, and I would not disagree. Even when he comes back, I would make him earn every minute of playing time. Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra have to send a strong message that this childish behavior should have been out the door the day he graduated from college. Some may call it a 22-year-old acting like a 22-year-old. I call it "Welcome to the world, Mario."

Staying within the point guard situation, the Heat are close to re-signing Chris Quinn. It's a solid move by Miami. At the very least, Quinn is a young point guard who is a good shooter, has a great vision of the court, and knows his place on the team. He doesn't have the foot-speed to keep up with an uptempo Miami team, especially as the point guard. His foot-speed is an even bigger liability on defense. However, I expect to see some more of Chris Quinn this season. Quinn was starting to come around towards the end of the season and showed great maturation. On a team with more than enough offensive firepower, Quinn isn't bad in a halfcourt setting.

To possibly make room for Quinn, Pat Riley has waived goodbye to power forward Stephane Lasme. This is a move in which I don't agree with Riles. Lasme showed good rebounding, defense, and pick-and-pop capabilities during Miami's summer league. I'm not saying that Lasme will make a name for himself in the NBA. But I would have been much more comfortable with Riles waiving someone who didn't impress during the summer league and only adds to a logjam of sorts at their respective positions. The first two names that come to my mind? Jason Richards and David Padgett.

Pat Riley has implied that this is the team he feels confident with going into training camp. I disagree, quite strongly. With a void at the five, I still feel as though Riles has not filled that hole. Shawn Marion is going to go to another team next summer anyways. Why doesn't he make something out of it and at least bring a legitimiate post-presence? But don't lose faith yet. Pat Riley made a significant move in October of last season, although it proved not be the smartest trade Riles has made in his Hall-of-Fame career.