Except the Heat's opponent tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves, is on a five-game winning streak; and Miami's next opponent will be against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team the Heat failed to defeat at home in December.
Tonight's game against Minnesota is a must-win. And although Miami played tough against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night, it is 2-4 in January and 1-2 on this road trip. Moral victories just don't do it.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has done a fantastic job with his team, already four games better than last season's 15-67 abomination. But he needs to make a few changes.
Joel Anthony has been non-existent recently. We knew that he never had an offensive game, but his defense has now wavered (a product of his frequent foul trouble, maybe). After limiting Andrew Bynum to four points in Miami's first meeting with the Lakers, Anthony gave Bynum everything he wanted at Staples Center. The undersized, undrafted center for the Heat is a hard worker, but he doesn't deserve his starting spot anymore.
Jamaal Magloire, on the other hand, deserves to be the starting center for Miami. In his past two games, Magloire grabbed 16 rebounds in 31 minutes. He is 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, easily the Heat's biggest player in the rotation. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and will give the Heat some toughness in the middle. Like Anthony, Magloire doesn't have an offensive game, but his rebounding and toughness is what should put him in the starting lineup.
Al Jefferson, a man in the company of Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan as the only players who average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, will be a challenge for the Heat. I'm not saying that Magloire will lock Jefferson down, but he will be physical with him and he will never back down.
Staying with bench players, Michael Beasley should be playing more. Against Sacramento and L.A., as well as in the first quarter in Denver, Beasley has shown flashes of stardom. There is no question that Miami's first round pick has untapped potential. Wade can form a dynamic duo with Beasley in the future. Beasley can undoubtedly put up better numbers for the Heat than Shaquille O'Neal did in his first two seasons with Miami. Wade needs some help to carry the offensive load for the Heat, and the 6-foot-9 Washington, D.C.-native can do a bulk of the scoring.
I am not necessarily opposed to the idea of Beasley coming off the bench. Every successful team needs a punch coming from its bench and I have no qualms about Bealey as that role for the Heat. What I am opposed to is playing Beasley just over 20 minutes for Miami. How can he and Wade form chemistry if Beasley isn't even on the court for half the time? Shawn Marion should not be playing 37 minutes per game with the sub-par season he's had so far.
Spoelstra should, in certain situations, play Beasley as a three. This would allow the talented rookie to go to his post-up game against people who are giving up an inch or two on him. I view Beasley as more of a power forward than a small forward, and hope he will continue to get stronger. But I'd like to see the former Kansas State standout to develop his post game so that it will come more naturally to him when he does it as a four against some of the bigger players in the NBA. It's a move for the development of Beasley's game, but it shouldn't hurt the team when it is used in specific positions that will not allow the opponent to exploit Beasley's lack of lateral movement and defense.
Those were the two main things Spoelstra should adjust. I'd like to see James Jones' minutes continue to increase, though. In his two games with the Heat, Jones' playing time has gone up from three minutes to seven. At this point, it's difficult to say whether Spoelstra is working Jones into the rotation or simply giving him token minutes.
Heat News
Several teams, including Minnesota and Atlanta, have inquired into Udonis Haslem's availability. I don't see Pat Riley making any type of move with his forwards until he sees what James Jones can do. Additionally, with Shawn Marion's plausible departure this coming summer, is the Heat willing to give away its starting forward lineup? Haslem won't get Al Jefferson in a Heat uniform.
The New York Knicks offered a deal for Shawn Marion that included center Eddy Curry. The deal was swiftly declined by Riley, who doesn't appear willing to let go of Marion for center with questionable work ethic and a contract that goes beyond the 2009-10 season.
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