Q: When will Erik Spoelstra finally understand that size matters and positionless basketball is for teams that lack talent and or size? The starting five that this team needs to develop by playing together should be Tyler Herro at point, Norman Powell at the two, Andrew Wiggins at small forward, Bam Adebayo at power forward and Kel’el Ware at center. Mitchell has been a nice story and deserves playing time, but with the second unit. Herro is not a natural point guard, but he needs the ball in his hands for scoring and assists, and has proven he’s more than capable. The combo of Ware/Bam had been leading the league in duo rebounding. Wiggins has proven he belongs in the starting five and Powell off ball is one of the best catch-and-shoot 3-point specialists in the NBA. We need a course correction, not a new roster. – Brian, Fort Lauderdale.
A: Sounds reasonable. But also appreciate that the numbers with Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo playing together have been poor. Plus, do you reward Kel’el no matter the performance (yes, I know the same could be said for Bam, but there is a previous body of successful work there)? Kel’el was awful against Jay Huff in Indiana, and albeit in limited minutes, nonetheless had only one rebound at Oklahoma City. Still, I think you’re on to something and moving Davion Mitchell to the second unit hardly would be a slap considering the Heat already rewarded him with his free-agent contract this past summer.
Q: The OKC game turned with about five minutes remaining in the third quarter. In the next 90 seconds, Bam Adebayo missed two free throws, the Heat had two bad turnovers by Bam and Andrew Wiggins, and Pelle Larsson missed a three with no chance for a rebound. During the same 90 seconds, OKC made two threes and a layup. making it 84-74 with 3:30 remaining in the quarter. Although it seemed worse, the rest of the game was only +2 for OKC. They are good, but the Heat’s problems are totally correctible: make free throws, don’t turn the ball over, guard threes, and rebound missed shots. The next couple of weeks will end the Heat’s playoff hopes if they don’t correct these mistakes. – Norm, Palm Harbor.
A: But there also was the reality of the Thunder basically playing with their food for two-plus quarters before putting down the hammer. The Heat have yet to show. save for a few select wins, such as at Detroit, that they are up to the level of competition required for the playoffs. This homestand against the Suns, Celtics, and, yes. Thunder again, will be telling.
Q: Everyone is blaming Erik Spoelstra, but it is not his fault. It is the front office’s fault. We have no All-NBA player. We have overpaid players, poor trades, lost draft capital and poor draft results. You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken (doody) and in basketball the sum is never greater than the parts. – Chadwick, Lake Worth.
A: But also keep in mind that Erik Spoelstra has personnel input in his contract. So it’s not as if these moves are coming in a vacuum, either. In one way or another, he has been involved. I highly doubt if there is a significant Spoelstra objection that any deal gets done. In that regard, I would put him on equal footing with Pat Riley in personnel decisions (save, perhaps for the draft, due to the lack of first-hand exposure).