Game Thread: Game Thread for Heat games December 9th-14th

[PPhan]

I like what I'm seeing from Whiteside so far.

 

[bksballer89]

I have us at 17-16 or 18-15 at the end of the month.

Either one I would be happy with.

 

[PPhan]

We would be such a better team if Pat did a better job in the summer. We give so many second chance points due to poor rebounding. We would have 3 or 4 more wins if we had a better rebounding team with a rim protector

Indeed. And while we're at it, Spoles should give Whiteside more minutes.

 

[bksballer89]

Not having McRoberts killed us tonight.

The offense is much better when he's in the game as you can see by his plus 17 last night... Not only can he hit the 3 but he can create for other guys and is a grat passer.

 

[Andresrenee]

Point is they're more realistic games that you can have high hopes for.

Expecting to beat Memphis, Washington, and some of these other teams that are clearly better than us is just not being us to yourself.

As I stated before, the Heat will be a few games over .500 heading into the new year

Hope you are right. I have a bad feeling we might be headed for a free fall. Also, are you watching Napier, he looks awful out there. Looks like he is in the Summer league again. Can't hit shots and playing with no confidence.

 

[PPhan]

Not having McRoberts killed us tonight.

The offense is much better when he's in the game as you can see by his plus 17 last night... Not only can he hit the 3 but he can create for other guys and is a grat passer.

And he plays good defense and is a decent enough rebounder.

 

[bksballer89]

Hope you are right. I have a bad feeling we might be headed for a free fall. Also, are you watching Napier, he looks awful out there. Looks like he is in the Summer league again. Can't hit shots and playing with no confidence.

How can you expect him to play with confidence when the coach clearly showed him that he has no confidence in him? How would you feel if after one bad game the coach all of sudden put you in the doghouse for 2 straight games now? He played 8 meaningful minutes in the last 2 games. This is a kid who was playing about 20 minutes and critical 4th quarter minutes before.

It's easy to lose confidence as a young kid under this coach who would stop playing you for several games for having a bad night

 

[bksballer89]

If we beat Utah on Friday, I'm totally fine with this trip.

I don't think any of us expected a 4-1 trip. 3-2 was the best case scenario and that went out the window when the Bucks beat us because winning 2 of 3 against Memphis, Phoenix, & Denver just wasn't going to happen.

 

[PPhan]

From what I saw from him tonight, I think Whiteside could be our best rebounder with decent enough minutes.

 

[bksballer89]

Hate when this team waste a d-leauge player we picked up to help solve one of our needs and just let him ride the pine

 

[Triplexxx23]

From what i saw last night i just see Miami gonna try a pull a trade eventually. Pat won't allow this to continue.

 

[Paolo305613]

Triple, get James or HAMES to join the Heat.


In other news, Diva Wade is questioning the Heat offensive approach? Before he questions anything - he needs to look in the mirror question himself and his effort, or lack thereof.


Frustrating loss but the Heat just didnt do enough on offense in the second half. Based on their performance, they would have been better served staying in the lockerroom during the second half.

 

[Paolo305613]

The real problem for the Heat is their bench. When Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Josh McRoberts and Luol Deng sit, this team is not good enough. The big question is: Can our starters continue to play big minutes, or can we get something from the bench? -- Chet.

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How many times do the Heat with 2 hall of famers have to get blown out against teams with 0 hall of famers until it's fair to start talking about making a coaching change?
GARRETTKALL
AT 12:35 PM DECEMBER 11, 2014
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A: Actually, you raise several questions. First, the Heat cannot afford to pile on with the minutes when it comes to Wade, because of his injury history. And they cannot pile on with the minutes with Bosh, considering they invested five years in him. Even Erik Spoelstra acknowledged after Wednesday's loss in Denver that he went heavy, perhaps too heavy, with his starters' minutes Tuesday to secure the victory in Phoenix. Beyond that, after so much clamoring for Spoelstra to give his young players a chance, he is doing just that with Shabazz Napier (who has leveled off) and James Ennis (who is raw, as advertised). Where the Heat have to find productivity is from Mario Chalmers, who needs to play the way he played when Dwyane Wade was out. They need to get it from Shawne Williams, something similar to what he, too, offered as a starter. And they have to get it -- and this may be asking a lot -- from Danny Granger, whose resume offers exactly what this bench currently is lacking. And then there is Chris Andersen, with the Heat needing Birdman to get healthy. Williams stepped up Wednesday with his 3-pointers and Chalmers also had his moments. As for Granger, Wednesday was just another stuggle.


Q: Did Justin Hamilton earn himself some playing time Wednesday? -- Ross.

A: Yes . . . when one of the regulars is injured. Hamilton remains just about the only thing the Heat have when it comes to bulk. If Udonis Haslem was playing better, Spoelstra might not have made that move Wednesday, although size remains the best counter against Timofey Mozgov. What the Heat need is to get Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts on the court for an extended series of games, and then see what fits beyond that. If Hamilton is starting, it's only because the Heat are in scramble mode. Spoelstra compared Hamilton to Battier after Wednesday's game. That sure seems like a stretch.

Q: With Tim Hardaway and Carmelo Anthony feuding, you think the Heat should make a move? -- Gus.

A: Hardaway is intriguing, but he also is one of precious few young players the Knicks can build with (although it would be ironic if a move was made for Tim Hardaway Jr. after his father left the Heat staff to serve as an assistant coach with the Detroit Pistons). I do wonder if the Knicks regret such a significant outlay for such a one-dimensional player in Anthony. But Carmelo isn't going anywhere. The Knicks need to have a face of the franchise during this period of famine. The reality with so many players supposedly on the market is that the Heat have very few tradable assets. What most teams dumping veterans want is expiring contracts, with Norris Cole just about the only one who holds one with the Heat that does not include a player-option year.

 

[Paolo305613]

The bench is doing as much as it possibly can under the circumstances. The starters have to do a little more to take off some of the pressure off the bench. We are limited in that regard due to injury

 

[bksballer89]

Triple, get James or HAMES to join the Heat.


In other news, Diva Wade is questioning the Heat offensive approach? Before he questions anything - he needs to look in the mirror question himself and his effort, or lack thereof.


Frustrating loss but the Heat just didnt do enough on offense in the second half. Based on their performance, they would have been better served staying in the lockerroom during the second half.

Wade has been by far the heat best offensive player. Such terrible effort. .all he did was shoot over 50% which is amazing for a guard for over 10 plus games. He's avg 21& 6 on 52% shooting....yeah we should question his offensive production this season

 

[Triplexxx23]

Wade has been by far the heat best offensive player. Such terrible effort. .all he did was shoot over 50% which is amazing for a guard for over 10 plus games. He's avg 21& 6 on 52% shooting....yeah we should question his offensive production this season

Yea I'm with you on here... I think wade has been playing better then what i expected him to play after coming back from injuries. Bosh with the money he's making and the suppose leadership on the team hasn't shown.. But I'll give him more time and see if he gains that.

 

[bksballer89]

Bosh been good. 10th in the league in scoring and grabbing 8 rebounds per game. The issue has been the defense and & rebounding.

 

[Paolo305613]

You have frequently mentioned that the Heat don't have tradable assets, but wouldn't there be interest in Luol Deng? He is a solid defender and role player, and would fit well with a contender like Houston looking to make a championship run. Ironically, he would probably be a good fit in Chicago and Cleveland, as well, but that obviously isn't happening. Miami needs someone who can create offense and that isn't Deng's strength. At some point, Pat Riley has to concede that this team isn't going anywhere and try to build for the future. I just don't see Deng being on the team beyond his current contract. -- David.

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Unless the coach minimize what people call rotation turbulence this Miami Heat is not going anywhere. He had the ever changing rotation the previous season and look what happened. No continuity and rhythm. I still think Michael beasley should have been retained at all cost and they could have...
PERLAM49
AT 11:02 AM DECEMBER 12, 2014
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A: Here's the greater reality: As you mentioned with other teams, Luol Deng is the type of player who is the perfect complement on a roster that already has a pair of leading men in place. So what you're really saying is that you no longer believe Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh can be such leading men. If Wade and Bosh are who Pat Riley believes (hopes) they are, then Deng should be the perfect complement here. But if Wade and/or Bosh are not, in your view, leading men, and instead something like a half-leading man like Carlos Boozer was with Deng in Chicago, then your perspective has merit. So the real question is not as much about complementary pieces like Deng and even Josh McRoberts, but rather if the Heat have the right leading men.


Q: Their defensive philosophy/schemes either needs an adjustment or needs to be changed completely to better suit the personnel. It's ridiculously comical how predictable and easy it is for opposing guards and bigs to pick apart the defense. Miami traps and switches on the pick and roll and teams are smart enough to either drop the ball off towards the middle of the floor to the big setting the pick, who usually ends up creating a shot for himself or someone else, or usually what happens is the ball gets swung to an open wing player on the wing and Miami scrambles to recover. I understand every team's defense breaks down on multiple occasions throughout a game, but this is an every possession occurrence. If I and other fans can see it, why doesn't Erik Spoelstra. -- Joel.

A: Because, for better or worse, this is a system team that points to how efficient the approach can be when it is perfected. Now, whether they have the players to perfect it is another story. And Chris Bosh acknowledged the team already has made adjustments. But let me put it back to you this way: If you have wings who cannot not keep the ball in front of them, and if you had absolutely no deterrence at the rim, would you play it straight up? The reality is that is what happened a few times against the Nuggets, and Arron Afflalo simply sized up Dwyane Wade and scored.

Q: The Heat's problems on offense are simple: The Big Three dominated the ball (mostly LeBron James). Now, everyone has to contribute. I've seen it when Bosh and Wade pass up shots to help other players get hot. The other guys work off of enthusiasm at the start of the game, then die off. -- N.T.

A: Which is why it has seemed to work so much better when Josh McRoberts, who is selfless to a fault, is available to facilitate. The problem for the Heat is Wade is, almost by default, their best facilitator, but he also, of course, has scoring instincts.

 

[Paolo305613]

Mike Callahan, Kane Fitzgerald, Lauren Holtkamp your referees for tonight's Heat-Jazz, 9 p.m., Energy Solutions Arena (Sun Sports).

 

[Paolo305613]

Dwyane Wade is doubtful for tonight against Jazz. Did not attend shootaround due to illness. - Back at the hotel - according to Ira Winderman.

Had another pap smear after the game in Denver apparently