Poe

I don't like the idea of a big move, personally, unless the Heat keep their large cap room to sign a big time FA while still keeping their core players - Wade, Beasley, Wright, Haslem, and even Q-Rich. More about making moves, I think the biggest gaps are at the point and center positions. I think starting Wade can fix a part of that problem for now and may improve the Heat from their consistency for at least the short term. Next year the Heat can focus on moves and solidifying all of the positions while grabbing an all star (which will be a must in order to keep Wade). I don't think the coaching is the issue, though. Spo hasn't been perfect, but I think he's done a good job with the tools he has.

82games also says that Chalmers is in 6 out of the top 10 units. I wouldn't trust that site. I'll also have to disagree with the "major" problems you brought up (not that I don't agree that there are problems, just not the ones you mentioned, nor are the problems the Heat are facing as severe as they may seem): -O'Neal is good defensively, at least from what I can tell from him. I think his problem has been getting physical and rebounding the ball. He looks timid out there.. almost as if he's afraid to get injured. -Haslem is far from inconsistent. He had a bad game against the Bucks when the Heat really needed him, but that's more of an "off" game rather than a usual inconsistency. He has been a guy you can always rely on to give solid minutes, even if his numbers don't reflect it. Plus, his overall numbers are nearly identical to that of his career, even though he's playing less minutes with a bench role. -Richardson is a good defender for his size. He is neither tall nor long and will not bother jumpshots, but he does a good job keeping his body on his man and cutting away drives to the basket. Along with that, he is a very good team defender and is very reliable when it comes to being at the right place at the right time. His defense has kept him in the starting line up despite Wright outplaying him offensively, though Wright's length, versatility, and athleticism makes him a very good defender himself. -Wade is on par with his career averages. His only lacking has been the spectacular fourth quarter performances that fans have become so accustomed to. Anything less and Wade is considered a slacker. -Giving Wright more playing time won't magically fix all of the Heat's problems, though they will be making more use out of a very good, yet underused player. He would certainly do a much better job than Alston, or any of the other point guards that have received more minutes than him when they started.

What the Heat are doing now clearly isn't working. With all the cap space heading into 2010, it's best to make the most out of their roster rather than make a hasty trade when things seem tight. Spoelstra has hinted changes in the rotation. I feel that starting Wade at point and increasing minutes for both Wright and Beasley is a realistic and probably the best option moving forward. Even though he'll never read this, I still hope there is some chance he actually does this.

Discussions are already starting to pick up over Jordan and Kobe comparisons. Imagine how much they'll be if Kobe is successful in grabbing two more rings with his current team.

I agree. Terrible trade for Orlando. Plus, it's not like VC plays beyond his numbers. His defense has been terrible.

...is to start Wade at point guard. To sum it up briefly - Start Wright with Wade as the point guard, move Alston to come off the bench, and increase playing time for both Beasley and Wright without decreasing Richardson and Haslem's minutes. Rotation: Wade (40m) Wright (34m) Richardson (34m) Beasley (38m) O'Neal (32m) Alston (16m) Haslem (30m) Anthony (16m) In Detail I understand it's a position Wade isn't comfortable playing the majority of his time, but I think it's the best way to get more production out of the Heat's better players. If I was to make an order of the best players on the Heat from greatest to least, it would be ordered something like this: 1) Wade, 2) Beasley, 3) O'Neal, 4) Haslem, 5) Wright, 6) Richardson, 7) Alston, 8) Anthony, 9) Magloire, 10) Arroyo 11) Jones, 12) Chalmers, 13) Cook, 14) Diawara. (Note: Even though the better player between Wright and Richardson is arguable, I think most Heat fans can agree that both have been more efficient than any player listed below them) With that said, to the exception of Haslem, a starting line up of Wade - Wright - Richardson - Beasley - O'Neal would be starting all of the Heat's best players. There are more advantages to this line up other than the talent level compared to the rest of the team: - For one, Wade, Wright, and Richardson have great chemistry when playing together, not just from knowing their history as friends, but also their trust with one another on the court. - There's a lot of versatility with this group, with Wright's ability to defend up to 4 positions (PG through PF), Wade and Richardson with 3 (PG, SG, SF), and Beasley with 2 (SF, PF). - There's also the team rebounding, though none of them are established as dominant rebounders, all 5 players are capable of getting a double double on any given night when given the proper amount of playing time. - What's more is Wright's ability to play point guard despite his height and length, so Wade doesn't necessarily have to take ball handling responsibilities on every possession. If this change is made, this would also solve a problem at the point guard position the Heat have had the entire year. Chalmers has been awful, even as a back up. Arroyo does a decent job during his limited minutes, though his lack of a 3 point shot makes him less worthy as a compliment to Dwyane Wade. Alston is easily the best perimeter defender of the three, though his field goal percentage has not been favorable. He's willing to take the three, though seldom makes them. So far this year, Wright and Richardson have shared minutes at the small forward position, with the two rarely playing at the same time except at crunch time. Again, they've both have easily been more productive than any of the point guards on this team. Decrease the minutes for the point guards and increase the minutes of these two efficient and versatile players, and simply give Wade more minutes at point. Along with the change in the starting line up, there should also be a change in the rotation: - Use Alston as a back up point guard, with Haslem and Anthony getting their usual back up minutes at the "big" positions - Take Cook, Jones, Arroyo, and Chalmers almost completely out of the picture. - The wings should only be occupied by Wade, Wright, Richardson, and Beasley. That's 4 players for 2 wing positions, that should be enough for 48 minutes. - The point guard position should be occupied by only Wade and Alston, and sometimes Wright. - Keep the center position strictly between O'Neal and Anthony, and sometimes Magloire Last thing I want to stress, whether a change to the line up is ever made or not, is Beasley's treatment. I completely understand why Spoelstra chooses to bench Beasley at certain times during games, but if you look at the whole picture, Beasley is the Heat's second best player. He needs to be treated like it. The Bucks game showed just how much the Heat miss his scoring. From now on, I want to see him getting 36+ minutes each and every game. All in all, I think starting Wade at point guard will help distribute the minutes to the best players. Having the right group of guys together would not only make the most out of the abilities of these players, but may ultimately help Wade with his own production.

I don't know if it's a question of who has hit more game winners versus who has hit a higher percentage of game winners. It could be possible that Kobe has been in more close games than Jordan.

Charlotte would give trouble to any team. I think they do have what it takes to make ECF if the team is clicking offensively at the right time.

The team needs to make a change in their strategy if they expect a change in their result. I think Wade needs to start at point guard with Wright at the 2. I think it's clear enough that the best chemistry on the court usual consists of Wade, Wright, and Q-Rich playing together on the floor, and all three deserve playing time. I'm too tired atm to go in depth. I'll make a thread about it tomorrow. I think that by starting Wade at the point will help put the right group of players together while giving the best players the deserving amount of minutes each game.

Watch the Heat kill them by 40 at home.

Hi Yugo, im Poe.

WTF was up with that horn... remind me to never watch a Bucks home game again. I mean, jeez. BTW, Wade was complete [expletive] today. It seemed like the longer the game lasted the worse Wade was. Common, man, where's the killer instinct? At least stop jacking threes already!

Okay, well that looks much better at my end.

If the Bulls get Stoudemire.. that's going to put some pressure on Miami this summer. Rose, Wade, and Stoudemire on the same team is a deadly combination. If the Heat don't get a big time FA, Wade might not stay. This is the first time I'm seeing a realistic situation where Wade could leave. I hope this trade doesn't go down.

The Heat winning anything less than both games will be a disappointment, with or without Michael Beasley. With Beasley likely to sit out tonight, I'm expecting another solid offensive performance from Haslem. Wright also played efficient offensively yesterday, so let's see if he continues to build on that today. Chalmers may sit out (thankfully..) so hopefully we won't need to worry about that 2nd quarter wall.

Good to see everyone on the Heat get a bucket.

D Wright > Q Rich, especially when he's hitting that 3 shot. I like the way the team has looked overall without Wade thus far in the quarter. Good decision by Spoe to not rush him back in. Edit: a few dead possessions to end that quarter, but that's alright. The Heat still have a comfortable lead with no signs of a let up.

Chalmers hasn't looked too bad out there so far. No silly turnovers or sudden death to ball movement. Maybe it's due to Wade being the main ball handler, though. We'll see how well he plays once Wade sits down in the 2nd quarter. Edit: He's looking terrible in the 2nd. Without Wade, the opposing PG is able to force it out of his hands without much difficulty. When the ball IS in his hands, he doesn't make good decisions.

I really like what Haslem is doing in Beasley's absence. Way to take advantage and be aggressive.

Another [expletive]ing first quarter injury in back to back games... Damnit.

Billups: 19.2 ppg, 5.9 apg, 3.0 rpg, 1.2 spg, 32.7 mpg (Team Record: 31 - 14) Iverson: 14.2 ppg, 4.3 apg, 2.7 rpg, 0.6 spg, 31.2 mpg (Team Record: 15 - 30)

According to the MiamiHerald, Beasley might not play the last two games in this road trip, but he's staying with the team in hopes of a return. It seems like there is a high chance Beas will miss this one. It'll be interesting to see who replaces Beasley's minutes there. Haslem will most likely start, and it's either going to be Joel Anthony or Dorell Wright playing the 4 off the bench.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYnhnIDuqkI

Justification: His team lost that game.

I think Fisher has proven to be a very, very reliable shooter in tight situations. It's why I voted for both. If you're running an out of bounds play, for example, and for whatever reason Kobe can't get the ball, Fisher would be open and I would not hesitate to feed him the rock, even with .4 seconds left.