NBA NOTES (HEAT BEAT)

Opening night for the NBA was Tuesday night, but for most teams, including the Miami Heat, they laced up the shoes last night. It marked the beginning of the Eric Spoelestra, I mean Michael Beasley era, but it looked more and more like last years incarnation of the Heat. A squad that gives up 120 points and often times looks like it does not belong in the NBA. They ended up making a comeback in the 4th quarter to make the final defeat a respectable 5 points, but it was too little too late. Here are my thoughts from the game.
-Most members of the team looked pretty bad, with the exception of Udonis Haslem, Marion Chalmers, and Daquan Cook.
-Even against Knicks, who do not have a prototypical Center, Haslem looked undersized. His effort will get him by on a lot of nights, but you got the idea last night that this team is really going to struggle against any kind of height. The small ball lineup will only work if Haslem gets some help on the boards.
-Chalmers was a revelation last night, looking as if he were in the league for 7 years and not just 7 pre-season games. He was a little shaky early on, but as the game went on he controlled the tempo and got his teammates in position to be effective. It was surprising how well he did on the boards, but it was also a blessing, cause Michael Beasley was nowhere to be found.
-Beasley admits to having some first game jitters, as to be expected when suiting up for the first time at Madison Square Garden, but the Heat need to do a better job of getting him shots in his comfort zones. He spent too much of the game hanging out at the three point line, which helps account for his 4 rebounds. It is difficult to get boards when you are hanging out on the perimeter all game. You could see Beasley's talent when he took it too the hoop, but too often he looked like he was lacking the drive/hunger that makes a player great in this league. He needs to attack the hoop with regularity which will open up the outside shot, instead of the other way around. I think Spoelestra needs to find a way to get Beasley playing from the high post and in, until he gets comfortable in the league.
-Dwayne Wade finished the night with 26 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds, but spent too much of the night complaining about not getting a call or not getting a ball when he wanted it. If he is going to be the leader of this team, he needs to show his young teammates a better example than the one that was on the court last night. For all the yelling that Michael Jordan did at referees and his own teammates, you never saw him out of position on defense. Too often Wade jogged back down the court complaining while the Knicks were playing 5 on 4. This criticism of Wade has been around for 3 seasons now, and it is about time that some coach figures out a way to get it figured out. Jamal Crawford had 29 points last night mostly by beating Wade up the court and taking advantage of the Heat scrambling around to cover up. At the end of the night, Wade will consistently fill the stat sheet, but if he is to lead the Heat back to the playoffs, he is going to need to start doing the little things that make the difference.
-Shawn Marion is a fantasy basketball dream come true, but in reality the guy should be nothing more than a 3rd or 4th option on a team. I think my 7 year old cousin could beat him in a shooting contest. His points come off of hustle plays, which is great, but to have him spotting up on the perimeter is a waste of a possession. He should be slashing to the hoop and playing the baseline only. How he ever got this far without learning how to shoot a jumpshot is mind boggling. On the positive side, he does help us a lot on the boards and he gets back on the defense all the time. His on ball defense leaves something to be desired, but so does everyone else on the teams.
-Daquan Cook is a very good shooter, who needs to play more. He spreads the floor nicely, which will help Wade and Beasley get to the hoop easier.
-Marcus Banks looked good going to the hoop, but he struggled shooting from outside. Hopefully his shooting in the preseason is more typical of what we will see this season. He is able to play the point or the shooting guard, which is something that will come in handy on this squad filled with mostly multi-position players.
-It was good to see Sean Livingston back, but he has a ways to go before he is in basketball shape. After such a horrific knee injury a few years back, it will be interesting to see if his body will ever catch up with his mind. It was a good gamble by the Heat to bring him in, and hopefully pays off before the season ends.
-Mark Blount is useless. He was in the game for less then 2 minutes when he hoists up a 3pointer. Someone needs to tell him he was the tallest guy on the court, so he should hang out under the hoop.
-The Heat struggled a lot last night, but there were still things to get excited about as a fan. My gut tells me that they are going to be a .500 team heading into the All Star Break, and then come out playing much better in the second half. Chalmers and Beasley will have great games just as often as they have bad games, but the key is to be patient with them. They both look like they will be starters for years to come, which will be amazing for the Heat. We have not had guys stick around since those Tim Hardaway squads that battled the Knicks in the 90's. If you notice around the NBA, most teams that win championships are teams that are built through the draft and are allowed to grow together. There is always the exception, last years Celtics, but the Heat should take a page out of the book of the Spurs and the Pistons. Let these guys grow up together, while adding complementary pieces around them. The core of this squad is Wade, Beasley, Chalmers, and the heart is Haslem. See ya Shawn Marion!

WHAT ABOUT DWAYNE WADE

With all the talk about Lebron James being the greatest thing since sliced bread, I am left wondering why everyone has forgotten so quickly about Dwayne Wade's great playoff run last year. The guy averaged 28.4 ppg while shooting 50% from the floor. He was great every game unlike Lebron who disappeared in game 1,2,&6 against the Pistons. Wade also came back from injury in game 3 against those same Pistons and led his team to victory. NBA writers seem to have short term memory deficiency if they think Lebron put up the greatest performance since Jordan's last title run. I know their is a dying need to create an epic story any chance we can, but lets not do it at the expense of something really great, like Dwayne Wade's title run last season. Lets save the superlatives annointing the greatness of Lebron till he has actually won a title, and lets not even dare put him in same sentence as Magic, Bird, and Jordan, cause those guys did it year after year.

NBA Playoffs: a lack of Heat

Looks like it is going to be a long off-season for the Miami Heat after being swept by the younger and hungrier Chicago Bulls. This series was a microcosm of this Heat teams entire season, as they thought they could win on reputation alone. Being a Heat fan for life, I can honestly say that this was the most miserable season I have endured. Injuries hit us from opening day and we were never able to find a flow because of that. We never had a chance to see if last years lineup was able to valiently defend their championship, cause we could never get all those guys on the court for a considerable amount of time. How did we ever expect to make a run in the playoffs, with this lack of cohesion. I was duped like a lot of fans into thinking that once the playoffs started Wade would find a way to overcome his injuries and make everyone around him look great again, but it just was not in the cards. Last years championship run was a mixture of Wade turning his game up and the guys around him hitting open shots. After Wade's shoulder and knee injuries Wade never hit his stride, and the guys around him gave him no support. Outside of James Posey and Undonis Haslem, I have a hard time naming one player on that team that looked like they cared what became of this season. Where were you Shaq, Antoine, and J Will? You guys are supposed to be the other offensive weapons, but timidness and some untimely calls took you out of the series. So where do the Heat go now? There are some free agents on the team worth looking into keeping like Posey and Kapono, and some guys who look like they will retire, like Mourning and Payton, but none of those really makes that much of a difference. With those two retirments, they don't clear much space on our cap, since they were both making the minimum. Kapono led the league in 3 point %, but thats all he brings to the table. He is a one dimensional player, that some team will fork out good $ for, but I hope it is not the Heat. If we could keep Posey at a reasonable price, I am all for it. He adds much needed D and hustle, that really showed in the playoffs, but that only does so much for us. I think they really need to address the point guard slot. With Payton gone and JWill giving us nothing these days, it is time for an overhaul of the position. We need a guy who can get the team set in their offensive and defensive sets. Williams was always a terrible defender, but we were able to mask that by bringing in Payton down the stretch, but those days are long gone. Think of an Earl Watson or an Anthony Johnson as a stopgap, while we search for a long term answer in the draft. This is a crucial off-season for the Heat, and I hope as a fan they find a way to make some moves, because the NBA is better off with their superstars, like Dwayne Wade, playing on competetive teams instead of a bad team, like Kevin Garnett.

Nothing But Net!

McDonalds has announced they are remaking this classic commercial with Dwayne Wade & Lebron James taking the place of Michael Jordan & Larry Bird. I just don't understand why you would remake a gem like this with 2 guys who have not accomplished much in their careers yet?