Bleacher Report - Articles by liam mcknight

Amar'e Stoudemire, the Power Forward? Get Back to Center and Dominate

liam mcknight — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 13:42:07 -0400

Let Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol to be a lesson to Amar'e Stoudemire:

Play center. Win. And dominate.

In 2005-06, Dwight Howard was considered somewhat of a tweener. He felt he was naturally a power forward, but many people thought he was too mechanical and big to play the positon.

But he wouldn’t play center, or at least wouldn’t start at the position.

Cue Patrick Ewing and Stan Van Gundy, who sat him down for a three-hour conversation, and convinced him that being a center wasn’t “uncool” as Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan (two of his idols) had made this next crop of great big men believe.

They told him he should want to be a center—and want to be the best center in the world. One of their examples used? Amar'e Stoudemire.

Yes, that Amar'e Stoudemire, the All-Star and All-NBA PF for the suns. So why on earth would he be used as the example?

For starters: Because he's done it in the past, and done it well. "Tonight it was the old me versus the young me," Shaquille O'neal said after a duel with Amare in the 04-05 season that pitted the east-best Miami Heat against the West-best Phoenix suns. It was a well played oldschool battle of the bigmen: the best center in the game against the best young center in the game, it was a duel, and Amare's boyhood idol mr Diesel himself scored 34 points, 11 boards and 2 blocks in 38 minutes to Amare's 34 points, 7 boards and 3 blocks in 40 minutes in a 125-115 Phoenix victory.

As a rookie, Stoudemire started at center in the playoffs against the Spurs. He was a freaking force, dominating inside on the twin towers of Robinson (whom he matched up with) and Duncan (the help defender).

But that wasn’t the real case, because in Year Two Amar'e started at PF and improved into a very good player. It was Year Three they were really pointing at.

Amar'e Stoudemire that year averaged 26 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game, with a 57-percent field-goal average. He was hailed as the future and blueprint of the 21st century center. The prototype, if you will. The same thing Dwight Howard is being called today.

"What speed! What power! What athleticism! At that size? In the Dunk Contest?"

These were all things said about Amar'e at center before they were said about Dwight. Remember, Amar'e Stoudemire was first team All-NBA at center in 2007, and was an All-Star center in 2005, Dwight didn’t go first team All-NBA at center til 2008 and wasn’t an All Star there til 2007.

Amar'e was the center for the run-n-gun Suns in 2005, and was a dominant beast with two SFs next to him—much like what Howard has next to him now. And a lot of their game was due to Amar'e being a monster inside and the three-point shot killing teams from outside.

They just didn’t play defense, and were quickly wiped out of the playoffs by the defense-first Spurs. Young Amar'e dominated inside to the tune of 38 points and 11 rebounds per game for the series before it was all over though.

The next year Amar'e was injured. The Suns went completely fun-n-gun and three-point happy and really had no chance of winning it all, although they did overachieve and run their way to the Western Conference Finals in very surprising fashion, beating very unimpressive Laker and Clipper teams along the way.

2007 is the prototype of why Amar'e should play center. Amar'e Stoudemire in the second half of the 2007 season was a monster. The Suns played defense that year—they were the 11th ranked defense in the league—and that was due to pace. They won 63 games and rolled through the first round of the playoffs.

Amar'e finally committed to rebounding, averaged over 10 boards and over two blocks a game, and was named first team All-NBA as a center in his first year back from microfracture surgery.

The next round, the Suns were a team on a mission, winning Games Two and Four against the Spurs in what many people called the championship series of 2007. Everyone knows what happened next with the suspensions—and a lot of people (myself included) think it cost the Suns the series and the championship, which is a shame.

Amar'e would’ve been the starting center for the world champs, a top-10 defense, first team All-NBA center, 20/10/2 a game on 60-percent shooting—all at 25 years old, and in his first year back from microfracture surgery.

There never would have been a Shaq trade. D’Antoni wouldn't have left. They would’ve retooled on the fly around Amar'e, who would’ve been hailed as the prototype center fort the next decade—just like we’re hearing about Dwight Howard right now.

The Suns were more uptempo in 2007 than this year's Magic, and were a top-10 defense rather than No. 1 defense. Amar'e wasn’t DPOY or even all-defense, but he was pretty darn good and committed that year to defense—as did the whole Suns team. Amar'e keyed their inside force and legitimacy as a championship contender at center with Diaw and Marion next to him as the forwards.

When Amar'e looks at what Dwight Howard (the only big man in NBA that can trump Amare’s athleticism, power, speed, jumpability and explosiveness—Amare is quicker, more agile, and more polished offensively) and what Pau Gasol (starting center for last year's Lakers that he is easily bigger and more powerful/athletic than) have done the last two years as conference championship teams starting centers, he should realize what Dwight realized a few years ago: That he should want to be a center—and want to be the bets center this league has to offer.

He should want to dominate the middle on both ends of the court, and want to be a mismatch to any center or big man that tries to guard him. He used to do it for the Suns every night in 2007, and it would be a real shame to see him play out the rest of his career as a no-defense-playing and high-scoring-novelty-act at power forward instead of a dominant two-way center that he has the talent and potential to be.

Heat-Hawks: Miami Comes Together as a Team

liam mcknight — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 11:36:32 -0400

Dwyane Wade goes for 50 points. The Heat score 99, and they lose by 20.

Dwyane Wade goes for 50 points The Heat win in triple-overtime at home against the road-deficient Utah Jazz.

Wade goes for 48 points. The Heat win in double-overtime on a miracle steal and running three-pointer over the road-deficient Chicago Bulls.

Wade goes for 46 points. The Heat win after a 13-point comeback in the fourth quarter against the defenseless Knicks. Wade scores 24 in the fourth, tying his own franchise record.

Encouraging? I think not.

Not for the playoffs, anyways. One man can't beat a good team.

Ask Kobe ('06 and '07 against the suns). Ask LeBron (last year against the Celtics, '07 vs the Spurs). Heck, even ask Michael Jordan (1986 vs the Celtics). You could ask Wade—but he might have fooled himself with what he did to the Mavericks in 2006 if he wasnt so smart and humble.

The Atlanta Hawks are the last team Wade could beat one-on-five. They're athletic as heck and start five very good players. They're a balanced squad, led by All-Star stud Joe Johnson and a playoff winner Mike Bibby, plus a young champion Al Horford inside. Good bench, great defense, great home team, et cetera.

That is why Game Two's win is so encouraging after Game One's loss.

In Game One, the Miami Heat came out with Wade firing, closed the first quarter down three with him scoring 13 of their 21 points and assisting on three of the other baskets—a typical one-man show.

Jermaine O'Neal was sleepwalking. Udonis Haslem was rendered useless, as he had no one to create for him, and finished the quarter with zero and zero. James Jones hit a three created by Wade and missed his other two shots. And Mario Chalmers was converted back into the guy who walks the ball up the court and hands it to Wade before going to standing the corner.

Michael Beasley was back coming off the bench and out of rhythym, settling for jumpers in his first playoff game. Et cetera.

And that was just the first quarter—it got a lot worst after that. But let's not go down that road. Instead, let's look at the positives.

In Game Two, the Heat come out posting up Jermaine O'Neal. This allowed Chalmers to run the team and tempo, allowing him to penetrate Bibby and run the pick and roll. He ran Daequan Cook off of screens for shots, iso'ed Michael Beasley and let him do his thing as Miami's 2nd best offensive player.

This allowed Wade to just play his game and be Dwyane Wade. He dominated. 33 points, seven dimes, five boards, two blocks, and two steals in 39 minutes played. He shot 55 percent with no forces, and in all there were 108 points scored for the Miami Heat.

If you are fan of another team, you can not understand how encouraging Game Two was for Heat fans. I was screaming in jubilation at my TV.

In Game One, coach Spoelstra made many mistakes: Not playing Magloire, going small with Haslem at center, playing lineups that never played together, having our worst defender guard Joe Johnson (James Jones), playing Beasley at SF, running the Wade-on-five offense against the most athletic defense in the NBA, not posting up Jermaine, not running Cook off screens, not setting Beasley up for success offensively, and not slowing the tempo.

After that disaster, he did everything right in Game Two. He split the minutes between Haslem and Beasley through the first 44 minutes and let the game dictate who would close the final four minutes on the court (Haslem did—and came up huge). He played Jamaal Magloire all the minutes at the backup five and didn't go small.

He played lineups that have been together all year. He slowed the tempo, and handed the keys to Chalmers. He ran isos for Beasley, he ran Cook off screens, he stressed attacking the offensive glass and manning up on D and the rebounds.

And most importantly, he set up Jermaine Oneal in the low post to be the second option to run the game through.

The Heat have a better supporting cast than many people think. It was a terrible cast to start the year with Shawn Marion here, Udonis Haslem at center, Jamaal Magloire and James Jones injured, and Chalmers and Beasley in their first games as pros. Wade carried his team the first half of the year and kept them alive.

But the seond half of the season we have gotten better and adjusted, and Miami now has a very capable supporting cast.

At the beginning of the year, we weren't capable of taking pressure off of Wade and allowing him to play and dominate within the offense. We just won games because he was so damn good he could do it for us. Now he has help and can really dominate.

Beasley has developed into a bona-fide 20 ppg scorer as a second optioin. The Heat traded for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon. They signed Luther Head. Jamaal Magloire got healthy and proved himself a very good backup center. James Jones got healthy as a three-point threat and is getting back to his normal self.

Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers have developed. The team has developed. The coach has gotten better as time went on.

Miami has four offensive weapons in Jermaine O'Neal, Daequan Cook, Mario Chalmers, and Michael Beasley. If two of those four are on their game, they are very tough to beat.

With those four supporting Dwyane Wade's dominance, it allows him to focus more energy on defense too—as when he locked up Joe Johnson the other night. Two of those four should always be on. All four are good and talented options—especially Beasley as a second option and Jermaine as a third. Cook is a great shooter. Chalmers is getting better by the day and can abuse Bibby off the dribble.

When two of the four get going, it also allows the role players to be role players—such as Haslem, Magloire James Jones and Jamario Moon. This allows them to contribute doing their jobs, which they're capable of, and doing it well.

It was a great game for the young Heat team. Jermaine just has to contribute every night. He doesn't have to play that well, but if we can go to him in the post as use him an option to keep teams honest, that's great. You gotta remember we went to Beasley and Chalmers a ton the other night, and they both had just average games, while we went to Cook and O'Neal and they had very good games.

But the key is going to each of those four every single game. Whether one is having a terrible game or not, if we go to all four there will be two of them that will get it going each game. It could be Beasley and O'Neal one game and Cook and O'Neal the next, and then Beasley and Chalmers the next that go off while the other two are just average.

But if we can get two of them on their game, that makes it so much easier for Wade. He can just flatout dominate within the flow of the offense and just kill the Hawks as our first option with that much help.

Plus, it lets him focus more on defense where he's our best player, and can take out Joe Johnson. Plus it allows the role players to be role players and do their jobs, which means Haslem and James Jones and Magloire and Moon do what they're capable of and contribute to the team.

Great job, Spo, in tightening the rotation and giving Wade some help by going to those four weapons. Great job sticking with them for being on their game too (Cook 35 minutes, O'Neal 39). Great job sitting the other two (Chalmers 24 minutes, Beasley 22) who contributed with average games for defensive replacements to close out the game (Moon and Haslem).

Great win. Great job letting the game dictate who closes and great job on the rotation and great job putting guys in position to succeed. Hopefully that's the start of a trend—and he uses that rotation and gameplan personnel-wise on a nightly basis throughout these playoffs.

The Heat won their first playoff road game on Wednesday night, and they did it as a T-E-A-M. Erik Spoelstra coached beautifully and finally put everyone in position to succeed. The team showed heart holding off Hawk runs, poise, guts—and most importantly, teamwork.

The future is bright in Miami, and with a leader as good as Wade their may be championships in the future. The win on Wednesday was a huge step in that direction for the young Heat. It cmae over an Atlanta team that the champs couldnt even beat in the ATL last season—and the Hawks are better this year.

Great confidence-builder and great win for these Heat. If Wade gets this much help its gonna be a longer postseason run than anyone would expect for the young Miami team.

Common Sense a Lost Art Among NBA Coaches

liam mcknight — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 11:09:45 -0400

Let me start off by saying I LOVE NBA basketball, and these playoffs have been great. The talent level is insane; this is the best the league has been since about 1993, talent-wise.

From the youngsters like Rose and Beasley to the old vets like Ray Allen and Tim Duncan and all the great players entering their prime or at the tail-end of their prime, its just great. The pace of the game is outstanding, etc.

I want to commend certain coaches while scolding others right now. The teams you see succeeding most are the teams who's coaches put their players in the best position to succeed...the talent level is so good right now that its almost even between seven seeds and two seeds.

Just two years ago, you would NEVER see a seven seed with as much talent as Tyson Chandler-David West-Peja Stojakovic-James Posey-Chris Paul on the court, or Derrick Rose-Ben Gordon-John Salmons-Tyrus Thomas-Joakim Noah and having Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller off the bench. Just great stuff.

With a talent level this even, the coaches make much more difference than they did even a year ago.

Playing your best players and lineups make a HUGE difference. I'm a Miami HEAT fan and just two days ago my coach made a decision that will lose the HEAT their series against a very closely matched four-five series opponent the Atlanta Hawks, deciding to go with experience and start Udonis Haslem at Power Forward over Michael Beasley.

This while the Hawks made the decision to start Marvin Williams that will win them that series and was a good decision. Easy, right? Doesnt seem to be for way too many coaches in today's NBA.

We'll go with the bad first: Spoelstra starting Haslem instead of Beasley and choosing James Jones at SF instead of Daequan Cook (because Jones is an inch taller, while Cook is five-times better defender especially man-to-man, is a better rebounder and athlete, better shooter and much better all-around offensive player, he plays bigger than Jones).

Nate McMillan starting Przybilla over Oden and Batum over Outlaw is gonna kill Brandon Roy and the Blazers in their series against Yao and the Rockets league-best perimeter defense. The Philadelphia 76ers starting Willie Green over Lou Williams and also playing Reggie Evans and Theo Ratliff over Mareese Speights.

Even GREAT coaches like Poppovich and Jerry Sloann: The Spurs starting Matt Bonner over Gooden in Game One and Jerry Sloan going with Jason Collins over Millsap.

I understand at times needing it for your bench, which the spurs could be forgiven for without Ginobili. Or focusing on the spacing Bonner provides, etc. I can also understand needing Collins size, sometimes you cant make it work. The pistons bone-headedly tried to play Stuckey-Iverson-rip-Prince-Sheed and that wouldn't work, obviously.

Examples of doing the right thing: There is no better example than the Chicago Bulls and Vinny Del Negro. VDN has done an OUTSTANDING job as a first-year coach.

He understood that he hasn't done this before so he got a very very experienced coaching staff featuring many decade+ assistants and former head coaches even, and he leans on them for help all the time. That's the mark of a very wise man and a keeper for the Chicago franchise.

VDN from the jump went with Derrick Rose and said "youre my guy". He started Derrick Rose at PG from day one and moved Kirk Hinrich (THEIR TEAM CAPTAIN that had been a 15ppg/7apg all-defensive team point guard and led them to the playoffs three times in the past four seasons) to the bench. That sounds like a no-brainer right, he was the first pick?

Just look at the Miami Heat and their second overall pick that is still stuck to the bench as Spoelstra decided Haslem>Beasley and stuck with him. Now the HEAT are paying for it and the Bulls are reaping the rewards of their talented rookie.

The Bulls also made the decision to start Ben Gordon at 2 guard. Boy oh boy are they glad they made that decision. Ben Gordon for years has heard that he's too small or that he needs to microwave off the bench...No, he's not too small.

He can play either backcourt position and he's a flatout baller. Him and Derrick Rose have put on a show in the Celtic series and I would be surprised if they weren't a top-three backcourt in the NBA for the next decade.

They also made a midseason trade for John Salmons and Brad Miller. Since that point VDN has tightened the rotation to seven guys, their seven really good players they have, and has started John Salmons at small forward despite him being "an inch or two undersized" for a small forward at 6'6" and only 210 pounds.

Salmons has done wonders for them in that lineup, Hinrich backs up all three positions despite being only 6'3" and done great, and Miller backs up their two young big men despite being a former all-star and 14ppg/10rpg guy for the past five seasons.

VDN now reaps the rewards of going with the gutsy moves in the lineup, the team thrived in the second half of the season winning 14 of their last 15 home games and made the playoffs as the seven seed after a terrible first half of the season, while their rookie got adjusted and they tried to find their footing with career starters pouting on their bench in Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.

Now they're in the playoffs and playing GREAT basketball looking like the team of the future, they are a very very good team that is super-talented and has a backcourt to die for in Rose/Gordon.

The only regret they could possibly have at this point would be that they resigned Hinrich and Deng instead of Gordon because Scott Skiles fooled them into thinking he's a bench player and "too small" despite him being their leading scorer the past four years.

Best believe they think different now after game two in Boston last night, and best believe they will be resigning Ben Gordon this summer.

Two of the best teams in the league also have the best coaches in the league. The Cavaliers and the Magic. Stan Van Gundy took over a team that was led by a raw young Center by the name of Dwight Howard a few years ago and had just signed Rashard Lewis to millions and millions of dollars.

Many coaches in his situation would've decided to start Dwight Howard at PF because he thought that's what he was at that time (2006) and was only 6'10" tall.

So the first thing he deserves MASSIVE credit for was convincing Dwight to WANT to be a center instead of a PF, and to relish it. He also did great in bringing in Patrick Ewing to mentor Dwight after hearing from his brother what a great job Ewing did with Yao Ming in Houston.

What I really love is how SVG designed this team to play to their strengths. He started Rashard Lewis at PF and kept Turkoglu at SF despite them both really being SF's.

He could've easily went with his new big FA signing at SF and moved Turkoglu to the bench "for bench scoring" and started Tony Battie (a serviceable starting PF) and they woulda won 42 games and got to the playoffs.

He also deserves credit for putting the keys into Jameer Nelsons hands and letting him play his game as a score-first pg and leader for them, and he was an all star this year for them.

SVG started Rashard at PF despite being undersized and played Jameer big minutes with the ball in his hands despite being "not a real PG and undersized", and Dwight is now all-NBA first team CENTER for them and they have the leagues best defense.

He designed a team that runs inside-out into Dwight Howard and bombs away from three-point land, they won 59 games and the third seed and have a very bright future.

He also went with the rookie Courtney Lee over the prized free agent signing Mikael Pietrus, and Lee has been their best perimeter defender, plus another weapon on offense that fits in great.

Turkoglu is huge for them as their primary playmaker as well and won the MIP award last year, some coaches would've had him glued to the bench for a "real power forward' instead. But Stan put his players in position to succeed and is now a championship contender because of it.

Rick Adelman also did a great job starting Artest at 2 guard despite being really a SF, and keeping Battier out there. He put the ball in Aaron Brooks hands as the young PG and let him run and he's been great for them.

He let Von Wafer play through mistakes, he goes to the 42-year-old backup center Dikembe Mutumbo, etc and they look great against the common-senseless Blazers in round one.

Mike Woodson starting Al Horford at center despite "really being a PF" and starting "two tweeners" at the forwards in Marvin Williams and Josh Smith. Result? Forty-eight wins and a four seed, two straight playoff appearances and a bright future for a very talented young team.

Mike D'Antoni also deserves a lot of credit for doing these things also, D'Antoni went with Marion at Power Forward and Amare at Center despite both being "undersized" and the Suns went on to 60+ wins for the next four years on average and were a suspension away from winning a championship.

He took over for a lottery team and designed a system that played to his guys strengths, Amare ended up as the ALL-NBA first team center in 2007 and Nash won two MVP awards, Marion was a four-time all star and 20/10 performer that made second team all-NBA in 2005-'06.

If he just preached a little more defense like our next guy does it would've been championships for him and the Suns...

Perhaps the man who deserves the MOST credit of anyone is Mike Brown. I have a DVR in my room and on this DVR is the opening night game of this NBA season: Cavs/Celtics with the Celts receiving their rings and getting banners put up, et cetera.

Anyways: In the halftime show Charles Barkley and Kenny Smith are talking about how Mo Williams is a shoot-first PG so it doesn't solve their problem of LeBron having to do too much, and that Delonte West is way too small to be a starting 2 guard.

He will get abused by guys like TMac or Kobe that outsize him by so much, and it's putting oto much pressure on Lebron to defend the other teams best scorers on too often a basis.

How did that play out? All-star berth for Mo Williams as LeBron had his most efficient season yet with all the offensive help, the Cavs offense jumped from 20th in the league last year to top-five this year, and they won 67 games a league best after only winning 45 last year.

They're now a championship contender, and if they had decided to play Pavlovic or Wally at 2 guard (the safe picks, the conventional picks) due to Delonte being undersized there is no way they win as many games.

Delonte West has been great for them. He guards the other team's best scorer lots of the time, and LeBron having to guard the other teams best scorers hasn't been a bad thing, but a good thing because it made him have to step up his defense.

Doing this has set an example in the cleveland lineup and now they all get after it...almost like the effect KG had in boston last year but to a lesser degree (because he's not KG on defense, but not many players in NBA history are nonetheless LeBron is now a good defender where before he was just average).

Delonte plays big. Mike Brown made a great decision to start him at 2 guard, he gives them another playmaker in the offense and shooter, and defends better than Wally or Pavlovic despite being shorter, heck he rebounds better than either of them too and shoots better than pavlovic.

Delonte just is a baller, his energy and effort and passion make a huge difference in the Cleveland lineup as does his defense. Mike Brown didn't say "no that's not possible," he made it work to perfection by playing to the strengths of his personnel, playing his best players and putting them in position to succeed.

Also the decision to keep starting Varejao at PF even though Ben Wallace lost his spot during injury, which is kind-of an old "rule" that you cant have that happen. Great move to stay with the best guys to help you win.

You need to focus on what guys can do for your team, their strengths, and playing to them. Put them in position to succeed. This goes back to 1960 with Red Auerbach or the '70s with Tommy Heinsohn: Bill Cowens is 6'8 and undersized but he plays big and is talented as heck, so he plays center. Period. Result? Two more Celtic championships.

HAHAHA, now as I'm writing this ESPN just told me that Mike Brown was named the NBA's coach of the year. Well-deserved, and that's what common sense gets you in today's NBA. Now if my HEAT could just figure this out and start Beasley at Power Forward maybe my team can think about a Cleveland-like jump from mid-40 wins to mid-60 wins for next year...

Come Together: Heat's Amazing One-Year Turnaround Exemplified In Win Over Bulls

liam mcknight — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 03:16:28 -0500

Relentless. Poised. Smart. Supercompetitive. Versatile. Confident. Assertive. Tough. Resillient.

All of those words describe Dwyane Wade. All of those words are starting to describe the Miami Heat. They are starting to take on their leaders personality, and are quickly becoming one of the most resilient, confident, and EXCITING teams in the NBA.

Yesterdays Heat/Bulls game was supposed to be a showdown between the number 1 and 2 picks: the Bulls outstanding rookie pointguard Derrick Rose and the HEATs talented young PF Michael Beasley, but it turned out to be a showing of the Miami HEAT coming together as a formidable TEAM for the first time since Dwyane Wade got injured in Houston nearly 2 years ago. Yesterday the HEAT gave you a glimpse into the future, they were not a team overly reliant on one man, but a team led by a superstar with a bunch of ballsy youngsters that know what theyre doing. Including their coach Erik Spoelstra.

The 2^nd half of yesterdays game was an unbelievable thrill for any true Miami HEAT fan: a showing of the Miami HEAT coming together as a formidable TEAM for the first time since Wade's return to 100% health.

There was Mario Chalmers making plays on offense also impressively holding Rose in check with his defense. There was Daequan Cook hitting shots and locking it up on Ben Gordon. There was Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, Jamaal Magloire and Joel Anthony doing the dirty work and making gritty play after play in helping the Heat control the paint.

The HEAT forced 12 bull turnovers in the 2nd half, and converted on what seemed like every one. This was after only forcing 3 in the first half... yes that 2nd half was Spoelstra's blueprint to perfection, true Miami HEAT basketball. They make the team focus every second of the full 48 minutes, and if you dont match their energy and intensity you are getting ran off the court. Chalmers, Banks, Wade, Marion and Cook were all great on the perimeter defensively, using their length and athleticism to frustrate the Bulls perimeter impact-players while forcing many Bull mistakes and turnovers. Its been a while since Ive seen a team with this type of athleticism and length on the wings, they always keep their hands up and seem to get a hand on every post-entry pass the opposition tries. They close out faster than any team Ive seen this year and stay in the passing lanes while being able to recover to their man, the footspeed is outstanding. The fact that Marion and Wade can help on the interior with great shotblocking/shot-altering for a 2guard and Small Forward helps them alot in overcoming their slight lack of size, as does Marions outstanding rebounding for his position.

Not to mention "BEASLEY!!!!!" That boy is really getting it, yesterday you could see a glimpse into the future, of how dangerous the Miami HEAT offense could be around Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley in Eric Spoelstras playing style. Beasley was out there making plays for teammates, attacking the rim, schoolin the opponents bigs as he always could, but now he’s making the right plays passing and taking good shots, he’s boxing out, he’s defending, all things that he couldn’t do a short time ago. As a fan it was VERY VERY REWARDING to see him do these things at a high level and really succeed to the fullest on national tv.... it was even MORE rewarding to see him out there to close out a game, along with Wade, Chalmers and Cook. This was the first time in a long time that the Miami HEAT had 4 offensive weapons out there on the court, making them very dangerous with the level of defense that they play and the fact that Dwyane Wade is one of those weapons out there dominating.

The Miami HEAT got themselves a keeper in Beasley, some young kids confidence would get down or they would say “why this coach doin me like this”, but Beasley just keeps workin hard and doing whats asked and getting better, the kid is gonna be an allstar. The PF version of Carmelo Anthony, only with a coach that stresses defense and working hard to become an allaround player, thats a beautiful thing.

Team-first: Shawn Marion did not play down the stretch, and there he was cheering on his teammates on the sideline and having a big smile as his teammates brought home another win. Jamaal Magloire took Joel Anthony’s center spot in the 4^th quarter due to Aaron Gray’s size, but there was Joel on the sideline cheering on a charge taken by Jamaal. Chris Quinn and Diawara both rooting on the team, Haslem checking in for the stretch run and playing like a man possessed doing all the dirty work. It was just a great thing to see as a fan, these guys really enjoy being together and its starting to show on the court. Wade didn’t have to do everything, and it made him even BETTER and more efficient than he has already been (if that is possible). When Alonzo Mourning, James Jones and Dorrell Wright return for the stretch run Wade and the HEAT are definitely the team to fear come playoff time...

Erick Spoelstra has been criticized at times for how he’s treating rookie Michael Beasley, but yesterday was a very vindicating moment for him. Michael could ALWAYS score, no matter what, but this boy is now getting it as an allaround player bigtime. Talk about a fast learner, only 2 months into his career he is showing TREMENDOUS improvement on defense, boxing out, shot selection, passing, and energy. This to me shows that he is a fighter, and more importantly a KEEPER. A lot of young players would lose confidence, but not Beasley. He keeps on doing what is asked, working harder, and learning. He keeps on fighting, improving, and he never lost confidence. Yesterday showed how great he could end up being, we already knew he had talent, but he is showing that he has the work ethic to really get it done… he’s gonna be an allstar PF and sooner than you think. As for Spoelstra he has done a great job, and should be the HEAT coach for a very long time.... he just gets it. Defense comes first, he blueprints the best possible way to success around his personnel, he works hard..... in short: he just gets it. Great young coach for the HEAT that should be around for a very long time.

Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers are two other youngsters that fit the Miami heat culture to perfection, and are definite keepers. Ill take a guy confident enough to throw a 45-foot alley-oop and a guy confident enough to hit a 25foot buzzer beater like its nothing any day of the week, thank you very much. They both bring a lot to the table on both ends of the court, play off of Dwyane Wade perfectly, are EXTREMELY confident in their abilities (just like Beasley), they work hard, they fought their way into the rotation, and the HEAT are reaping the benefits of these two talented youngsters work ethics. If im building a team I would LOVE to have two guys like this: young hardworking talented and extremely confident. Smart players, constantly improving, and never overwhelmed by the moment.

Other keepers for the HEAT: Joel Anthony and Chris Quinn, two team-first roleplayers that do their jobs well. Its great to have Haslem and James Jones as well, two team first veteran winners that should bolster the bench for the next few years as both are under the age of 29 years old.

In sports there is nothing better than watching your team maximize their potential. (And there is nothing worse than watching your team underachieve). 16-12. That is the Miami HEATs record, one year ago they won 15 games in the entire season. This is an unbelievable turnaround, and as a fan there is nothing more rewarding than watching your team come together. I am SO PROUD of our boys.

Yesterdays game really showed how bright the future has become for the Miami HEAT, the fact that is just one year after looking like they were in the worst shape a team could be in is unbelievable. Shaq’s untradeable contract, an injured franchise player, an over-the-hill dejected head coach, a bunch of veteran pieces that didn’t care any more, etc.

Was that really just one year ago? One year later and we have a young talented team around our 26 year old superstar and a ton of capspace on the horizon. Its not hard to tell what im thankful for this Christmas, and all Miami HEAT fans should feel the same way.

Happy holidays.

Behind Dwyane Wade, Miami Heat Quickly Becoming Most Resilient Team in NBA

liam mcknight — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 11:24:35 -0500

The Miami Heat won on the second night of a back-to-back for the first time this season on Sunday night against the Nets, behind another dominant performance from Dwyane Wade (43 points).

This was made even more outstanding due to the fact that they beat the Lakers the night before behind 35 from Wade, and this came off the heels of a three-game losing streak where Wade had his first slump of the season.

Another fact that makes it way more impressive is that they didnt reach NJ until four that morning. The Lakers had the second-best record in the NBA, and the Nets are another team over .500 coming off an impressive victory the night before.

Message sent: The Heat are not going anywhere—except the playoffs.

The Miami Heat are proving to be a very resilient young team. What else would you expect from a team led by Dwyane Wade?

This is the same guy who was looked over by most major colleges before getting into Marquette, and then not allowed to play his first year. By the end of his time there, he led them to the Final Four and recorded a triple-double in a tournament game—the second player ever to do so. (The first? Magic Johnson.)

This is the same guy who was drafted fifth overall, overlooked as the media and fans praised "real" future stars like LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony—then went on to take his team further in the playoffs that rookie year than either of them.

This is the same guy who laughed in the face of an 0-2 Finals deficit, and promptly took over on the way to his first championship, averaging nearly 40 efficient points per game throughout the next four games (all Heat wins) on his way to becoming the youngest finals MVP in NBA history.

This is the same guy who—upon having made it, winning that first title, getting all the big endorsements, playing at a level higher than any player in the NBA in '06-07—got struck down in a cruel turn of events with a terrible injury that wiped him out of the "best player in the world" conversation ever so unfairly.

The same guy who had to limp through a 15-win season last year while watching his other superstar teammate get traded away, his legendary coach resign, and his team finish in last place as he sat on the sideline in a suit.

The same guy who came back even better than before this past summer, as he and Team USA's "Redeem Boys" brought the gold back home where it belongs—bittersweet at times while he had to watch all the Kobe and LeBron praise and two-man-debate over who the best player on the planet was, even as Wade was healthy for the first time in over a year and playing better than either of them.

Yes, its the same Dwyane Wade who is now playing better than anybody once again, and has forced himself right back into that conversation of who's best.

Yes: Wade is the most resilient superstar in the NBA, and his Miami Heat team is quickly becoming the most tough, overachieving, and resilient team in the NBA as the lovable underdog themselves.

They opened the season by getting beat down in MSG by the new-look Knicks. In game two they bounce back and blow out Sacramento in their home-opener.

In game three, Wade sleepwalked through a beatdown in Charlotte—all that did was show him how much was needed of him at that time in eveery phase of the game, from leadership to defense to scoring to playmaking, for his team to win—and he responded the next game, as they blew out the new-look Sixers.

The Heat got beat down in Portland by 40 points. They responded one game later on national TV with a lineup change and a 15-point win over Phoenix in Miami's first game against Shaquille.

One game later, the Heat lose on a controversial last-minute call to the Clippers. They respond with the most resilient win of the year, twice fighting off a sure loss with a miraculous play (Quinn's three-pointer and Beasley's steal) to beat the Warriors in Oakland. They proceed to go on a four-game winning streak.

They come into a showdown with Atlanta on a four-game winning streak and receive a second-half beatdown. Wade goes cold and they lose by 20. The next two games they lose to subpar teams. Neither game is even close.

How do you think they respond? In true Wade-like fashion, that's how.

They beat the Lakers in Miami for one of the best regular-season wins in franchise history. Wade outduels Kobe, the whole team fights and scraps their way to the thrilling victory. The next night they win again, first win of the season on second night of back-to-back, 106-103 over the Nets in NJ.

So yes, this '08-09 Heat team have truly fell down seven times, but stood up eight—and it isn't hard to tell who they got that from.

This team has quickly become one of my favorite Heat teams of all time. Right up there with the Zo-led '97 team and the Wade-Shaq '04-05 team.

I like this one even more, to tell you the truth. Every single guy on the team has a chip on their shoulder, from Joel Anthony wanting to prove he deserves to be in this league playing center, all the way to Shawn Marion wanting to prove he can succeed outside of Phoenix, and Chalmers wanting to prove he should've been a first-round pick.

No one man has more to prove than Wade though—and boy oh boy, is that a good thing for us and a bad thing for the rest of the league.

I will admit right here and now that after the three-game losing streak i was dejected. Sickened even. Our offense was non-existent, Marion was nowhere to be found, Beasley still not involved creatively, Wade went cold, and we couldnt win without him having a big night. Miami was looking like a lottery team again, something all of us would get sick over.

Against the Lakers, prospects didnt look too good. Even if Wade had a huge night, I didn't think we had much of a chance unless we got a huge effort from our defense, which hadn't been the case in the three prior games.

Right from the get-go it was clear that the Heat were back though. Joel was blocking shots and setting picks, Chalmers and Marion were forcing turnovers, Wade was running the break, Haslem was fighting guys twice his size—everyone giving 110-percent effort and energy on every play of the game. Our defense was better than any team I've seen on any given night this season. THAT is the way we need to play—and we did it in a big way.

The next nights win over the Nets was just icing on the cake, another great win from Dwyane and our South F-L-A boys.

After the three-game losing streak I was thinking that this may really be a lottery team: but i should've known better.

No team led by Dwyane Wade will ever be a lottery team. His will wont allow it. This team has taken on his resilient personality to the 10th degree. They are real fighters—from Haslem all the way down to Magloire, every guy plays a role and gives 110 percent. It should make Zo and Riley proud.

This franchise is quickly transforming from 15-win pushover into playoff contender. What else would you expect from a team led by the same guy who grew up under a mother struggling with drug addiction, poverty-stricken in urban Chicago, and grew into what he is now. Wade got a lot of his resilience from his mother, who is now a success story—a preacher that owns her own church that her baby-boy bought for her.

God is good, all the time. And when it comes to basketball or overcoming adversity, so is Wade. The Miami Heat are becoming pretty darn good at it themselves while following his lead.

My Case For Beasley, and The Heat's "Road to Redemption"

liam mcknight — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 14:03:58 -0500

MY CASE FOR BEASLEY

WHY WADEs NEW-LOOK MIAMI HEAT SHOULD TAKE A "ROAD TO REDEMPTION"

Michael Beasley is gonna be an unvelievable player. That is how I wanted to start this column, because I am an avid NBA fan, and a kind-of/sort-of Heat fan.

Here's the deal: All year long I have been listening and reading the arguments over Beasley…. “why isn’t he rebounding?, why isn’t he posting up?, why this", why that?”, and it is sickening. I also have heard alot of requests to trade him, and i dont think thats the right idea either.

This is a 19-year-old kid, first and foremost. Second of all, he’s been pretty darn good in his adjustment, but I think a lot of the criticism comes off of a lot of misconceptions about his game and what it will take for the Heat to develop into a champion around their fantastic young franchise player: Dwyane Wade.

When I look at Michael Beasley I see almost a flipped version of Carmelo Anthony… An absolutely PHENOMENAL scorer and all-around young talent. Did Carmelo need to mature a little? Sure. Has he? Yes. Has he gotten better every year? Yes. Has he improved in every aspect of the game? Yes.

Beasley is every bit the talent, and to trade him would be insane on Miami’s part, although I DO agree that Wade is so good he probably COULD win a title if you could turn Beasley into a star player right now.

The fact is: Would you rather win two titles as a max if everything goes insanely right? Or would you want to go with Beasley, seven years younger than Wade (26, and entering his prime) and have a chance at a dynasty?

Why do I say armelo? Isnt Carmelo a small forward? Why isn’t Beasley a “power” forward? Why isn’t he rebounding 10 a game? Etc.

I can hear it coming out of your mouth already….. let me stress this: I said “FLIP” version of Carmelo. What do I mean by that?

There is a lot of power forward in Carmelo's game, but he is more small-forward overall… Beasley has a lot of small forward in his game, but he is more power-forward overall. It is an insanely positive attribute: versatility. Beasley has it, just as Melo does.

In fact, Beasleys perimeter skills is the main reason he is thriving as a 19-year-old despite not having bulked up yet or adjusted yet as an NBA PF. It is a great thing to fall back on and will help him continue to succeed as he adjusts, unlike a guy like say: David West who didn’t have those skills to fall back on and didn’t succeed until the adjustment was made by year three and age 23.

Is Beasley gonna be a 20/10 guy? Is he gonna be a true back-to-basket scorer? No.

He is gonna be a 23/8 guy and a tremendous allaround scorer that will get plenty of inside baskets. “You cant win without a post-presence”, that is BS: you can. The Pistons did it in 04 and the Celtics did it last year with PF’s that were similar offensively to Beasley except not as fast or agile while being two or three inches taller.

But KG offensively for years has been the same player that Beasley will soon be. Beasley should have a big athletic center next to him that blocks shots, can catch, and can really rebound: Ideally Tyson Chandler or Camby type, if you find one that can post up a bit? Great, but not completely necessary with Wade and Beasley getting so many points in the paint and double-teams anyways.

The Small Forward should be a 3-point shooter and lockdown defender type of roleplayer: The Battier or Posey type.

How can you build a champion around Wade with Beasley? What style best fits their exploits? Wade can deliver in any style, but what DOES best fit him? What best fits a PF like Beasley? Didn’t you just watch that this past summer in the olympics?

Why did I bring up the Olympics? Michael Beasley as an NBA Power Forward is gonna be very similar player to Carmelo as a PF in the Olympic games. Break the defense getting it to him in the mid to high post and let him pick it apart from in there, that was a huge part of Team USA’s offense, and the athleticism and quickness at PF (Lebron, Tayshaun, Melo) was the biggest thing geared towards their success besides the great athleticism and slashing ability of the guards (especially Wade, and Kobe).

If Im Miami heat general manager Pat Riley I am seeing that teams style as a blueprint of my future. What was the center like on that team? Did they have a true post-up presence? No, they didn’t. Sure they had Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh, but what were their roles? Scoring was not asked of them.

They were asked to anchor the defense, lock down pick/roll, clean up the glass, use their athleticism to their advantage, set picks on offense and space the floor.

They played like Marcus Camby plays in the NBA, because the post-ups just don’t happen in that game the same way unless youre prime-shaq in '96, unfortunately there is no player like that in todays nba, but if you find one: sure go ahead and trade Beasley for him….. otherwise? Beasley is your guy for the next 15 years at PF… and that’s a great thing, not a bad thing….. for center of the future you should be looking at this type of player to go with your core: the dirty-work guy, a Marcus Camby is great, if you can find one that CAN post up a bit: maybe Jermaine Oneal now in his older years as long as you can convince him to sacrifice touches could be a great fit.

What was the PG like? Jason Kidd wasn’t the main force on that team at PG, it was Chris Paul and Deron pushing the tempo and wreaking havoc on defense, as well as penetrating and pitching, and of course hitting their open 3pointers (sound like Chalmers to you heat fans out there?). Chalmers is the PG of the future, and should develop into a big piece in their future success just as Beasley will, and sooner than you think...

Only worry at PG for Riley should be finding a veteran backup to stabilize the troops in a critical playoff moment and to mentor Chalmers a bit, much like Kidd did for the young team USA to get from third-place level to gold-medal level. (Sam Cassell? Gary Payton? Jason Kidd himself? Who knows.)

In the meantime they can succeed as a playoff team this year with Beasley playing his game and improving as the explosive sixth man, and still succeed because they have the personnel to play that style and build a foundation. Shawn Marion is that type of player, as is Haslem.

You can get the ball to Marion at weak-spots in the opponents defense, right in the middle, as you can Haslem, and mostly you play off of Wade’s greatness and Mario Chalmers penetration and pg-play as he develops…. And at PF youre gonna set up for success at a playoff level until Beasley is ready, and once he is (not too far away guys, be patient) it is gonna be an unbelievable team to watch.

DEFENSE

On defense youre seeing how the Miami Heat force turnovers and run off of them, very very quick and athletic, probably the best havoc-wreaking perimeter defense in the NBA.

Marion and Haslem combined are a poor-mans version of what Beasley will one day be at PF for you guys on offense(difference between playoff level and championship level, remember that: development of Beasley in this position), but on defense Haslem is what Beasley will one day hopefully be (Beasley will be a better shotblocker, more athletic). Marion is a TERROR on defense.

Watching him fly around rotating and locking it down is reminiscent of a young Scottie pippen. That is what you will some day want out of your small forward next to Beasley, with a 3-point shot on offense and taking fewer shots. Everything else defensively is ideal from him… The way Chalmers/Wade/Marion fly around disrupting is a joy to watch, and the key to why the Heat are so good.

Since the shotblocker and picksetter (a role D-Howard played for Team USA, or Luc Longley for the old bulls teams) has been inserted to the starting lineup they have went 5-1 and it could’ve been 6-0 if not for an “inadvertent” whistle in LA on the last play (a gamewinning steal that was taken away). THAT’S with an EXTREMELY POOR MANS version of what you need at center too: Joel Anthony.

So be patient Miami fans: you could be looking at a potential dynasty here. Lord knows you have the franchise player to get it done in Wade, and the coach in Spoelstra has the right idea too. BEASLEY IS THE GUY.

He is gonna be the nNBA equivalent at PF to what we saw from team USA’s PF's in the international game. If the Heat build around these 3 the right way and keep building on this style of play and gameplan: I don’t see much that can stop them from being a future dynasty. I really don’t.

They have such a great cap situation coming up and all the right pieces in place. If Riley figures it out, the league is gonna be seeing a whole lot of Wade/Beasley, a whole lot of Biscayne Boulevard, and a whole lot of great basketball coming from Miami.

It could be a dominant decade for the Miami Heat if they follow the right path. Keep Beasley and go the route that Team USA took to gold. You have the perfect young leader and No. 1 man that’s already led a team to a title and knows what it takes on both ends, and the perfect “international” Power Forward to get it done with. Not to mention a helluva young PG and some great cap room to pick your pieces.

So stop the complaining Miami faans. Youre in an ideal situation: the best of both worlds. You can win-now a bit and get to the playoffs, and more importantly: win much bigger later. Follow the team USA blueprint, that’s what fits your two cornerstones best. It’s a perfect fit for Wade/Beasley/Chalmers, and that’s whats important. Spoelstra knows this as well.

You have cap space, the right path starting to be taken, you have a poor mans version of the SF/Beasley/C frontcourt that is gonna deliver on greatness shortly down the road as of right now in Marion/Haslem/Joel, and the Chalmers/Wade backcourt is a keeper for years to come. The coach, GM, and style of play is as well. You’ve got a great start on the right path.

So no trades. Let Beasley and Chalmers develop, as well as Wade as the team leader and Spo as the coach. Just stay the path youre on to the first playoff learning experience that sould result in this first exciting season in the HEATs “road to redemption”.