Miami Heat: What LeBron, D-Wade and Company Need to Address in Second Half

At 27-7, the Miami Heat are leaving their imprint on the face of the NBA as one of the league's top teams.

Prior to wins by Oklahoma City and Chicago over the past two nights, the Heat were tied for the league's best record. They'll look to take back the NBA's top record with a three-game road trip that starts out in Portland before ending up at the Staples Center, where they'll be taking on the Los Angeles Lakers.

Even though this Heat team didn't make many changes over the offseason, the team this year has been substantially better than last year's. Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh are working together well, Shane Battier's defense and Norris Cole's aggressiveness have been terrific add-ons, the improved health of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem have carried significance and Mario Chalmers' three-point shooting has been a huge boost as well.

The Heat are winning games, and nobody seems to care. That's just how the team likes it. They were the target of ridicule anytime they succumbed to a defeat last season, but haven't nearly received as much flack as they were last year because of how much winning and how efficient they've been when they do win.

Basically, there isn't as much to poke and prod at. The team isn't 9-8, they're beating elite teams, winning games by large margins and coach Erik Spoelstra has a firm grasp on the entire roster. There isn't anything controversial to talk about, so the media focuses on more pressing issues such as where Dwight Howard is going or what color are Jeremy Lin's socks and how they inspired him.

In this piece, fellow featured columnist Peter Emerick and myself delve into a number of topics surrounding the Miami Heat. We address the team's success, how they can maintain it and the leadership role of this team among other issues.

Center Troubles?

Are the Heat really doomed without a true and reliable center?

Peter: With the star power that the Miami Heat have, in LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, they don’t realistically need an offensively-minded player at the center position.

While it would be nice for LeBron and Wade to have the option to dump the ball into the paint to a legitimate offensive center from time to time, there’s no doubt that offensively speaking, the Heat are just fine without a player like that.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Heat aren’t all that intimidating, but the production they get out of Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem has been getting the job done throughout the 2011-12 season so far.

One of the main reasons why the Heat don’t need to look elsewhere moving forward at the center position is because of the chemistry that has developed with the current players that they have.

Would the Miami Heat be more poised for a title run in 2012 with an offensively-minded center like Chris Kaman? Yes and no. But they certainly are not doomed by any means with Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem, as they were able to get the Heat close to an NBA title in 2011. Miami relies less on the center position than any other team in the NBA, and it undoubtedly works for them.

Trading for a more offensively talented center would doom the Miami Heat more moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season than sticking with Joel Anthony and Udonis Haslem would. The saying goes, “if it isn’t broken, then don’t fix it”, and that undoubtedly applies to the Miami Heat’s starting rotation, which includes their situation at the center position.

The Bench

Which Heat bench player will be the difference maker down the stretch of the rest of the 2011-12 NBA season?

John: What exactly have the Heat changed from last year that has led to this tremendous start? The obvious answer would be the improved chemistry of the big three and LeBron James' post game. However, not much credit is given to the true heroes of this team riding the bench. They don't get the credit that James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh receive, but they're putting in the work necessary that has led the Heat to this hot start.

The health of Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem, as well as the acquisitions of Shane Battier and Norris Cole, have been unbelievably significant. This is no longer the three-man team that we witnessed last season struggling through James Jones' poor defense and Juwan Howard's inability to get off the ground. With those four bench players, it's like the Heat have a completely new team, and it shows when you compare the team's start this year to last year's.

It's tough to think who will play the most significant role down the stretch since each player has a set niche that significanly helps this team. Miller's three-point shooting has been phenomenal at 52 percent, Haslem's rebounding, defense and his improving jump shot mean a whole lot to a team without a true center, Battier's defense and three-point shooting is immeasurable, and Cole's quickness and mid-range game has done more for this team than they could have imagined.

However, if you were to choose one player that's going to make the biggest difference, it's going to be Udonis Haslem. Yes, it is absolutely true that Battier and Miller's ability to stretch the floor is just as important, but it doesn't compare to what Haslem provides whenever he's on the floor and if his jump shot is falling as well.

When the Heat get into the postseason, size is going to play a huge part. They could be taking on Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler and the Knicks, Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah and the Bulls or Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. Three-point shooting is important, but the Heat are going to need to find a way to neutralize that size if they want to come away with victories.

The Heat don't have the size to match up, but they do have the defenders that are capable of limiting those frontcourt threats. That's where a guy like Haslem comes in. He, Chris Bosh and Joel Anthony are the only bigs that the Heat use in their rotation, and he's going to have to play the biggest part since he's the toughest defender and rebounder, as well as the most physical player on the team.

In order for the Heat to succeed, they're going to need Haslem's toughness down low in order to grab necessary rebounds, play some quality defense and frustrate the bigs of opposing teams.

Point Guard Success

Why are the Heat showing so much more success at this point in the season than last year?

Peter: The foundational reason for why the Heat are playing better at this point in the season than they were last year at the same point is because of increased chemistry. While Norris Cole’s production coming off the bench has been a nice spark for the Heat, there’s no doubt that Miami is a more dominant team this year because they understand each other and they have a more consistent offensive flow this year than last.

The offensive flow begins with the way that LeBron and Wade get out into the transition offense, and it continues all the way down to the way the Heat’s second unit plays. The Heat’s second unit this year, with Mike Miller healthy, James Jones, Norris Cole and Shane Battier, fits the Heat’s fast-paced offense much better than it did last year. When LeBron, Wade and Bosh went to the bench last season, the Heat saw a significant decrease in offensive production, which isn’t the case this year.

That increased production off the bench, rooted in increased team chemistry, is one of the main reasons why the Heat are playing more consistent basketball at this point in the season this year.

In addition to the increased chemistry between the members of the Heat’s second unit, there is undoubtedly an increased chemistry between LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Watching the way LeBron and Wade run the fast-break is like watching poetry in motion, and while it was similar last year, the level of efficiency and near perfection that defines their transition offense is a true difference maker this year.

Just imagine how dangerous the Miami Heat, specifically LeBron and Wade, are going to be as their chemistry continues to improve. The good news for the Heat is that with every practice and every game, the Heat’s chemistry is going to improve, which makes them the most dangerous team moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Point Guard Success Continued

Which point guard is more valuable to the Heat’s success, Norris Cole off the bench or Mario Chalmers in the starting five?

John: Remember when point guard play was a problem? It was only a few months ago that the Heat were starting Mike Bibby at the point, and he responded by shooting sub-30 percent in the postseason. The Heat didn't have much of a choice on replacing him, as it was either the inconsistent Mario Chalmers or the streaky Eddie House.

The Heat didn't make any compelling moves to help out their play at the point. All they did was allow Bibby to walk and pick up a point guard late in the first round. They didn't pick any point guard in free agency and failed to get Chauncey Billups when the New York Knicks allowed him to walk.

Yet here we are today, and the Miami Heat have a deadly combination at the point. I know that sounds ridiculous; it would have sounded even more insane last season, but the Heat are looking really tough on both ends of the floor when it comes to the play from their two point guards in Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.

I'll get to Cole in a second because I really want to focus on just how incredible Chalmers has been this year. Many contemplated if re-signing Mario was the right move to make over the offseason. After all, he had been inconsistent on both sides of the ball for the past two seasons and was coming off arguably the worst season of his career, when he averaged six points on 40 percent shooting.

It's amazing to see what a little bit of confidence can do for you. Chalmers has come out of the gates like a man possessed and is having the best season of his four-year career while giving a great case as to why he should be named the NBA's Most Improved Player. He's averaging 11 points on 51 percent shooting to go with an even more impressive 46 percent shooting from deep.

The Heat don't ask for much from everyone outside of James, Wade and Bosh. They want the big men to rebound and defend the paint and the shooters to make their open shots. As a shooter, Chalmers is certainly doing his job and has become one of the NBA's top three-point shooters in terms of percentages. Outside of future Hall of Famer Ray Allen, no one in the NBA is shooting as much and as well as Mario.

Cole has been an absolute delight to watch. He still has those rookie tendencies of shooting too much and having a strange shot selection at times, but he's the epitome of being a spark off the bench. The 23-year-old is lightning-quick, fearless, aggressive and confident, and those are all huge attributes on a team like the Heat.

Taken with the 28th pick in the draft, Cole was taken out of little-known Cleveland State after posting up 22 points per in his senior year. Other point guards, like Kyrie Irving and Brandon Knight, stole his thunder at the one spot, and it allowed Cole to drop down to the 28th spot, where he would be taken by the Chicago Bulls before getting traded to the Heat.

The thing about Cole that gets fans excited is how fearless he is. He's not afraid of any sort of competition, and he'll prove that to you by leading one-man fastbreaks and playing aggressive, hard-nosed defense on any point guard that comes his way. His fastbreaks are incredible to see, as he'll outrun multiple defenders before finishing over another.

Cole's important off the bench since he provides the Heat with another ball handler that can run a fastbreak and stretch the floor with his mid-range game, but he doesn't bring as much to the table as Chalmers does.

Outside of Chalmers, the Heat starting lineup has no three-point threats. LeBron may be shooting 41 percent from deep, but those shots are coming off of open opportunities, and you won't see him settling for a jumper when he could just as easily post up or drive in. The same can be said for Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh; both players are much more comfortable within the perimeter.

Chalmers is the only consistent perimeter threat in the starting lineup, and that's what allows guys like Wade, James and Bosh to get better looks near the rim. When you have a player who's shooting 46 percent from deep, opposing defenses are eventually going to have to take notice and will have to make adjustments in order to defend him.

Mario is becoming the player that you don't want to leave open. In the early moments of games, not only do you have the big three coming out with a full supply of energy, but you also have Chalmers hitting the open shots that they give to him. When you have all these factors mixing, you have the Heat rocketing out to quick starts that leaves the opposition in the dust.

Possible Threats

Are there any teams that are a legitimate threat to the Heat winning a title?

Peter: The blueprint to beating the Heat this year has been rooted in two key components of the game, first and foremost, the presence of legitimate frontcourts, and next, the ability to move the ball out of the paint and hit perimeter shots.

There are three teams, some of whom that already gave the Heat trouble already this season, that could potentially keep them from a title in 2012. Those teams are the Chicago Bulls, the Orlando Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder. The San Antonio Spurs almost made the list, but I just couldn’t overlook the 22-point beatdown they got at the hands of the Heat earlier in the year.

The Thunder, Bulls and Magic all have that magic combination that give the Heat trouble, which is the presence of legitimate perimeter shooting and a legitimate presence in the paint. The Magic, Bulls and Thunder all rank in the top 15 in the league when it comes to three-point shooting, with percentages of 38.6 percent (fourth), 37.6 percent (seventh) and 34.7 percent (14th), respectively.

In addition to that impressive shooting from the perimeter, all those teams have legitimate front-courts, with tandems like Carlos Boozer and Joakhim Noah, Ryan Anderson and Dwight Howard and Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins.

While the Heat already beat Chicago and Orlando (once), there’s no doubt that they both have what it takes to get in the way of the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals. The Thunder, on the other hand, have yet to match up with the Heat, but there’s no doubt that their first matchup on March 25 could be a preview of the 2012 NBA Finals.

Unlike the Bulls and the Magic, the Thunder have the legitimate offensive production, with the NBA’s third-most points per game average of 102.7, that it’s going to take to get in the way of a Miami Heat 2012 NBA title. While I don’t think it’s going to happen, it’s still undoubtedly possible.

NBA's Top Record

What stands in the way of the Heat holding the best record in the NBA heading into the 2012 NBA Playoffs?

John: I've said it before many times: The only team capable of stopping the Miami Heat is the Miami Heat themselves. We saw it in the NBA Finals last year, when LeBron James was the one beating the Heat, not the Dallas Mavericks. I'll give all the credit in the world to the Mavericks, but they weren't the one limiting James to 17 points per game when he had just decimated two superior defenses in Boston and Chicago.

As I write this, the Heat are only a win away from tying the Oklahoma City Thunder for the NBA's best record. Miami was able to creep back to the top thanks in part to a historic February, where they finished with a 11-2 record for the month. The Heat finished with an eight-game winning streak, each win by at least 12 points, and even managed to sweep a back-to-back-to-back with every game on the road.

The only thing stopping the Heat from obtaining the NBA's best record is how well they handle the increased strength of schedule in March. As opposed to February, when the toughest teams they faced were Orlando on two occasions and Indiana, the Heat will be taking on quite a few division leaders before they head on to April.

They start out the month with a three-game West Coast road trip that starts in Portland, goes to Utah and then ends with a huge contest against the Los Angeles Lakers. They'll have a breather when they come home to play New Jersey, and that will pretty much be the last easy game until March 20, when they play Phoenix.

In between then, the Heat will have another road trip that features a back-to-back against Orlando and Chicago and then a road game against Philadelphia only two nights later. They'll come back home in two days to play the Magic for the fourth time this year. Don't expect it to get any easier, though, as the Heat can look forward to matchups on the road against Oklahoma City and at home against Dallas.

In total, the Heat have 16 games in March, and only five of those games are against teams with sub-.500 records. This month will not only determine whether or not the Heat finish with the best record, but also if they're ready to take on the league's best over a month long period.

Chris Bosh

Are the Heat hurting themselves by not running more plays for Chris Bosh?

Peter: A lot of Miami Heat fans think that Chris Bosh isn’t featured nearly as much as he needs to be, or even deserves to be. When you look at the amount of field-goal attempts that he’s averaging with the Heat, they’re not all that far off from his career averages.

In Bosh’s seven years in Toronto, as the focal point of the Raptors offense, Bosh averaged 14.5 field-goal attempts per game, as compared to his current 2011-12 average of 14.4 field-goal attempts per game. Bosh is also shooting the ball at an almost identical efficiency this year, with an average of 49.4 percent, that he did in his seven years with the Toronto Raptors, with an average of 49.0 percent.

While the Miami Heat could undoubtedly run more plays through Chris Bosh and see more production out of the power forward, they’d be foolish to feature him more than LeBron and Wade. LeBron and Wade are more versatile players than Bosh, and they are also both shooting the ball at the highest level of efficiency in their careers, with percentages of 54.7 and 50.2 percent, respectively. Chris Bosh is the kind of player that thrives off of set plays established for him in a half-court offense.

LeBron and Wade, on the other hand, are the kind of players who don’t need plays called for them; they just need the ball in their hands for the opportunity to create for themselves, which is arguably more dangerous than the kind of player Bosh is.

What the Heat can do is feature Bosh more when LeBron and Wade are off the court. If the Heat run their offense through Bosh when he’s the only member of the big three on the court, they will undoubtedly see an increase in production when LeBron and Wade are on the bench.

Erik Spoelstra

What’s at least one way Erik Spoelstra needs to switch up the Heat’s rotation moving forward in the second half of the season?

John: No news is good news, and nobody in the NBA knows that better than Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra.

At this point last year, Spoelstra had already been fired by the Heat fanbase multiple times. After all, how could the Heat struggle when they had LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on the same team? It can't be their fault that the team started 9-8 and lost five consecutive games in March, so it must be the coach's fault.

These things take time. You can't just throw a bunch of stars together and expect it to work. Basketball is a lot more complicated than that. This is purely a team sport, and each and every player on the court for that team needs to be working in perfect synchronization for it to work. If one player isn't doing their job, wires will get crossed, and it will throw off the rhythm of the entire team.

That was the problem last year with the Heat. Spoelstra wasn't exactly helping with his lack of offensive knowledge, but the big three simply needed more time to play together, adjust to each other and then learn each other's tendencies. These were three players that were all the focal points of their offense; you can't expect them to immediately adjust to becoming a second or third option after playing one way for seven seasons.

Today, we realize that. Spoelstra hasn't made any drastic changes to the offense. You're just watching the big three play with more chemistry and having a better knowledge for the new system they're playing in. The fact that they have a stable and consistent bench is helping a little as well.

Spoelstra has been doing a great job this year by making guys like LeBron and Dwyane not reliant on perimeter shooter and addressing an aggressive approach on defense by packing the paint, much akin to Pat Riley's "No layup rule" he instituted while with the New York Knicks in the 1990's.

His rotations, however, are a bit iffy at times, as you see members of the big three playing alongside players that have no business being there. Spoelstra definitely does a great job at allowing each player to get their own time in leading the offense, but it also hurts the team at some points when there's no rhythm or flow because of how stagnant it can become.

If there's one suggestion we can make as far as Spoelstra's rotation go, it's a larger role for Mike Miller. It's understood that he still might be recovering from the sports hernia surgery he went through prior to the start of the season, as well as other injuries, but you have to expect so much more from a player you're givijng $30 million over a six-year period.

Currently, Miller is playing in only 19 minutes per game. There has to be more room and time for him to get on the court so he can establish a rhythm and become the lethal shooter that the Heat anticipated him to become when he signed with the team in the summer of 2010. The fact that he's averaging that little of time and only six points per game clearly shows that Spoelstra needs to institute Miller into the rotation significantly more than what they did in the first half of the season.

I don't have many complaints in regards to Spoelstra's practices, but you definitely want to see a lot more Mike Miller in the rotation and on the floor. He's as consistent as they come, can stretch the floor, knows how to get open and is a terrific hustle player that crashes the boards and goes after loose-balls.

LeBron James the Leader

Will LeBron James become the leader of the Miami Heat by year’s end?

Peter: LeBron James was forced to be a leader during the first seven years of his career while his talents were with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Sometimes, he succeeded in that role, but more often than not, he failed, and LeBron proved that much hasn’t changed in his short time with the Miami Heat.

LeBron undoubtedly has the production of a team leader, with current averages of 27.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 6.8 assists, with a league-leading PER of 32.42. But LeBron lacks the mentality of a leader, which is arguably the more important component of the two and what the Miami Heat desperately need from him.

LeBron isn’t a leader ye, because he lacks confidence in himself, as evidenced by the tons of times that he’s passed up clutch-time shots and his 2012 All-Star Game turnover heard round the world. While the past tells me not to believe that LeBron will change this year, I truly think he will. LeBron will become the Heat’s leader by the end of the year because his blunder in the All-Star game reminded him just how much it hurts to be the reason why his team doesn’t win.

True leadership is cultivated through the fires of failure and the pains of defeat, and I think it’s safe to say that LeBron’s been through his fair share of both. With his All-Star game failure, LeBron was reminded of how much it hurts when he fails to lead his team, and that’s what will motivate him moving into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Expect LeBron to take home the 2012 NBA MVP trophy, the 2012 NBA Finals MVP trophy and his first of many NBA Championship rings at the end of the season. Proving that he’s finally ready to add the one thing that’s been missing from his game throughout his career, which is leadership.

LeBron James the MVP

Will LeBron James continue to play at an NBA MVP-caliber level, like he did in the first half of the season?

John: If the media already crowned Derrick Rose as the NBA MVP at this point last season, why can't we already give it to LeBron James?

James has been in the league for nine years, playing outstanding and Hall-of-Fame worthy basketball, but the 2011-'12 season is setting up to be the best of his career. It is absolutely incredible what kind of numbers James is posting up alongside two other stars, as well as the overall improvement and maturity he has shown in his game since last season. It's obvious that James let that failure in the NBA Finals motivate him in becoming a better player.

Averaging 27 points, eight rebounds and seven assists per in 33 games, James' stats are on par with what he has been posting up his entire career. However, those stats fail to mention just how efficient James has been in his second year with the Heat. They don't mention how James is playing only 37 minutes per game, the lowest of his career.

Perhaps the greatest feat James has accomplished thus far is his shooting percentages overall and from beyond the arc. Coach Erik Spoelstra made it an issue going into training camp that three-pointers from James and Wade would come at a minimum, and it's shown, as James has only taken 63 three-pointers and Wade taking only 13.

As a result, you don't see James and Wade spending as much time on the perimeter as they were last season. They're constantly forcing it inside with the post-up being a go-to move for both players. We knew Wade had an elite post game coming into the season, but we had no idea that James was going to show so much improvement at one aspect of his game in the span of a summer.

LeBron followed in the footsteps of Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard by going to Hakeem Olajuwon for help on how to improve his post game. If you remember the NBA Finals, then you'll remember how Shawn Marion constantly forced James to play with his back to the basket. Since he had no knowledge of how to play that well in that style, James struggled, and it shook his confidence.

Now equipped with a stellar post game, James has become as close as possible to unstoppable. It's incredibly difficult to limit his drives in a one-on-one setting, he's making his mid-range jumpers, and he's even scoring on his post-ups, as well as passing out to open players when he attracts double teams.

With the Heat making it an issue to take it inside, James is shooting a career-high 55 percent from the field. Since he's also taking his three-pointers sparingly and taking a career-low two three-pointers per, James is converting on a career-high 41 percent of his shots from beyond the arc.

Skeptics will say that James doesn't deserve an MVP because he's paired up with Wade and Bosh, but that gives no reason to punish him because he has great teammates. Even with those two, James is putting up numbers similar to those he was putting up in Cleveland when he had nobody surrounding him.

As long as the Heat maintain solid footing near or at the top of the NBA, there's no reason why James shouldn't walk away with his third MVP.