Midseason Report on the Miami Heat

Midseason Report:

Here’s the deal—when you drop out of law school at the age of 25 and move back home with your family, life gets to be real…funny. You pray for nights you manage to fall asleep before three in the morning (and yes, I mean on a weeknight) and hope your eyes don’t even think about cracking open for at least another five and a half hours; seven if you are lucky.

You overeat and have the occasional back-to-back cigarette. You look for inspiration in all the wrong places and from people you don’t even really like. And, last but not least, you watch re-runs of old TV shows. This week, I just wrapped up season four of “Friends.”

Know what I kept saying to myself at the end of each episode? Jennifer Aniston looks as naturally beautiful as a woman can possibly look. Period.

I’m saying this because it’s one of those intangibles that is so unbelievably easy to take for granted unless you are a pathetic loser that has nothing better to do than pay attention to the most meaningless details life has to offer.

Actually, the real reason I mention this other than to encourage people to take a nice, long gander at Rachel Green in Season four is because she is the sitcom version of what Dwyane Wade is to the NBA.

 Like Rachel Green in a five-man leading cast, he just stands out in every way that is impossible for the average fan to notice. No, he may not be as dominant as LeBron. No, his game is not as complete as Kobe’s. But Dwyane Wade does what any ultimate franchise player should do and he does it as well as anyone in the history of the NBA not named Jordan—he makes the guys around him better merely by confidence alone.

As a result, the Heat finds themselves squarely in the playoff race. The best part, though, is that Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook have been playing very well of late that and seem like they are both just beginning to get comfortable. I never was a fan of the “15 strong” slogan they had in ‘06 but there is nothing more accurate of the team’s look this year than its current slogan- “Something to Prove.”

MVP:

Dwyane Wade. If you have watched any close games with the Heat this year, he has made more big plays to win the game for the Heat than any other superstar on any other team. Ask most NBA experts and they will all probably say he is 3^rd in the MVP race behind LeBron and Kobe.

The only reason he is 3^rd though is because he is on a team with virtually no ball-handler and no post presence. Those two glaring needs have had a direct impact on the teams winning percentage which has left Wade in the shadows of LeBron and Kobe.

Nevertheless, he is 1-1 in matchups against both of them so far this year. Also, ask anybody who knows anything about basketball which three guys in the NBA are must-see TV and I’ll bet you season five of “Friends” they all put Wade on that list.

Biggest Surprise: Michael Beasley was a huge disappointment for the first two months of the season. Ever since January though, he has found his game and has been throwing up 20-point games on a consistent basis and is making some major noise in the ROY race.

Meanwhile, Daequan Cook has also been turning heads and almost certainly is in the discussion for the 6^th Man of the Year at this point. These guys are tied in this category. Something promising that I should mention is this; Against the Lakers last week, Beasley scored 12 consecutive points in the fourth quarter. As for Daequan, he was 6-6 on three-pointers in the first quarter of the Bucks game this past week. To quote Kobe Bryant, “Anytime you can surround a great penetrator with great shooters, you are going to be a threat.”

Biggest Disappointment:

A month ago, any Heat fan would have said Michael Beasley. And they would have been right. Now, however, it falls on the guy that picked him—Pat Riley. The Heat has a surplus of perimeter players and, again, no ball handler or post presence. The tallest player in the rotation is Udonis at 6’9.

Understandably, the Heat don’t want to add any contracts that will interfere with their cap relief in 2010 when all the big names (like Wade) will be available. Nevertheless, Shawn Marion could have fetched the team a Jermaine O’Neal or a Brad Miller.

Both players have contracts expiring in 2010 and either would fill a major void that this Heat organization should feel is at least owed to Dwyane Wade, if not the fan base. Shawn Marion has provided timely defense and scoring but he is as mismatched on a halfcourt Eastern conference team as Kevin Connolly is on Entourage.

Final Word:

The Heat had two goals coming into this season—win games and develop their future.

Beasley and Cook are both coming off the bench which means this team has placed its primary focus on winning games. If that is the case, the team would be smart to trade Shawn Marion for a big man or a ball handler with a contract that expires by 2010.

Shawn Marion’s value is still high and he should be able to net someone in that category. Again, that much should at least be owed to Wade. If the Heat don’t make that transaction, then it is basically placing its focus primarily on the future, in which case Beasley should be starting.

Lastly, expect Wade to take this team into the playoffs regardless of what happens. Ever watch the Dark Knight? Well, guess what, Wade is more than just a hero. He’s more than just an MVP. He is the season four Rachel Green. He is our dark knight!

P.S.

Someone steal a Golden Globe from Kate Winslett and make sure he gets it.