Miami Heat Team President Pat Riley Must Show Caution in 2010 Offseason
The 2010 free agency signing period is just a few weeks away and our Miami Heat have more room to operate than any other team.
Most fans and media outlets believe the Heat organization needs to dismantle the entire team and start from the ground up.
I, on the other hand, beg to differ. And here's why.
CHEMISTRY
After getting rid of nine of the 12 players from the 2007-2008 team roster (a 15-win season), the Heat returned in 2008-2009 with 10 new faces on its 14-man squad.
Of those 10 new faces, eight had three or fewer years of experience.
That season, the Heat returned to the playoffs after a one year absence, with a 28-win improvement. Most attributed that only to Dwyane Wade's play. Few actually gave credit to his teammates—typical media BS.
The Heat then made a mid-season deal, trading Shawn Marion for Jermaine O'Neal.
This past season, the Heat made minimal changes from their 2008-2009 plan. They brought in Quentin Richardson, Carlos Arroyo, and Rafer Alston. But for the most part, the team remained the same.
Yes, the structure of how things were done changed a bit. But for the most part, it was still the same team.
The team improved on ther 43 win '08-'09 season by winning 47 games this season.
Keep in mind that this season's team could easily have been a 50+ win club, and would have been perceived much differently, with a few favorable bounces here and there (like the Kobe shot over Wade, Wade losing the ball to James, and Jermaine protecting the rim on that Rondo lob).
This Heat posted 27 10+ point wins (seven against playoff teams) this season. They lost 19 games by 10+ points (18 against playoff teams).
Add that to the fact they had eight more wins by six plus points (four against playoff teams). 35 of Miami's wins came in a convincing manner.
And last, but not least, factor in the 12 losses the team had while actually holding fourth quarter leads. Had they won just half of those games, we'd be looking at a 53+ win team.
This group played great defense together and for the most part, did a good enough job on the offensive end. Sure, up-grades are needed.
But not to the extent that many of you believe.
ROSTER UP-GRADES
In my humblest opinion, the Heat are only three or four players away from being a consistent title contender.
CENTER and POINT GUARD are the team's two most concerning positions.
Unlike most people, I like Mario Chalmers. I believe he'll become a consistent starter in this league. He made 22 starts, with 12 coming against playoff teams, and six against teams that made it to the second round of the playoffs or higher.
But my focus isn't on him. It's on Carlos Arroyo.
Too much was made of the team's success with Arroyo as a starter—17 of his 35 starts (49 percent) were against teams that weren't in the playoffs.
Arroyo often didn't finish games and rarely was aggressive enough to keep defenses honest. He often held the ball too long and never really meshed well with Beasley. He needs to go.
The Heat need a quick, penetrating guard that can wreak havoc in the lane or one that has a deadly outside touch to spread the floor further for Wade and others—I'd suggest Luke Ridnour or Will Bynum.
The center spot is the next concerning position.
O'Neal started slowly, but really turned it on after Beasley went down in the Toronto game (Jan 27). His improved play was one of the main reasons that Beasley's numbers dropped.
He became Miami's second option. But in the playoffs, O'Neal proved that he can't be trusted.
The Heat must add size to protect Beasley until he fully develops. The only problem is, this free-agent class doesn't have a lot of talent available.
Brendan Haywood is the top option, in my opinion. He'd be a perfect fit for the Heat. And at age 30, they'd have three to four years to find his replacement.
The other concern is finding a starting small forward that can get out and create his own offense. Quentin Richardson had a good season, and a lot of big moments, but he didn't show up in too many games.
Some would like to see Dorell Wright get a chance at starting. But I say keep him on the bench. This is the spot where the Heat can make the biggest leap, due to what the 2010 summer has to offer.
LeBron James would be nice. However, Joe Johnson would come cheaper and easier. It'll be interesting to see how things shape-up.
Rudy Gay is another one to watch for, and Andre Igoudala might be available through a trade.
O'Neal, Jones, Randolph, Diwarra, Haslem, Arroyo, and Magloire shouldn't be brought back.
I like Haslem. But for Beasley to reach his potential (or if they are gonna foolishly pursue Bosh or Amar'e), Haslem has to be moved. A sign and trade deal would work for both sides.
In Conclusion
Being a fan, I have high hopes that certain players will be brought back (Beasley, Wright, Chalmers, Cook, Anthony, Richardson, and of course, Wade).
But I understand that Wade has the Heat in a difficult position, one that he started by being consistently injured (in both the '06-'07 and '07-'08 seasons). It would be nice if Wade didn't throw his teammates under the bus in pursuit of his own legacy.
But it's not his job to make logical decisions. That's on team president, Pat Riley. Here's to hoping good ol' Pat makes some good choices.
CENTER: Haywood and (Anthony/ Pryzbilla )
POWER FORWARD: (Beasley / Bosh ) and Milicic
SMALL FORWARD: (James / Johnson/ Igoudala / Gay ) and Richardson
SHOOTING GUARD: Wade and Wright
POINT GUARD: Ridnour and Chalmers
Roster Fill-Outs: Cook, Telfair , Craig Smith , ROOKIE(c), ROOKIE(pg)
