Mike Miller Injury: Is It the End for LeBron James' Miami Heat Dream Team?
Mike Miller is injured, and now the hopes and dreams of LeBron James come into question.
ESPN reported today that Miami Heat sharp-shooter Mike Miller injured his right thumb. The injury to his shooting hand should keep him out for several weeks. The Heat have not released a timetable, but Miller's absence for any amount of time will be a detriment to Miami's early success.
The Heat spent a lot of their offseason payroll on three players. That left question marks as to the depth on the rest of their roster. The acquisition of Mike Miller went a long way to answer those critiques. His absence will be felt in many ways, and here are but a few.
10: Early Issues
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Mike Miller is out and Dwyane Wade is nursing a hamstring. Already, the Heat enter this pivotal season hobbled. A lot of the issues that critics claimed could happen are predicated on the team faltering early. The biggest of these concerns has to be infighting and the confidence they have in their head coach.
Early injuries could amount to key losses, as the media plays the blame game so would the players. It is one constant in sports that losing leads to chemistry issues. While the Heat may survive on the talent of their big three, any hiccups could tarnish the tight bonds they claim to have.
I am also working on the assumption that Pat Riley would love to coach the Heat this year. He may look for any reason to oust Erik Spoelstra. Early struggles may be just what he needs, whether they are the coach's fault or not.
9: Shooters Nead To Heal
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Being a class shooter in the NBA is a fickle thing. You need to maintain consistency with your stroke. Any shooter with an injury to his shooting hand will need to lay off of it.
By allowing it to heal, Miller could lose the consistent stroke he relies on. Even after he comes back from the injury, it will take him sometime to shoot with rhythm and confidence.
8: LeBron and Wade Will Be Shooters
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Mike Miller was to be the first off the bench. With him on the floor at the same time as Wade and James, he would have been the outside weapon.
Now the already heavy minutes of Wade and James will be relegated to providing a consistent presence from behind the three-point area. Their ability to slash inside will diminish greatly.
While both players can shoot with confidence, they are no where as prolific a shooter as Mike Miller. What they are best at is driving to the hoop and collapsing the defense on to them.
7: Tough Early Schedule
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Now we know the Heat will not be at full strength next week. This is a tough proposition as they have two demanding games in the first week.
They will open up away at Boston and play Orlando at home in their third game. It is entirely within reason to expect them to go 2-2 to start their campaign. That is hardly a record they wish to start their season with.
6: Limited Time To Prepare
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The Heat are now in scramble mode. They only have two preseason games to prepare for life without Mike Miller. Then they start the season against the defending Eastern Conference champions.
The preseason is meant to get guys in a rhythm to play in the roles they will be needed. You have to determine who will be first off the bench and how many minutes you are looking at for each player. Some may fall outside of their comfort zone.
5: Eddie House and James Jones
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Now Miami takes a significant drop in who they can rely on.
The first players Spoelstra will look to will be James Jones and Eddie House. That is a huge drop-off in the offensive production they assumed they would have. You may be asking too much of them now. James Jones only played 14 minutes a games last season. Now, for the first couple of months, he will have to play 20 or more a game.
4: Bench Scoring
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This brings me to bench scoring. At some point James, Wade and Bosh will need a rest. It is the job of the second unit to maintain a lead when the starters are out. If they are behind, they use their weapons on the bench to chip away at a deficit.
With Mike Miller out, the Heat lose not only a sharp-shooting weapon but a leader for the bench players. The Heat better be up by double digits anytime one of the big three gets a breather because there are scant possibilities for scoring coming off of the bench.
3: Spread the Floor
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Mike Miller also added a great deal of versatility while on the floor with the big three. Team's defenses would have been spread mighty thin.
They would have had to guard the block with Chris Bosh down low. Then they would have had to play LeBron James and Dwyane Wade straight up as they drove to the basket. The reason being is both are great passers, and once Mike Miller's man bit on their dash to the hoop, he would have all day to fire from three.
Now who are they going to pass to with confidence, Mario Chalmers?
2: Dwyane Wade's Minutes
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As I mentioned, Dwyane Wade is nursing a sore hamstring. His minutes will be limited for the final two games of the preseason. But what Miller's absence does to him next week is anyone's guess.
You don't want to push a hamstring too soon but you also do not want your team to fall into a hole early. Wade will be forced to play minutes the Heat would rather him not. There are just not enough weapons on the roster for him not to do so.
This is especially true when you remember LeBron James had his hamstring stiffen up last week. The Heat do not want to be spread too thin. But it may already be happening.
1: Lose a Versatile Player
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The biggest asset they had in Mike Miller is his versatility. You can bring in James Jones but you lose production. If you bring in Eddie House or Carlos Arroyo, you sacrifice size.
Mike Miller's signing was the most underrated one the Miami Heat had this year. They will severely miss him for however long he is out.
