Miami Heat: 10 Moves Heat Must Make To Turn Around Biggest NBA Bust Ever
Miami Heat players held a closed-door meeting following Saturday night's loss to the Mavericks.
No matter what was said, it will take more than just talk to fix the problems plaguing the talented triumvirate.
One of the best teams on paper has been by far the most disappointing team in the NBA this season.
It's really not even close.
The problems everyone expected have surfaced early and often.
Without a reliable point guard or big man, Miami has no chance to defend quick guards like Chris Paul or dominant big men like Dwight Howard.
There have been injuries to key players.
Dwyane Wade sat out the entire preseason, Mike Miller won't be back until January and Udonis Haslem won't be back until late in the season, if at all.
Then there are the shortcomings fewer people saw coming.
With no real reliable offensive attack, Miami's half court offense resembles something you might see during a pickup game at your local YMCA.
That means lots and lots of missed jump shots and horrendous offensive possessions.
The athletic brilliance of Dwyane Wade and LeBron James rarely surfaces at the same time. When one star is rolling, the other two stand and watch.
Finally, there is the question of leadership on the bench.
Most people believe Erik Spoelstra's leash is growing shorter by the day, as the losses pile up and the offense continues to struggle.
Will firing Spoelstra really be enough to fix the mess in Miami?
Here's 10 moves Miami must make to turn things around.
No. 10: Get to the Rim
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Dwyane Wade has shot the ball horribly from the perimeter this season, while LeBron James has taken a step back in his lifelong attempt to improve his jump shot.
The athletic brilliance of both players should allow them to easily overcome their shooting struggles.
Instead of settling for jump shots, they need to put the ball on the deck and get to the basket.
With their combination of size and skill, Wade and James should easily get to the free-throw line at least 10 times per game.
We all know they will get the calls.
No. 9: Free Mario Chalmers
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The one point guard on Miami's roster who can kind of defend and kind of shoot is Mario Chalmers.
Too bad he is kind of in the doghouse.
Chalmers showed promise as a defensive player during his rookie season. He was never a great shooter or a distributing point guard, but that isn't what the Heat need.
After an ankle injury set him back, Chalmers had played sparingly until seeing 21 minutes in Saturday's loss to the Mavs.
Without any flexibility to make a trade, the best in-house solution to fix the point guard problem is to move Chalmers into the starting lineup.
No. 8: LeBron Is the Point Guard
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It's about time to bring the Carlos Arroyo experiment to an end.
If Mario Chalmers is moved into the starting lineup at point guard, it will be strictly for defensive purposes.
On the offensive end, the best playmaker needs to have the ball in his hands.
That means LeBron James will need to distribute the ball and create shots for others.
Instead of using Arroyo to dribble around and forcing both Wade and James to move without the ball, one of the two stars needs to handle at all times.
No. 7: Fix the Offense
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It starts with LeBron James playing the point, but it doesn't end there.
Few teams are worse in the half court than Miami, which has displayed poor spacing and almost no player movement against solid defenses this season.
The biggest problem seems to be knowing how to move without the ball.
Wade has spent his career creating off the dribble, while LeBron refuses to post up and rarely crashes the offensive glass despite his skill set.
Even with little perimeter shooting, there is no excuse for failing to generate consistent production on offense.
No. 6: Run More Pick and Rolls
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Chris Bosh isn't a true post player.
His real strength to Miami's team lies in his ability to be a pick-and-roll player.
Bosh is an excellent shooter and an agile finisher.
Unless he is directly involved in an offensive set, he tends to get lost in the shuffle.
James became an adept pick-and-roll player in Cleveland without ever having a play with Bosh's skills at his disposal.
Wade rarely needs screens to get free off the bounce, but he is also a capable pick-and-roll player.
It's all about the want-to in Miami.
No. 5: Play Faster
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NBA fans got tired of hearing Charles Barkley lamenting at the Cavaliers' pace of play with LeBron James running the wing.
The excuse used to be the Cavaliers didn't have the personnel to run with the King.
Now, even with new running mates around LeBron, Barkley is still singing the same tired tune.
And he is right.
If there is one thing the Heat should do well, it's run early and often.
While the half court offense continues to struggle, the importance of getting easy buckets in transition will be magnified.
For that to happen, Miami's coaching staff will have to get the talented trio to play hard and fast while they are on the court together.
If it ever happens, look out.
No. 4: Defend the Paint
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Dallas became the latest team to ravage the Heat Saturday, scoring 46 points in the paint against Miami's paltry interior defense.
Asking Zydrunas Illgauskas to defend the paint is like asking Carlos Arroyo to becoming a prolific three-point shooter.
It's just never going to happen.
To compensate for the shortcomings inside, the Heat need to clean up the defensive rotations and collapse to the paint.
LeBron became a willing and able defender in Cleveland, and there is no question he could do more in Miami.
Meanwhile, Chris Bosh needs to at least pretend to play defense.
No. 3: Trust Each Other
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In order to improve its team defense, Miami's players will need to show they trust each other.
It could take time to build even a small level of trust.
Miami's big three have been so concerned about being labeled unselfish that they are reluctant to assert themselves.
Instead of looking for the best shot available, the Heat seem concerned with distributing the ball to even up the shot attempts.
If everyone was on the same page, the risk of hurt feelings wouldn't be the primary concern.
Instead, winning would be the biggest single focus.
No. 2: Replace Erik Spoelstra with a Veteran Leader
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Spoelstra is a great coach, but he might be over his head in this particular situation.
More importantly, he doesn't appear to have the players trust like another more senior head coach would have.
Whether Pat Riley will give up his charmed life and return to the bench remains to be seen.
If Spoelstra doesn't do something to take control of the team soon, he could find himself as the scapegoat for the struggles in Miami.
It's time to start commanding respect.
No. 1: Drop the Sense of Entitlement
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According to Chris Bosh, the Heat players made a "collective" decision to hold a team meeting.
Now, they need to make a collective decision to check their collective swagger at the door.
Sure, it will take time for cohesion to develop.
It will also take effort, much more effort than the Heat has shown.
After 17 games, Dwyane Wade and LeBron James are telling anyone who will listen they aren't panicking.
Maybe that is the problem.
While they try to stay calm, the losses are piling up.
The sense of urgency isn't increasing. The offense execution is still dismal. Defense appears to be optional at times.
You can't make up for a lack of size or an abundance of injuries, but you can play hard and make a visible effort to improve.
At this point, Heat fans just want to see some sort of improvement.
With three potential Hall of Famers on the roster, that doesn't seem like too much to ask.
