Erik Spoelstra Not to Blame for Miami Heat's Mediocrity

Expectations were high for the Miami Heat heading into the 2010-11 season.

It's understandable, since the team had just acquired All-Stars LeBron James and Chris Bosh to team up with fellow All-Star Dwyane Wade.

Yet now, with more than a month having passed, the Miami Heat sit just two games above .500 with a record of 10-8.

If the playoffs started today, the Heat would be the sixth seed, just two spots ahead of the LeBron James-less Cleveland Cavaliers.

Tension is now growing in Miami as the losses begin to pile up. Coach Erik Spoelstra finds himself taking the brunt of the criticism, as Heat fans now continuously call for his firing. Even the players seem to be growing malcontent as rumors abound that Spoelstra has been too strict on the players and hasn't let them be themselves.

Yet, for all the controversy surrounding him, Spoelstra is not the source of Miami's problems.

Many people may be unfamiliar with Spoelstra, but he has actually been a part of the Miami Heat organization since 1995. After starting out as the team's video coordinator, he gradually worked his way up through the ranks before being named the successor to Pat Riley in 2008.

In just two years as a head coach, Spoelstra has lead the Miami Heat to 90 regular season victories and two playoff berths.

Keep in mind that in the year prior to his arrival, the Heat finished 15-67 with Pat Riley as head coach, the very same Pat Riley that fans are now advocating as Spoelstra's replacement. Of course, fans are also disregarding the fact that Spoelstra was hand-picked by Pat Riley himself as his successor.

With Spoelstra at the helm in 2008, the Heat became the first team since 1968 to go from 15 wins to the playoffs in just one year, a rather impressive accomplishment.

Also keep in mind that these teams weren't all that talented. For instance, besides Dwyane Wade, the Heat's 2008-09 core roster included two rookies in Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley, and two role players in Shawn Marion and Udonis Haslem.

Other than Wade, there was no player of the caliber of LeBron James or Chris Bosh. Yet, Spoelstra still managed to coach the team to two consecutive playoff appearances.

Many things can be attributed as the source of Miami's mediocrity thus far: a lack of depth, a lack of chemistry, a poor inside presence or even too many egos.

However, one thing is for sure: Head coach Erik Spoelstra is not the problem.