5 Lineup Experiments Erik Spoelstra Should Try with the Miami Heat

With so much time to contemplate on what to do with your team this offseason, maybe Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra should take a look at this article as some tips on what to do with his team.

It certainly would beat what he's been coming up with so far. After all, it's apparent that he doesn't know how to break the simplest of zone defenses by not implementing shooters and keeping the same slashers and drivers in.

He should definitely take some of the advice that he's about to receive from this article since they provide different lineups for different situations that Spoelstra and this Heat team will have to endure through for the rest of their time together. These are not ideas that should be used all the time, but some should be utilized for specific instances, such as breaking a zone, rather than at any point in a game.

If Spoelstra wants to begin leaving a legacy, he'll start now by taking tips from this piece. Here are five lineup ideas that the coach and the rest of this organization should use from here on out.

Follow John Friel on twitter @JohnFtheheatgod.

Have LeBron James Run the Point

Ideal lineup:

PG: LeBron James

SG: Dwyane Wade

SF: Mike Miller

PF: Chris Bosh

C: A player to be named later

A lineup regarded as the ideal one to start a game with features LeBron James starting at point guard for the first time since his rookie season. In his usual spot at small forward, sharpshooter Mike Miller takes over and adds some versatility from the perimeter which the past starting lineups have lacked outside of the inconsistent Mario Chalmers.

Pros:

Not only does the team have a consistent three-point shooter finally joining the big three in the starting lineup, but more importantly they have LeBron running the point. Having James run the point gives him a size advantage over every other point guard currently in the league while still having a player with terrific court awareness and passing ability.

Cons:

The Miami Heat want to avoid another repeat of the Cleveland Cavaliers offense which featured James dominating the ball and sometimes not involving his teammates. He can be a terrific point guard when actually playing the role of facilitator, but he can also focus too much on himself when the ball is in his hands by taking wayward shots from the perimeter or not looking to pass.

Breaking the Zone

Ideal lineup:

PG: Mario Chalmers

SG: Dwyane Wade

SF: Mike Miller

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Udonis Haslem or Zydrunas Ilgauskas 

This lineup should have been run during the Miami Heat's NBA Finals fiasco against the Dallas Mavericks rather than having one injured three-point shooter, a point guard that couldn't shoot, and the big three. With no shooters to break the zone, the Heat struggled because their slashers had the defense focused on them.

Most NBA teams don't run the zone since the shooters in the league are at an elite level, but this lineup would still be useful if they want to stretch the offense or possibly break another zone if they do run into that type of defense.

Pros:

If the Heat do actually have to face a zone defense, this would break it in no time since they have shooters at just about every position. The players filling in at the 1 and 3 are both three-point shooters, Chris Bosh can shoot as far out as 20 feet, and Udonis Haslem or Zydrunas Ilgauskas both have consistent mid-range games.

Dwyane Wade will also play the role of slasher to keep the offense honest with one player that can attack when defenses collapse on the multiple shooters.

Having reliable sources of shooting from the perimeter is also a huge positive for a team that struggled with inconsistencies at that aspect all year last season.

Cons:

This lineup isn't defensive minded at all with the exception of Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem who would still struggle defending a center.

The Small Lineup

Ideal lineup:

PG: Mario Chalmers

SG: Dwyane Wade

SF: LeBron James

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Udonis Haslem 

A lineup that features no pure center, as the team went through the majority of the season last year, this particular squad focuses on speed and athleticism rather than size since the team has two 6'10" players manning the fort at power forward and center.

It's an extremely athletic lineup with the big three implemented as expected, an athletic point guard in Mario Chalmers, and an athletic defender and mid-range shooter in Udonis Haslem. There's a lot of versatility to this lineup and it's the best lineup to use against an inexperienced team that can't keep up with the teams athleticism.

Pros:

As I stated before, there's a lot of versatility on both sides of the ball when running this lineup, plenty of athleticism to go around, and a number of players that rely on their speed to defeat opposing teams. This is the perfect lineup to run when attempting to tire out a team as the Heat did last year when they caused teams to struggle in the fourth quarter because of how winded they made the opposition after the first 36 minutes.

Cons:

While the front court could use their speed to beat out the opposing front court, it would hurt them on the defensive end of the floor when the opposition team utilizes their size to dominate against the smaller Udonis Haslem and Chris Bosh.

Luckily for the Heat, there aren't too many teams with daunting figures to focus on inside the post outside of Orlando and Los Angeles.

A Chris Bosh Centered Universe

Ideal lineup:

PG: Mario Chalmers

SG: James Jones or a possible free agent signing

SF: Mike Miller

PF: Chris Bosh

C: Joel Anthony or a possible free agent signing 

There were too many times that the Miami Heat focused on Dwyane Wade and/or LeBron James in their lineup.

When they were in the same lineup, the Heat focused on the both of them and their slashing abilities. The coaching staff would sometimes implement either just one of the two superstars in the lineup rather than possibly focusing on their other All-Star in Chris Bosh. The power forward was the forgotten member of the big three as the coaching staff never made a true attempt to have the offense centered around him for a change last season.

Pros:

The Heat give Chris Bosh some confidence by trusting him to run an efficient offense that's solely centered around him rather than sharing the spotlight with Wade or James. Having Bosh run the offense gives way for a mid-range and post threat to bring some attention down low while allowing the shooters on the perimeter to get their shots in as well.

Bosh was a first option for seven years and the Heat should allow him to be one at least a few times next season.

Cons:

There isn't a lot of defensive resistance since this lineup is used for offensive purposes with Bosh in the middle and shooters on the outside.

The Defensive Lineup

PG: Mario Chalmers or a defensive-minded free agent

SG: Dwyane Wade

SF: LeBron James

PF: Udonis Haslem

C: Joel Anthony or a defensive-minded free agent  

It's tough to construct these lineups since free agency hasn't started, especially since the Heat are on the lookout for exactly what this particular lineup calls for.

With the possibility of the team selecting Shane Battier, Tayshaun Prince, or Grant Hill, the Heat would be able to utilize LeBron James defending an elite player that resides at the 1, 2, or 3 while allowing those three possible signings to fill in at the small forward for James.

Pros:

It's the near perfect lineup besides the fact that Chris Bosh isn't providing the offense that the team could use in the post. Since this is a defensive minded lineup however, the Heat will be able to utilize defensive minded forward and consistent mid-range shooter Udonis Haslem instead.

He'll be joined by two of the league's top perimeter defenders in Wade and James while also being accompanied by one of the three veterans mentioned, who are all recognized as defensive specialists.

There's also the high possibility that the team signs a center that's going to be utilized to fill the paint rather than the possible starter in Joel Anthony, who is a quality defender but is much too small to defend opposing centers.

Cons:

You lose out on reliable scoring from Chris Bosh, but there's nothing else to look down upon since this is a lineup intended for defensive purposes with still a number of players that could produce on the offensive side.