Are the Heat Headed the Right Way?

When the "Big 3" formed last pre-season, there was discussion about who would be the go-to-guy, and who would really be the true leader of the team. I think most people agreed that no matter how good Lebron is, Wade and maybe even Haslem are the captains of this team (do to their toughness and experience on the team). So last season, really did work out. It might have even helped that Bosh wasn't really playing to his full potential. This opened up a lot of room for Wade and James, and it let them dominate the ball, and play like the superstars that they are. I think the Heat's inconsistency had a lot to do with the big men. The Heat really had no true big men whatsoever. Haslem, who is always involved in the rebounding game, was out for almost the entire regular season. Even at 7 foot 3 Zydrunas Ilgauskas added no toughness to the team. His go-to shot was that long 2 point shot that he always seemed to hit, and that's certainly not what you want from your center. Joel Anthony, is an excellent defender, a tough guy and an outstanding rebounder, but last season he honestly gave the team nothing when it came to scoring. That left them with one player that was supposed to be the total package; Chris Bosh. Now we've established that Bosh did not play very well last season. But why? He was an all-star on the Raptors, but last year, even though he technically made the all-star team, did he really deserve it? I don't know. At times, he did show that he was a great player, but doesn't being an all-star mean consistency? All this being said, he was at least a top 25 player. But I think, the reason for his "off year" had to do with the kind of shots he took. He took too many jump shots! Throughout the season, it seemed like Wade and James were getting more points in the paint, than Chris Bosh. The first half of the season consisted of Bosh taking mid ranged jumpers when he was supposed to be the most capable big man on the Roster. That was his secret to success. On the Raptors, he did his part, by getting to the basket! As a Miami fan, the inconsistency of Miami in the first half of the season, was so frustrating! But then came the second half of the season, and it seemed that the Heat coaching staff was starting to think like me...

Bosh and the whole Miami team started to get sick of a losing attitude. They started to get their priorities straight, and understood that some guys just weren't playing the right way in the right positions. So after the break, it was no wonder why they started actually winning. They had an excellent end to the season and although they didn't go all the way, they got very close. I really felt like they were headed the right direction, and after the long lockout, they got off to a great start. But now, a little deeper into the season, I'm getting my doubts.

Like I said, last season the Heat were missing depth. This year it's the total opposite. They've got Miller and Haslem who are very healthy at the moment. Each of them add defense, toughness and the occasional points. They brought in Battier who is a very experienced player who can be subbed in for Wade or James because he plays Guard, or Forward. Now, they even have a legit center, in Curry who is now healthy and has lost a lot of weight. They have even brought in rookies, like Gladness and Harris who don't play much, but when they do, they add a lot of speed and firepower to the offence and defense. Pittman has also started to play a bit more this season. Like in the absence of Wade. And Cole definitely has lots of potential. But somehow, I feel like they're missing something. They are still giving up huge leads, like they did the other night against the Bucks. Here are some of the things, that I think will help the Heat improve.

Point Guard: The heat have had a lot of trouble with this position these past few years. Mario Chalmers, is a pretty good point guard that can always be dangerous with the 3-pointer. But what else? He averages over 2 turnovers per game, and only 4 assists. Those are terrible stats for a starting point guard. And their second option is Norris Cole. He averages only 8.5 points per game and 1.6 assists. And 1.9 turnovers. So many people have said that the Heat point guard situation has improved. I disagree. I generally don't do this, but I'm gonna go all Billy Beane on this one, and look at statistics. Last year, the Heat had more depth with their point guards, at least in Bibby and House, they had better ball handlers. As well as less turnovers. But because of the fact that there is a lot of potential shown in Chalmers and Cole, I think that instead of trading them, the coaching staff needs to work harder with them, because they are both very large keys to the success of the Miami Heat.

Who starts the ball: I think this is one of Miami's biggest issues. This is sort of a Plan B, to what I said earlier. If the Heat decide that they aren't gonna work with the point guards or trade them, the Heat need to figure out who brings the ball past half court. So far this season, it's been Lebron James. That doesn't work. If one of the best players on your team is a guard and they bring up the ball, that's fine with me. But James is not a guard. If the Heat are missing legit big men, then why is a 6-8 player bringing up the ball? If you think about it, it makes no sense. The Heat have decided that they are not going to play Eddy Curry often. This means that they need all the help they can get. If Wade (or when Wade's off, the point guard) brings the ball up the court, that opens up so many options. If there is nobody to pass to, he can always drive to the rim. If he's looking to pass, he has the center under the basket. He has each forwards at the mid-range sides of the court, and him and the other guard have the whole three point area. This way, Lebron and Bosh can take the occasional jumper, but usually penetrate to the basket, which they are both good at. And they are also in position to rebound the ball. Anthony is there to clean up the rebound and maybe even use some post moves which he has been working on. Lastly, Wade has the other guard to pass to for the 3, which Rio is very good at. It just opens up so many opportunities. Lebron would still get many points and assists, but this way it's not just him either taking a jump shot, or passing it. It the whole team moving the ball around through the better ball handler. Dwyane Wade.

Center: Once again, I think this is something the Heat really must work on. But I'll start off by saying, they don't need a new center. They need to improve the ones that they have. For Anthony and Curry, I won't look at their stats, because for a big man, you hardly can. These are two pretty different players though. For example, Joel Anthony averages about 2.5 points per game, in his career. Curry averages about 13. But they both are very tough. That's something that they can always work with. They can block. They can rebound. They can take a charge. But this season, they just... can't... score. Now Joel Anthony has actually improved. You can tell that he feels a lot more comfortable. But I still don't see that hunger that I see when he is rebounding. Now I can't blame Curry. He has lost a lot of weight and is healthy. For him, I blame the coaching staff. Much like for the point guard position, they don't seem to see how important these "little" players are. Spoelstra Barely ever plays Curry but why? The few times he does play, he is more impressive every game. He rebounds and even scores, despite the fact that he plays for like two minutes a game, he still gives 100%. So does Anthony. Again, all he's missing is his scoring, and they need to help him with that. Because if Anthony and Curry start to perform night in, night out, and they get their time on the court, the defense is going to find it awfully hard to defend.

Main Point: Ball movement! You see it all the time when the Heat are slipping away with their leads. When they get all those open field alley-oops. With ball movement comes depth. With depth comes working very, VERY hard. As a player, and as a coach. The Heat have the 3-point shooters. They now, have the big men. They have the talent. This shows that they already do have one of the steps to success. Depth. They just need to start working with it.

So... In order to be a good team, they do need depth. In order to win games, they will have to move the ball around. And when everyone starts working hard, passing, and understanding their positions, they will win championships.