LeBron James bumped into/shoulder checked/sent a message to his coach Erik Spoelstra last night during Miami’s 105-94 loss in Dallas. It was Miami’s 4th loss in 5 games and dropped the Heat to 9-8. Surely by Monday morning body language experts will attempt to decipher what this contact means.

The Heat are stumbling like nobody could have predicted. As pointed out in columns like this and blog posts like this Dwayne Wade is struggling. Two weeks ago, the fingers were being pointed at Chris Bosh. When does LeBron start to catch heat?

The Heat apparently are trying to let the Big 3 drag them out of this malaise – they made 22 of the team’s 31 baskets last night and attempted 70 percent of the team’s shots. But their bench was outscored 39-22, and reinforcements aren’t due until late January/February.

When do we start thinking of the mighty Heat as a 4th seed in the East? Because through 17 games, this team isn’t a lock to win 50 games.