Breaking Up the Miami Heat: How Would You Do it?
Remember when the Heat lost to the Pacers in game three and the world was ending and all anyone could talk about was trading Dwyane Wade? Good times. Well, Boston’s 94-90 triumph over Miami on the road Tuesday is the kind of upset that will inspire the masses to chew up the internet’s bandwidth today on how to tear down and rebuild the Heat.
First, some quick thoughts on those old-ass Celtics, who got a 3-for-15 night from Rajon Rondo and a 6-for-19 effort from Paul Pierce, but still managed to win. How’d they do it, overcoming a 6-point deficit in the final six minutes? Actually, Miami led 59-50 midway through the 3rd quarter, but then ..
* Haslem turnover
* Lebron miss
* Wade miss
* Bosh turnover
* LeBron miss
* Chalmers miss
* Bosh miss
* LeBron miss
* Jones miss
I left out of a few offensive fouls on Miami, but that 59-50 lead turned into a 65-60 deficit at the end of the 3rd quarter. Poor coaching? Great defense? Setting for jumpers? All of the above. Had Erik Spoelstra never seen a zone defense before? Were they that unprepared? (The alternative: Doc Rivers is just a damn good coach.)
And now, LeBron (who I am not blaming for the loss). He shot 11-for-25 (6-of-8 on free throws). He was 2-for-6 on three pointers. I kept watching and expecting him to go into Game 4 vs. Indiana Beastmode … never happened. In that game (14-of-27, zero three-point attempts, 16 free throw attempts), everyone saw LeBron, the best player on the planet.
Check out his shot chart from last night. That’s 12 shots outside of the lane. Nearly half of his 25 shots. Go back to Game 4 against Indiana – just six shots (of 27) outside of the lane.
Am I nuts for thinking LeBron goes back into attack mode for games six and seven and the Heat advance to the Finals?
Oh, right, breaking up the Heat … keep LeBron, could care less what happens to the rest of the roster (obviously, Spoelstra has no shot of returning if they don’t win the title). LeBron took a group of misfits in Cleveland to the Finals and can’t get there this year with Wade?

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195 Responses to “Breaking Up the Miami Heat: How Would You Do it?”
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June 6th, 2012 at 9:52 AM
Didn’t he get there last year with Wade?
June 6th, 2012 at 9:52 AM
I’ve maintained that if an NBA team practiced and perfected a 2-3 zone, a la Syracuse, they would cause a lot of trouble in the league. It would be similar to facing the triple option in college football. You don’t see it often enough to fully prepare for it.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Like Sportscenter’s intro, leading with the Wade block in a game they lost.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Lebron was all about his last night, only 2 assists…of course you can blame him
Who will replace Coach Spo? Stan Van Gundy?
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Remember when LeBron stopped shooting threes? Not in the playoffs…he’s doubled his amount and he’s shooting an embarrassing 26%. Good thing he got all that post work in with Hakeem in the off-season.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
I think they need to seriously consider trading Bosh for depth and future draft picks. Though I’m not sure what Bosh’s value is right now.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
I agree, but it would be much tougher to do since there is a defensive 3 seconds rule in the NBA unlike in college where you can camp out there for the whole 35 if you wanted to.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:54 AM
I know it’s hindsight, but I’m amazed that people continually dismiss the fact that having two guys on the team who both need the ball in their hands is an issue.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:55 AM
NBA defensive rules don’t permit this. Teams are in essence limited to matchup zones due to player spacing requirements.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:55 AM
Is there still some animosity between he and Riley? Or am I remembering something that didn’t happen?
June 6th, 2012 at 9:56 AM
I think it can still be done. I believe the Mavs zoned the hell out of Miami last year.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:57 AM
I cannot beleive how many times Wade either half-asses or completely refuses to get back in transition. He is killing them.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:57 AM
Since Riley told him to go spend more time with his family once already, I see it hard for him to bring him back now or even for Stan to want to go work for him again.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:58 AM
I don’t think it’s even remotely obvious that this will happen. If they lose to the Celtics, it’s probably 50/50. If they make it back to Finals and lose, I’d say it’s 90/10 he returns. There is absolutely no clamor among Miami fans, brass, or players to fire Spo.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:58 AM
Get mouthed in the face by Paul Pierce. That’s the lasting image I’m taking from this series should the Celtics win. Up 1, less than a minute left, and Pierce, the woefully underathletic for an NBA player and past his prime Paul Pierce, nailing a three in the MVP’s eye to put away the game. In Miami. We’ve seen some cold shots, but that… that was just mean.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:58 AM
Hindsight is always 20/20 but what if Lebron had signed with Knicks and played with Amare and all the pieces that went to Denver? And what if Miami hadn’t blown lead in game 2 of Finals last year? What if. As far as Heat, Pat Riley should fire himself for his personnel decisions. Signing Battier was dumb, should have been spent on serviceable Center. Bosh playes well off Lebron if they have a bruiser beside him. They will never do it but Wade for a good big is the answer.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:59 AM
Is there still some animosity between he and Riley?
oh yea, most def…SVG was said in jest to TBL saying Coach Spo is on the outs
June 6th, 2012 at 9:59 AM
If they lose in this round, he’ll have Bosh as a convenient excuse.
June 6th, 2012 at 9:59 AM
This is not getting enough play. If the Celts win this series, a HUGE part of it is going to be Doc coaching the pants off of Spo. I believe there was a comment in the game thread last night where someone asked if the roster has taken Spo as far as they can. Brilliant point.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Lebron was all about his last night, only 2 assists…of course you can blame him
Celtics are very good defensively and a team is hard pressed to get many assists vs them. The Heat only had 13 last night. Lebron should of gotten a few more than 2, but there are worse things. He got 30/13.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Glad you really put in the thought and effort on this one, it being the headline of the post and all.
I think the Heat shoudl trade their entire roster (sans Lebron) for the Lakers roster (sans Kobe). They would easily make the finals then.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Up 1, less than a minute left, and Pierce, the woefully underathletic for an NBA player and past his prime Paul Pierce, nailing a three in the MVP’s eye to put away the game.
eye patch!
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Which is mind blowing to me. I guess that really goes to show the indifference of the organization and its front running fan base. As long as Spo is at the helm, at least when LeBron doesn’t even attempt a game winner or to take over, he can just blame the coach and say that the play was designed for him to dish off to Chalmers or Haslem.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
/fixed
June 6th, 2012 at 10:00 AM
I actually watched this game! Well, the 4th quarter. All I came away with is one team made their free throws and the other didn’t as many as they should have. Nobody “choked.” And Paul Pierce simply hit a big shot that was well contested. That’s it.
This would be unfortunate and stupid.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:01 AM
I normally tune out everything I hear Magic Johnson say because, well, he’s an idiot. But he made a great point post-game last nite. He said that it looked to him like the Heat players just flat out don’t like each other, and I agree wholeheartedly…they are one of the most joyless teams I’ve ever seen play professional sports.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:01 AM
He’s gotta go if they don’t make it to the finals man. I know it’s slight regression, but this team isn’t built to just come close. They have a shelf life that will most likely be halfway through after this year. There will be better coaches that will get more out of this squad. Of this I’m sure.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:02 AM
Boston is better than Miami, period. Breaking up the team for the sake of doing so doesn’t mean anything unless you can show how the Heat get better by getting rid of Wade or Bosh.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:02 AM
The Boston Red Sox for you on line 1, sir.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:03 AM
I read the article and forgot about the headline.
Oh, you did too…..good writing.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:04 AM
I think the Heat should hold pat until next year mid-season. They’d reek of desperation and wouldn’t get any value. They have the 27th pick for a role player.
They have $78 million tied up already for the next two years with their current roster. Best bet is trying to sell Kidd or Nash to come and re-do contracts. I don’t know of a coach out there that would take that job that wouldn’t be frozen out by LBJ/Wade.
The Spoelstra hiring was a tragic misfire at the start of the Heat “Dynansty”.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:04 AM
Lebron should of gotten a few more than 2, but there are worse things. He got 30/13.
per Elias, “It was James’ 21st 30-point/10-rebound playoff game, but the first in which he failed to register at least three assists”
June 6th, 2012 at 10:04 AM
LeBron for Dwight. Straight up. Who says no? Obviously I think the Heat would, but you can’t tell me that doesn’t make both teams immediately better. LeBron would have much better pieces around him in Orlando than he did in Cleveland and we saw what he did with those scrubs and Dwight next to Bosh down low and Wade gets to be the go to guy in the clutch again, no questions asked.
Not to mention, I think this pisses LeBron off more than anything and he finally becomes the player we all want to see because in his adult life has finally told him no. We don’t want you.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:05 AM
I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but did anyone else actually enjoy Stephen A’s take on SportsCenter last night? I was impressed.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:05 AM
Resistance is futile against the Rondo-KG pick n roll…
June 6th, 2012 at 10:05 AM
The Heat were +12 when Wade and LeBron were on the floor together last night.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
I wouldn’t call it choke either, but Boston took Miami’s milkshake in the latter part of the 3rd quarter. Really demoralized them. Miami, off pure grit, took ANOTHER good lead, and Boston was just not having any of it. Miami got punked. Plain and simple last night.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
LeBron for Dwight. Straight up.
This is crazy. Wade isn’t half the player Lebron is. I mean really, really crazy.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:06 AM
it’s probably easier to trade lebron and build a winning team around Wade and Bosh than it is to actually give this team some heart and a fire to fight tooth and nail for every win rather than just expecting their individual talents to carry them through.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:07 AM
Who will replace Coach Spo? Stan Van Gundy
jerry sloan. but Lebron would never go for it.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:08 AM
LeBron for Dwight. Straight up. Who says no?
Pat Riley
June 6th, 2012 at 10:08 AM
First Pedroia, now this.
It’s been slow, and there’s still many years to go, but your transition to a Boston fan is coming along nicely.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:10 AM
He was terrific.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:10 AM
Let’s assume that roster comes back largely intact, ask yourself, could Riley, Larry Brown or Phil Jackson coach this team to a title?
If yes, ask yourself what coach could do that, and get them. If no, then you have to devise a strategy to shake it up a bit.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:10 AM
I think people tend to forget just how good Wade was before LeBron got there. LeBron hasn’t really elevated Dwyane’s game as many thought was going to happen, hell, even I thought was going to happen. I don’t think he’s as good as LeBron, but to say he’s not half the player, in my opinion, is a little ridiculous. But to each his own.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:11 AM
Not sure if ORl is sending Dwight to a team intra-division either (and vice versa). Yes, from a roster standpoint that’d make some sense… But just wouldnt happen.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:11 AM
You hush. You hush right now.
But seriously, that was just crazy to see two teams go through gut check time and one just not really care what the hell the other team did, they were just going to win. That was it. It was exactly like OKC-SA on Monday.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:12 AM
He absolutely should. But, it isn’t like he hasn’t this series In their previous 2 losses (Games 3&4) he attempted more “close” shots (At the rim and 3-9 feet) at than in their 2 wins
Game1: 12
Game2: 9
Game3: 19
Game4: 18
Game5: 12
June 6th, 2012 at 10:12 AM
When the Heat lose, the terrorists lose and ‘Merica wins.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:12 AM
Lebron and Kobe are both FA’s at the end of 2013/2014.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Lebron made a layup and a 3 at around the 8:30-8:15 mark of the 4th to take the Heat from a 4 point deficit to a 1 point lead. After that, the entire rest of the game he had three misses and the bunny layup with 9 seconds left. He went almost 4 minutes, from like 7:30 to 3:30 or so, without even taking a shot.
Forget even the misses…How does LeBron go 4 minutes without taking a shot in the waning minutes of the 4th quarter in a Game 5, series tied?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Good job. Good effort.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:13 AM
Good effort, good job, Jason.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:14 AM
Articles like this make me almost want Miami to win. Why not just wait until they’re eliminated to write this?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:15 AM
Game 6 will be decided in the final six minutes of the 4Q. Insane anticipation here.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:15 AM
I’ve said it before. The problem is not the big 3. It’s the rest of that roster. Pat the rat should fire himself.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:15 AM
KG Face that LeBron saw in his nightmares last night.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Dwayne Wade for the Pistons 1st pick and Rodney Stuckey.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Not sure who will be shucked, maybe Spoelstra, maybe Wade, but somebody is gone. Someone has to be the scapegoat.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:16 AM
Exactly. This whole exercise if futile since we all know Lebron is coming back to the Cleve in 2014 right Brian Windhorst?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
It’s pretty easy to say this, but you really have to consider the opponent. Boston is a better defensive team than Indiana. He’s not being guarded by muppets like Danny Granger, and Garnett is a much better inside defensive presence than Hibbert.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Because it can be run both times and get double the pageviews!
June 6th, 2012 at 10:17 AM
Melo opts out, Chandler and Amare become expiring contracts… There’s hope for the Knicks!!!!
June 6th, 2012 at 10:18 AM
This makes a lot of sense since NY does have some of the best hospitals in the world.
/because they’ll be old, you see
June 6th, 2012 at 10:19 AM
But you can’t really have it both ways. The Big 3 severely limits what the rest of the roster looks like.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:19 AM
I remember people saying this when LBJ signed, but they were drowned out by the “HOLY SHIT LEBRON AND WADE!!!” people. The Heat have 2 diamonds, a pearl and then a bag of shit surrounding them. Even diamonds and pearls look nasty covered in shit.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:20 AM
A fact overlooked: LBJ was 7-8 in the first 18 minutes. He then went 4-17 the rest of the way. It is too simple to say he choked, but the dude clearly deserved at least partial blame. His team could not score the entire second half. He had a ton of looks and did not convert. He is the best player on the court.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:21 AM
fantastic
June 6th, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Exactly, they were lucky to even get some players come at a discount rate. The team should have worse players after the Big 3 but the NBA cap is a joke.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:21 AM
Don’t need to break them up. Boston has one more year tops. Chicago is done because Rose is going to retire and have someone else fill out his disability forms for him. They have a huge window still.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:22 AM
Especially when you can only look at one diamond at a time.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:23 AM
What’s that mean?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Not sure who will be shucked, maybe Spoelstra, maybe Wade, but somebody is gone. Someone has to be the scapegoat.
agree, I think Bosh gets moved…just my two cents
June 6th, 2012 at 10:24 AM
Hard cap and no guaranteed contracts or much more buyouts would’ve been much better for the league.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:25 AM
Wade is still king in Miami I believe, but he should be the one traded. The Heat need Bosh down low, because without him they have Joel Anthony and that’s about it. I would think Wade would command a better trade, too, but he might have a no-trade clause or some shit like that.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:26 AM
I think it would be quite the panic if they break this up. If Bosh is healthy, the series is probably over. Spend another offseason upgrading 1-2 contributors like last offseason and hope Mike Miller can ever get healthy.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:26 AM
I didn’t check (that’s what Scalia’s for)…but didn’t Miami immediately rattle off like a 20-7 run as soon as it hit 65-60? I don’t think you can blame that 5 minute period in the 3rd quarter for this loss.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:26 AM
Trade that whiny, lazy bitch Wade for a decent big man.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:27 AM
Exactly. This whole exercise if futile since we all know Lebron is coming back to the Cleve in 2014 right Brian Windhorst?
I presume Lebron to take Kobe’s spot in L.A. No? Lebron to the Cavs won’t happen until LBJ is being kicked out of his post-MIA city. 2018-19 ish.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:28 AM
I believe you can tho. They spent 90M (20M/year) on Joel Anthony, Haslem, Miller, & Chalmers. Now imagine if they had spent that money on 3 good players, to go along with the big 3.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:28 AM
can’t riley in the middle of the game send some sets or suggestions to spo?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:30 AM
So we all agree that the 2 60+-win Cavs teams had a better supporting cast than the Heat right?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:31 AM
I keep hearing about signing better players and while I agree Miami hasn’t necessarily spent their remaining cap money wisely, who do people really think they could have signed?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:31 AM
Dolphins Cheerleaders. Wow.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:31 AM
So we all agree that the 2 60+-win Cavs teams had a better supporting cast than the Heat right?
if one of those teams was the Larry Hughes, Drew Gooden, Bron James team than yes
June 6th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Of course. If LeBron wasn’t so impatient and was a better player GM he could have acquired another star caliber player.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
Miller $5MM
Haslem $3.8MM
Anthony $3.6MM
Chalmers $4MM
Point out better guys that were signed in the last two years for less than these amounts.
They did what they could, but they’re incredibly limited. The one thing I will question is the length of the contracts that were offered a few of these guys.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
I think Chalmers is fine, and to a lesser extent Haslem. Chalmers works perfect with Wade and LeBron becomes he’s unselfish and works pretty hard defensively.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:33 AM
I got ya: 65-60 Boston to start the 4th. 78-72 Miami (18-7 run) with 6:16 left. Then, Wade blocks Bass’ dunk attempt and Rondo makes the crazy play to tip it out to Pietrus who makes his first of 2 huge 3′s. Someone else made the comparison (probably Windhorst), but LeBron had to have flashbacks to that Orlando series when he turned into Reggie Miller.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:35 AM
The Cavs team that lost to ORL in the conf finals would beat this Heat team.
The Cavs team that lost to the Spurs in the finals played better defense than the other Cavs team or these Heat teams, but would lost to this Heat team.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:35 AM
It was certainly a more well-rounded team but I’m not sure it was better. The Antawn Jamison signing was retarded and such a bad reach.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:35 AM
Booby Gibson >>> Wade
June 6th, 2012 at 10:35 AM
What 3 “good” players can you get for $7million per year these days? Some guys who signed this for around that number this past offseason: Kwame Brown (6.8), Grant Hill (6.5), Kris Humphries (8), Carl Landry (8.5), Marcus Thornton (7.8).
June 6th, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Really? Since when did Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden become Wade and Bosh? Let’s be real. LeBron is great and making mediocre players better but he’s mediocre at making great players better. And he’s at his best when he is the surefire, no doubt, #1 on the team. I think the problem is, for some strange reason, he’s not comfortable with that.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:36 AM
Steve Nash sign and trade with Gortat and the 13th pick for Lebron. But I’m selfish.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:36 AM
This is a bullshit narrative that I should have come to expect from Coach Mac. Miami scored 17 points on 12 possessions when Boston was zone. That’s 1.4 ppp. If they score at that rate throughout the game (96 possessions) they score 136 points.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:37 AM
The Spoelstra hiring was a tragic misfire at the start of the Heat “Dynansty”.
parallel: bears getting cutler and ignoring the 0-line and wr corps
June 6th, 2012 at 10:37 AM
joke Matty_Cam
June 6th, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Thank you Scalia.
Also…I don’t think you can put any blame on LeBron for Pierce’s three. Just a great shot from a quick pull.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:38 AM
Larry Hughes > DWade
June 6th, 2012 at 10:38 AM
They didn’t want to give up Hickson in an Amare trade. Which is too bad because Lebron and Stat running a pick n roll in those days would have been fun.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:39 AM
June 6th, 2012 at 10:39 AM
Cleveland signing Shaq was pretty stupid too.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:39 AM
Screwed that up, but you get the point
June 6th, 2012 at 10:40 AM
I agree with everybody else though that when these 3 all signed in Miami, they thought the league was going to lay down for them and this shit was just going to come easy. Now that they’ve got to work a little bit, they’re being exposed. Of course if they come back to win this series, that can all change and it would be tough to call them heartless front-runners again until they lost in the finals. And if they won that, good for them. They’d be on their way to not 1, not 2, not 3….
June 6th, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Yea Chalmers is pretty good. Replace Chalmers with ‘the corpse of Battier’ in my comment and my point stands.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:41 AM
Their reluctance to give up Hickson is hilarious in hindsight.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Especially when you consider it was a trade. They really bailed out Phoenix with that trade.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:43 AM
Didn’t he get released by the Kings this year? Who is he even playing for now?
/Both of those are serious questions.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:43 AM
I don’t think that’s true about the fans. Everyone I know wants spo fired and my twitter feed blew up last night with fans complaining about him. Maybe my group friends are the minority in the overall stupid heat nation though
June 6th, 2012 at 10:45 AM
It definitely was. But, in 09 they lost to Orlando because they struggled with Dwight and weren’t atheltic/long enough on the wing to defend Lewis/Hedo/Pietrus. So, they go out and sign Shaq/Powe and Parker/Moon. What happens? They lose to Boston before even reaching Orlando because their bigs got stretched by KG/Baby.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:47 AM
Didn’t he get released by the Kings this year? Who is he even playing for now?
Yes and finished the season with Portland.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:48 AM
Speaking of Big Baby… I know Danny Ainge has made some questionable moves at the Celtics GM, but he absolutely fleeced Orlando in that deal for Brandon Bass.
/Blind squirrel
June 6th, 2012 at 10:50 AM
To be fair to the Cavs the Suns had spent the entire season before force feeding Shaq so someone would be dumb enough to believe he was still a productive guy. I think he wound up with like 18/9 numbers that year.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:50 AM
I’m not blaming him. There’s nothing you can do there. But it was just the perfect ending to capture the night: Best defender on the guy who closes the games and the decision was just rendered moot. Nothing Miami did mattered, that play encapsulated that.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:51 AM
Ainge hasn’t been that bad as GM. The only really questionable move was the Perkins deal. He put together the Big 3, and has found value off the scrap heap with Posey, Powe, Bass, etc.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:52 AM
i like Big Baby more than the black hole Brandon Bass, Baby plays defense
June 6th, 2012 at 10:52 AM
LeBron contested that shot so well, he basically fouled Pierce. Just a crazy/un-defendable shot.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:53 AM
A little overboard there, no? Somehow the team he assembled has done fairly well over the last 4 years or so.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:54 AM
Got it.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:54 AM
Essentially, Paul Pierce finished
onin Lebron’s face.June 6th, 2012 at 10:54 AM
That whole Hickson story is not true. It was more of thing where PHX wanted to tack on Shaq’s contract and some other shit. Basically, the Cavs couldnt match the Suns in exchangable salaries.
It was a monetery discussion, not really talant-laden. Cavs could have tried to unload Wally for Shaq and other bad contracts. Wasnt happening. First thing you do in is say Player A is untouchable to create value.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:55 AM
It’s not even about the money. The Spurs got Diaw for nothing. Even bad teams, over the course of 2 years, find good players. The Nets, for example, got Gerald Green off a D league roster and Kris Humphries riding pine in Dallas. Riley seems too satisfied since getting Lebron instead of being proactive.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Cavs lost to ORL b/c ORL shot insane on 3′s that series. No more, no less.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:55 AM
I believe their reluctance was trading a young, promising (at the time) big man for a guy with knee issues and no gurantee to resign with the cavs after his contract expired.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:56 AM
neither team is likely to shoot 3s like that in g6
June 6th, 2012 at 10:56 AM
Cavs lost to ORL b/c ORL shot insane on 3′s that series. No more, no less.
Howard was shooting 3′s?
June 6th, 2012 at 10:56 AM
So instead they just traded contracts that could be pulled off the books for Shaq a year later.
June 6th, 2012 at 10:59 AM
I agree. Similar on the offensive end, but Davis is the far better defender.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:00 AM
He probably does, but this season Bass has been a much better shooter than Baby and the perfect fit for Boston.
Bass: 10-15′ 48% 16-23′ 48%
Baby: 10-15′ 41% 16-23′ 30%
June 6th, 2012 at 11:00 AM
It’s not being said enough how horrendous Wade has been. I’m a LBJ supporter, but call him out when necessary. Seems like Wade has gotten a free pass for lazy, sloppy play.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:01 AM
Hindsight is always 20/20 but what if
Cleveland had traded JJ Hickson in an Amare deal then drafted Dajuan Blair instead of some scrub from Kenya. Lebron would still be in Cleveland, and the entire city wouldn’t be such bitches.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:02 AM
Bass also signed for 4 years at $18 mil, while Davis signed for 4 years at $26mil.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:03 AM
As has been noted, the Amare for Hickson stuff has been debunked by many around the league.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:03 AM
lebron back to cleveland!
/id give him a piggy back ride back from miami
June 6th, 2012 at 11:04 AM
Holy shit….I agree with you.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Bass also signed for 4 years at $18 mil, while Davis signed for 4 years at $26mil.
no excuse from me for Otis Smith handing out yet ANOTHER bad contract
June 6th, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Howard didn’t get that loose. He avg’d like 24 pts a game which included a ton of FT’s in a hack-a-shaq end to game 6. He was gonna get his. Howard did shoot FT’s really well that series and the Magic, especially that POS Pietreus, made a ton of 3′s.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:06 AM
Cleveland has a good young team. You don’t want to go back with your ex. It will ruin your life.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:06 AM
lebron back to cleveland!
/id give him a piggy back ride back from miami
him and kyrie has to be better than that BigThree mess in Miami!
June 6th, 2012 at 11:07 AM
Bass: 10-15′ 48% 16-23′ 48%
Baby: 10-15′ 41% 16-23′ 30%
meh, Bass played more minutes…Davis came on late and had to share time with MIP Rainmaker Ryan Anderson
June 6th, 2012 at 11:07 AM
plus andy and him on pick and rolls was killer. i think it’d be a better x’s and o’s match than in miami…not sure if you werre joking.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:08 AM
@scripty that series was prob my favorite of all time for me as a fan
June 6th, 2012 at 11:10 AM
Yea I’ve heard Kerr with Simmons say he ultimately realized he was silly to even think of trading Amare for JJ freaking Hickson and the deal never progressed.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:10 AM
True, but that wouldn’t affect the %s. But, Baby is (somehow and awkwardly) a better finisher with both more makes at the rim/game (w/ less minutes) and a higher %.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Also, in 2009, Shaq was actually playing well (as well as 35 yr old Shaq can play) until he broke his hand. Missing that 25 game stretch before the playoffs killed him and killed the team.
I thought getting Jamison wasn’t a bad move because it gave them a proven scorer with the reserves in. But, the Shaq injury, then the Z injury never let them get acclimated with one another. The Cavs never had their full lineup with Jamison until the first game of the playoffs. That destroyed rotation chemistry.
And yes, Irish, the Cavs lost to the Magic in 2008 solely because they had 5 guys turn into Mark Price, Reggie Miller, and Jeff Hornacek shooters for one series. Didn’t matter who it was, every perimeter guy hit every shot the entire series. It was absurd, but you know that already.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:12 AM
@scripty that series was prob my favorite of all time for me as a fan
well that makes me feel better. Now I can just forget about a lifetime of zero pro championships.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:12 AM
That had to be blast to cheer for. It was like a dobule-digit seed in March Madness. Bench going nuts, shots raining in from everywhere.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:12 AM
True, but that wouldn’t affect the %s. But, Baby is (somehow and awkwardly) a better finisher with both more makes at the rim/game (w/ less minutes) and a higher %.
wasn’t trying to debunk your stats, I like Baby Davis….he was all the Magic had in the playoffs this year…showed some heart unlike the other players
June 6th, 2012 at 11:13 AM
fagic
June 6th, 2012 at 11:14 AM
not sure if you werre joking.
asi asi
i think it would be so interesting to see them together, but the sarcasm was that lumping him with bosh and wade was supposed to be the way too
June 6th, 2012 at 11:15 AM
Judging that Bosh is his crippled, unproductive self… not his productive cross-dressing self…. Starters/(substitute)
2012 Heat 2008 Cavs
PG Chalmers (Cole) Mo Williams (West)
SG Wade, (Miller) Delonte West, (Gibson)
SF Lebron, (Miller) Lebron, (Szerbiak)
PF Battier, (Bosh) Varajeo, (Ben Wallace)
C Haslem, (Anthony) Ilgauskas, (Varajeo,Wallace)
June 6th, 2012 at 11:15 AM
lol Wally, it was fun to come on here the next day and talk some trash to my fave Cavs fans
June 6th, 2012 at 11:16 AM
This is true. And one of those fuckers is doing it to LeBron again this year. If Peitrus doesnt hit two 3′s late in the 4th the Heat probably win rather easily.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:16 AM
I hated him as a Cavs fan when he was with Boston. It feels like he should never score….but he does. He is so good at that awkward finish and using his body to create and manipulate space. Then he drops in a few jumpers and it just pisses me off. And, defensively he is great w/ rotations…takes so many damn charges.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:17 AM
Glad we could get all nostalgic about the ’08-’09 Cavs teams. Good stuff.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:18 AM
Anybody the Heat would get to their roster to improve pretty much has to be a mininum contract guy. They are 100% maxed with the Big 3, Miller & Chalmers.
Who’s doing what on league mininum? To say the Heat should should be adding guys, you’d have to get a guy on the cheapest.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:19 AM
at least we get to see the Heat lose again, always fun
June 6th, 2012 at 11:19 AM
Michael Pietreus was great in Black Hawk Down as the Somali Warlord’s #1 Lieutenant.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:21 AM
I’m not as well-versed on the new CBA and luxury tax implications, but don’t they still have the MLE?
June 6th, 2012 at 11:22 AM
There best bet is to go after the old guys. Allen, Nash, Hill to name a few. Hill would probably be their best bet. Or someone grows a pair and trades Wade.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:26 AM
The heat could use a big guy as well. Robin Lopez is cheap and has some what of a skill set. Plus you can tell Lebron its Varejao.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:30 AM
Miller is the big problem. He’s on the books for $18.6mil over the next 3 years. Haslem is at $13mil over the next 3 and Chalmers has $12mil over the next 3.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:32 AM
Have they used their amnesty yet?
June 6th, 2012 at 11:34 AM
I don’t believe so
June 6th, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Chalmers is fine. He can shoot threes, play defense and is unselfish. He’s slightly worse than Mo Williams was on the Cavs.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:38 AM
In the regular season? Worse than Mo. But, Mo turned into MoPanic come playoff time. He was brutally awful.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:40 AM
yikes I forgot about that Mike Miller contract, will always have love for him…former Magic rookie of the year!
June 6th, 2012 at 11:41 AM
I’m not as well-versed on the new CBA and luxury tax implications, but don’t they still have the MLE?
They have an amnesty. They have 71 million on the books for a (approximate) 60.5 million cap.
“Teams without cap room that paid tax in the previous season have an MLE of $3 million with a three-year duration”
So this would be the Heat.
They could at best sign a guy for $3mill x 3.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:42 AM
He was fine in 09 including against Orlando. But he completely sucked the next season agasint Boston…4-19.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:43 AM
Thinking it through, does a Miller Amnesty help them? It only does if that allows them to do another MLE. At that point they’d have to get another player to back-up SG/SF (terrible SG crop) and then get a player to take their MLE at $3 million x 3 years.
Heat are in cap prison.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:43 AM
I thought there was some sort of differing MLE’s based on whether you paid the tax. Good find, thanks.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:46 AM
That’s my thought. Even if they amnesty Miller I think they are still limited to just the MLE. Perhaps the full MLE and not just the luxury tax one, but still just an MLE. And, if Miller can ever get healthy you’d rather have him and the $3M MLE than no Miller and the $5M MLE.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:47 AM
Mo Williams had a great quote in that ORL series…. ” We are the best team in basketball”
June 6th, 2012 at 11:48 AM
/glares at no-show mo
June 6th, 2012 at 11:48 AM
At PG for league minimum, you’d have maybe Gilbert or Baron Davis, or maybe a Johny Flynn.
I don’t see Nash or Kidd Kidd coming for the drama and $3 mill a year. Implausible but not impossible.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:50 AM
I think even if they cut Miller, they are stil bound to the $3 million MLE.
You only get the higher $5 mill MLE if you didnt pay payroll tax the prior year (Heat paid this year).
June 6th, 2012 at 11:52 AM
Amnesty Miller and beg Nash and Hill to come to Miami. Or you can always make trades. Which is probably their best option. Selling high on Wade right now would be the best move they could make.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:52 AM
at PF/C maybe a Jarod Jeffries, Reggie Evans, Luke Harangody type. Real shitty there.
Also, Robin Lopez has a $4 mill qualifiyng offer most likely. He can get way more than the $3 mill from MIA.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:54 AM
At that point they should be looking for a center not a PG. You could get Robin Yopez for the 3/3.
June 6th, 2012 at 11:56 AM
Miller is the big problem. He’s on the books for $18.6mil over the next 3 years. Haslem is at $13mil over the next 3 and Chalmers has $12mil over the next 3.
I wanted the Lakers to get Miller so bad in the offseason….so glad they didn’t
June 6th, 2012 at 11:59 AM
Trading Wade is still the easiest way to fix/changeup the Heat.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:01 PM
Again, doing the Amnesty on Miller does nothing for them. It has no impact on how much they can offer Nash.
Begging Nash does seem like the best move though. It’s that, or trade somebody, if you dont like the roster.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Kwame got $7 million. I think Lopez could get $6 x 2 or so. There are so pretty bad teams with lots of cap space that could offer him $4-6m x 3.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:05 PM
As long as none of those teams are Phoenix I will be happy. The guy shows up once every 7 games. You can always sign and trade for Nash if he wants to be properly compensated.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:05 PM
Beg Nash
Trade Wade
Get lucky on some Jeremy Lin type guy.
That’s your offseason Miami.
Per my 1st comment, I’d stay put and roll the dice on being healthy into the 2013 playoffs (gulp).
June 6th, 2012 at 12:07 PM
You can always sign and trade for Nash if he wants to be properly compensated.
They cannot trade picks or dead contracts (who wants what MIA has?) for Nash. Nobody wants their contracts and they traded a bunch of #1s to CLE and TOR in the LBJ / Bosh deals. You cannot trade a first rounder in back-to-back years, so they cant unload their #1 this year, CLE has it next year.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:08 PM
If thats the case than you use your mle on Grant Hill. That makes sense to me. Pretty sure Hill still lives in Florida anyways.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:10 PM
Here is the Miami cap situation:
http://hoopshype.com/salaries/miami.htm
Player 2012/13 2013/14
LeBron James $17,545,000 $19,067,500
Chris Bosh $17,545,000 $19,067,500
Dwyane Wade $17,024,000 $18,536,000
Mike Miller $5,800,000 $6,200,000
Mario Chalmers $4,000,000 $4,000,000
Udonis Haslem $4,060,000 $4,340,000
Joel Anthony $3,750,000 $3,800,000
Shane Battier $3,135,000 $3,270,000
James Jones $1,500,000 $1,500,000
Norris Cole $1,113,600 $1,191,240
Ronny Turiaf $1,200,000 $0
$76 on the books next year.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:10 PM
The only thing I could think was maybe a chalmers/miller for Nash/Childress type deal but even that wouldnt get Nash that much more money.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:13 PM
Another thing is these guys were signed on the less penal labor agreement, I’d venture that all the roll players here like Miller, Chalmers, Anthony and Battier might be overpaid on the new equilibrium.
Haslem would retire most likely than play elsewhere.
So for the people wanting sign and trade, you’d have to find somebody to sign a very good player and accept Chalmers/Miller/Anthony/Battier in return. Woof.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:14 PM
Cayman Island account to a faux corporation owned by parents of Steve Nash with a 10-digit security code is the Heat’s best option.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:16 PM
I still say Nash/Gortat 13th pick for Lebron. Suns can throw in Dudley as well.
June 6th, 2012 at 12:35 PM
Totally agree, and actually, isn’t a chucker like Mo and plays much better defense, which to me actually makes him better.
I still think there’s enough their to win a title if Bosh is healthy and LeBron plays normal LeBron ball for 4 quarters and Wade doesn’t lose his composure.
June 6th, 2012 at 1:15 PM
Spo is a video assistant, not a head coach. Only thing saving his job – as it did since last season tipped – is Riles refusing to admit he made a mistake in giving that kid the keys to this Ferrari.