Ironically, the NBA season starts to warm up during the cold weather holidays. While some teams are very stable with their identity, the Miami Heat are looking in the mirror wondering what it sees.
In the preseason, questions were developing about how the Heat would gel. The roles that LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh had last season are far from what they need to be successful this year. All three of them need to realize that a team cannot be put together like a video game roster.
For a group of guys who played on the Olympic team together, it seems that they need Coach K to set them straight again. He constantly told the team about relying on each other instead of being the hero.
Last year, every one of these players was the hero, the go-to-guy. The “Miami Thrice” is going to have to realize that each of them has to adapt to their current situation. Right now it seems as if they are the same as they were before.
Wade and James love to drive to the basket, which is a great problem if one of them would take control of the point guard spot.
Although James doesn’t have the typical point guard body, he has great court vision and could provide great spacing for the team. If the defense shifts more towards the perimeter with James, Wade and Bosh could be more effective for give-and-gos and flashes to the post.
LeBron already ranks inside the top 10 in assists with just under eight per game. He is just behind the likes of Derrick Rose and Russell Westbrook, who are considered premier point guards in the league. If James wants to be more Magic than Michael, he needs to put the team on his back in a different way.
Wade is a player who dominates the ball like LeBron. Even when Shaquille O’Neal was at his side, he was getting to the foul line regularly. He has had this role for his entire career from Marquette to the NBA. To ask him to change his style within a three month period is a big task for any player.
Going from a player who moves with the ball to a role like a Reggie Miller or Ray Allen would be more productive for the Heat. He would still get his looks, but it would come more off screens and cuts on the baseline. It all sounds good, but can the Heat adjust with the leadership of Erik Spoelstra.
When a coach has to have team meetings because of speculation and inner frustration, it shows that he doesn’t have control of his team. The players seem to have control, but is this even Spoelstra’s team anyway?
He is a longtime member of the organization, so you would think that some of the ideology of a Pat Riley-coached team would be there. Many times, players have to build a respect of their coach before they can take being yelled at or criticized. Would the players buy in more to what Spoelstra was selling if he had the stature of Riley?
Whatever Coach Krzyzewski was doing was working in Beijing. The main goal is getting superstars to join together as a dominant force instead of just a bunch of great players on the floor.
Are the Heat a fast-break team, a half-court team, a defense first team or still unknown?
We will have more of an idea come Christmas when the competition reaches another level.
Will the Miami Heat have more “bumps” in the road?
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