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How to Retool a Champion: Part II
The 2007 NBA Draft promised future pieces for world domination but the reality is, there are only a few pieces that could turn the tide for a franchise – and those are the first two picks in the draft.
Greg Oden and Kevin Durant are can’t miss prospects, if there truly is such a thing, while the rest have upside and promise but are still raw and have flaws.
Sure, there will be some talent that emerges from the subsequent ranks and the Heat’s Daequan Cook could be one of those talents. His ability to shoot and score and use the floor to set up his offense would mesh nicely with the personnel on this team. Then again, Riley has to believe in Cook enough to give him playing time – which means Cook has to prove he can defend.
As that is up for debate, and exactly what the Heat intend to do with Cook during this upcoming season, it seems a bigger part of the re-tooling process for the Heat will be involved with making trades and signing free agents.
Still, the draft is vital as it can give the Heat a free shot at talent that could fill a void or shore up a need. The Heat basically wasted their 39th pick for a trade of another 2nd round pick, but it seems that the Heat didn’t believe there was a talent left on the board that could help them.
But the Heat have a strange methodology when it comes to the draft. It is like they almost only value picks in the lottery, and then only like talent that goes undrafted. They make the most of the leftovers.
One of the reasons why the Spurs are so good as an organization is that they value their draft picks and use them to find the best matching talent available. Their draft this year yielded them Tiago Splitter – a lottery-tiered talent but with buyout issues – and Marcus Williams. Both players are yound and skilled and could serve as replacements a few years down the line.
The Heat? They drafted Daequan Cook, who is raw and is most likely not going to figure into the immediate plans for the Heat. At least, that is what the pundits think – who knows what Riley sees from Cook and how he reacts.
Which brings us back to the point about the Heat’s drafting methodology – it is confusing at best. One of the reasons why is, they may be very good at estimating where the talent will fall. In 2003 they got Dwyane Wade – he proved to be a steal. In 2002 they drafted Caron Butler – who fell to Miami almost as a miracle. Yet the Heat got who they targeted. 2004, it was Dorrell Wright, whom the Heat had targeted as a project with upside – and it was of no concern for Riley the coach because he was not coaching the team at that time. 2005 the Heat got Wayne Simien who had demonstrated very good NBA-level skills for a big, but questions about durability, and the fact that NBA execs seem to devalue seniors, caused him to drop.
This year, the Heat grabbed Jason Smith only to get the guy they really wanted, Daequan Cook. And a draft pick and cash, too. Well, the guy they really wanted was Javaris Crittenton, but the Heat estimated he would not make it all the way down to #20.
Again, proper assessment of where talent will land.
And maybe this is the key to understanding the Heat’s approach to the draft as well as their approach to re-tooling this team: it isn’t about talent, but about value. Getting a talent at the best price is what is key. Of course, many would argue that the Heat have demonstrated inaccurate assessments of talent as they signed Eddie Jones, Brian Grant and Antoine Walker to big deals. Yet for some reason, the Heat excel at getting talent where others have determined to be none.
This is precisely how the Heat are going to re-tool their team – they are faced with the challenge of upgrading the complementary players and overhauling the team culture from one of apathy to one of intensity and competitiveness.
Most will write off the draft for the Heat and say it doesn’t matter, but they would be undervaluing the draft and its use – teams are not supposed to find superstars at the 20th pick, they are supposed to find a serviceable professional who can contribute to your team. If a guy emerges into a superstar role, you hit the jackpot – not the other way around.
This leads us to the Summer League – where the Heat will really begin building its team. Cook will come on in and play for the Heat and show him what he can do, but so will other talents that went undrafted. Over the last couple of years, the Heat have signed Chris Quinn, Earl Barron, Robert Hite and Jerome Beasley out of their free agent activities for the Summer Leagues. They have had some interesting talents assemble in order for the Heat to get a closer look. This season will be no different, and no less important.
The Heat are still charged with finding a solution for PG, some depth to replace the soon to depart Posey and Kapono at SF, and a backup for Wade at SG as well as more perimeter defense.
The goal of the Summer League for the Heat is to find a couple candidates for these voids, and right now the Heat are on the right path as they are bringing in Trey Johnson from Jackson State. The 6′5″ guard was the second leading scorer in the nation at 27.1 per game, and thrives on competition. He average 31.5 PPG against ranked opponents this past season. He is a shooter, but very athletic and can finish at the rim. He is more experienced that Daequan Cook, and that might work in his favor of not only making the team, but being a solid contributor right out the gate.
If the Heat can get a good look at Johnson, and he can prove to them he will fill their needs, the Heat just landed a pretty good pickup without having to draft the guy. This wouldn’t be the first time the Heat have done this, and it most likely won’t be the last.
So, we all may be somewhat befuddled and confused about the Heat’s approach to the draft – and there is certainly room for criticism there – but it seems that the Heat have a strong belief in acquiring talent at the best price available. Johnson could be an example of this, and he did have his best workout when practicing for the Heat before the draft.
Maybe Randy Pfund knows something we don’t? In fact, you can bet on it.
You Can’t Cook Without Heat
“He couldn’t crack the starting lineup of a college team…”
Cook has a “weak work ethic and a massive ego.”
“Cook unlikely to help Heat find the right path.”
Welcome to Miami, Daequan. Apparently, you have a lot of work to do. And you have a lot to answer for.
Pretty much across the board, no one in the media likes this pick. Or are they really hiding how they truly feel?
To be fair, when the Heat draft a talent like Jason Smith, a talent with an indistinctive name from a virtually unknown basketball conference, and then trade that pick down one slot for a different player, some cash and a 2nd round pick in 2009, people are just going to be downright confused.
But are the Heat?
“Do we have a specific plan? Yeah,” Pfund said. “You try to draw those lines [on draft prospects] and make decisions, and then we try to never tell you guys where the lines were drawn. Because, a lot of times, you end up having to do things that were not exactly what you wanted to do.”
Huh?
Did the Heat really want Cook, but figured they would draft Smith as the best athlete available and trade him to someone who wanted him? Or did they just not care and take whatever was the best deal that came along? Because Javaris Crittenton was drafted in front of the Heat’s 20th pick by the Lakers, we will never really know the true intentions behind the Heat’s move.
Yet let’s not focus on that but instead look at Daequan Cook.
As a 6′5″ freshman shooting guard, on the runner-up team in the NCAA tourny this season, there is a lot of potential that is untapped. Cook’s ceiling is pretty high, after all he was a McDonald’s All American with Greg Oden and Mike Conley, his fellow OSU teammates now turned millionaires. Then again, so was Kevin Durant, Thaddeus Young and Javaris Crittenton – that shows what kind of grade of basketball athlete Cook is. Crittenton and Cook are the last of that list to get drafted.
But why?
1. This draft is deep, deep, deep. Loaded with freshman talents that all came out at the same time, there was bound to be some players that fell down the draft.
2. Concerns over Cooks second half of play at OSU and the fact that he wasn’t a starter on that squad to begin with.
Yet the guy is only 20 years old. He had one season of college and was on the second best team in the country, and a part of one of the best incoming freshman classes of all-time.
Should the Heat expect an immediate return on Cook? No. Could it happen? Yes.
First of all, dispense with the notion that a position title defines a player – in today’s NBA it just doesn’t. Teams want to find players that are athletic and versatile. With the NBA’s new rules which favor perimeter players in this league, there is a quicker return on investment for building around a perimeter based offense.
Cook has the skills necessary to excel in the NBA: he has a great midrange shot, can stick the three and is athletic and explosive enough to drive past his defender and finish strong at the rim with contact. If Rodney Stuckey can get the label as a “poor man’s Dwyane Wade”, then I see no reason to not gauge Cook to have a similar impact. Put Cook at Eastern Washington and how well do you think he plays in the Big Sky conference?
Yet on the Heat, he will not have to be Dwyane Wade – just his accomplice. With Wade running the offense and dominating the ball – and being the team’s best player and its best playmaker – there is little reason to really focus on finding a point guard. If the Heat were to get a PG, ideally it would be one that would hit open shots and play without the ball – now, does that sound like a real point guard?
Cook had an inconsistent Orlando performance, sure, but that camp is composed of 5 minute runs and usually everyone is focused on displaying their own individual skills and are not concerned with playing smart and effective basketball bent on winning. That means some players are going to amass a lot of mistakes, but they could also display some headiness and adjust. After all, it is a free for all – and Cook was able to turn some heads with a 22 point explosion at the end of the camp.
Adjustments were made, and interest was restored.
Kind of like being on a team with Greg Oden and Mike Conley, Jr – who both share the same agent, Mike Conley, Sr – there is bound to be some hiccups. Cook may have had an inconsistent season because of personal agendae as individual players were more concerned with showcasing their skills; then again the rumor is that OSU had a team-first constitution. More marketing?
And yes, Cook’s ego seems huge. He doesn’t lack confidence and will take the big shot and will find the big shot for himself. Every great player has a sense of overvalued ego, isn’t that right Michael or Kobe?
Now, I am not saying that Cook is going to be the next great NBA player; but in fact he doesn’t need to be. There already are two of the greatest players in the league on his new team, the Miami Heat. All Cook has to do is find the crease, find enough space to shoot his deadly midrange jumpers or pop off some three point shots – which he did at 42% for the Buckeyes this past season.
And you thought Oden created space? Wait ’til you meet Shaq, Daequan.
Oh wait, you already did, you say?
It’s true – Shaq personally spent the entire day with Cook when he came in on Sunday to work out for the Heat. That must count for something, right?
So, as big as Cook’s ego may be, it will be dwarfed in comparison to Shaq’s and it will be humbled by the things Dwyane Wade does each day. There will be good influences all around him, and he will get some of the best coaching in the league. The only question is, is he hungry enough to prove himself and fight and scrap to be the best? Does he have what it takes internally to excel in the NBA?
Because that is what the Heat were missing most of all last season – hunger.
He has the physical skills and he has a healthy dose of ego to push himself and expect to be competitive – and to win. Playing alongside Dwyane Wade, he may not prove to be the greatest guard selected in this draft – but he won’t have to be.
If Cook can hit his shots he will get his share of playing time. After all, it has been mentioned several times by several different beat writers that Dorell Wright’s mysterious cameo appearance tonight was precisely an illustration of this – it was about how hard one needs to work to get into the starting lineup, and how one has to be consistent in hitting shots to stay there. It was inferred by Wright that because of his lack of consistency shooting the ball that he was taken out of the rotation.
If anything, Cook is ready to shoot the ball and he has something to prove. The Heat are taking a bit of a risk, but it really isn’t all that much of a risk given Cook’s talent and experience as a player at such a young age.
I think this pick is going to work out. It may not be immediately clear at this time, and I even question if the Heat has a plan here or if they are just flying by the seat of their pants. Daequan Cook’s talent is there, the only real question is will he work hard enough to maximize it? If so, the Heat may have stolen a big talent out of this draft. If not, they waisted the pick.
But what else can you expect drafting at the 20 spot? Even in a draft as deep as this, there is going to be some doubts in the later first round. Yet with Cook, I find very little to question.
Heat Draft Daequan Cook
The early results are in: Miami has taken an interesting route to answer some questions.
They got younger and more athletic by landing Daequan Cook from Ohio State. The 6′5″ shooting guard freshman was traded to the Heat, along with a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft and some cash, by the Sixers for Jason Smith. The Heat drafted Smith at 20 while the Sixers drafted Cook at 21 and traded with the Heat for essentially one spot higher on the draft poll.
Cook, comparing his own game to that of Ray Allen (who was dealt to the Celtics), gives the Heat probably one of the best midrange shooters in the draft. He is explosive and athletic, and has the ability to finish at the rim and draw contact as well.
Take a look at Cook’s Heat workout:
Daequan Cook Interview
Cook looks like a prospect that is ready to go and be an impact player offensively. He could work well with Wade as Wade will handle the ball and setup the offense while Cook can find a spot on the floor to pick his shot from and even take the ball to the hoop and draw contact. He has an ability to finish a drive in dramatic fashion and he also has three point range as well.
Daequan Cook has big time potential, eventhough there are some doubts about that. The reason why the Heat were able to take him at the 21st pick was due to the depth of this draft and in part, to Cook being overlooked. He reportedly impressed Heat officials at the Orlando pre-draft camp, and impressed them the more they saw him play during his first and only college season.
But questions remain about his second half college season performance and his championship game disappearing act as well. Certainly, there are things he needs to improve upon; one is becoming a more consistent ball handler and developing his court vision and decision making. He has the ability to take his man off the dribble and coupled with a talent like Dwyane Wade, that could be lethal for opposing teams.
Cook is a high value pick and could turn out to have more of an impact than some of his higher drafted peers but there are some things he needs to fine tune – and to be honest, a pick in the lower half of the 2nd round will have some kinks to work out. Surprisingly, there aren’t as many kinks in Cook’s game as some might suspect. Just some questions and doubts that he seemed to start to clear up in workouts since his college career ended.
Further Reading
MiamiHeatwave Forum Reactions
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The Heat drafted 7′2″ project Stanko Barac with the 39th pick, but dealt the “Stan Van Gundy” pick to the Pacers for a 2nd round pick in the 2009 draft. Looks like the Heat will have some work to do for that draft as they now have two more picks in that draft in the second round.
2007 Point Guard Draft Ranking
Well, with the 20th pick tonight, the Miami Heat are faced with upgrading their team’s talent pool in an effort to win now and get back to the Finals. Pat Riley, never one to depend on youthful talents, is faced not only with this challenge but also with overcoming his own stigma in order to help guide this team back to its promise.
Since it remains to be seen how this draft will shake out, and whether or not the Heat will even draft depending on need or on best available talent, let’s look at what we do know – that Miami needs to at least consider as first priority drafting a point guard.
Let’s run through the list here and see what we got.
1. Mike Conley, JR – he’s arguably the top point guard prospect due to his leadership skills on the runner up OSU team. He’s quick, he smart, and he has terrific handles. The question is, how much easier was the game for him since he was playing with Greg Oden? Definetly looking to be the first PG taken in the draft and a safe pick.
2. Javaris Crittenton – the young freshman has big upside, but is very raw and needs seasoning. He has the ability to play defense in the NBA right now, and his length and size make him an ideal NBA PG prospect. Very athletic, but needs more consistency on his shot.
3. Rodney Stuckey – probably the most hyped PG you have never heard about. Coming out of a small college, Eastern Washington, Stuckey dazzled his school’s fans and their opponents with his back to back Big Sky MVP seasons. 6′5″ combo guard that can score and defend. In terms of ceiling, this guy might have the most of any PG prospect in this draft, but it is unknown how good he will be with raised competition.
4. Acie Law, IV – a senior out of Texas A&M that lead his team with his big shots and heart. Has all the tools to be a successful PG in the NBA, but his lack of explosiveness is a concern. 6′3″, which makes him an average size PG but can he be a successful defender on quicker, bigger NBA guards?
5. Gabe Pruitt – another combo guard, the 6′4″ Pruitt was a big part of USC’s successful 2007 campaign. He can score, he is athletic and can take his man off the dribble at any moment. He has the ability to play very good defense, but his skills are a PG are largely untested and unproven. He can get too cute at times, and also try to do too much and can turn the ball over. With some refinement, he could be a successful NBA scorer and “tweener”. Should be available for the Heat at #20.
6. Petteri Koponen – another combo guard that is drawing rave reviews from scouts, the 19 year old Finnish wonder is 6′5″ and has excellent upside as a playmaker and ball handler. The only question really remains is if he can play for an NBA team this season – is he ready and can he get over here? He struggles on 1-1 defense and seems to have difficulties with more physical players – needs to bulk up some and get stronger. Very young, very good upside.
7. Zabian Dowdell – Virginia Tech’s 6′3″ PG with a 6′9″ reach. Defense, defense, defense. He has a solid outside shot, but is not a scorer. He has excellent ball handling ability and can run an offense pretty efficiently. Dowdell’s hallmark, however, is his defense – he can flat out shut anyone down with his athletic ability and massive wingspan. Excellent fit for a team with a proven system that doesn’t require their PG to score as much, but needs defense. Would be a pretty good pickup for the Heat in the 2nd round, but may not even need to be drafted as teams seem to be overlooking him.
8. Aaron Brooks – undersized at 5′11″, he can shoot and score but his playmaking skills are inconsistent. Can get too careless and lacks good court vision – can get tunnel vision. Has great athleticism and can crossover with the best of them, can create opportunities and break down defenses, but seems to need seasoning in working within a team concept.
9. Taurean Green – listed generously at 6′0″ but was a key component to Florida’s back to back championships. Another system guy, Green has a pretty good outside stroke and has shown a knack for clutch play, hitting big shots when Florida needed it. His handles are just not good enough, can be somewhat clumsy and tentative with his dribble, so he could have problems at the next level really seperating himself from his defender. Can run a solid offense and be an efficient participant in a system, but limited ceiling. Solid 2nd round pick.
There is still Bobby Brown (Fullerton) and Ramon Sessions (Nevada). Both are looking to be 2nd rounders, but it doesn’t seem at this point that neither will contribute too much although Sessions has some upside and is optimistically compared to Jarrett Jack. So, who knows?
Right now, it seems the Heat will have a shot at Pruitt on down. If Law wiggles on down to the Heat it most likely will be due to teams above overvaluing another position or certain traits like raw athleticism and talent – this is why I have Crittenton listed at #2 on the PG draft board. His talents make him too intriguing to pass up even though a guy like Law could step in right away and contribute. If Stuckey and Law make it down to Miami at the 20th pick, they should take a chance on Stuckey but that is unlikely as the Pistons have been noted as the favorites to pick Stuckey at 15.
Miami Heat Draft Strategy
Ira Winderman, in his blog, was waxing philosophically – that is, about the Heat’s draft philosophy.
Yes, much of it will depend on what kind of mood Pat Riley wakes up in that day, but for the most part the Heat have to focus on winning now and they will have to do that by getting younger and more athletic. Of great importance is the Heat’s need for perimeter players and in today’s NBA, the game favors perimeter players much more than they arguably ever had.
The Heat have a strong need at point guard, as Jason Williams is an unknown factor due to his health issues while Gary Payton has all but retired. Chris Quinn is a solid prospect, but not exactly what Miami is looking for – or can’t replace.
There is speculation that maybe Wade should shift over to PG and let the Heat go out and find a SG replacement.
Really, it doesn’t matter.
Essentially, the Heat have two guards and both must be able to handle the ball and set up the offense. In today’s NBA, with the defender being restricted in how they can defend, the perimeter player with an ability to drive will excel. Point guards are now being asked to score more and actually distribute less.
“With the game being dominated by ballhandlers, I think your point guard has to give you 10 to 15 every night,” Trail Blazers scout John Gabriel said. “When they’re your best players, you don’t want them passing the ball. You want them scoring the ball.”
Think about it, if your best scorer spends his energy passing the ball and limiting his scoring opportunities, but instead defers to a weaker scorer, what is the sense in that?
Wade, as the Heat’s best player probably ever, is going to run the offense and pick his spots and create efficient scoring opportunities. He can set up his teammates and be a playmaker, but he will thrive first on his ability to score and threaten the opposing team’s defense. Wade’s ferocious drives to the basket often result in highlights or free throw attempts – and everyone knows I swear by FTAs.
This is also why the Suns have been more successful, why the Warriors made a big noise this postseason, and why Tony Parker had such a huge impact in the Finals.
The Heat don’t have to really worry about drafting or acquiring a “true” point guard, that much Winderman is right about. But they also don’t have to worry about moving Wade to point guard – as that is a move made in name only anyway.
The main problem here is limited thinking. Gone are the days when you need to have 5 positions on the floor – with the new NBA rules forcing more responsibility on perimeter players anyway, there is also the need for players to be more versatile.
Not to mention, Wade is not nearly as effective waiting for his shot – he needs to have the ball in his hands to force the defense to collapse on him. Any scheme teams try to throw out Wade gets shredded, but he needs to have the ball in his hands to do that. Especially in crunch time.
Drafting a point guard to handle the ball forces Wade to play off of him and also cuts down his effectiveness. The Heat would actually be limiting the potential of their best player.
So, in essence, the Heat actually could afford to draft a “tweener”, a guard that is capable of playing both positions, and at the same time the Heat wouldn’t have to be reliant upon the newly drafted player as much. This is due to Wade’s abilities.
Although Randy Pfund denied the report that the Heat guaranteed Pruitt would be drafted at the 20 spot if available, as ESPN claimed, the Trojan point guard could fit this precise mold we are laying out here.
Besides, if the Heat want to acquire a pass-first PG with a good shot, they could draft Taurean Green or even Zabian Dowdell in the second round with their 39th pick. Or they could just sign Steven Blake and bring the guy back to his hometown.
As for the draft, expect the Heat to do what they typically do – draft the best talent available.
Speaking of, it is time to unleash Dorell Wright. And with both Posey and Kapono on their way out, Riley needs to focus on drafting a guard and giving PT to Wright. I agree with Ira on that final point – playing Dorell Wright.
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