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Heat Scouting Getting Early Start?
With Miami’s 9-44 record, there could be one interesting side effect – an early start on scouting for the draft.
Tonight, ESPN will be showing the Texas/Kansas State game at 8pm. Why is this important for Heat fans? Because it will feature one of the highest rated college players in the country, Michael Beasley.
Beasley is putting up excellent numbers for Bob Higgins at K-State. The 6′9″235lb freshman is turning heads with his game which offers quite a diverse set of skills ranging from drop steps to jump hooks to fadeaways. His range is quite good, hitting routinely from 25″ and in. He might be a bit raw, but his game looks very advanced and mature for his age. His skill levels, on both ends of the floor, project to off the charts.
So, with the Heat’s abysmal record, and Riley’s stubborn coaching (almost on purpose?), the possibility of landing a talent like Beasley is becoming more and more a reality. So take heart, with each loss comes another ping pong ball. Let’s hope it doesn’t end up like Boston for us – in terms of the draft luck (but maybe in terms of landing a KG type?).
Yet with each loss, the Heat’s scouting department is getting more and more entrenched on their objective – to find a young player that can help turn the Heat franchise around and support Wade’s game. This draft will show the Heat to be overly prepared; and they will have their work cut out for them because teams like Portland seem to own the draft.
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Riley Almost Pulled off a Big Deal
This is coming from the Horshoes and Handgrenades file. Because almost doesn’t count.
Maybe it is his defense facing criticism, which is well-deserved, over failing to pull off a trade with expiring assets at the trade deadline. Nevertheless, Riley mentioned what sounds like a very good trade that should illustrate two things – both good and bad – about the Heat.
- Riley is making an identity change and shifting this team into a future with a more diverse, up-tempo, perimeter based offense
- The Heat don’t have a whole lot of attractive assets to make a deal to help themselves out
Don’t even get me started on the financial deadend they are at thanks to the NBA salary structure.
Riley almost pulled off a trade for Mike Miller with the Memphis Grizzlies. It was even rumored that Kyle Lowry was going to be included in that deal or even Brian Cardinal. So was Jason Collins. In the end, Riley said the Heat would have been taking on too much salary to make that deal happen, which to me seems almost redundant because you would be acquiring players that could give you a stable core for the future. You could always find a way to jettison the bad contracts later.
With Jason Williams and Ricky Davis, you have expiring assets. Their value is now practically zero because they do not produce very well on the court and their value was tied to their expiring contracts. And if Riley thinks he can pull off a sign and trade with those players this offseason, all one has to do is point back to this past offseason where Riley failed to do that with either James Posey and Jason Kapono, two players the Heat desperately miss. Which means, they actually had perceived value while Jason Williams and Ricky Davis do not.
So, Riley saying he couldn’t get the Grizzlies to reveal their dream deal really sounds like he wasn’t getting his dream deal. Perhaps Riley protest too much. But if he had pulled off a deal for Mike Miller and even Kyle Lowry, it would have set up the Heat to get back into the playoffs for next season.
It also illustrates just how far away Miami is from getting back to the postseason.
The Open J: Wade and the Art of War
Dwyane Wade must be feeling philosophical these days. Maybe it is the copy of Sun Tzu’s Art of War that Riley gave him to read.
The Heat are on a 10 game losing streak – trying to replicate their 17 game losing streak obviously. That means they are 1 for their last 28. Nice. And how is Miami all of a sudden going to turn it around? Look:
“I thought Coach really came in and made a statement of no matter what our record is we’re going to continue to do what we do, and do it better,” guard Dwyane Wade said.
So, the Heat are going to play spotty, confused defense, shoot inefficient and ill-timed shots, while at the same time taking a long time to set up their offense despite having no low post scoring threat. Not only that, but they are going to do it better than they had before! Wow! What a brilliant revelation!
Now of course, I love D-Wade and everything he brings to the team. And yes, I am taking this statement out of context – probably. But this only exemplifies how lost this team is.
Riley pulls a schizo trade off by dealing Shaq for Marion – good. Then proceeds to sit on the rest of the plan which should have been:
- dealing expiring contracts for talented players of similar paygrade that could help the team form its new offensive philosophy
- and possibly deal Haslem and Smush Parker in the process to help the Heat upgrade their talent pool
Yet here we are – basically the same team that got us here to 9-43 and how is that going to change? By doing the same – but better!
That is like the U.S. foreign policy these days – we are going to fix things by doing the same but better! Katrina victims, fret not. FEMA has learned their lesson. Next time we will do the same – but better!
I mean it works for movies: Rambo, the same ol’tired storyline – but better! Ishtar – the same great movie – but better!
Really, if Miami wants to improve, it has to change the horse in this race. Riley couldn’t afford to stand Pat on the trade deadline – this team needs an overhaul and by not pulling the trigger on something for Smush Parker or the expiring contracts of Jason Williams and Ricky Davis he set the Heat back. Or at least made his work that much harder.
Miami can’t play defense against a JV girls team right now. And Wade is the biggest culprit. He couldn’t guard some slob coming onto the court from one of those fancy seats next to the team’s bench, let alone any NBAer coming off the actual team bench. But that is only symptomatic of the entire Heat team – save Marion and Banks because they are coming from a team, gasp, that actually plays better defense (that is pretty hard to imagine though: PHX plays better defense than Miami?).
Read closer Wade. Ask Riley to reiterate his point – because Sun Tzu would never have said to conquer one’s enemy one just has to keep doing what he always did – but better! That mentality will never force a breakthrough of change, which this franchise desperately needs. They just sold out their biggest chances at contending for a title every season in the near future. They got back a very nice player in return, but don’t have enough to fix things, let alone get back to the playoffs. Monumental changes are needed and frankly to read Wade’s quote is laughable.
But hey, at least they aren’t quitting. They are going to do the same thing – but better!
Meanwhile, young players like Daequan Cook are sitting on the bench while the rest of us wonder if they even have any future here. Riley needs to find out and stop playing guys who don’t have a future here.
What Took So Long?
Imagine driving your car to the old site of the Orange Bowl and seeing a beautiful gem in the heart of Miami with a sparkling new roof and a spire that enables spectators a bird’s-eye view of Miami. You pull into a parking garage and walk into the stadium to hear the crowd buzzing with energy.
What stands out most is that the stadium is full. And everyone is wearing Marlins garb. It seems eerily similar to the old days, back in ‘93 when this town was filled with teal.
Or in ‘97 when strangers were walking up to each other and talking about the championship and the heroics. Teal everywhere.
Or in 2003, when the might Marlins overcame the juggernaut that was the New York Yankees.
This franchise has deserved this day – but it has been a long time coming. And it has cost the Marlins greatly. Just ask Mike Lowell, Josh Beckett, Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis. Just ask Jeff Conine, who has been here for practically every watershed moment in Marlins history.
What took so long?!
The Marlins are staying put. They are safe at home. Now we get to see what it is like to have a franchise with a future, and not a death sentence. Now we get to expect things – like Hanley Ramirez having a career as a Marlin, or bigger payrolls. We can expect to see Maybin develop and grow into the phenom he is. We can expect to sign free agents – maybe even see a return of old, familiar faces when they hit the market. Maybe Dontrelle Willis comes back to Miami?
Things have changed. This day has been a pivotal point for Marlin fans. We Marlin fans have been watching every game we can on TV – in fact, the networks noticed and that is why, despite trading away Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis 150 games will be televised this season.
You can also expect that those ratings will translate into a steady, and rabid, fan base that will turn out at the games. That is, when the new park is built.
But this also helps for the immediate future. Gone is the anxiety, replaced with hope and expectation. Now Marlin fans no longer have to think about supporting another franchise – since their home franchise is just a transient, like the rest of the snowbirds only here temporary. This team is here to stay. This now puts pressure in the right places – on the franchise to spend the money they will be making and on the fans to go to the games because they will have a brand new and exciting facility to attend games at. And they won’t need their umbrellas and rain coats.
Indeed, it won’t rain on the Marlins franchise ever again. They have a roof. And now, they can act like every other franchise – to the hope or dismay of its fanbase.
Stadium Deal Complete: Miami Marlins Coming Soon
And it is done. The stadium hunt is over. As strange as that sounds, especially for unbelieving Marlin fans, this time it is true. Sure, we have heard this song and dance before but this time is different.
Probably one of the most important days for the Florida Marlins franchise – and arguably one of the quietest – the Marlins have seen their proposal for a new stadium accepted by both the city of Miami and the Dade County panels.
The stadium will seat about 37,000, feature a retractable roof and will cost about $515M for the project which is slated to open up in 2011.
The deal also calls for the Marlins to commit to a 35 year agreement. The parking garage will have about 6,000 spots – most of which will be purchased by the Marlins each year and then sold (for a profit) each game in order to help generate revenue. The new stadium will actually enable the Marlins franchise to create a more lucrative financial situation which could help stop the rotation of young players leaving south Florida to head off to other teams.
Also, the Marlins will change their name from the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins since the city is funding most of the project.
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