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Heat Have Biggest Game of Season Tonight

March 7, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Wade dunks against the RaptorsDwyane Wade is playing like an MVP and the Heat roll into Cleveland tonight on a back to back to face another MVP candidate. Perhaps the two best players in the league right now are Wade and Lebron James (heres hoping to a 2010 union in Miami!) and the Heat have a chance also to slide into the 4th playoff spot.

Coming off their win last night against the Toronto Raptors, the Heat have won 3 of their last 4 games and have seen Wade score over 40 points in three of those last 4 games in a monster stretch of production. What’s next for the Heat’s superstar? Outduel Lebron James.

When these two get together, it is a battle. You can see the intensity on the court as both players want to beat each other. The only question is, how to value this friendly rivalry? Is this Magic vs. Bird? Both of these teams have been to the Finals, Wade’s Heat won it all in 2006 due to his MVP performance while James’ team was arguably undeserving of appearing the the Finals. Then again, there were those who felt the Heat 2006 was undeserving of a title, too. Perhaps we have failed to truly gauge the greatness of these two young players.

We will get to see more from them tonight. For the Heat, it could be a huge win to tie up the season series 2-2 against a Cavs team that seems to be escaping the Heat more than beating them. The Cavs could quiet the doubters with a win at home.

Talk Heat/Cavs with us.

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Shaq’s Back

March 4, 2009 By Leave a Comment

Tonight will be a strange night of sorts for Heat fans because it was a little over a year ago that the Heat unpacked major heat by dealing Shaq to the Suns for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks.

And neither player the Heat acquired in that deal is here. Instead, another O’neal is manning the middle in Miami.

Trading Shaq had to be done. He was costing the Heat $20M per season and he really wasn’t providing the Heat much in terms of production. He was oft-injured, grumpy and showing signs of wear. Yet now, in Phoenix, he is showing signs of rejuvenation on a team that badly needs him to be productive.

As for Miami, the Heat have turned things around since sending Shaq packing. The Heat finished with the worst record in the NBA last season, and tied their franchise low 15 win season, and managed to get the #2 pick in the draft. Now, the Heat are sitting 5th in the Eastern Conference playoff race with Dwyane Wade playing like an MVP candidate. The recent trade of Marion and Banks to Toronto for Jermaine O’neal and Jamario Moon is expected to help the Heat bolster their depth and their front court.

It is undeniable though that Shaq raised the level of this franchise upon his arrival in the summer of 2004. Jumping out of a big, black semi with water guns, he proceeded to promise the people of Miami a championship. Pat Riley had envisioned one when he came here, too. In 2006 both men realized this vision and it was brought to life by the stellar play of Finals MVP Dwyane Wade.

Wade’s reaction tonight to Shaq will be interesting to note. There isn’t any bad blood between the two players, like Shaq and Kobe had. There certainly isn’t the whisper of who needed who, as with Penny Hardaway once Shaq left. The Heat is Wade’s team now, and it arguably always was looking back. Shaq, however, made the Heat matter and it is through his efforts the Heat managed to hang its lone championship banner. We should remember Shaq for the good times, not the sour, grumpy, whiny bad ones he left behind.

Talk about the game with us.

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Heat Deal Matrix for Jermaine O’neal

February 13, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Shawn Marion is on his way out of Miami

Shawn Marion is on his way out of Miami

With a dramatic dunk to punctuate last night’s win against the Bulls, Shawn Marion is now packing to go north of the border as the Heat pulled the final trigger on a deal to bring Jermaine O’neal to Miami.

The details of the deal are still forthcoming but at this point the Heat have traded Marion and seldom used point guard Marcus Banks to the Raptors for Jermaine O’neal and Jamario Moon. The Heat are also getting a 1st round draft pick from the Raptors for the 2010 draft (if it is not a lottery pick, among the first 14 spots available). The Raptors have until 2014 to fulfill this portion of the deal otherwise in 2015 the draft pick is turned over to the Heat no matter where it is.

As a result of the finances of this deal, the Heat also acquire a $4M trade exception that they can use within the next twelve months to balance out any deals they may make.

A pretty good move all around for the Heat.

For the Heat, they take on O’neal’s almost $23M salary for the next two seasons, while also taking on Jamario Moon’s remaining portion of his $711K contract. Moon’s contract is up at the end of the season, so the Heat will likely use the remainder of the season as an exhibition to see what kind of asset he could be. Rumors have been that Pat Riley has long been coveting Moon’s rebounding game and hustle and along with O’neal, the Heat help bolster their front court and gain more rebounding which will prove to be a crucial factor in helping shape the young Heat’s future playoff hopes.

In Shawn Marion, the Heat are losing a dynamic athlete and versatile player that just never seemed to click in Miami. His contract is worth $17M but this is his final season and there are many who think he is not worth that much money at this point in his career.

Jermaine O’neal’s biggest problem has been just staying healthy but perhaps playing for a team that needs his skill set may help him stay off the bench and on the court. It makes sense for Miami since the agenda for Riley is keeping the books free of any major contracts come the 2010 offseason – and O’neal’s contract will expire at precisely that time. This also provides a window for Wade to get back into the playoffs and take a shot at the big prize for the next few seasons as Riley will surely do everything in his power to convince Wade to stay in Miami beyond 2010.

Tell us what you think of the trade in the Heatzone forum.

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Packing Heat: Trade Deadline Approaches

February 8, 2009 By 3 Comments

The February 19th trade deadline approaches and players in other cities find themselves distracted and thinking about the possibilities of moving. Some players can’t help but be a bit distracted about changing their address to Miami, changing their cell phone numbers to the 305 area code. Rather, more like the 786 area code. So who are the players?

Sacramento: Brad Miller

There was once a rumor out there that the Kings were considering moving Brad Miller to Miami for Shawn Marion – but they wanted the Heat to take on the contract of Kenny Thomas. This doesn’t look like a real possibility and in fact, the Spurs are considering making a deal for either Miller of John Salmons, but internally are trying to figure out who helps their big three (Duncan, Parker, Ginobili) more. There is talk about bringing Robert Horry out of retirement in the “Keith Van Horn” move of this season, sending him to the Kings to make a deal work.

Phoenix: Amare Stoudemire

This seems to be a far-fetched idea, but the Bulls and Miami are among the top teams seeking to make a deal for the Suns young PF. Amare is from south Florida, so a return would probably be welcomed. Not to mention, he would give the Heat the 2nd trade in a row where the Suns would send a player to Miami, which brings us to who would the Heat deal. There was a rumor that the Suns wanted Marion back and Beasley, but the Heat said no. There doesn’t seem to be a realistic option at this point without starting with Marion’s contract, which makes me suspect that a third team would be needed. The Bulls just may be the front runner in a possible trade with Phoenix, however, as they have young talent they can deal to Phoenix without having to work out a complicated deal with a third team. The other downside for the Heat in this scenario would be Stoudemire’s contract: he has a player option for the 2010-2011 season which he most likely would exercise as it guarantees him 17.6M. This means the Heat would be more limited in the 2010 market and that is something Riley is not likely to budge on.

Toronto: Jermaine O’neal

This could be an almost straight up deal for Marion except Marion’s 17M contract is about 4-5 M short of O’neal’s current contract. This could easily be overcome as the Heat could toss in Marcus Bank’s contract and he is a quality player that the Raptors could make use of. Yet both teams have little incentive to make a deal as their contracts will come off the books by 2010. For Toronto, they would get a dynamic player without any real health concerns while the Heat get a PF that would help give them more depth in their front court, but serious health concerns may plague a possible deal. To that end, the Heat have been diligent in doing their homework, openly scouting O’neal at games and looking over his medical records. Perhaps a three way deal with Phoenix could see all partners satisfied and help the Heat land Stoudemire. Then again, a deal for O’neal does make sense as he could potential give the Heat the scoring in the post they need as well as interior defense. O’neal also would give the Heat a two year window, with Wade, to get things done and his contract will come off right at the end of the 2010 season – just in time to look at that free agent market. The Heat, however, would have very little flexibility in signing players to shore up the roster during that time span.

The Heat are clearly focused on getting more rebounding and a big man at PF whose game can complement Wade’s. The trick is, Riley will want to keep the salary cap cleared for the 2010 market but at the same time, make this team as competitive as possible to keep Wade hungry and focused on winning. If the Heat have a season like last year, Wade will be out of here by 2010 no matter how much money they throw at him.

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Coach Spo Knows

January 28, 2009 By Leave a Comment

He does seem to know a lot, this first year coach with the easy going demeanor. His young face may not detail his knowledge of the game the lines, however, formed from a furled forehead deep in thought perfectly illustrate his coaching pedigree. Erik Spoelstra has been laboring in the shadows waiting for his chance; quite literally, working in the belly of the beast taping film together for his mentors Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley. His father was an NBA executive in Portland.

And he knows – the true identity of this team is not offense, but defense.

Take tonight for example. The Heat beat the Wizards by 22 points, 93-71 against the Washington Wizards. Yet what is apparent is that the Wizards are not only injury plagued, but they are not going to be one of the stronger offenses on most nights – despite having two excellent bookends in Antawn Jamison and the ex-Heater Caron Butler. So, when the Heat were struggling in the first half it was not the offense, but the defense that Spoelstra was concerned with.

“We shot 39% tonight,” Spoelstra says in reference to the final score. They also shot only 31% from three point range but it was the threes made (10) and the free throws which made the difference (22 free throws attempted for Miami to the Wizards’ 13) on the offensive side. Spoelstra is right – even though the Heat blew out the Wizards, the difference in the game was the defense the Heat played versus the defense the Wizards propped up.

The Heat’s defense, Spoelstra cited, was supported by the bench tonight. It was the hustle plays and the effort that made the difference. If the Heat are going to make a difference in the playoff race – especially now as we start the 2nd half – it will be through their defense that any gain will be made.

As good as Dwyane Wade is, he can’t do it all by himself – but he is very darned close on some nights. Observers of the Heat would tell you that Daequan Cook, Mario Chalmers, and even Michael Beasley are raising their game to complement Wade’s. Much like fine tubes of oil that go into a Picasso, the swirling confusion that is churned out gets hailed as a masterpiece in the aftermath. The Heat are far from churning out anything worthy of hardware, but Wade is definitely the player to do it.

It all comes back to Spoelstra. As a coach, it is his job to properly evaluate his talent and the way they are playing together. Playing defense is the way for the Heat – and Spo knows.

Spo also knows that the Heat need Marion. They are on a 5 game win streak without him, but their rebounding and defense are not as good without him. Spo knows.

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