Poe

So far this year, who would you say is the most improved player on the Heat team? Here is a bit of a background I wrote on each of these players: Quentin Richardson Last summer, Q was tossed around from team to team, clearly unwanted everywhere he went, until Pat Riley decided to give up Marc Blount for him, and he finally found a home in Miami, alongside his best friends in Dwyane Wade and Dorell Wright. Even though he was traded 4 times in the offseason, he found the motivation to lose 25 pounds, which has enhanced his defensive abilities greatly, while making him seem like a completely different person. In the past, he had a reputation as a threat in the post for the Clippers, then proved to be a dangerous three point shooter for the Suns. This year, he has changed his reputation yet again, proving to be a tremendous team defender drawing nearly 10 charges so far in the season, and his lost weight has allowed him to guard multiple positions effectively, while still remaining the same threat from the 3 point line attempting over 4 threes per game while making over 40% of them, and also remaining effective in the post plus shooting a career high 46% from the field for his first 17 games of the season. He has also proven to be an efficient rebounder for this team, filling in on the boards when he's needed averaging 4.7 rebounds per game, plus having 5 games of 8 rebounds or more. Udonis Haslem UD has always had the reputation for being among the NBA's most underrated players. His leadership, on-court production statistically or non-statistically, effort, coach-ability, work ethis, selflessness, and willing to to truly do whatever it takes to win and be the first to "take one for the team" is something to respect. Despite being such a solid role player in the past, including being a key part of the Heat's championship squad, he has made some of his own improvements. First of all, he has adjusted rather well to coming off the bench willing to, once again, "take one for the team" in accepting his bench role in order to develop the potential future superstar in the 20-year-old Michael Beasley, while giving him veteran advice and being a role model to him as a player. The ability to hit the open midrange shot has grown to point where it feels like an automatic weapon. He has shown the ability to drive to the basket and hit baskets in the post. He is also the type of player who just knows how to win games, whether he puts up 20 and 10 when his teammates struggle to score and rebound, or whether he is simply holding his own on the defensive end, drawing charges, and setting good screens to give his teammates open looks. He is even developing the reputation as a clutch player willing to take the big shot late in games. He is turning more and more into the model Power Forward in this league, and I fear that there could be a high chance he may leave this team this coming summer for a chance at a higher role and possibly a bigger paycheck, much like what Ariza did after his contributions to the Lakers. Dorell Wright A 6 foot 9 athletic freak with a 7 footers wingspan, a decent career midrange jumpshot shooting nearly 50% for his career, point guard playmaking abilities with great passing skills and the ability to set up the offense after defensive rebounds, plus the ability to defend almost any position. With all these rare abilities packaged into one player, he could be the most versatile player on the Heat team since Lamar Odom. Despite his talents and high potential, he has been buried on the bench for the past 6 years, that's right SIX years, on the Miami heat team, averaging 18 minutes per game in less than 140 total games played. Would you believe me if I said he was actually on sidelines for the championship squad and still a part of this team today? His lack of playing time was apparently due to his lack of maturity and consistency on the basketball court. That began to change three years ago, when Dorell became a key part of this team for short stretch. In the beginning of the 07-08 season, he averaged 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 block in 44 games playing 25 mpg. In January that year, he had a 5 game stretch of 16 point and 8 rebounds per game before falling to a season ending injury (some sort of knee injury I believe) that sat him out for the next year and a half. This year he is starting to make a comeback, becoming a key rotation player once again averaging 12 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 block in 26 mpg over the past 5 games, including a 19 point 5 assist performance against the Kings, and two 16 point performances against the Grizzlies and the Raptors. Erik Spoelstra and Dwyane Wade have each claimed that Dorell has shown himself as the best player in some recent practices. Not one of the best. The best. Michael Beasley The best memory I have of MB was last year when he drew his first charge. It felt like the whole team ran over to pick him up. Beasley had a huge smile on his face and just the look of pure joy. You could see it all right there that all of his hard work was paying off. This year, his reputation as a bad defender is beginning to change. He gave me another memory of strong defensive effort in his very first game of the season, where he poked the ball loose from a Knicks player at the top of the key. They both chased after it, and the ball got knocked to the sideline where another player in blue was in position to grab the ball. Beasley dives for the ball and hits it off the Knicks player out of bounds. Heat ball. His improved defensive effort gave him the #1 play of the day at NBA.com today where he blocked Bosh's shot, pushes the break, dished it to Wade, and slams in the alley-oop. Perhaps Beasley hasn't completely developed into the most fundamental player at the defensive end, but you have to be bull[expletive]ting me if you think his effort is lazy in any way. He's is proving to me each day that he is becoming a playmaker on both ends of the court. With consistent starter minutes, his offensive game is beginning to improve as well. Last month he had a slow start averaging 14.2 points with only 42% shooting plus 6.9 rebounds. This month he is proving himself as the clear #2 option averaging 18 points on 48% shooting plus 7.4 rebounds. Jermaine O'Neal Jermaine O'Neal has made some improvements this year, although his stats don't show it... yet. First off, we need to set his past aside. I think we all can agree that he won't ever regain his status as an MVP candidate ever again. But for what he is now in terms of his abilities, he has shown flashes of becoming a key player on this team at both ends. He worked with Tim Grover over the summer, and like Q-Rich, in the beginning of the season he looked like a completely different player. He had much more of a spring to his step, much like the JO of old, yet he has had some other setbacks this season, unfortunately. He broke his nose early in the season and he refused to wear a mask, which made him much less aggressive in traffic and hurt his rebounding. Not too long after, he injured his hip, which made him sit out for a couple more days. He also had to take time off due to the death of his uncle. On a positive note, he is shooting a very high percentage at 56% in only 10 shot attempts per game, while still leading this team in rebounding, both are a clear improvement to last year. With more consistent time when all these setbacks are put aside, hopefully we'll see even more improvement, and becoming the "dominant" presence we've been hearing about last offseason. Mario Chalmers For Chalmers, his main improvement has been on the offensive end. He's becoming a better and better playmaker, and his FG% really improved up to nearly 48%. He's doing a better job driving to the basket, hitting open threes, and becoming a solid role player with flashes of growth beyond that. The biggest reason I wouldn't call him the most improved is because of his lacking effort defensively. It has gotten bad enough where coach Spoe decided to bring him off the bench yesterday for the first time in his career against Toronto, and will probably keep him coming off the bench until he rediscovers himself as a defensive minded PG.

I'm going to have to agree with Eastcoast Assassin. It takes a full team to win, not three players. I think most of you guys have the wrong expectations out of them. Fact is, in the past the "big three" have proven to produce very well individually for what they are. It would be a shame for this franchise to lose them, especially if it's for the goal of rebuilding. What this team needs to do is build with what they got. Three all star caliber players is a great place to start. The only moves I would see to make is to trade other pieces for energy/defensive minded role players to fill in the gaps for what the big three don't do. The big three should handle the scoring and the playmaking. They need dirty work players.

Man, I feel ya. The Raptors don't appear to be hustling much at all. They gave the worst fast break team in the league a good 19 fast break points, 52 points in the paint, the Heat only shot 22 FTA versus the Raptors 34 FTA, and they gave up 45 rebs compared to their 32. I mean, the numbers says it all right there about their overall effort out there. The Raptors really do have a lot of potential as a team.. if only they actually tried. What is it that's making them lose motivation? I would think a better coach would get them to care more, but I could be wrong. Personally, I don't think a trade is necessarily in order. This team needs to improve from within.

I'm surprised Diawara is still starting with his [expletive]ty offensive game, but he's playing some pretty good defense out there, though. Another big surprise for me is that Arroyo is actually starting the game. I wonder what made Spoe choose to do this. Hopefully this will wake up Chalmers and get him to finally play some [expletive]ing defense like the so-called "defensive minded" PG that he's supposed to be. Also, Beasley is finally waking up out there. Either that, or the Toronto defense is really that bad, since a lot of his points are in transition. I wonder how many points the Heat have on fast breaks all together. The Raptors aren't looking so good transition D for a team that looks to push the break on their own offense. O'Neal needs to rebound more. I don't know what's been up with him lately, but he had only 2 total rebounds last game, and 2 rebounds in the first half of this one. I suppose that's an improvement, but he needs to have 8+ EVERY game. What's up? Everyone else on the team is looking good except Cook and Wright. Both of their shot selection has been horrendous, and Dorell's defense isn't living up to expectations at this point.

Link I'm not quite understanding this move. Why lose the third string PF? What if something happens to Beasley or Haslem? I suppose Dorell or Joel could fill in for the position, but Shavlik is the only pure Power Forward. You never know when he'd be needed. Are the Heat making room for a new player, perhaps?

Damn...

From what I've see from them, the Mavs will probably be challenging the Lakers in the WCF this year. They are THAT good.

Read Full Article This is a good article on Dorell Wright and his steps towards maturity in the NBA. I'm starting to get a better understanding of why he's been buried on the bench for the past 6 years on the Heat. It was his maturity. He's always had the athleticism and the talent to become a great player in this league, yet his mind wasn't NBA-ready. Really, he should have gone to college first, where he probably would have developed into an NBA-ready player much faster than the 6 years it took while on the Heat. But that's the past now. Dorell is a changed man. 19 points and 5 assists against the Kings 3 games ago, and he was the best player on the floor for Miami in their poor overall effort against the Grizzlies. He's earned his way 26+ minutes in each of the past three games becoming a key rotation player for this team, and he continues to show signs of getting better and better. I am very excited for Dorell as a player. At barely 24 years old, he's only beginning to prove his true potential.

I know this might sound kind of corny, but as far as looks go, I love a girl with nice eyes. Problem is, I hate mascara, eye shadow, or ANY make-up at all, really, yet it's actually unusual to find a girl that isn't interested in make up in our culture.

I don't dislike Calderon at all, actually. I think he's a good offensive PG. I like the way he controls the offense. Problem is, his offense isn't good enough to make up for his defense, especially for an abysmal defensive team like the Raptors, plus having a point forward in the starting group who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Hinrich would definitely be a great fit if the Raptors can find a way to get their hands on him. His defense is highly needed, and he doesn't seem to me to be as ball dominant as Calderon, which would fit well with Turkoglu. His combo guard abilities would be useful for distributing minutes between him and Jack as well. And I agree with you, BTW, on how by simply getting rid of Calderon for nothing would be a bad move. He does bring positive things to this team, but I think in a trade they can possibly gain something that fits better in return.

Also, Haslem should NEVER have to play center. He's simply not big enough or athletic enough to guard the position. Spoelstra feels pressured to give both Haslem and Beasley the right amount of minutes each game. Apparently Beasley's lack of versatility is forcing Spoe to move Haslem over to center, instead of moving Beasley to SF and bringing Joel in the game to fill in. Just had to get that off my chest.

Damnit, I missed this game. Sounds like it was just a horrible day for the Heat, or just a great day for the Grizzlies.. Man, that boxscore looks ugly as hell. The Heat lose the rebounding battle 49-26. Yikes. 43% FG to 53%, leading to 118 to 90. Sounds like the Heat just weren't hustling out there today. Next game, I want to see the Heat bury their opponent under 90 points, and explode by scoring over 100. They need to play with motivation and establish themselves as a great defensive team like they could be. I disagree with both. The Heat have shown signs of being a much better team when they play motivated. Just looking at the box score, Beasley, Chalmers, Haslem, and JO all had terrible days. If they all played to their potential as players, the Heat would have made this a much closer game. And definitely a big NO to the trade idea. It would be a very, very stupid idea if Pat Riley decided to panic after a single double digit loss in a 2 game losing streak, and trade NOW when the Heat have one of the largest cap spaces in the league this SUMMER??? Why throw that away over just a couple of losses and an .500 record this early in the season? Maybe there is a slight possibility of making the team better for the short run, but being patient and waiting for 2010 where better moves are available is way better for the long run. I think this team is much better than 11-11. The Heat are bound to figure themselves out sooner or later and make a winning streak to bring their record where is should be. The only changes I think the Heat should make is to trade James Jones for some kind of pick. The guy is good and deserves minutes, but he just doesn't have a place on the Heat team. I thought it was a terrible signing in the first place. He needs to go. Another change is to waive Carlos Arroyo. He doesn't fit on this team, and every time he's on the court, if he's not taking midrange Js, he simply kills the offense. It feels like half the offenses with him on the court wind up with a badly contested shot with the shotclock winding down. He needs to go. The line up needs to be: Chalmers-Wade-Rich-Beasley-O'Neal, Bench: Wright-Cook-Haslem-Anthony. This needs to be the rotation. Wright needs to establish himself as the bench PG and become the playmaker that he can become. Cook needs to become a reliable bench scoring/shooting presence. Haslem needs to come in earlier in the game, and Beasley needs to be more versatile and be solid at both forward positions. O'Neal needs to simply step up his game (only 2 rebounds??), Chalmers needs to be more aggressive and more consistent, Wade needs to keep being Wade, and Joel needs to keep hustling. I think that would be the best formula for the Heat for this year when it comes to winning games.

Okay, so I haven't been paying THAT close attention to the Raptors. Still, I think the Raptors are heading in the right direction with Jack starting. Let's see what the numbers start to look like next game, cause it sounds like Ariza and Brooks poor play may have just been a fluke or an "off day" for them.

Jose benched, Jack starts. Ariza goes 0-9. Brooks goes 6-20. Turkoglu has 23 - 6 - 5. Lookin' good.

No player in NBA history can win a championship by themselves. Not Shaq. Not Kobe. Not even Michael Jordan. No matter what, there are always 5 guys on the court on each team. 5 guys on the defensive end, and 5 guys on the offensive end. Every single player on the court is required to contribute one way or another in order to win games. Every player needs to fill in for their 20% on the court. Whether it's rebounding, playing good man or team defense, hitting shots, or just setting good screens. Even if 4 out of 5 are contributing at 100%, it won't cut it when it comes to winning championships, because your team is running at only 80%. Great scorers get the most attention, but it's really the whole teams that are winning it. Yes, great scorers, playmakers, "go-to" guys, guys that make their teammates better, the all-around leaders.. they are very important. Those are the MVPs. Every great team needs one. But I guarantee you, nobody can win it by themselves. As much as you need the guy who can score, you also need the guy who can shoot treys, the guy who can defend the opposing best player, the inside presence, the monster on the glass. Having good role players is just as essential as having the great player that defenses have to strategize against. If you look in NBA history, every great player to win a championship normally has the same thing in common. Great role players, a Hall of Fame caliber teammate or teammates, and a great coach. Last year, Kobe Bryant had Pau Gasol as his potential HoF teammate. He wouldn't have won it without him. He had his solid role players in Derek Fisher, Trevor Ariza, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Luke Walton, and Jordan Farmar. He wouldn't have won it without them. He had the best coach in the last two decades in Phil Jackson. He wouldn't have won it without him, either. For the Celtics championship, Paul Pierce had Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo as his potential HoF teammates. Along with his multiple stars for teammates, he had Sam Cassell, James Posey, Kendrick Perkins, and Eddie House. He also had a pretty good coach in Doc Rivers. He obviously wouldn't have won it without them. For the Heat championship, Dwyane Wade had Shaquille O'Neal. His role players were Udonis Haslem, Jason Williams, James Posey, Antoine Walker, Gary Payton, and Alonzo Mourning. HoF coach was Pat Riley. As amazing as Dwyane Wade was, from following the Heat myself, I can bet you they would not have won the championship if they were missing just one of those guys. They all played an important role one way or another. For the Lakers 3-peat. Shaq had Kobe, along with Fisher, Fox, Grant, Horry, and I believe Rice and Harper IIRC. Plus, Phil Jackson, of course. I bet you Shaq wouldn't have won it without those guys, either. Do I need to move on to Jordan? Hakeem? Magic? Kareem? I think you get the point. Nobody wins it by themselves. Nobody.

This could actually be a good thing. Nothing against Calderon, though having Jack start brings a somewhat better defense to the back-court, plus gives Turkoglu a chance to run the offense more often and get him more involved overall, and it will also give Marco a chance to be a bit more ball dominant off the bench as well. I think the team will be more than fine without Jose for the long run.

Good stuff, Beas.

Welcome. Don't get discouraged by the lack of Kings fans for now. Stay active and hopefully more Kings fan will show up here and give you some company.

You might be right, but I don't think it comes from Turkoglu's abilities only fitting with Orlando. I think it's simply because in Orlando he had more freedom to dominate the ball a bit more. On the Raptors squad, I don't think Turk gets as many touches with the way Calderon is running the offense. Come to think of it, it may be a good idea to trade Calderon for a less ball-dominant, but better defensive PG.

Besides a new coach, I think by far the biggest problem is the two most importance positions in the game. The point guard and the center positions. The coach needs to demand more effort and efficiency defensively from Calderon and Bargnani. If they don't respond, he needs to bury them on the bench until they do. They need to realize that it's either they show effort on defense, or their minutes are in jeopardy. The coach needs to create that mindset in his players. I think the Raptors can role just fine with a starting line up of Jack - DeRozan - Turk - Evens - Bosh, while Calderon and Bargs get their heads straightened out. The reason I don't say to trade them is because I think they are somewhat important for their offense. It doesn't seem to me that the reason for their misery on defense is from the lack of the ability to defend versus focus, effort, and just putting more value into their defensive effort overall. If they can step it up defensively, I still think the Raptors can become a dangerous team.

WOW. Holy [expletive] @ that dunk. Definitely a top 3 dunk of the year! Right there next to Wade [expletive]ting on Varejao.

I don't think people realize the importance of a good coach. Rick Adelman is the main reason why I thought the Rockets are going to make the 7th seed this year. I'm still sticking by it, and they could perhaps reach a higher seed if Adelman can integrate McGrady back in their offense successfully. He's certainly a great coach and has a winning formula, even with a team full of role players. Same thing with Stan Van Gundy, he's a very underrated coach as well. I guarantee the Magic would never have had the same success without him.

In this case, I don't think it's the players. Like JVG just said, the Raptors have all the talent needed to win games. It's up to the coach to bring the most of his players. I think the Raptors probably need a new coach.

Gasol and Love going after it. 20 boards vs. 19 boards. Yikes.

I think it could also have a lot to do with the types of rebounds a player gets. There are those meaningless rebounds from just being positioned underneath the basket, where sometimes teammates will fight for the same rebound for statistical reasons, and there are those rebounds in traffic, those 50/50 balls where a rebound truly matters. I don't know if there is a definite difference in style of rebounding between Okafor and Chandler, since I don't watch the Hornets or Bobcats much, but I'm just throwing the idea out there.