Should the Heat adjust their line up?

[Poe]

I don't know how much agreement I'll get on this, but these are just my thoughts.

 

Against the Cavs tonight, I think Dorell Wright needs to start and be the guy guarding LeBron. LeBron is way too big for Q-Rich, despite his defensive improvements this year. Dorell had once started over Walker a few years back against the Lakers, and he held Kobe to below 20 points with his defense forcing him to 4-17 shooting. I think he can potential force LeBron to a similar night if Spoelstra puts enough trust in him.

 

The SF spot is a weaker point in the Heat defense, and starting Dorell against a team like the Cavs could be beneficial defensively and wouldn't hold back the Heat offensively with his much improved shooting. I always felt Wright was better then Q-Rich, anyway, but it's hard to argue when Q has been making shots, grabbing boards, and drawing charges, while Dorell hasn't shown a whole lot on the stat sheet.

 

Spoe's subbing methods have been somewhat questionable as far as the substitutions between Dorell, Beasley, Haslem, and Q-Rich. First of all, Q-Rich at 6'5'' is playing SF while he's on the court, while Dorell at 6'9'' has been playing SG (although dorell can handle the position perfectly well, it's still strange to see the taller guy playing the smaller position). Second, Beasley plays for the starting unit and likes to be aggressive offensively early in the game, but the Heat's strategy is to go to Jermaine early in the game instead plus having Wade at the 2nd option for the time being. Beasley, who is used to playing the first option in college, has to take a bit of a backseat in the beginning until either Wade or Jermaine or both are subbed out for Joel and Wright, while Haslem comes into the game for Q, and Beasley moves over to SF. It's not until Beasley switches positions where he becomes a first option on the court, even though he clearly isn't quite as comfortable playing SF yet, especially defensively where Haslem always ends up guarding Beasley's man.

 

Despite early season success, I think the starting line up should be changed to:

 

O'Neal

Haslem

Wright

Wade

Chalmers

 

With the second unit as:

 

Joel

Beasley

Q-Rich

Cook

Arroyo

 

Q-Rich has been the energy-guy thus far for the starting group, while Haslem brings it off the bench. I'm just switching the two around.

 

So far, there has also been a clear lack of offense in the bench line up. I think Beasley and Cook can both provide a scoring punch. When Beasley starts, he has a hard time finding his own shots with Wade being the slasher, O'Neal being the post guy, and Chalmers and Q-Rich being the shooters. With him coming off the bench, he can have all the room he wants to be aggressive on offense from the moment he comes into the game while being fresh off the bench and playing his natural position.

 

With these changes, Wright can play a role playing position similar to Trevor Ariza's (while in LA) by scoring on open looks and being a defensive stopper, Haslem can regain his old starting job and bring energy to the starting line up, Q-Rich can be the energy provider and bring more shooting range to the second unit, and Beasley will have more room to score.

 

Just my thoughts.

[Flash]

If there is any tweaking with the lineup I think it should be Haslem in for Beaz but I would keep Q as a starter. He's earned that spot whereas Dorrell's offense would be a liability with the first unit.

 

I like brining Michael and Daequan off the bench because then it gives us 2 great options with our second unit with Arroyo being a good third option for them.

 

That being said, I don't think we should change anything considering the way we've been playing to start the season.

[Poe]

I think Dorell's offense may actually benefit from playing with better players around him. Q-Rich's scoring has mostly been a product of the offense from the attention Wade, Beas, and O'Neal get. I think Dorell has a harder time finding his points when he's playing with Arroyo, Joel, and Beasley (who never passes once he's facing up), versus playing with Chalmers, Wade, and O'Neal, all of which are good passers and will find the open man, which is where most of Qs points are coming from. Not to discredit his play at all, he has been knocking his shots down consistently and making timely late-game shots. I think Dorell would fit in just as well, considering his much improved midrange and 3 point shooting.

 

I'll admit Q-Rich does deserve to start if he continues to play the way he's been, I just feel it would balance things out if the two players were switched in their roles, plus giving Dorell more minutes may finally give him a chance to tap into his potential the same way Ariza did for LA and DeRozan is doing now for Toronto. There is already 4 solid options in the starting line up, and Dorell would be a product of the offense until he gets more comfortable on the court and more reliable altogether.

 

The line up the way it is has been working very well defensively as a team, though, and that's the first priority. I just feel that making a tweak in the line up between Beasley, Rich, UD, and Dorell may help make things smoother offensively, especially for the bench line up. I don't see Spoe adding Dorell to the starting line up this early in the season, anyway, since his style is supposedly where his players have to "earn" their minutes, and Q-Rich has been doing a very good job so far.

[Flash]

I think Dorell's offense may actually benefit from playing with better players around him. Q-Rich's scoring has mostly been a product of the offense from the attention Wade, Beas, and O'Neal get. I think Dorell has a harder time finding his points when he's playing with Arroyo, Joel, and Beasley (who never passes once he's facing up), versus playing with Chalmers, Wade, and O'Neal, all of which are good passers and will find the open man, which is where most of Qs points are coming from. Not to discredit his play at all, he has been knocking his shots down consistently and making timely late-game shots. I think Dorell would fit in just as well, considering his much improved midrange and 3 point shooting.

 

 

 

The only thing with that is that then you'll most likely see a drop off in Q's production just like what Dorrell is going through from not playing with that first unit. Its basically us having to choose who we want to be producing out there with the first unit and right now I'd go with Q based off the fact that he's been on fire to start the season.

[Erick Blasco]

They're playing so well right now, I wouldn't change a thing. Richardson's playing some good defense right now, and Beasley gives the lineup some scoring punch. If it aint broken, don't fix it!

[Real Deal]

Dorell's length bothered Bryant, but you wouldn't see that in consecutive games. Kobe would've adjusted if it were a playoff series, like he does with every new defender thrown at him.

 

So that's the problem: Wright's length, put up against LeBron's physicality. It wouldn't have mattered. LeBron is like a beefed-up Grant Hill on the offensive end (pre-injury Grant, by the way). Teams are going to have trouble containing him because he can rely on another aspect of his game, heavily, if one isn't going his way.

 

LeBron takes jumpers, Wright contests for a quarter. James will adjust, drive to the rim and get 15 foul shots. There's no difference between what Wright and Richardson would've done against LeBron, it's just that Richardson is not a man-to-man defensive player, but a help defender.

 

The Heat needed to double LBJ to keep the ball out of his hands within 18 feet, not wait until he get it and drives. Big mistake. It seems like a lot of teams forgot how to do this out of that pick and roll situation. Let Anderson Varejao score 30 to beat you, on those rolls and jumpers he takes. There's a better chance of that not happening.

[Poe]

I'm not denying Kobe's abilities, which is why I'm using him as an example. Holding Kobe to 16 points with the Heat winning in the effort is pretty remarkable. Knowing Kobe, I understand there no way any defender in the league can keep Bryant from averaging below 20 in a 7 game series.

 

Dorell does have more trouble guarding the drive than he does guarding the jumpshot and the post. Dorell did guard LeBron some today, and the only time he scored was driving off the screen, where the Heat probably should have doubled. LeBron was ineffective scoring off the post or taking jumpers because Dorell's length bothered his shot.

 

Q-Rich did do a pretty good job with physical defense on LeBron, although it led him to foul trouble, and when Q backed off preparing for the drive, LB would use the height advantage to rise for a pull up jumper.

 

I prefer Dorell guarding LeBron because it took away more aspects of his game. If the Heat would have doubled him off of the screens, then they would have forced his teammates to have big nights, like you said.

[Real Deal]

I'm not denying Kobe's abilities, which is why I'm using him as an example. Holding Kobe to 16 points with the Heat winning in the effort is pretty remarkable. Knowing Kobe, I understand there no way any defender in the league can keep Bryant from averaging below 20 in a 7 game series.

 

Dorell does have more trouble guarding the drive than he does guarding the jumpshot and the post. Dorell did guard LeBron some today, and the only time he scored was driving off the screen, where the Heat probably should have doubled. LeBron was ineffective scoring off the post or taking jumpers because Dorell's length bothered his shot.

 

Q-Rich did do a pretty good job with physical defense on LeBron, although it led him to foul trouble, and when Q backed off preparing for the drive, LB would use the height advantage to rise for a pull up jumper.

 

I prefer Dorell guarding LeBron because it took away more aspects of his game. If the Heat would have doubled him off of the screens, then they would have forced his teammates to have big nights, like you said.

I wasn't exactly defending Kobe's abilities...I'm just saying, when a player defends a superstar that well for one game, you can't bank on it happening all the time. Kobe was getting a feel for Wright in that game, and he started to put up the points, but the Heat started doubling him before he got hot, and over the last two seasons, Kobe hasn't been able to split doubles like he used to be able to in 2004 or 2005, so it hurt him even more.

 

Just as Kobe would, LeBron would find a way to adjust. People say that Shane Battier defends Kobe better than anyone...but do they really watch the games? All I ever see is Kobe draining shots with Battier's hand in his face, and Kobe's misses come because of Houston's zone. He lit up Battier, lit up Artest, dominated LeBron, and eventually, he would've done the same to Wright.

 

Kobe, James, Wade...those guys adjust very well, which is why they are the three best offensive players in the NBA. At the end of the day, I don't think there's a single guy that can defend any of them consistently.

 

Miami will need to double LeBron all game...even if it's with Wright and someone else, or Richardson and another...they have to keep the ball moving and out of LeBron's hands. Otherwise, they will see him get 30-40 each game against them, and that won't boil over well if they meet in the playoffs.

[Diesel]

Yeah I agree about doubling LeBron. Dorrell and Q-Rich don't have a chance against him. The 3 spot is kind of a weak point defensively seeing as how their going to be seeing guys like Paul Pierce, Vince Carter on top of LeBron if they want to do some damage. The double is necessary

 

I would keep the starting line-up though. It's been pretty good so far this season and the losses came against Cleveland and Phoenix which are two very talented teams.

 

And I don't see the Dorrel Wright attractiveness that other Heat fans on this site seem to see. He has no shot whatsoever and he isn't as good on D as people on him attribute him to be. Q-Rich is playing like an overall better player right now.

[Poe]

In the 07-08 season, Dorell shot exactly 49.7% from midrange (80-161 in 44 games) before losing minutes due to injury in the 08-09 season. This year, he has improved that range to the 3 point arc, shooting 50% from both midrange and longrange, although he's only taken 4 shots from mid and 6 three-pointers in limited minutes, but it's more than clear that he has a shot.

 

Thing is, Dorell shoots a high percentage from just about everywhere. His length, quickness, and overall athleticism makes him a good finisher at the basket, he's a high percentage FT shooter (78% for career), and he's able to rise for a midrange shot, and nail the long ball. Plus, this guy handles very well for a guy his size, plays well off the pick and role, and sees the floor well to find the open man. You can make a case for him being able to run the point guard position, even.

 

The only problem Dorell has ever had was his decision making, but that's also starting to change, which is why he's getting minutes, and a reason he could possibly end up starting at some point into the season.

 

Anyway, not every Heat fan will talk about Wright the way I do. I think most fans would say he sucks because of their disappointment that he immediately rise to the expectations of "the next T-Mac" the way he was hyped up to be from draft day. Others will recognize the progress he has made over the years, and that the potential is still there despite spending most his time on the bench for the past 5 years.

[Flash]

D-Wright got a raw deal sometimes under Riley IMO. Even when he was healthy at times he never got minutes he deserved. I think Spo likes him a lot though and trusts him a lot more than Riles ever did.

 

Anyone who thought this guy was going to be the next T-Mac definitely had much too high expectations for him.