2010-11 NBA Season

[TFoA]

Atlanta continuing to bolster its reputation as a safe haven for the road team. Sounds like MSG in Philips Arena right now. Not even a surprise.

Just wait until Tuesday....

When half of those people who found any sort of orange & blue in the back of their closet will once again rummage through their closet for whatever purple & gold articles of clothing they have.

[Saintsfan]

At least wait until the playoffs, because you truly cannot simplify everything this easily and this early on. I, for one, would be perfectly happy giving Dwyane Wade the ball when time's running out and getting the hell out of the way. The Heat aren't stupid or bad and I promise you they will not just go down with a whimper at the end of every close game.

Agreed with the bolded part.. Despite the fact that I said that LeBron & Bosh's un-clutchness have been rubbing off on him, he is still one of the best in the world when it comes to late situations. If anything, I'm shocked that he hasn't been getting the ball MORE in that situation, and that's where I get to the point where the Heat are dumb. If they're letting Bosh & LeBron take 3s in attempts to win games instead of guys who can actually hit that shot with some sort of regularity, then what the hell is going on?

Also, unless the Heat run the table from this point on, last year's Cavs will have a better record.

WOW, even with 2 superstars around him they will be as good as last year's Cleveland LeBron and a whole bunch of sheep

People need to stop saying that. There aren't 2 other superstars with LeBron. There is LeBron and D-Wade. Bosh is not a superstar, never was a superstar, and never will be a superstar.

Problem is the Heat are stuck with Bosh and his weighty contract. Ever try to trade that contract along with a guy capable of shooting 1 for 18?

[Jigga]

Problem is the Heat are stuck with Bosh and his weighty contract. Ever try to trade that contract along with a guy capable of shooting 1 for 18?

Yeah, the Heat seem to be stuck with Bosh's contract, for now...but I'm sure they could unload Bosh in the offseason if they wanted to. Though I don't know why they would want to. While I said he wasn't a superstar, I never said he was a bum. He doesn't shoot 1 for 18 every game, does he? I can remember plenty of games where Kobe goes 5 for 24 or 8 for 30 or the like. Does that mean Kobe's a bum, too? Can't judge a guy on one game.

[TFoA]

Problem is the Heat are stuck with Bosh and his weighty contract. Ever try to trade that contract along with a guy capable of shooting 1 for 18?

Baron Davis, Gilbert Arenas, & Rashard Lewis have all been traded either this season or during the offseason. There is no such thing as an un-tradeable contract in the NBA anymore. If an NBA team wants to trade you, they will find a way.

[Saintsfan]

Problem is the Heat are stuck with Bosh and his weighty contract. Ever try to trade that contract along with a guy capable of shooting 1 for 18?

Yeah, the Heat seem to be stuck with Bosh's contract, for now...but I'm sure they could unload Bosh in the offseason if they wanted to. Though I don't know why they would want to. While I said he wasn't a superstar, I never said he was a bum. He doesn't shoot 1 for 18 every game, does he? I can remember plenty of games where Kobe goes 5 for 24 or 8 for 30 or the like. Does that mean Kobe's a bum, too? Can't judge a guy on one game.

Oh I didn't mean to suggest Bosh was a bum! I am sure he is just a good player whose just being overpaid. Or at least is damaging his team by being paid so much, (although personally I think the Heat back up isn't as bad as advertised). But pay Bosh a bit less and you'd maybe get in a solid 6th man, or something similar.

[Jigga]

Problem is the Heat are stuck with Bosh and his weighty contract. Ever try to trade that contract along with a guy capable of shooting 1 for 18?

Yeah, the Heat seem to be stuck with Bosh's contract, for now...but I'm sure they could unload Bosh in the offseason if they wanted to. Though I don't know why they would want to. While I said he wasn't a superstar, I never said he was a bum. He doesn't shoot 1 for 18 every game, does he? I can remember plenty of games where Kobe goes 5 for 24 or 8 for 30 or the like. Does that mean Kobe's a bum, too? Can't judge a guy on one game.

Oh I didn't mean to suggest Bosh was a bum! I am sure he is just a good player whose just being overpaid. Or at least is damaging his team by being paid so much, (although personally I think the Heat back up isn't as bad as advertised). But pay Bosh a bit less and you'd maybe get in a solid 6th man, or something similar.

Paying Bosh less was not an option though. He was always seen as a "max" guy (IIRC, Bosh actually signed a larger contract in terms of total dollars than LeBron did). If the Heat had made a lowball offer, there was no shortage other suitors that would have been willing to pony up max dollars...especially if it meant teaming Bosh with LeBron. Up until the last few days before "The Decision", I still thought Bosh and Bron were heading to Chicago. If they really wanted to WIN as much as they said they did, that was the place to go.

At this point, though, Bosh ain't the problem. They basically were forced to eat the scraps off the other teams' plates. Miller, Jones, Damp, House, Bibby, etc. Most of those cats were cast offs, also rans, rejects, has beens, nobody wants, or whatever. It's just not the "Big 3" that steer the ship, you have to look at the "Little 12" surrounding them, too. If it was just about the Big 3, Boston never would have won their title.

[dfwabel]

^^^^The lack of late game performance aside, let's remember that all three of them (James, Bosh, and Wade) took less money in order to have the Heat give a respectable contract to Udonis Haslem, who in his own right passed up more money elsewhere to stay in his hometown. Prior to his injury, Haslem was the center and leading rebounder. Both Joel Anthony and Dampier have no hands, Dampier also plays as if he is wearing flip-flops, and Z is 7 feet but has a game of someone who is 6'5". Not getting Troy Murphy, since he can and does rebound, will hurt them for this season.

[Saintsfan]

Maybe the issue with the Heat isn't the big 3 or the tiny 12, more the disparity in egos between the 2 groups and the ineffectiveness of anyone in the organisation to bridge that gap.

[Jigga]

Maybe the issue with the Heat isn't the big 3 or the tiny 12, more the disparity in egos between the 2 groups and the ineffectiveness of anyone in the organisation to bridge that gap.

How do you figure that is even an issue? Besides, who in the Heat organization has a bigger ego than Riles?

[DEAD!]

Here's what the Miami Heat coach should have told his players: Are you crying? There's no crying! There's no crying in basketball!

[Jigga]

I think Spoelstra was the one crying. He knows Riles is coming down to the bench once this team is good enough to contend for rings.

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven...

[Saintsfan]

Maybe the issue with the Heat isn't the big 3 or the tiny 12, more the disparity in egos between the 2 groups and the ineffectiveness of anyone in the organisation to bridge that gap.

How do you figure that is even an issue? Besides, who in the Heat organization has a bigger ego than Riles?

Maybe if the gap weren't so big, the Heat might play 5 man ball, and not 3 man ball, down the stretch?

[The_Admiral]

I think Spoelstra was the one crying. He knows Riles is coming down to the bench once this team is good enough to contend for rings.

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven...

LeBron James isn't going to win eight championships.

[Lights Out]

Maybe if the gap weren't so big, the Heat might play 5 man ball, and not 3 man ball, down the stretch?

But it's not an ego gap, it's a talent gap. Trying to play 5 man ball with that roster down the stretch would be an even bigger liability than playing 3 man ball.

[Jigga]

I think Spoelstra was the one crying. He knows Riles is coming down to the bench once this team is good enough to contend for rings.

Not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven...

LeBron James isn't going to win eight championships.

Um, I am quite aware of that...but LeBron was the delusional one.

[Saintsfan]

Maybe if the gap weren't so big, the Heat might play 5 man ball, and not 3 man ball, down the stretch?

But it's not an ego gap, it's a talent gap. Trying to play 5 man ball with that roster down the stretch would be an even bigger liability than playing 3 man ball.

But are they THAT bad? Or are they just not being given the respect they deserve by the organisation. Case in point, Mike Miller, career PPG 13.4, 2010-11 PPG 6.1, fair enough he's been injured for some of the season, but thats a big drop off. (In fairness he has played 11 minutes per game less as well!) But the supporting cast is hardly the dregs of the NBA. Only three of them have less than 7 years NBA experience, you've got guys like Juwon Howard, Jamal Maglorie with valuable experience. It really shouldn't just be about James, Wade and Bosh.

People should stop treating the supporting cast like they are nobodies. There's some decent players there, and they should, as a group, be capable of closing out wins.

[NJTank]

Maybe LeBron should call Charlie Sheen to get some advice on winning.

[Jigga]

Maybe if the gap weren't so big, the Heat might play 5 man ball, and not 3 man ball, down the stretch?

But it's not an ego gap, it's a talent gap. Trying to play 5 man ball with that roster down the stretch would be an even bigger liability than playing 3 man ball.

But are they THAT bad? Or are they just not being given the respect they deserve by the organisation. Case in point, Mike Miller, career PPG 13.4, 2010-11 PPG 6.1, fair enough he's been injured for some of the season, but thats a big drop off. (In fairness he has played 11 minutes per game less as well!) But the supporting cast is hardly the dregs of the NBA. Only three of them have less than 7 years NBA experience, you've got guys like Juwon Howard, Jamal Maglorie with valuable experience. It really shouldn't just be about James, Wade and Bosh.

People should stop treating the supporting cast like they are nobodies. There's some decent players there, and they should, as a group, be capable of closing out wins.

Who gives a rip how long these guys have played? Look at them. You're giving me Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magloire? These guys are not serviceable NBA backups anymore. Neither is Z. Sure, they were valuable role players a few/several years ago, but come on man, y'all are killing me in this thread. It's about right now, not about last year and damn sure not what they did in their "primes." When this becomes a lifetime achievement award, we can talk about respecting someone because they have X years of experience. Most of these guys can't play dead, let alone play basketball. I think Haslem is a good "glue" guy type of role player, but go somewhere with that Mike Miller/Juwan Howard/Jamaal Magloire . If you think these cats are any good, I'd love to get my hands on the stuff you're smoking. Or I'd at least like to know what games you're watching. I could link you to some video from 2011 if you'd like to see it.

[Saintsfan]

Maybe if the gap weren't so big, the Heat might play 5 man ball, and not 3 man ball, down the stretch?

But it's not an ego gap, it's a talent gap. Trying to play 5 man ball with that roster down the stretch would be an even bigger liability than playing 3 man ball.

But are they THAT bad? Or are they just not being given the respect they deserve by the organisation. Case in point, Mike Miller, career PPG 13.4, 2010-11 PPG 6.1, fair enough he's been injured for some of the season, but thats a big drop off. (In fairness he has played 11 minutes per game less as well!) But the supporting cast is hardly the dregs of the NBA. Only three of them have less than 7 years NBA experience, you've got guys like Juwon Howard, Jamal Maglorie with valuable experience. It really shouldn't just be about James, Wade and Bosh.

People should stop treating the supporting cast like they are nobodies. There's some decent players there, and they should, as a group, be capable of closing out wins.

Who gives a rip how long these guys have played? Look at them. You're giving me Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magloire? These guys are not serviceable NBA backups anymore. Neither is Z. Sure, they were valuable role players a few/several years ago, but come on man, y'all are killing me in this thread. It's about right now, not about last year and damn sure not what they did in their "primes." When this becomes a lifetime achievement award, we can talk about respecting someone because they have X years of experience. Most of these guys can't play dead, let alone play basketball. I think Haslem is a good "glue" guy type of role player, but go somewhere with that Mike Miller/Juwan Howard/Jamaal Magloire . If you think these cats are any good, I'd love to get my hands on the stuff you're smoking. Or I'd at least like to know what games you're watching. I could link you to some video from 2011 if you'd like to see it.

For sure those guys aren't what they were, but are you telling me you can lose the ability to shoot, for sure you might lose speed and moves, but you can still put a ball through the ring. They are guys who can still contribute, even if they aren't leading the team. My point isn't that they should be leading, but they could play more of a role and be more respected by whoever is deciding how the Heat should be playing. Thats my point. Its the Heat who've made themselves into a 3 man line up, by not using the other guys. Plenty of championship teams, in all manner of sports, have had a roster filled with veterans cast off by other teams, backing up a few stars.

[Lights Out]

That just doesn't happen in the NBA, though. You need two stars and a solid supporting cast to win a title these days (prime example: Kobe and Pau's Lakers). Three stars with an awful supporting cast is too top-heavy.