Miami Heat should concentrate on acquiring quality reserves – NBA Feature
By this time last year, the Miami Heat were actively celebrating their acquisition of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh; better known as the ‘big 3’. As the season drew closer, expectations began to rise.
The entire focus of the Heat staff as well as the fans, shifted towards these three big names and suddenly, it seemed as if basketball in Miami was about the ‘big 3’ only. Most people believed that the remaining two spots on the
court could be filled in with any of the long list of players on the Heat’s roster.
That is exactly how things seemed to have taken shape. After signing Eddie House, the Heat were eventually done with their summer recruitment process. What Miami had at this point, was a handful of elite players to go hand in hand
with a bunch of average players.
Players such as Carlos Arroyo, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Juwan Howard and Jamaal Magloire were quickly crammed into the roster and there seemed to have been very little thought or planning behind their acquisition.
Moreover, others such as Patrick Beverley, Kenny Hasbrouck, and Da'Sean Butler were offered permanent contracts, however, none of them managed to feature even once during the whole of last season.
The entire construct of last season’s Miami was fashioned in the most haphazard manner, led by mere hope that somehow everything will fall into place and the ‘big 3’ will eventually create a nest and settle in with the available
manpower.
This year however, with the lockout in place and no signs of a season taking shape anytime soon, the Heat have a lot of time on their hands. This can help them come up with a better thought out plan in terms of strengthening their
current roster.
There is enough talent available to supplement the nucleus of Wade, James, Bosh, Miller and Udonis Haslem. Anthony Joel may also be added to that list, as he has proved himself to be one of the better centres out there right now.
The only other member to fit the list is Mario Chalmers, but his stay at the club is tentative as of now and will be highly influenced by the new collective bargaining agreement. So that essentially makes a six to seven man core,
with over half of the roster still remaining to be filled with strategic players that can help Miami win the title this year.
The problem with the remaining 7-8 players on the roster has been their interchangeable use throughout the season. Last time, it seemingly didn't matter if Ilgauskas or Erick Dampier or Magloire were stuffed into the middle, or
whether James Jones or House or Mike Bibby were the selected shooters. As the Finals came to an end, no one had been able to cement their place alongside the ‘big 3’.
What Pat Riley needs to focus on now, is the building of an eight to nine man core that would be sufficient to play for the entire season. This will automatically make rotations decisions easier and fewer. Spoelstra needs to learn
from last season and realize that the fewer the rotations, the better, and a nine man core will help achieve that. Not only will the players be able to gel better with each other, the rotation players will get ample time to develop consistency and deliver
in any situation.
Currently, Miami needs a reliable and a strong centre, along with a positioned right flank. One quality combo guard will further enhance their strength and would be more fruitful than a long list of ineffective players. It is time
to let go of the unnecessary brigade and create a solid unit.
The remaining spots on the roster can be filled in with the young and upcoming talent, especially from the development league. This will ensure that Miami focus on gaining more quality rather than quantity, so that this season
proves to be much more effective than the previous one.
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