Just trying to get our Coli Rating Up - Miami Heat Season thread 2015/16

[A Tribe Called Quest ™]

This from a recent Chalmers interview

Mario Chalmers, in radio interview, reflects on end in Miami, start in Memphis | Heat Check

I'm a Grizzlies fan but lol @ Chalmers liking this shyt offense

 

[WaddupDoe!]

This from a recent Chalmers interview

Mario Chalmers, in radio interview, reflects on end in Miami, start in Memphis | Heat Check

im not surprised this is a Pat Riley team. i wouldnt expect there to be a lot of freedom. we have our principles on offense or as a team in general. & we dont change that for anything(weather it be for the best or worse).

 

[AkaDemiK]

and the bullshyt begins. expect a lot more of this as the season goes on. dude gonna go full alienation mode.



look, I love hassan but i'm not opposed to trading him if we're just gonna end up losing him.....spo is the real cancer of this team but it looks like he's teflon so what the fukk else can we do.

what in the entire fukk are you babbling about? the nikka woke up with a sore ankle...is he not suppose to comment on it? you think him saying this means he's acting like a fukk boy? this team gave him a shot when no one else wanted to and you think this is his mindstate? yall go off in the deep end sometimes with these made up scenarios lol..

 

[Green Ranger]

This right here is all you need to know

If 20 games represent the typical time frame for an NBA team to develop realistic expectations for what it can be and how far it can go, then count the Miami Heat among those waiting for an extension.

"We need more time," star guard Dwyane Wade insisted. "We aren't there yet."

Yet, there is more potential danger ahead.

After opening the season with 14 of their first 19 games at home, the Heat have started a stretch in which they will play 21 of their next 32 on the road. To this point, no team has had more rest and fewer road games than Miami, but it hasn't completely capitalized on the opportunity for momentum.

Sitting at 12-8 a quarter of the way through the season and possessing the league's second-best defense would normally indicate the Heat are trending in a productive direction -- especially considering they already have endured a key trade, a six-game absence of their most productive reserve and the loss of their best perimeter defender for two weeks due to injury.

But peel back a few layers, and it quickly becomes clear the Heat are a vulnerable team that is facing as many questions today as they did when training camp opened nearly three months ago. Issues that have been quietly simmering behind the scenes are now boiling over publicly as the Heat enter Friday's game against the Indiana Pacers two nights after a blowout loss in Charlotte.

Franchise anchors Wade and Chris Bosh -- who each earn at least $20 million this season -- each have demanded to be more of the focal point in the offense, with Wade suggesting after the loss to the Hornets that there was too much "freelance" basketball and little commitment to a system. For weeks now, there has been no consistency within the offense and instead stretches when coach Erik Spoelstra has worked to appease struggling or disgruntled key players.

Hassan Whiteside is the latest example.

A turbulent stretch for the defensive stalwart took another bumpy turn on Thursday, when Whiteside sat out practice in Indiana with a sprained ankle sustained during Wednesday's loss in Charlotte. The injury leaves Whiteside's status in question for Friday's game at a time when the Heat still don't seem to have a definitive plan for him within the offensive scheme.

A week ago, Whiteside told reporters the team doesn't run any plays for him. Then he was benched for the final 14 minutes of Monday's loss to a shorthanded and undersized Washington Wizards team that primarily played four guards and a small forward and torched Miami for a season-high 114 points. The Heat's initial adjustment to then make Whiteside more of an offensive priority early in the Charlotte game backfired. He committed six of Miami's 18 turnovers in a lackluster performance that left Wade and Bosh questioning the structure and Spoelstra bemoaning the team's overall effort.

"We didn't impose our will," Spoelstra said in a familiar assessment after the Heat's sixth loss of the season by double figures. "We just have to get to work. At this point, I don't know. I just have to get into the film and see. Each game is different."

Heading into the season, there was widespread optimism about the Heat finally being able to utilize their starting lineup of Wade, Bosh, Whiteside, Luol Deng and Goran Dragic. Chemistry between that unit never materialized last season, when the Heat acquired Dragic in a February trade hours before they learned Bosh would miss the rest of the season for treatment of a blot clot on his lung.

But since the start of this season, the Heat have been toiling through varying degrees of adjustments. Although Wade scored at least 20 points in each of the first five games for the first time since the 2009-10 season, Dragic sputtered from the outset. Then Wade's production dipped as Whiteside and Bosh gained a rhythm over the next stretch of games. But when Dragic's struggles persisted, the Heat worked to help the former All-NBA playmaker establish a comfort zone at a more up-tempo pace that was evident in consecutive victories against Oklahoma City and Cleveland last week.

And just as Dragic and Wade got their collective games going, Whiteside and Bosh diminished. Now the Heat face the Pacers looking to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. Indiana has won eight straight home games against Miami, including a 90-87 victory on Nov. 6, when Wade had nine points.

"I think by now we should know our game. We should know what we want to get to, especially on the road. We talk about things, but we don't do it. We've had enough conversations."

Chris Bosh
"I think by now we should know our game," said Bosh, who is averaging 16.9 points this season and shooting a career-worst 44.2 percent from the field. "We should know what we want to get to, especially on the road. We talk about things, but we don't do it. We've had enough conversations."

Bosh flat-out called for more structure in the offense.

"From day to day, we don't know where the ball is going," Bosh told reporters after Miami was held to a season-low 81 points on Wednesday for the second time this season. "In this system, I have to have trust. The ball has to move. I want to be able to go out and play team ball. We're capable. But sometimes we just fall back. It goes up and down -- way down. When we have a bad game, it's a stinker."

Maintaining pace and production have been problematic for the Heat, who ranks 27th among 30 teams in scoring at just 96 points per game. Miami also plays at the fifth-slowest pace among all teams, an issue that was supposed to be addressed by the addition of Dragic. But those numbers dip drastically on the road, where Miami is averaging just 89 points and shooting only 43.1 percent.

Among the bigger concerns have been the Heat's dreadful 3-point shooting, which ranks 27th in the NBA at six makes per game and is 28th in connection percentage at 31.3. Also bogging down the offense is the league's second-worst bench, which is providing just 25.2 points a game.

It's been an across-the-board dilemma for Miami. In addition to Bosh shooting a career-low percentage from the field, Dragic's 11.3 points a game are his fewest as a full-time starter, while Wade's 29.5 minutes are a career low and his scoring average is under 19 points for the first time since his rookie season in 2003. Even Deng, who returned Wednesday from a hamstring injury that kept him out six games, is on pace for career-low numbers in points, assists, rebounds and shooting percentage this season.

"We just have to find that 'it' together as a team," Wade said. "It's going to take a while for us to decide how we want this season to go. If we want it to go in a positive way, we'll figure out how to get it together. Everyone means well on this team. It's all about communicating to each other. We talk often, but we just have to make those adjustments on the fly. If we do that, we'll be fine."

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

what in the entire fukk are you babbling about? the nikka woke up with a sore ankle...is he not suppose to comment on it? you think him saying this means he's acting like a fukk boy? this team gave him a shot when no one else wanted to and you think this is his mindstate? yall go off in the deep end sometimes with these made up scenarios lol..

who the fukk goes to sleep perfectly fine then wakes up with a sprained ankle?......and we gonna act like last week hassan didn't complain that he gets no plays ran for him?....we gonna act like 2 days ago hassan didn't just leave the locker room without talking to the media?.....was that a "made up scenario"??......there's a lot of tension brewing with hassan and this team and anybody with a brain can see that. there's new reports every single day about this shyt. it's no secret hassan can be a drama queen. we all see it every game. but with the situation he's in right now, it's hard to be mad at him. I'm on his side with the bullshyt, but anybody can see he's just acting out. he's got his coach treating him like a bum and his teammates sending subliminals at him. dude is not happy right now and the shyt is plain as day.

 

[madness]

Where?

hornets postgame interviews. thinly-veiled shots about players not freelancing on offense and playing within the system

wade talking about getting him and CB the ball in spots where they're comfortable. but how often do they get hassan the ball in spots where he's comfortable?.....if it isn't a lob, they completely ignore him. if they get him the ball, it's always in a position where he has no choice but to fail. it's like they do it because they know he'll have no choice except to pass back. only hassan be like fukk yall :HassanUMAD:

breh i don't even think hassan knows how to get to spots on the court where he's comfortable. it's a byproduct of him still being raw and not having a lot of experience. i watched this nikka try to back down a defender from just inside the 3-point line and promptly get stripped

 

[WaddupDoe!]

This right here is all you need to know

yea but spo needs to find a perfect balanced for our players. & he needs to make sure that we stick to the game plan no matter what. because it seems like we start to "freelance" when we are getting blown out. because in our wins we are doing everything right on offense. we are running our sets & having moment(both with the ball & bodies). so i think spo needs to make sure our guys stop having these let downs. because that is when our offense goes out the door.

 

[((ReFleXioN)) EteRNaL]

hornets postgame interviews. thinly-veiled shots about players not freelancing on offense and playing within the system

breh i don't even think hassan knows how to get to spots on the court where he's comfortable. it's a byproduct of him still being raw and not having a lot of experience. i watched this nikka try to back down a defender from just inside the 3-point line and promptly get stripped

....that's the thing though. he has no identity out there. he's always out by the 3 point line because he's forced to be everybody's screen bytch on every possession. dude looks so damn confused out there....shyt is sad. this whole situation is gettin ugly fast. i've already accepted that we're gonna lose hassan this summer

 

[Primetime21]

Man a lot of ya'll are overreacting with this narrative that Hassan is alienating himself in the locker room

What this team lacks the most is leadership. Just look at those quotes from 2 of the 3 longest tenured players on the team:

Wade: "We need more time, we aren't there yet"
Bosh: "We talk about things, but we don't do it"

well why the fukk not

It's a damn shame. This team has just as much collective talent as that 99/00 team but I swear they don't have no where near the amount of heart. "We talk about things, we know what we gotta do we just dont do it " This group would do best with a coach who lights a fire up under their ass, and Im not saying that as indictment on Spo but the players just dont have that dog mentality, they're too passive.

 

[iamduval]

Wade tries to do to much. Hassan being out might be a blessing in disguise. Should open up the floor.

 

[WaddupDoe!]

Man a lot of ya'll are overreacting with this narrative that Hassan is alienating himself in the locker room

What this team lacks the most is leadership. Just look at those quotes from 2 of the 3 longest tenured players on the team:

Wade: "We need more time, we aren't there yet"
Bosh: "We talk about things, but we don't do it"

well why the fukk not

It's a damn shame. This team has just as much collective talent as that 99/00 team but I swear they don't have no where near the amount of heart. "We talk about things, we know what we gotta do we just dont do it " This group would do best with a coach who lights a fire up under their ass, and Im not saying that as indictment on Spo but the players just dont have that dog mentality, they're too passive.

thats when our HC needs to step in & make sure this damn team does what they are suppose to. isnt that what his job is?

Wade tries to do to much. Hassan being out might be a blessing in disguise. Should open up the floor.

but our defense will take a big step back. so lose one to gain one.

 

[Primetime21]

thats when our HC needs to step in & make sure this damn team does what they are suppose to. isnt that what his job is?

I ain't talking about coaching I'm talking about effort, at some point the players have to have some pride. Top 4 motors on this team right now: TJ, Winslow, Green, Whiteside. No they aren't the best overall players, the shots aren't always falling, and there will be turnovers (Winslow/Whiteside) but what I see is the effort. When I see Bosh soft ass camped out at the 3 point line guarded by Jared Dudley, instead of going into the paint, being a man and demanding the ball..thats lack of effort, lack of basketball intelligence. Same with Wade against Charlotte, not hustling after offensive boards, not getting back on defense. Those are two 12 year vets, they should be leading this team by example. UD shouldn't have to come in the locker room at halftime multiple times this year cursing the team out because they aren't playing with effort.

 

[WaddupDoe!]

I ain't talking about coaching I'm talking about effort, at some point the players have to have some pride. Top 4 motors on this team right now: TJ, Winslow, Green, Whiteside. No they aren't the best overall players, the shots aren't always falling, and there will be turnovers (Winslow/Whiteside) but what I see is the effort. When I see Bosh soft ass camped out at the 3 point line guarded by Jared Dudley, instead of going into the paint, being a man and demanding the ball..thats lack of effort, lack of basketball intelligence. Same with Wade against Charlotte, not hustling after offensive boards, not getting back on defense. Those are two 12 year vets, they should be leading this team by example. UD shouldn't have to come in the locker room at halftime multiple times this year cursing the team out because they aren't playing with effort.

oh i agree. but again the HC needs to say something. you think Pop or any other good coach in the NBA is going to let that fly with his superstars? hell nah. yea its on the players, no doubt. but its also on the man who is the coach of the team to let them no wake the fukk up & move their asses. but once again that spo being soft as fukk.

 

[Alexander The Great]

I ain't talking about coaching I'm talking about effort, at some point the players have to have some pride. Top 4 motors on this team right now: TJ, Winslow, Green, Whiteside. No they aren't the best overall players, the shots aren't always falling, and there will be turnovers (Winslow/Whiteside) but what I see is the effort. When I see Bosh soft ass camped out at the 3 point line guarded by Jared Dudley, instead of going into the paint, being a man and demanding the ball..thats lack of effort, lack of basketball intelligence. Same with Wade against Charlotte, not hustling after offensive boards, not getting back on defense. Those are two 12 year vets, they should be leading this team by example. UD shouldn't have to come in the locker room at halftime multiple times this year cursing the team out because they aren't playing with effort.

you right man. I been feeling that way for a little while about both of them. I'm so sick of hearing Bosh talk...I turn off all of his interviews. he has never acted like a #1 option. and Wade lacks real leadership skills tbh. your teammates see you not hustling, and always complaining...they gonna be the same way.

when you don't have a superstar, or a superstar who is willing to take the team my the neck and lead them...you aren't winning shyt.

 

[Primetime21]

you right man. I been feeling that way for a little while about both of them. I'm so sick of hearing Bosh talk...I turn off all of his interviews. he has never acted like a #1 option. and Wade lacks real leadership skills tbh. your teammates see you not hustling, and always complaining...they gonna be the same way.

when you don't have a superstar, or a superstar who is willing to take the team my the neck and lead them...you aren't winning shyt.

It's sickening because Wade will turn it on for an OKC or a Cleveland, but won't put out against lesser teams. We're a quarter of the way through so we're starting to see what we are going to be. We're going to be in for a disappointing season if they don't start playing with some consistency and pride.