<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Seriously. Impressive as it sounds on the surface to hear that three quality players have been acquired at the cost of only one starter -- Eddie Jones -- apprehension has to be the reaction unless you expect two guys who need the ball ('Toine and J-Will) to slot seamlessly into the pecking order behind Shaq and Dwyane Wade. Did the Heat really need an overhaul? Last time we saw Miami, with a hobbled Shaq and a half-speed Wade, Miami was falling just one win shy of an NBA Finals berth. Yet Pat Riley blew it up anyway. He kept Shaq, D-Wade and Udonis Haslem and essentially dumped everyone else who helped the banged-up Heat push mighty Detroit to the brink of elimination. Even Damon Jones, the locker-room glue who's tight with Shaq and D-Wade, is only a maybe to return after ranking fifth in the league in 3-point shooting at 43.2 percent. So ... As if Stan Van Gundy didn't face enough pressure next season, trying to coach these guys amid suspicion that Riley is fighting the urge to return to the bench, now SVG has to integrate two certifiable enigmas into a totally new rotation. Again we ask: Was an overhaul really necessary?</div> http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/columns/stor...marc&id=2123211
It wasn't necessary, but now that it happened we have a better team than last year. It's an upgrade at every position.
It was necessary because last season we were one of the best teams in the league. We were on the same level as the Pistons and Suns but still a little bit behind the Spurs. This trade puts us on a whole new level and now we have all the players to be the best team in the NBA and compete for a championship. If you get the oppurtunity to add great players and improve your team why wouldn't you?
If you go on and read past what I quoted, you'll see this: <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Walker and Williams, though, will have to win us over as Heaters. They're both entertainers whose flair and bravado are generally welcomed here at Stein Line HQ, but they have been imported to South Florida as role players. Can they accept that? Walker, remember, struggled in Dallas as a third or fourth fiddle. It was his choice to go Miami, so he obviously knows what he's walking into for a pricey six years and $53 million, but 'Toine has plenty of his own skeptics to convince he can be happy as a down-the-list option. Especially if he's asked to be a sixth man, with Posey starting instead. Williams, meanwhile, has a huge supporter in Shaq but a history that suggests he could struggle to adapt to the rigid culture Riley wants to filter down from his office. After some rollercoaster years in Sacramento surrendering fourth quarters to Bobby Jackson, Williams chafed under longtime Heat broadcaster Mike Fratello in Memphis. He also lacks the consistent perimeter stroke (as a career 31 percent shooter from 3-point range) that the Heat would seem to need most from Wade's backcourt partner. If Damon Jones doesn't return, and with Eddie Jones bound for Beale Street, who will stretch the defense for the two stars?</div>Can these stars become role players?
I think the Heat will have problems early on in the season, but they will come around midseason. Antoine Walker is going to have some problems here and I don't know about Jason Williams.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">If you go on and read past what I quoted, you'll see this: Can these stars become role players?</div> I think Jason Williams will have an easier time adjusting to being a role player then Antoine Walker will. Williams only averages 10 PPG and 5 APG so it's not like he is a huge scorer who needs to take a certain amount of shots every game. Then there is Walker. He is someone who has been a top scorer throughout his career and will have to settle as a third option in Miami. I think this might be a problem unless he is at the point in his career where he will do whatever it takes for a championship. Maybe he wants that ring really badly so he is willing to take a smaller role on a championship contending team. Hopefully he can still be a productive scorer without being the main offensive threat on the court. I have a feeling Shaq will open up a lot of threes for Walker (which isn't a great thing because of his inconsistency) so it's not like he won't get the chance to score at all. Hopefully the team will build chemistry and be fine with whatever role they are assigned.
It was necessary, because even though that team could have won the East, they lacked the depth to compete with the Spurs for the title. With this trade you get more depth and more potential lineups. One advantage is that if Walker and Williams start to go out of control during a game, you have capable subs who can step up and hopefully provide the competition to keep them in check. Shaq is the type of leader who can make sure these guys don't act up. I think the desire to win a championship will motivate JWill and 'Toine to play within the team.
iono...i think don't toine will just lay down like that...he'll still be jacking up threes....he's going be taking a lotta shots..trust me thats just his game...he'll be getting more shots up than wade and shaq
I think it'll be tough in the begining but im sure as the season goes along they will realize what they need to do in order to get a championship.
I don't htink it's fair to compare the egos on this team to the ones in L.A in 03-04. Williams ego can not even compare to Paytons and D Wade is no Kobe. Posey is going to be a team player. Haslem is no Malone in size of egos.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker31:</div><div class="quote_post">I don't htink it's fair to compare the egos on this team to the ones in L.A in 03-04. Williams ego can not even compare to Paytons and D Wade is no Kobe. Posey is going to be a team player. Haslem is no Malone in size of egos.</div>Who did?
there have been a lot of poeple saying that this is like the lakerrs of 03-04. I was just adressing that.
I actually think the Heat's off-season moves made the best team in the league last year (until Wade and Shaq got injured in the playoffs) worse, especially if they lose DJ.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting playmaker31:</div><div class="quote_post">there have been a lot of poeple saying that this is like the lakerrs of 03-04. I was just adressing that.</div>But since nobody has said it in this thread, wouldn't it be better to address the actual issue at hand, rather than what you've heard from other places?
dont worry if any of them get out of place theyll have to deal with a 7 foot 300 pound shaq. that should straighten anybody up.something walker isnt used too is a tough leader who will demand the best from you day in and day out. same for Jason.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting eyes only:</div><div class="quote_post">dont worry if any of them get out of place theyll have to deal with a 7 foot 300 pound shaq. that should straighten anybody up.something walker isnt used too is a tough leader who will demand the best from you day in and day out. same for Jason.</div>Oh really? So you mean to suggest that, with Shaq around, there won't be any nonsense? Don't you remember the soap opera that was the Los Angelas Lakers while Shaq was there? I'm in no way saying that the Heat will end up like that team, but I think that's proof that Shaq isn't much of an enforcer in the locker room.
They may have some ego problems at the start of the season, but I think as the playoffs approach they will develop chemistry.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">So you mean to suggest that, with Shaq around, there won't be any nonsense? Don't you remember the soap opera that was the Los Angelas Lakers while Shaq was there? I'm in no way saying that the Heat will end up like that team, but I think that's proof that Shaq isn't much of an enforcer in the locker room.</div> Is JWill and Toine half the players that GP and Malone were in their primes??? Shaq had to respect GP and Malone, who woulnd't they were future HOFs, while Jwill and Toine aren't. Plus Dwyane gets along with Shaq and doesn't have an ego like Kobe does. This is defintaly not as bad as the soap opera before...
