I definitely overestimated how good this team would be. Or maybe underestimated how bad their front court would be. I thought they'd get in at least one really dominant season, but it doesn't look that way so far. One of their big three is going to have to be moved sooner than I thought. I always figured it'd be Wade, but maybe it's Bosh. They really need a Marcus Camby type.
It was a better fit for his playing style, but that cast was never going to help him win a championship.
The Celtics have been missing Jermaine and Perkins in both games and Miami still looks weak down low. Imagine how easily Boston will beat them if they are all healthy come playoff time (although that's kinda unlikely).
I wonder which fan base is in for the biggest letdown this season? Miami, Portland, Oklahoma or Houston?
Just wait 'til they get Mike Miller back. With him they get....another guy who needs shots to be effective. Hmmm. Nevermind.
Miller will provide spacing and only take shots when given the ball in a spot up situation. That means that Lebron, Wade, or Bosh have to decide to give him the ball, and then if he gets it, he is supposed to shoot. So I don't really see a problem there. For the most part, when James Jones is hitting outside shots right now the team functions much better. Miller is a much better version of him. The fact that James Jones isn't hitting those shots on a regular basis, is part of the reason Miami is struggling right now. Just pack the paint.
James Jones is hitting his 3s at a mind boggling .491 rate right now, and he is taking almost 6 of them a game. I honestly do not think that Miller will do anything better than that - the only thing that Miller might have for them - is that they will be able to have a 3Pt. shooter for 48 MPG with him and Jones on the roster - so maybe this would help, but logically, I just do not see the combined Miller/Jones continue to hit 3s at the crazy pace Jones does so far, so I am not certain his return would be that big an advantage for them. Maybe they can play "big-small" with Wade handling the ball, Miller and Jones spacing and LeBron playing the 4 while Bosh plays the 5... it does feel like a gimmick line-up, however, and will continue to be exposed in the post.
Yea that is the thing though. From what I have seen so far it is either like James Jones is hitting, or he isn't, or he isn't even taking shots. There is a basktball IQ upgrade with Miller that will allow him to play off these guys better. You have to remember, Miller played with these guys in the olympic team. He knows how they play and is familiar with them. With James Jones, sometimes it just doesn't work out because he isn't in the right spot at the right time. He hits shots he has taken at a high clip, but isn't always doing the right thing to get that opportunity.
Yeah, but he's not really a threat to hit a 3 within the offense. I'd say 80-90% of his 3's are flaming bag passes at the end of the shot clock. Its easy to key in on that guy defensively and take away his offense.
I posted here as soon as Bosh, James, and Wade signed that they had no true inside game or interior defense, and that would be a problem for them. I think Boston with a healthy Perkins or a healthy Shaq and Orlando with Howard both beat them in a 7-game serier. I heard Cowherd talking this morning about a "process" for the Heat, but they are pretty much tapped out in terms of flexibility for the foreseeable future. Getting Miller back will help stretch the defense, but that team is a donut right now defensively, and on offense, there is still only one ball allowed on the court at a time.
Udonis Haslam's response: "Paul who?" Haslem shot back. "Man, ain't nobody paying them dudes no attention, man. You know what studio gangster is? Look up that, look up the definition of studio gangster. I'm here to play basketball. First of all, I don't tweet. So I wouldn't know what he tweeted if you guys didn't tell me."
