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Heat need more than Wade to thrive

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Charley Rosen

Charley Rosen is FOXSports.com's NBA analyst and author of 17 sports books, the current ones being Bullpen Diaries: Mariano Rivera, Bronx Dreams, Pinstripe Legends, and the Future of the New York Yankees and Crazy Basketball: A Life In and Out of Bounds.

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Updated Nov 30, 2009 4:33 PM ET
     
 

Game time: Celtics 92, Heat 85

The Heat's valiant effort in losing to the highly rated Celtics revealed exactly why Miami is on the verge of becoming a bona-fide contender for a top-level postseason seed. Unfortunately, the game also provided convincing evidence that they'll still be on the bottom looking up when the playoffs commence. Dwyane Wade has already demonstrated that he's a championship-caliber player. He has a variety of tricky cross-over dribbles, a long and quick last step, and he demonstrated his strength when he absorbed a heavy-duty bang from Kendrick Perkins in the first quarter without being derailed. In an open field, D-Wade can get to the rim as well as LeBron and Kobe — and he always scans the court en route to find an open teammate. Plus, if his on-the-ball defense is A-OK, his off-the-ball defense is beyond reproach. But Wade's jump shots are erratic. Against Boston, he took 13 mid- to long-range springers and converted only five. One of his misses was an air ball, and two others were forced. Moreover, Wade's jumpers are much more accurate when he pulls and shoots then when he releases his shots with his feet set. Twice Wade received the ball after curling over the top of a weak-side screen — losing his dribble on one of these, and choosing to make a neutral pass on the other. Otherwise, he attacked the lane after high brush screens or on just plain isos. But in the last five-plus minutes of the game, the Heat's offense was limited to Wade's going one-on-one — looking to either find a good shot or make a successful drive-and-dish — and both he and his team failed to register a single field goal. Indeed, Wade's erratic jump shooting is what makes him a second-tier superstar, and what prevents the Heat from becoming a consistent winner. Michael Beasley is usually a drop-dead shooter from a standstill position. But in the game at hand he was only 2-for-5 when shooting under this circumstance. He did show a quick and determined left-handed drive — including a big dunk in a crowd of defenders — and his lively athleticism is absolutely sensational. And it was Beasley who carried the offense during the Heat's third-quarter rally. However, on the only sequence in which he tried to take his right hand to the basket, he bounced the ball off his leg and out-of-bounds. Beasley's defense has come a long way since his rookie season. He made several timely shows on screen/rolls, and showed exceptional instincts. However, after making the proper adjustments/rotations, Beasley had difficulty reversing direction and making the appropriate recoveries. Also, sometimes his baseline rotations were so late that he was too close to the hoop when he caught up with the ball — that's primarily because he didn't quite know what to do or where to go when he was on the weak side. Give this young man (he won't be 21 until next January) two more years and, if he works hard enough, he could easily become a well-balanced quasi-franchise player. Jermaine O'Neal had some success in the low post — 11 points on nine pivotal opportunities — scoring mostly on turnaround jumpers, fadeaway jumpers, and once on a rolling hook. He was also able to find the basket on a couple of face-up moves.
But the spring in his legs is a distant memory — so two of his interior shots were easily blocked. Even so, O'Neal never stopped working hard. His baseline rotations on defense were on the money, yet he couldn't muster either the energy or the quickness to show and then recover. Plus, his slow ups make most of his shot-blocks purely accidental. Worse, O'Neal missed three huge free throws in the endgame. That's because he leans backwards as he releases the ball and his wrist is much too snappish. James Jones has no handle whatsoever, does play adequate defense, and is strictly a catch-and-shoot 3-point specialist. When his treys are not falling — 0-4 — he does little else to help his team. Mario Chalmers succeeded on four tough-enough drives to the hole. But his interior passwork was awful, and none of his jumpers were true. This guy is still trying to make the transition from being a scorer to being a facilitator. As ever, Udonis Haslem played yeoman's defense — on Perkins and on Rasheed Wallace (even though the latter did hit an extremely difficult fadeaway). Haslem remains one of the best feet-set shooters — 3-5 against Boston — among his frontcourt peers. For the Heat to continue their evolution, Haslem has to stay healthy — and to do this he has to log only minimal time at the center slot. Quinton Richardson can't guard anybody. Joel Anthony is the team's only bona-fide shot-blocker, and his defensive rotations are aces-up. But at 6-9, he's an undersized center, and his offense is too crude for him to play significant minutes — unless Wade and/or Beasley are scoring enough points to keep the scoreboard flashing.
Carlos Arroyo over-handles. Daequan Cook plays poor off-the-ball defense, and needs to make shots — 1-6 in the game at hand — to justify his court-time. Overall, the Heat's defense executed 11 good rotations as against 15 poor ones. The trouble was that virtually every one of the tardy rotations led to a score. In addition, too many of Boston's mid S/Rs and weak-side curls were open. Also, Miami's transition defense was spotty. Early on, the offense was crisp, with good ball and player movement, and everybody eager to make the extra pass. But as the game wore on, the Celtics' defense adjusted and Miami struggled more and more just to get good looks. Still, to their credit, the Heat never stopped hustling. What does Miami require to take another step toward the top? A better point guard than Chalmers. Another create-his-own point producer to take the pressure off Wade. More time for Beasley to grow into his game. A replacement for O'Neal — who's only 31 but plays like he's 37. Re-sign Wade. In other words, the roster adjustments and additions that will transpire next summer will be much more important in determining the team's future than anything they might or might not accomplish until then.

Straight shooting

Because of his gigantic talents, his overwhelming power, his freight-train speed, his resounding dunks and his chase-down blocks of breakaways, most NBA watchers believe LeBron James to be the best player in the league. While conceding LBJ's gargantuan upside, I humbly beg to disagree. By my lights, the honor belongs to Kobe Bryant. Here's why:
  • Kobe's low-post game is much more effective than LeBron's. This is somewhat puzzling given LBJ's size, strength and ability to finish.
  • Kobe's left hand is better around the hoop, and his off-handed shots also have better range.
  • Kobe has a better handle, both in and out of traffic.
  • There's no comparison between Kobe's reliable jumper and LeBron's erratic one.
  • Kobe is a more reliable shooter at the free-throw line — 84.0 percent lifetime to LBJ's 73.8.
  • No right-minded observer would disagree Kobe is the best clutch shooter extant.
  • Although he often is hypnotized by the ball, Kobe is still a superior defender.
  • In the attack zone and on the outskirts, Kobe enjoys a considerable advantage in sheer creativity.
  • Given that LBJ measures 6-8, 250, while Kobe is a mere 6-7, 210, their offensive rebounding stats are significant. James averages 1.3 while Bryant's average is 1.2. All things considered, then, it's clear Kobe also out-performs LeBron in this category.
  • Whereas LBJ's pre-game antics are often childish — all of the dancing, fake photo-snapping, showering court-siders with rosin dust — Kobe has a much more serious and focused approach.
  • Unlike LeBron, Kobe doesn't use the imperial third person when talking about himself.

    Vox populi

    Why does the NBA celebrate and glamorize so many players who are essentially ball hogs (such as Allen Iverson) and downplay guys who are true team players? Is the NBA really a sport, or is it simply just another aspect of show business that's mostly concerned with bottom-line marketing? — Ben Hileman, Tempe, Ariz.

    Professional sports simply cannot exist without generating huge amounts of income from licensing TV rights to selling player and team merchandise, from charging outrageous prices for snippets of game action to charging outrageous prices for close-to-the-action seats at games. Considering this vital necessity, the NBA (like the NFL, NHL and MLB) is certainly in the marketing business. And what more appealing way is there to market basketball than to focus on acrobatic shots, sleight-of-hand ball-handling, miraculous passing and thunderous dunks? Highlighting aspects of the game such as screens, box-outs, precise defensive rotations and passes that lead to assist passes are not nearly spectacular enough to attract casual fans. So the NBA publicity machine, with the connivance of the media, hypes individual brilliance. This is both understandable and absolutely necessary given the humongous salaries that today's players are paid. However, the discerning fan is advised to ignore all the necessities of the marketplace, to forget about the extraneous hype. Concentrate instead on the game itself, on what happens on the court when the lights are switched on. The game is all that matters. Everything else — before, after and regrettably sometimes during — is extraneous. That's where the hype ends and the sport qua sport is on display.

    Travels with Charley — Part One

    Flip Saunders once said coaching in the CBA for one year provides more of an education than does coaching in the NBA for five years. To prove Flip's point, let's begin with comparing the offseason duties of CBA and NBA coaches. For the latter, summer provides a chance to relax, simply because NBA general managers tend to potential and actual free-agent signings, possible trades and other contractual considerations. For sure, the NBA coach is often — but not always — consulted when these decisions are made, but his is usually an auxiliary role. With no games in view, NBA coaches might also leisurely tinker with their offenses and defenses, usually to accommodate these to any newcomers. Otherwise, an occasional phone conversation or e-mail exchange with their GMs or with veteran players being wooed constitutes their only official duties. In the CBA, however, the vast majority of coaches also double as their teams' GMs, so they are totally involved in both player recruitment and contractual contentions. As such, CBA coaches are in constant contact with agents, something NBA coaches are loath to do. Also, because so many players and agents viewed the CBA as a stepping stone, rosters usually underwent at least an 80 percent turnover from season to season. So the diligent CBA coach had to spend at least five to six hours on the phone on a daily basis. Which of an agent's players were assured of a contract with a team overseas? Which of these contracts were not guaranteed? Which of his players would be invited to an NBA training camp? Which to an NBA pre-training camp? Calls to NBA head coaches, assistant coaches, and/or GMs were necessary to ascertain whether certain players had any chance of making a team's final roster. And which (if any) veteran NBA players might/would be cut. And would the agents of these particular players be amenable to their starting the season in the CBA? Then there were the scouting tapes that both agents and players sent to CBA coaches, seeking and hoping to secure an invite to training camp. Plus continuing dialogues with other CBA coaches to exchange facts and rumors and investigate trades. Bobby Parks will be playing in the CBA only until mid-December when the season in the Philippines begins. Yes, he will. No, he won't. Winston Crite had a poor training camp and exhibition season in Spain and will be coming back to the States sooner rather than later. Yes, he will. No, he won't. This player doesn't want to play for that coach and is demanding to be traded, so a top-notch offer for that player's services is unnecessary. If Coach X doesn't have a winning record after 10 games, he'll be fired. Unemployed Coach Y is already angling for your job. Since very few CBA coaches had permanent lodging in the cities in which they worked, all of this busy work could at least be done in the comfort of their own homes. Even so, the sheer volume of the workload severely curtailed the possibilities of extended family time and effectively discouraged family vacations. The wives of CBA coaches were basketball widows even during the offseasons. And even before relocating to the city of their employment approximately 10 weeks before the commencement of the 14-day training camp, most CBA coaches were already burned out. Part 2: Tryout camps and training camps. Part 3: The season.
    • Tagged: Cavaliers, LeBron James

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