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Q: Watching the Heat in the fourth quarter is worse than root canal. – Ray, Deerfield Beach.
A: The difference between root canal and this is at least with the Heat you can change the channel (something that is harder to do when at the arena in person). It was interesting after Friday’s game how the talk among players was getting too sped up in those decisive fourth quarters. That, again, seemingly stands as a reason to have a true floor general on the court, an actual experienced point guard. The Heat tried Jaime Jaquez Jr. as a de facto point guard at the start of each half on Friday night. That did not work, with those his only shifts. And for all the energy Davion Mitchell can deliver, he also is part of the too-frantic at the finishes for the Heat. No point guard, no payoff. Like root canal, it seems that a numbing agent might also be required for ending the Heat at the finish.
Q: Usually when professional teams have multiple sub-par years, especially with an outmanned roster, the GMs job is at risk. Are the jobs of our front-office members at risk? – Brian.
A: This is where there at least would appear room for debate. Not only did the management misread the Jimmy Butler situation, but there also was the Terry Rozier trade, the losses of glue players such as Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, and the inability since Jimmy Butler to lure A-list talent (which Kyle Lowry assuredly wasn’t at that point in his career). So, yes, a case could be made for a deep dive by ownership. That said, that simply has not been the style of Micky Arison and Nick Arison, who have left basketball to the basketball people.
Q: Do you think the NBA needs to slightly revamp the play-in system. I think it is way too punishing to the Nos. 7-8 teams and too rewarding to the Nos. 9-10 teams. Do you think teams that are under .500 and more then five games back should have an opportunity for a play-in? – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.
A: At this point it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. The NBA has sold the play-in tournament as a separate entity in its new television deals, so it is not going anywhere. I do believe there should be a cutoff, as there was in the original play-in, when the NBA was in the pandemic bubble. But your delineation probably would not work this year, with Nos. 7-8-9-10 in the East all likely to finish in a tightly packed bunch, albeit with all four (Heat, Magic, Hawks, Bulls) possibly to finish under .500. As it is, without a play-in, the Heat would have stood to be eliminated from playoff contention this season.
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A: The difference between root canal and this is at least with the Heat you can change the channel (something that is harder to do when at the arena in person). It was interesting after Friday’s game how the talk among players was getting too sped up in those decisive fourth quarters. That, again, seemingly stands as a reason to have a true floor general on the court, an actual experienced point guard. The Heat tried Jaime Jaquez Jr. as a de facto point guard at the start of each half on Friday night. That did not work, with those his only shifts. And for all the energy Davion Mitchell can deliver, he also is part of the too-frantic at the finishes for the Heat. No point guard, no payoff. Like root canal, it seems that a numbing agent might also be required for ending the Heat at the finish.
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Q: Usually when professional teams have multiple sub-par years, especially with an outmanned roster, the GMs job is at risk. Are the jobs of our front-office members at risk? – Brian.
A: This is where there at least would appear room for debate. Not only did the management misread the Jimmy Butler situation, but there also was the Terry Rozier trade, the losses of glue players such as Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Caleb Martin, and the inability since Jimmy Butler to lure A-list talent (which Kyle Lowry assuredly wasn’t at that point in his career). So, yes, a case could be made for a deep dive by ownership. That said, that simply has not been the style of Micky Arison and Nick Arison, who have left basketball to the basketball people.
Q: Do you think the NBA needs to slightly revamp the play-in system. I think it is way too punishing to the Nos. 7-8 teams and too rewarding to the Nos. 9-10 teams. Do you think teams that are under .500 and more then five games back should have an opportunity for a play-in? – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.
A: At this point it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. The NBA has sold the play-in tournament as a separate entity in its new television deals, so it is not going anywhere. I do believe there should be a cutoff, as there was in the original play-in, when the NBA was in the pandemic bubble. But your delineation probably would not work this year, with Nos. 7-8-9-10 in the East all likely to finish in a tightly packed bunch, albeit with all four (Heat, Magic, Hawks, Bulls) possibly to finish under .500. As it is, without a play-in, the Heat would have stood to be eliminated from playoff contention this season.
Continue reading...
