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Q: It seems as if we are stuck in the NBA purgatory of not tanking/not elite for the foreseeable future. What is the theoretical/optimistic path forward in the next two to four years? What should we be hoping for? There does not seem to be anything to pin longterm hopes on because even if this franchise wanted to tank it can’t because of the horrible Terry Rozier trade and the first-round pick due. – James, Osprey.
A: That is why of all the things that went wrong with the Jimmy Butler situation, the abject inability to land multiple future first-round picks is among the greatest disappointments. Not only did the Heat only secure a single first-rounder, but it is for this June’s draft, meaning it can’t be dangled in future trades. But you are correct, it’s not as if the Heat can turn to a rebuild, not with two first-round picks headed elsewhere over the next four years. About the only logical avenue for salvation would be finding another team willing to make a Luka Doncic blunder of a deal, and those only come around once in a millennium.
Q: Do you have any sense that the front office has gotten a wakeup call so as not to put themselves in this position in the future, by giving up first-round picks for borderline rotation players like Terry Rozier? – Rodney.
A: I would hope they have come to that realization by now. Of course, now also is too late.
Q: I think the ingredients that Kel’el Ware is missing are intensity, aggressiveness and a high motor. There are times when you don’t even know Ware is on the court. He appears tentative and disinterested at times. Are the Heat concerned about Ware’s motor? – David, Fort Lauderdale.
A: The Heat do not look at it as a “motor” problem, but rather as the need to draw more out of a player who generally is reserved and soft-spoken. This is simply a player who lacks aggression, but it isn’t for a lack of wont. It’s sort of who he is, as they learned during his initial college tenure at Oregon before Mike Woodson brought more out of him at Indiana. So for all of the Heat’s mantra, they simply need him to find some of the nastiness that the Heat note as a team pillar. The pushing and prodding is ongoing in that regard. But it’s not for a lack of effort. Some players simply aren’t wired that way, which is among the reasons such an intriguing prospect not only fell to No. 15 to the Heat last June, but why some teams wouldn’t even have touched him that soon.
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A: That is why of all the things that went wrong with the Jimmy Butler situation, the abject inability to land multiple future first-round picks is among the greatest disappointments. Not only did the Heat only secure a single first-rounder, but it is for this June’s draft, meaning it can’t be dangled in future trades. But you are correct, it’s not as if the Heat can turn to a rebuild, not with two first-round picks headed elsewhere over the next four years. About the only logical avenue for salvation would be finding another team willing to make a Luka Doncic blunder of a deal, and those only come around once in a millennium.
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Q: Do you have any sense that the front office has gotten a wakeup call so as not to put themselves in this position in the future, by giving up first-round picks for borderline rotation players like Terry Rozier? – Rodney.
A: I would hope they have come to that realization by now. Of course, now also is too late.
Q: I think the ingredients that Kel’el Ware is missing are intensity, aggressiveness and a high motor. There are times when you don’t even know Ware is on the court. He appears tentative and disinterested at times. Are the Heat concerned about Ware’s motor? – David, Fort Lauderdale.
A: The Heat do not look at it as a “motor” problem, but rather as the need to draw more out of a player who generally is reserved and soft-spoken. This is simply a player who lacks aggression, but it isn’t for a lack of wont. It’s sort of who he is, as they learned during his initial college tenure at Oregon before Mike Woodson brought more out of him at Indiana. So for all of the Heat’s mantra, they simply need him to find some of the nastiness that the Heat note as a team pillar. The pushing and prodding is ongoing in that regard. But it’s not for a lack of effort. Some players simply aren’t wired that way, which is among the reasons such an intriguing prospect not only fell to No. 15 to the Heat last June, but why some teams wouldn’t even have touched him that soon.
Continue reading...
