Is Serge Ibaka the Best Big Man Option For This Heat Team?

There are a bunch of possible options for Miami to take a look at in free agency, when discussing possible big men to pair with Bam Adebayo. And the more you look into it, the more Serge Ibaka makes sense.

It truly seems as if all of Serge’s strengths are the things that can help Bam out. For one, Serge has a very respectable three ball, which gives Bam the spacing that he needs. He’s also a great offensive rebounder and shot blocker, which are two things that would be great to take a bit of weight off of Bam’s shoulders. And third, he’s a player that thrives with his back to the basket, which is obviously the opposite of what Bam likes to do.

Bam also fills a bunch of holes in Ibaka’s game, most importantly the play-making side of things. He hasn’t been the best play-maker throughout his career, and it’s clear with Bam that’s not an issue.

Serge Ibaka ran most of his offense through the pick and roll in Toronto this season, but he had some of his most inefficient numbers through that. And since Bam is one of the league’s best screen setters, that’s also not an issue.

Either way, let’s take a deeper look at how he helps Miami right now.

Spacing

The spacing on the floor is what stands out most when discussing Serge, since he can stretch the floor and allow Bam to run the offense from the elbow. One of the main reasons the starting lineup with Meyers Leonard worked so well was that the offense ran so fluid due to spacing. So imagine replacing Meyers Leonard with the same type of floor spacer, but who can rebound and defend.

The spacing does not just improve because Serge can shoot the three ball, it’s also because he has a great feel for the game. He knows how to find dead-spots in the offense, usually right outside of the paint on the baseline. This spacing once again means that Bam can continue to utilize his spots at the free thow line, with the option of dishing it low to Ibaka for a layup.

His touch around the rim allows him to utilize his floater in the paint area, which is something he usually goes to off of the pick and roll. All of these things just show that he can really help their offensive flow, which isn’t even the reason for adding him to the team.

Offensive Rebounding

Serge definitely brings rebounding on the defensive end as well, but the offensive rebounds stand out more. He’s one of the best bigs in the league with put-backs and activity around the rim. That’s also a game changer when thinking about the Los Angeles Lakers match-up in the finals when offensive rebounding was an issue. If you had Serge on the floor, that might’ve forced Dwight Howard to play more minutes, which would’ve been beneficiary for Miami.

One of the major keys as well when discussing rebounders is giving their team extra possessions. One way to do that is by being able to utilize tap outs. Serge is very crafty with doing that, which consequently allowed Toronto many extra possessions.

And most of the time when he would grab an offensive rebound or attempt a put-back, he’d end up at the free throw line. Getting opposing bigs in foul trouble could become crucial, due to the fact that Miami would have a major height advantage with these two talented bigs.

Post-Ups

As mentioned before, Bam does not feel comfortable with his back to the basket. And well, Serge Ibaka is a terrific post-player who likes to play physical. And it’s clear that Miami likes players who play physical. I believe Miami could run a lot of things through him in the post when Bam Adebayo is on the bench.

And as mentioned previously, he wasn’t great this year off the pick and roll. But something I noticed down the stretch of the season, is that he would dribble the ball once and get into post position every time after rolling to the basket. That’s because he has the ability to get to his spots that he feels comfortable. This led to the pick and roll becoming much more efficient.

This gives Miami’s play-makers a bunch of options between their bigs on pick and rolls. Bam can be the threat above the rim, while Serge can be the outside threat who can also get to his spot on the box.

Rim Protection

Serge may not be the same rim protector that he once was, but he’d still be a huge factor. Sometimes a rim protector shouldn’t be labeled as a guy who gets blocks, but instead a guy who forces misses around the rim. And that’s exactly what he does, since he’s very comfortable when defending around the rim. This also allows Bam to play even more perimeter defense, which is another positive aspect.

It would also be interesting to see how the zone defense would work with these two, because I believe that would be an absolute problem for opposing offenses. Bam continuing to run across the floor per usual when in the zone, but not having to worry about the paint as much. Serge also has the ability to be mobile when in the zone, which is something that could definitely be useful.

All of these things are just extra proponents of why this Serge Ibaka signing would be so great for Miami. Although there are a bunch of options, none of them seem to have the ability to fit in immediately on both sides of the floor. He’s clearly a Miami Heat type player, who knows what it takes to win.

If Miami could pull off this signing, this Heat team would be an absolute problem for opposing teams in the East this upcoming season.

Dolphins Jets

5 Keys to Week 6: Dolphins vs Jets

The Miami Dolphins return home to face their longtime rival, the New York Jets, who are winless and rudderless. Former Dolphins head coach Adam Gase finds himself on the hot seat after another disappointing start to a season and having alienated another star.

Meanwhile, Brian Flores, Miami’s current head coach, continues to foster a positive culture, built around communication and cohesion.

“It’s about having the right people, having the right cohesive group,” said Flores on a conference call on Wednesday. “It’s about communication. I think it’s about having good people who are team-first, selfless and want to do things for the greater good. People who are tough, who are smart, who are competitive, put the team first and people who love to do what they’re doing.”

Flores maintains the Dolphins are still building, but he’s laid a solid foundation. Something Gase never did in Miami.

Here’s a look at five keys to the Dolphins Week 6 matchup against the floundering New York Jets.

Dolphins v Jets: Get Points Early

The Dolphins stand at 2-3 and both of their wins can be characterized in the same way: Offense scored early. In those victories, Miami raced out to early 14-0 leads. Against both Jacksonville and San Francisco, the Dolphins controlled the pace early and forced the opposing offenses to become one dimensional in an effort to play catchup.

“We always talk about playing fast, starting fast. It’s something that we harp on, on a weekly basis,” Flores said earlier this week.

The Jets offense struggles to score. New York sits 32nd in points-per-game (15.0) and total points (75). They’re a minus-86 In point differential this season, which is staggeringly bad. That figure is 36 points greater than the next closest differential.

If the Dolphins can get on the board early and demoralize New York, there’s a good chance the Jets will quit on Gase and roll over. Gase may not leave Miami with his job.

Attack the Quarterback

In Miami’s two wins this season, they’ve tallied eight sacks and 19 quarterback hits. While they’ve struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks, Dolphins defenders have teed off against more stationary targets.

With 35-year-old Joe Flacco making the start for the Jets, the fear of a running quarterback is completely absent. Against San Francisco, the Dolphins brought pressure facing a hobbled Jimmy Garoppolo and his replacement, C.J. Beathard. Miami registered five sacks and eight pressures.

The defense should employ multiple fronts to make identifying the pressure difficult for the Jets’ offensive line. The return of Byron Jones last week saw Miami shift to more man-coverage, and certainly helped Xavien Howard, who picked up an interception in a third-straight game.

Miami needs to attack Flacco, especially considering the Jets have surrendered 15 sacks this season (8th-most).

Get Vertical on Offense

The Dolphins offense opened last week with a 47-yard connection from Ryan Fitzpatrick to Preston Williams. That set the tone for an offensive onslaught that tallied 43 points on the road. And facing a Jets defense that surrenders 265.6 passing-yards-per-game (8th-most), those opportunities should be there as well.

Last week, New York surrendered 380 passing yards to Arizona’s Kyler Murray. For the season, the Jets surrender a 100.2 passer rating and over eight yards-per-attempt. Their secondary allows over 70 percent of passes to be caught.

Last season against New York, Fitzpatrick completed three passes on throws of over 20 yards. Those three completions went for 72 yards and a touchdown. Against the 49ers, Fitzpatrick completed five throws of over 20 yards for 199 yards and two touchdowns.

Miami features big targets on the outside, including Williams, DeVante Parker and tight end Mike Gesicki. Those three dominated the Jets at home last season, combining for 15 catches, 224 yards and three touchdowns. Going vertical should open the running lanes for Myles Gaskin, who’s averaging just 3.9 yards-per-carry.

Finally Figure Out Flacco

Flacco remains undefeated in his career against the Dolphins. He sports a career 6-0 record versus Miami. He’s completed 72 percent of his attempts for 1,518 yards and 10 touchdowns. Flacco has thrown only three interceptions versus the Dolphins.

That said, all Flacco’s victories came while he quarterbacked the Baltimore Ravens. And this Jets roster is largely devoid of talent at this point.

Against the Cardinals, Flacco made his first start since Week 8 last season. He completed 18-of-33 passes for 195 yards and one touchdown. The Jets offense struggled on third down, where they converted only four of 13 tries. On the season, New York converts 34.7 percent of third down tries, the fifth-worst rate in the league this season. Meanwhile, the Dolphins allow just 38 percent of third down conversions, the seventh-best rate.

Miami’s secondary will need to key on Jamison Crowder, the Jets most dynamic offensive weapon. Crowder is primarily a slot receiver and currently leads the league with 111.7 yards-per-game.

Dolphins Need to Maintain Focus Against the Jets

The Dolphins enter this game as favorites for the first time in the Flores era. Miami hasn’t been favored in a game since December 2018 (21 games). They’re favored by more than a touchdown for the first time since November of 2016. As a team, the Dolphins haven’t won back-to-back games by double digits since 2015. That said, the Jets have lost each game this season by at least nine points.

This contest has all the making of a trap game. The Dolphins need a win to inject themselves into the playoff race. In addition to that, they’ll need to maintain focus against an opponent that wasn’t originally their scheduled one for this week.

The NFL’s changes seriously altered Miami’s schedule, but the players didn’t seem to care.

“It is what it is, it’s no big deal,” Gesicki said.

Howard voiced a similar sentiment. “It doesn’t matter which team is next. We just have to focus on the game plan.”

With the bye week now upcoming, Miami can’t have a letdown against the Jets. They’ll need to maintain their focus and discipline.

The Dolphins remain one of the league’s least penalized teams, having been flagged just 23 times for 195 yards through five games. The Jets, meanwhile, have committed 38 penalties for 365 yards, a characteristic consistent with Adam Gase teams.

Gase’s culture of alienating stars and blaming players has continued in New York. The Jets now turn to former Miami Hurricane and Dolphins, Frank Gore, who is starting to show his age with just 3.2 yards-per-carry in 2020, and rookie La’Mical Perine in the wake of Le’Veon Bell’s departure.

The Dolphins should handle their business here and win this ballgame. This starts a stretch of seven very winnable games for Miami. If they can emerge from this with a 5-2 of 6-1 record, they’ll be poised for a serious playoff push heading into a very difficult final four games in 2020.

Two Possible Miami Heat Draft Selections

The NBA Draft process is clearly going to be different this year due to the unique circumstances, but it may benefit the Miami Heat.

Since Free Agency opens up before the draft, this allows them to try and make their moves, and they can fill holes in the draft afterward. And this is also predicated on Miami keeping the 20th pick in the draft, since it’s very possible that they trade it.

But if they do elect to keep their pick, it seems as if their two options are a defensive guard and a true big man.

If Miami grabs a big man in free agency, that means that they will go for the defensive guard, which I believe Tyrese Maxey will be at the top of that list.

He’s a great on-ball defender with a ton of speed and great at attacking the basket. It’s very clear that Miami could use a speedy defender to take on some of these guard match-ups, and he’s shown that he can be that guy. He also brings intensity on that end of the floor, which I’m sure has caught the eye of some people in the Miami Heat organization.

He’s also a very clever play-maker, especially when gets out onto the open floor. Usually when speedy guys at his age get onto the open floor, they’re not good decision makers. But, Tyrese has shown that he is, which is pretty impressive for a guy at his age.

And he’s just a natural scorer. He has shown throughout this past season that he’s very comfortable with the ball in his hands when trying to make a play. He can score at all three levels as well, which makes him very intriguing.

But, the only issue I see with this pick is that he’s not a true point guard. And since Miami has their future 2 guard in Tyler Herro, that position isn’t available. I do believe though that he has the ability to become a point guard if he came to Miami, since he already has the play-making down.

Another issue that people mention is that he’s a streaky scorer. While that may be partly true, that was what people said about Tyler Herro when he entered the draft, which is why I don’t believe that to be important. And he has very fluid shot mechanics, which is another reason this is not a huge issue.

And by the way, he’s a Kentucky Wildcat. That should tell you automatically that he will be a guy they’re looking at.

I do believe that if Tyrese Maxey is still on the board among the rest of the guards, Miami will take him. But what about if they need a big man?

There are a ton of big men in this draft class, especially late, but the only issue is that most of them are all undersized. And that’s exactly what Miami doesn’t need.

That is why I believe that Miami could make another unexpected pick and take Vernon Carey Jr.

And even Vernon Carey Jr is undersized for the center position, but his big frame allows him to play much bigger than 6’10.

He has a lot of the things that Miami needs in a big man. He plays very physical and thrives when he puts his back to the basket, due to his solid footwork in the post. Miami definitely needs a true big, which is why I believe he’s the guy that can absolutely develop in Miami’s system.

He’s a solid rebounder as well, mostly because he’s very crafty at boxing out opponents and getting position. This is another thing Miami could use, since they need a big that can rebound. He may not be the most elite rim protector, but his outstanding anticipation allows him to get blocks at the rim.

When people discuss Vernon Carey Jr’s downfall, it usually has something to do with his weight, since there’s questions about durability. Well, what better place to come to when trying to fix that, since they will get him in Miami Heat shape in no time.

He also has a bunch of ties to South Florida since that’s where he grew up and went to high school, which is another reason I know Miami has eyes on him.

Obviously there’s still uncertainty if Miami will elect to keep this 20th pick, but if they do, I believe that these two will be at the top of their list based off need.

A Kentucky Wildcat and a Duke Blue Devil at the top of Pat Riley’s list.

Well, that’s interesting.

A Possible Miami Heat Reunion: The Perfect Fit

There are many guys on the Heat’s off-season radar right now, since they’re trying to find the right guy to add to this team to try and get this team back to the finals.

When discussing some possible trades, there’s been some big names that have come up including Victor Oladipo. But with that, you are probably going to have to give something up that you don’t want to, and there is uncertainty with his health. There’s also some concern about his actions in the playoffs when he lost to the Miami Heat.

Is he a Miami Heat type guy?

Well, there’s another guy that has proven he’s a Miami Heat type guy.

Josh Richardson was obviously included in a package to get Jimmy Butler last year, but it’s definitely not out of the question of a possible return.

I’ve mentioned before that Miami may not need a home-run pick-up this off-season, but instead the perfect fit. Josh is the perfect fit, since he fills the holes on this current team.

He’s a defensive first guard, who also is very capable of scoring the ball. If Miami could use a Josh Richardson to guard a Kemba Walker in a playoff series, that takes such a weight off of Jimmy Butler and others.

He also would not have to play the same role that he played while in Miami before. Instead of running the offense, he would be a facilitator on the wing who can hit the occasional three and attack the rim.

In Philadelphia, he was playing a role that doesn’t fit him well. For one, he was the only shooter on the floor with the starting lineup, which means that he had to carry the load of a role that he’s not extremely comfortable with.

But what would it take to get him to Miami?

Well, that’s not very clear, but it’s expected that it would include Kendrick Nunn, Kelly Olynyk, and the 20th pick. This is the trade that has been discussed with the other big names, but there’s no uncertainty in the player you are receiving when discussing Josh Richardson.

He also has a relationship with a bunch of guys on the roster still, especially Bam Adebayo.

The organization definitely hasn’t forgotten about Josh as well, since he was their second round steal in 2015.

Obviously this is all speculation, but it just seems there’s no better player to add to this team this off-season than Josh Richardson. Having Josh Richardson and Tyler Herro as your starting back-court seems pretty ideal, since Tyler can take the scoring reigns and Josh can take the biggest defensive assignment.

This pick-up makes the most sense for Miami, and also would be great for the individual success of Josh. If Miami could pull this trade off, it would basically mean that they traded Kendrick Nunn and Kelly Olynyk for Josh Richardson and Jimmy Butler, which would once again prove the genius front office of the Miami Heat.

MMA: Fight of the Month Power Rankings

What makes for a great fight? It’s much more complex than having two strikers go at it. There has to be a certain amount of tension that the fight emanates. The battle scars and aesthetic of a fighter going through war makes it all the better. If a fighter is unique in his own way, it just adds to the recipe for making a great fight. With another week of fight in the books for the UFC, how does these fights stack up against last weeks?

  1. Joaquin Buckley vs Impa Kasanganay (N/R)

What else can be said about this fight. With Buckley delivering the potential best KO of all time, he cemented himself into every knockout highlight reel. This fight was much more than the knockout. Impa was showing good durability early in the fight and Joaquim was delivering good heavy shots early and often. With such amazing exclamation point of the fight, this one is the new king of the month in our Power Rankings

 

  1. Cory Sandhagen vs Marlon Moraes (NR)

On any other night, this might’ve been KO of the night. A spin kick KO with such a masterful performance for the first round places Cory Sandhagen on 2nd in our Power Rankings. Cory showed his skills off in this fight showing his striking ability early in this fight. His movement and striking at range displayed Sandagens ability to be a well rounded fighter. 

 

  1. Luigi Vendramini vs Jessin Ayari (Last Week: -2)

With strong contenders coming from last week’s fights. This fight gets bumped down. Still, the first fight of the month was a very exciting one and finishing with a bang always propels you upward in the Power rankings. This fight still holds ground in this weeks Power Rankings

 

  1. Nassourdine Imavov vs Jordan Willaims (Last Week: -2)

Two weeks in, we still have yet to see a fight where as much damage was delivered as in this one. This fight still is the war of the month with both guys throwing heavy for a good portion of two rounds. Even with low blows and headbutts, these two warriors kept fighting, and that performance holds their place in this months Power Rankings at 4.

 

  1. Dusko Todorovic vs Dequan Townsend (-2)

Holding the last spot of the power rankings is the fight between two heavy hitters. Townsend showed more durability than almost anyone to date this month and Dusko was willing to deliver the damage. Dusko showed himself as a threat in the division in the upcoming future. The undefeated Todorovic holds on to the last spot on the power rankings this week.

 

Just Missed: Germaine De Randamie vs Julianna Pena, Chris Daukaus vs Rodrigo Nascimento

 

You can follow Johnathan on Twitter @ThreePieceCombo

Mattingly

Don Mattingly Named Sporting News Manager of the Year

The Miami Marlins season may have come to an end last week. However, the team still finds itself as part of the national baseball discourse. On Thursday morning, Sporting News announced their 2020 MLB awards, and among the recipients was Marlins manager Don Mattingly.

After enduring a COVID-19 outbreak which cost him more than half of his Opening Day roster, Mattingly led the Marlins to the club’s first winning record since 2009 and its first playoff berth since 2003. The Marlins earned a Wild Card spot and summarily dumped the NL Central winners, the Chicago Cubs, in a two-game sweep. Miami ultimately fell to the Atlanta Braves, but the team earned the respect of the baseball world in the process.

Mattingly Earns Manager of the Year

The Marlins lost 18 players in the COVID-19 outbreak and that was just the start of a tumultuous season for the roster. Even in a truncated 60-game schedule, Miami made 174 roster moves. The team used 61 different players over the 60 games. Miami’s nine different starting pitchers in their first nine games of the season set a new MLB record. Of the 61 players who appeared in a game for the Fish this season, 21 were rookies. 18 of those were making their MLB debut.

The fact that Mattingly navigated the team through that uncertainty and kept them competitive was not lost on most.

“He’s a great person,” said Marlins shortstop and de facto captain Miguel Rojas. “He’s a great human being before being a baseball player or manager. The communication he has with the players, the confidence he gave the players is unbelievable.”

Rojas and Mattingly both inked extensions with the Marlins in September and they’ve come together to help lead this young club forward.

“Donnie believes in our vision,” Marlins CEO Derek Jeter said in September. “He believes in our direction, and he’s all in. He has shown a lot of patience with our young, developing team.”

That development was clearly evident this season. The Marlins bucked every prognostication that said they’d finished last in the NL East for a third-straight season. Mattingly became the first-ever National League manager in the Modern Era to lead his team to a playoff appearance after losing 100 games the previous season.

“The great thing about Donnie is he understands what we’ve been building here as an organization,” Jeter said. “He keeps our guys competing on a daily basis.”

Mattingly is the 15th manager in franchise history. This season, he became not only the longest tenured, but also the winningest. Mattingly’s 307 wins as a manager are most, as he passed Fredi Gonzalez (276) Jack McKeon (281).

Mattingly was no stranger to award as a player, winning an MVP and three Silver Sluggers, as well as nine Gold Gloves. He becomes the third Marlins manager to win the award from Sporting News, following Gonzalez (2008) and Joe Girardi (2006).

Could Le’Veon Bell end up in Miami? Flores won’t say no.

Today is the day free agent running back Le’Veon Bell will be wined and dined (from a distance) by potential NFL teams.

Could the Miami Dolphins be interested in Bell’s services? That I can’t say for sure.

However, I will make a case as to why I think he would be a welcomed addition.

But first, a word from our good friend Adam. #FreeRapoport

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Miami Dolphins were at least in talks about the playmaking RB before his release.

No one truly knows how deep these talks were between the Dolphins and Jets. But after listening to the video, I get the feeling New York may have been a bit desperate?

But I don’t care. Let the speculation commence!

Flores won’t say ‘no.’ 

Yesterday, Flores didn’t really speak on the 28-year-old RB. Except he did, when he snuck this little nugget into his discussion on the Jets running back room without their Pro Bowl RB.

Look, Le’Veon Bell is a great player. I think we all know that. He’s had a lot of production in this league – run, pass and just a dynamic player.

Today, when asked what he thought about Bell and a potential new home in Miami, Flores dropped another nice little quote.

Where does Bell fit into the offense?

No disrespect to Myles Gaskin, who is proving to be an NFL RB and a key piece to Miami’s backfield, but Bell is a different breed of running back. And while the Jordan Howard experience may have failed or the team continues to struggle to get Matt Breida involved, the Dolphins could use something a little bit more.

Enter 28-year-old Le’ Veon Bell, hungry AF to prove to the doubters wrong. Most importantly, to prove Adam Gase wrong.

Bell had success in a similar offense in the past. And despite his recent woes in New York (and even his later years in Pittsburgh), I’m not convinced the book is closed. His patient running style would be effective behind Miami’s newly revamped offensive line and adding a weapon like him to an offense already averaging 27.2 points per game–watch out.

The Final Yard

I won’t lose sleep if the Dolphins miss out on Le’Veon Bell. But, rarely, a player that has eclipsed over 6,139 yards and 38 touchdowns falls from the sky. And while he’s proven to be an exceptional runner, it’s his ability to line up in the slot and split out wide that admittedly intrigues me most.

How would a defense stop DeVante Parker, Mike Gesicki, Preston Williams, Jakeem Grant/Isaiah Ford, and Le’Veon Bell when all split out wide? Then, think of the different packages, whether it be (Gaskin/Bell, Bell/Breida, Gaskin/Breida, Bell/Howard, etc..) or even Lynn Bowden-Malcolm Perry.

I need a cigarette.

Miami’s offense is already scary. But adding a player like Bell would turn the Dolphins offense into a Megazord. An unstoppable force. And for a team already averaging 27.2 PPG, that’s scary.

He might not sign in Miami, but Le’Veon Bell would be a great signing for the Miami Dolphins.

Best of all, we could go around and tell anyone who listens, Gase swapped Bell for Ballage

A Long Shot Signing, But There’s Still A Shot

There has been a lot of speculation about what Miami can do this off-season via trades or free agent signings. A lot of big names have come up, but is that exactly what Miami needs right now?

A Christian Wood signing may seem a little unrealistic, but it’s not out of the picture.

For one, there’s a low chance that Detroit will let Christian walk, since he’s still evolving and has great upside. He will also be searching for a 3-year deal, which is something that Miami won’t look to offer. But once again, if there’s anyone that could pull it off, it’s the Miami Heat.

It’s also pretty obvious that the only young stars who get recognition are those on winning teams. Even guys like Karl-Anthony Towns and Devin Booker don’t get the recognition they deserve since they are on such low seeded teams. But Miami could fix that for Christian, since it seems as if winning is a priority right now…

The only issue that Christian seems to have is that he’s a bit scrawny for the center position. But what better team than the Miami Heat to get your body in the best possible shape.

He shares some similarities with Bam Adebayo, since he is 6’11 who plays like a guard at times. He’s an energetic force on both sides of the floor, who uses his length to his advantage. He’s also a good screen setter and floor spacer. This could definitely take some weight off of Bam’s shoulders.

And now to the Miami Heat’s point of view. Miami could clearly use another big, especially since Bam had such a burden throughout this run since nobody could replicate some of the things he does. And well, Christian could do some of those things, even stretching the floor to shoot the three ball. That also means that Miami could insert both of them into the starting lineup, which also deepens Miami’s depth.

If Miami had a Christian Wood to come off the bench in game six of the NBA finals when Bam was struggling, I have no doubt that Miami would’ve pushed it to seven.

And his story seems a little familiar to a couple of Heat players…

Obviously this is all speculation, but he could just fill so many holes on this current Heat roster. And once again, Detroit letting him walk does not seem like a viable option for them.

Miami may not need a home-run signing right now. Instead a guy like Christian Wood may be the better fit.

Stock up, Stock down vs San Francisco 49ers

Welcome back to another installment of Stock Up Stock Down. In Week 5 of the NFL season, your Miami Dolphins came out on top against the San Francisco 49ers in a surprisingly dominant fashion with only a few things to nitpick at. We took control of the game from the first drive and did not let up throughout the game. With so much to dissect, let’s dive right in

Stock Up

Ryan Fitzpatrick

Ryan must have a couple of burner Twitter accounts and saw all the calls for Tua to start because he came out on fire from the very first play. All last year we praised Fitz for his ability to give his receivers a chance to make plays on the ball by throwing the 50/50 balls, which he has done this year but only to Gesicki and DVP, and it was apparent starting the game with a deep shot to Preston for 47 yards and culminating with a 3 yard TD pass to Adam Shaheen.

Ryan led an efficient offense all afternoon long, finishing with not just the stats (22/28 350 yards 3 TD) but also scoring on 9 of the 12 drives the offense was on the field (1 was the final drive to kill time and in the game). Overall, because of his play, I doubt we hear anything else about Tua starting until we after we play the Jets at home in Week 6.

Preston Williams

All season long, Fitzpatrick has shown a level of confidence in DVP and Gesicki, but this week it appears the level of trust extended to Preston and showed what it could result in. Preston, from the first play, took the extra trust and earned more with a 47-yard deep catch to start the game, and he did not let up the rest of the game leading to the first 100-yard game of his young career. He finished the afternoon with 4 catches for 106 yards and a TD in what I would call the most complete game of his career. The key here is going to continue to see this effort and attention to detail from the Unicorn because if we do, the sky is the limit for him.

Jason Sanders

Last week I placed Jason Sanders in the stock up as a slight to Flores’s inability or unwillingness to make tough decisions, but the start to the year that Jason has had is truly something to marvel at. Jason has started the year 14/14 on field goals and another 10/10 on extra points. It is a piece of mind to know that your kicker is perfect on every kick each time you send him out there.

Defense

This must be what it feels like to have a defensive-minded Head Coach because the D was flying around all afternoon long. Throughout the game, we saw players like Jerome Baker, Eric Rowe, Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, and even Andrew Van Ginkel. Jerome finished with 8 tackles and a huge sack at the end to ice it. Rowe shut down Kittle to a tune of 4 catches for 44 yards. Xavien got an interception, which is his third game straight with an interception. Byron Jones seemed to be the missing piece that solidified the rest of the defense as Noah was not tasked with an impossible task. Lastly, one of my personal gems through my analysis of his tape, AVG. AVG was a wrecking ball off the edge all afternoon long, totaling 6 tackles 1 sack, 1 FF, and 1.5 TFL. For more in-depth on AVG.

Coaching Staff

The Coaching Staff all should get some credit for the game plan and adjustments made throughout the game by getting an early lead after a 4th down stop. After that momentum swing, it was all downhill for the 49ers. On the defensive side, the coaching staff placed their players in positions to succeed by eliminating the 49ers offense from ever getting in rhythm through the air. We realized early on that their secondary was extremely small, with the lone exception was Brian Allen, who was just activated this week. All game long we attacked a beat up and weak secondary. Preston being single teamed all game led to us hitting him early and getting him his 100-yard game as well as getting another huge game from Mike Gesicki.

Stock Down

Jordan Howard

I find it hard to imagine seeing Jordan Howard in a Dolphins uniform for very much longer. A random and surprise coaching decision to not dress Jordan for the game led to more of Breida and Myles taking over goal-line duties. I still am of the opinion that if Howard was given the same role and opportunity as Myles, he would more than show the skills that have made him a 1,000-yard RB in the league.

Rushing Attack

It seems counterintuitive that we would sit a talented RB while still averaging only 2.8 yards per carry before the game. That is unacceptable and by looking at the tape Myles is only getting whatever the offensive line is getting for him. I don’t see any explosive moves or ability to make a man miss and take it to the house and while Coach Flores has bromance for Myles, but we need to start getting the ball to Breida and even Jordan Howard. Think about this, Myles had a 21-yard run (his longest on the year) and had a total of 57 yards rushing on 16 carries. My math is funny sometimes but 15 carries for 36 yards equals 2.4 yards a carry. Unacceptable.

Jesse Davis at Right Tackle

It’s becoming harder to see a world where Jesse Davis comes back to have his job on as the Right Tackle once Austin Jackson comes back from IR. Seeing both Solomon Kindley and Robert Hunt move bodies around all game long really showed that we have a solid foundation to build on and one which needs as much playing time as possible, even if it comes at the cost of veterans who are mere stopgaps for the future. By all indications our investments this past draft have been fruitful and eventually we will have an OL with 3 rookies playing and based off the early results, we have no need to feel nervous about saying that.

Rush Defense

I really have a tough time understanding how a team that finished with 26 less points than us still manages to average 6.8 yards per carry totaling 131 for the day and 1 TD. Somehow while being up the entirety of the game, we still allowed San Francisco the ability to run the ball when they wanted to even though they had to throw it all game to try and get back into it. If this had been a closer game or even a game that San Francisco got a lead in, are we talking 200+ yards rushing being given up? It does little to play the what if games, but this is a trend that still has not been broken and with the potential loss of Davon Godchaux we lose one of our most experienced run defenders to an already porous rush defense.

Overall this team pulled off a great win which should show guys that these types of results are possible when everyone is playing together, mistake free and discipline brand of football. Coach Flores constantly preaches about each player starring in their role and if everyone can buy in to that we may be able to go on a little win streak here with the lowly but still rival New York Jets coming into town.

 

 

 

The Game that Showcased the Miami Heat’s Full Potential

59 seconds on the clock.

Down 117-111.

Trae Young just proclaimed the game over.

But was it?

The answer is no, because it’s never over when you have the amount of firepower that the Miami Heat have on this roster.

A Duncan Robinson and Jimmy Butler three sent the game to overtime, which was the beginning of a 22-0 run.

Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson exploded in overtime to give Miami a win.

Not only did this game show what this Heat team can do as a team, it was also a game that showcased many player’s personal abilities.

Bam Adebayo achieved his first career triple-double, while scoring 30 points for the first time in his career.

Jimmy Butler also put up a triple-double, grabbing a career high 18 rebounds.

Duncan Robinson scored a career high 34 points, knocking down 10 threes.

Kendrick Nunn also with a career high 36 points.

This was just the beginning of what these guys are truly capable of doing. This was the first game that Bam showed his full offensive package, and obviously he still has room to improve. It was also the moment that people realized he has the ability to take over a game if needed, which is what he did in overtime. And it’s also what he did throughout Miami’s playoff run.

That Jimmy Butler triple-double wasn’t really out of the norm, since he began to do that on a regular basis in the finals. Grabbing 18 rebounds though is impressive in itself, especially since he emphasized on rebounding so much against the Los Angeles Lakers.

This also put a stamp on the shooting excellence of Duncan Robinson, since it’s not everyday that a player makes 10 threes in a game. But since so many other guys were clicking on that night, it opened up the floor for him.

And of course Kendrick Nunn. This was when Kendrick was playing at Rookie of the Year levels, since his scoring abilities were off the charts. Obviously some of the lows throughout these playoffs made some people forget about this, but it’s clear he has the ability to do it. He began to show some glimpses in the Finals, but this game was the beginning of the increase in his value.

And this was on a night where Tyler Herro scored 0 points, which may be more surprising than any of the other player’s records.

It also showed that this team was full of a bunch of dogs, who are hungry to win. After seeing their will to win in this game approximately 10 months ago, it isn’t surprising what Miami did in the playoffs.

This team is full of young and evolving talent, which is why it’ll be very interesting how much they improve by the start of the 2021 season.