Do the Miami Heat have a Dion Waiters issue?

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Dion Waiters had a great game on October 9th, scoring 19 in a preseason rout of the Charlotte Hornets.

The problem came after it.

It was reported by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that Waiters is not happy with anything short of a starting role this season. To be clear, Waiters made no public demands. Waiters, like Hassan Whiteside (traded to the Portland Trailblazers in the offseason) aren’t by any accounts bad guys. But both, perhaps Whiteside more than Waiters, have reputations for putting individual success first. And that maybe they aren’t your prototypical Heat guys.

Waiters can help the Heat if he’s in shape, which he appears to be. His ballhandling, shooting and swagger are useful attributes. But only if he buys in. So will he start? And how will he react if he doesn’t?

The Heat don’t typically throw rookies in the fire right away, but there Tyler Herro was, opening Monday’s win against Atlanta as Waiters was inactive, and scoring the Heat’s first 14 points. Herro is making a compelling a case, with hsi shotmaking and playmaking, to start alongside Justise Winslow and Jimmy Butler in the backcourt.

It should be noted that Waiters did what he was supposed to do this summer: he got in better condition. Is he in “Miami Heat shape”? Spoelstra said at training camp Waiters wasn’t quite yet, an assessment Waiters didn’t seem to appreciate. But, as every knows by now, Miami Heat shape requires more effort to tone and condition your body than is necessary for the average NBA team. And even that doesn’t guarantee anything. You still need to fit with your teammates on the floor. The Heat have made a point of Herro’s gym rat nature. Is Waiters meeting the same standard? It’s not enough for a veteran of several seasons to just shave off a few extra pounds.

A starting spot should be determined by your level of play, chemistry with your teammates and how all of that correlates to overall team success on the court. Waiters does have chemistry with Goran Dragic; we saw that in the 2016-17 run. So it might be prudent to keep 7-11 duo intact. Waiters improved his three point shooting last year, especially in catch and shoot situations last year with Winslow and Josh Richardson handling most of the ball handling situations. However, now it’s a different team and it’s also Jimmy Butler’s team, so he’ll need to continue to build off of what he did last year and what he did Wednesday night vs the Hornets.

Yes, Waiters worked more this offseason.

But even with that, and the improvements he’s made, Spoelstra is famous for these five words: It doesn’t guarantee you anything.

Tankathon’s Latest 3-Round Mock Draft

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Let’s take a look at Tankathon’s latest 3-round Mock draft and where they have the Dolphins drafting in the 2020 NFL Draft.

As you may know by now, the Miami Dolphins hosted the winless Washington Redskins on Sunday, in what many deemed the ‘Tank for Tua’ Bowl.  And aside from being the battle between two winless franchises, the game was quite interesting to say the least. There were three questions that would be answered on Sunday.

  1. How would the Dolphins look after having two weeks to prepare?
  2. Could Washington play with a new-found passion, after firing Jay Gruden earlier in the week?
  3. Which team would want Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa more?

Truth is, no matter what the fanbase long yearns for, the players and coaches have no interest in ‘tanking’. And as you saw on Sunday, Brian Flores and his coaching staff tried every little bit of Magic they had to defeat Washington, but unfortunately with the game on the line and a 2-point conversion to seal the deal, the Dolphins did what many had hoped. TANKED.

So, with Miami losing to Washington, surely, they would have the inside track at Tua?  Wrong.  Because just like the Dolphins, the Cincinnati Bengals also lost their respective matchup vs division rivals the Baltimore Ravens.

Which left ONE very important game to be determined.  Sunday Night’s matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers.  After all, there was no way Gerald Hodges and the Steeler’s defense could beat the one feared Los Angeles Chargers in LA, right?  Wrong again!

According to Tankathon.com, the Miami Dolphins have two picks in the top-10 and five in the top-66. This will most likely change between now and season’s end, but for now, Miami’s historically bad season would come up just short of Tagovailoa.

So, without further ado, here is Tankathon’s latest 2020 mock draft.

Tankathon Mock Draft 10/15

 

With the 2nd pick in the 2020 NFL draft, the Dolphins select elite pass-rusher Chase Young.  Miami desperately needs a pass-rusher and Young is the best player in the entire class- quite the consolation prize if the Dolphins do miss out on Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa.

With the 8th-overall pick, Miami drafts Justin Herbert, although this pick could be Jake Fromm or Joe Burrow if Miami’s scouting department believes they are the QB to change the franchise around.  Regardless of where Miami picks, the Dolphins will use a first-round pick on a QB.

With the 25th-overall pick, the Dolphins select a defensive back to start opposite of Xavien Howard.  Last week, this was LSU’s Kristian Fulton.  This week, however, it’s Florida Gators’ CB C.J Henderson.

At pick No.33,  the Dolphins’ offense gets an explosive weapon in Clemson RB Travis Etienne.  Truth is, Etienne is one of the best RBs in all of football and in a contract year for Kenyan Drake, makes a ton of sense with their first second-round selection.

With the 60th-overall pick Miami adds much needed depth on the offensive line in Oklahoma C Creed Humphrey.  The Dolphins’ offensive line is a turnstile and Humphrey would be a day-one starter.

Lastly, Miami uses the 66th-overall pick on Texas WR Collin Johnson.  Johnson would be a welcomed addition a WR corps that has DeVante Parker and Preston Williams, and not much more after that.  He would be a nice fit schematically in Chad O’Shea’s offense.

This will change many more times between now and April 23, 2020.  With that said, how do you feel with Tankathon’s latest mock draft?

 

Josh Houtz (@houtz) is a die-hard fan of the Miami Dolphins, despite what Jerome Baker thinks.

Looks like the Miami Heat have a lineup

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We sort of called this one.

No, it wasn’t expected quite this early, but Tyler Herro joined two other newcomers — Jimmy Butler and Meyers Leonard — in Miami’s starting lineup Monday against Atlanta.

And you shouldn’t expect it to change, after Herro scored 23 in 25 minutes in another rout, this one 120-87.

The lineup gives Miami the spacing it requires around Butler and Justise Winslow. It also allows Erik Spoelstra to reunite Goran Dragic and Dion Waiters (old 7-11 from the 2016-17 run) as what would now be the best backcourt pairing in the league, provided that Waiters gets back on the floor in the right frame of mind. Waiters is back after having gone away for “personal reasons,” coincidentally after he said he didn’t want to come off the bench. (He wasn’t active Monday).

When Kelly Olynyk returns from a knee injury, he can slide in as the versatile backup big, with Derrick Jones Jr. rotating between forward spots, and James Johnson (once in condition), Kendrick Nunn (who looked great again Monday) and Duncan Robinson (who continues to struggle with his shot) getting spot duty.

Spoelstra was noncommittal about whether he would keep the lineup together, but it would be unusual for the Heat to elevate Herro so quickly, watch him play so brilliantly and then slide him back to third team.

Not happening.

Not with support like this from Butler.

So get used to it — fans, media and, of course, Dion.

Check out Greg Sylvander’s column on Tyler Herro, the big bucket of hope.

Herro ball: Tyler’s a big bucket of hope

Parker making most season under new staff

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The Dolphins suffered another loss on Sunday.

Falling 17-16 to a previously winless Washington team offered little-to-no bright spots for Miami. The 16 points the Dolphins scored was the most they’ve scored this season, but they needed a bye week and two quarterbacks to reach that total.

One player that is showing some life for the Miami Dolphins is DeVante Parker, who doubled his 2018 (and 2017) touchdown total on an 11-yard grab from Ryan Fitzpatrick with just six seconds remaining in Sunday’s game.

“Yeah, it was a good thing we kept moving the ball [on Sunday],” Parker said after the game. “At the end, we didn’t win. That’s all that matters.”

Despite the offense struggling in general, Parker is putting together a decent season after signing a two-year deal (which is basically a one-year prove it deal) this offseason.

“It was fun. I mean that whole fourth quarter was fun just to be out there,” Fitzpatrick said of the fourth quarter. “Some guys made some nice plays, and then DeVante (Parker) on the touchdown – a big catch. That’s the kind of stuff – that’s why I still like being out there and playing this game. ”

The former first-round pick has 13 receptions for 229 yards, good for a 17.6 average that includes a season-long 49-yard grab that came week one against Baltimore.

In fact, this is the first time Parker has secured touchdowns in back-to-back weeks since late in the 2015 season.

Parker and the Miami offense has a big test next week as they travel to Buffalo. They’ll face a Bills team that is coming off their bye and is allowing just 14 points a game, the fourth-best mark in the NFL headed into week six.

Dolphins bench Josh Rosen in favor of FitzMagic

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For most of the 2019 season, the Miami Dolphins have failed to do much of anything in the second half.  In fact, heading into Week 6’s matchup vs the Washington Redskins, the Dolphins have been outscored 80-0.  And although the infamous t-word continues to surround Miami’s 2019 season, the coaching staff will continue to do whatever it takes to remain competitive.

Even if that means turning to 36-year old QB, Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The man known as #Fitzmagic came into the game deep into the third quarter and lit a fire under Miami’s anemic offense.  The Dolphins drove downfield to bring the game within two-points late in the fourth quarter.  Fortunately for those fans that continue to root for Miami to tank in favor of Alabama QB Tua Tagovailoa, the Dolphins were unable to convert the two-point conversion, as the team fell to 0-5 on the season.

Fitzpatrick played well enough to at least earn some consideration as the Dolphins’ starting QB next week vs the Buffalo Bills.  After all, he completed 12/18 for 136-yards and 1 touchdown.

This comes a few days after HC Brian Flores announced Rosen would be the team’s starting QB moving forward.

Here’s what Flores had to say on the Dolphins’ QB situation late last week.

“It’s settled. I like where Josh (Rosen) is. I think he’s improving on a week-to-week basis. I think he’s a young, talented player, and I think he needs to get in there and develop and get reps and just improve. I think if we could – when he’s scrambling and if he can throw the ball away, that would be an improvement. It’s something we’ve talked about a lot and hopefully if I say it to you guys, maybe he’ll listen, but that’s something – amongst a lot of other things. Just decision-making, accuracy and making good decisions. I like where Josh (Rosen) is and hopefully he just continues to improve today, tomorrow and over the course of the season.”

It will be interesting to see where the Dolphins go moving forward. But for now, the fans fully embrace the ‘Tank For Tua’.

UPDATE: 4:35

Did Dolphins coach Brian Flores make the right call?

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When intentions are unclear, it’s difficult to assess decisions.

Take, for instance, the choice by Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores to go for two, rather than tie the game, after his team rallied to within 17-16 against the Washington Redskins with just six seconds left in regulation Sunday. And then the actual play that was called, that seemingly had little chance at success.

While it’s clear this season that ownership and front office are fine with lots and lots of losses, the coaches and players don’t have much to gain by deliberate tanking. Flores, in particular, is trying to show he’s a competent NFL coach. So this has always seemed more about the front office giving him little to work with, and then him attempting to instill the proper principles in whatever personnel he’s been provided.

With all of that said, Flores and his staff (especially the coordinators) have made some odd decisions this season, whether regarding the unconventional utilization of players in particular schemes (outside their comfort zones) or curious play calls. Then, of course, there was the matter of star cornerback Xavien Howard being held out Sunday after practicing all week with a sore knee; that had a direct impact on the game. That may have been a call made above Flores. The two-point conversion was a call made by Flores, and hand-picked offensive coordinator Chad O’Shea.

Was it the correct one?

Well, the throw behind the line of scrimmage to Kenyan Drake didn’t work. And the Redskins won. And the Dolphins lost. Which was bad. Or good. Depends on your perspective.

Here are some of the tweets of the moment:

For more

For more about the Dolphins’ loss, which dropped them 0-5 and kept them in prime position for the upcoming NFL draft, check out Craig Davis’ latest column:

Dolphins win by losing to Redskins

Miami Dolphins release Johnson Bademosi as rebuild continues

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The Miami Dolphins continue to clean house.

The Miami Dolphins made a move on Monday. It wasn’t  a big one, but it was a move nonetheless. The team released cornerback Johnson Bademosi. There was no corresponding move following the release.

Bademosi was acquired by the Dolphins and was a part of the trade that sent Laremy Tunsil to Houston. Bademosi appeared in four games this season, recording four tackles. Many of you may remember his stints with the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots. While with the Browns, he started in 16 games in three out of the four seasons he played there. He accomplished the same feat while in New England as well, lasting one season in Foxborough.

Some of you may be wondering why this is significant. As a player, he isn’t anything to write home about. However, this just means that the Miami Dolphins are continuing to try and find pieces to put the roster together. They have shown that they are not afraid to clean house so far this season. Hopefully, they will be able to improve as a result of trimming down the roster.

When Miami acquired him, I honestly had high hopes. He wasn’t going to be a star player by any stretch of the imagination, but he was a veteran. Not only that, his experience in New England was going to be an advantage, or so I thought. In addition, his durability was also an asset.

The Miami Dolphins almost won on Sunday, and there are certainly signs of progress. Making sure the team has enough legitimate pieces on defense is certainly going to be a priority. Right now however, it is all about the feeling out process. Letting Bademosi go is just a reaffirmation that the team is going to keep reshuffling until they find exactly what they’re looking for. Not only are they trying to tank for the top pick in the draft, they also trying to build a solid foundation. As Bademosi found out, sometimes it means moving on from a certain players.

Miami Dolphins running backs show promise in defeat

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There were positives for the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

The Miami Dolphins narrowly lost to the Washington Redskins by a 17-16 score. In what was such a close game, it marked another defeat for the good guys. With this being a rebuilding year, it has been hard to find positives. However, the running game was in full force on Sunday. Something has to be said for that.

Kenyan Drake was the leading rusher for the Miami Dolphins. He carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards, gaining four yards a carry. Perhaps even more importantly, he received help. Mark Walton rushed the ball six times for 32 yards. Kalen Ballage carried the rock three times for seven yards. All told, the Miami Dolphins were able to establish the running game.

That was not something that was there earlier in the year. At times, Miami had trouble running the football. Granted, these numbers do not exactly scream “elite rushing attack,” but the numbers are there. Maybe this is going to be the hallmark of the 2019 Miami Dolphins. Maybe the running game is what the Miami Dolphins are going to pride themselves on this year. One thing is for sure, the passing game leaves a lot to be desired.

It’s important to recognize that these running backs do a lot more than just running the football. Both Drake and Walton were key figures in the passing game. Walton caught five passes for 43 yards, while Drake caught six passes for 30 yards. Again, are those numbers that are going to make the front page of ESPN? No, probably not. However, these are numbers that can certainly be something to build off of. Versatility is the name of the game for those two backs.

If nothing else, Sunday’s performance by the running backs proves that the offense flows through them. Although the Miami Dolphins did not get the win on Sunday, the running backs showed that they can be a dependable unit. In a rebuilding year, that certainly counts for something.That unit did everything they could to put Miami in a position to win. Although it did not amount to wins on Sunday, all the signs are there for the unit to be trending upward.

Dolphins vs. Redskins, partido crucial para el futuro de dos estrellas en la NCAA.

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De camino al Hard Rock Stadium este mañana del domingo, me preguntaba, ¿qué historia puede salir de este juego? Se enfrentan unas tres horas más tarde los Miami Dolphins ante los Washington Redskins. Debo confesar que no fue fácil mantener una idea positiva pues lo que más se comenta es que los fanáticos quieren perder y los jugadores, con cliché incluido, van a dar el 100% en cada partido de esta temporada de, “transición”.

Analizando un poco la actualidad de ambos equipos, es bastante similar. Los Redskins entran al partido con récord de 0-5 últimos en la NFC del este. Un equipo que hace una semana despidió a su timonel Jay Gruden dando paso al entrenador principal, Bill Callahan a que tomara las riendas del conjunto de manera interina. 

Miami por su parte, ya conocemos su realidad un equipo al mando del debutante Brian Flores que cambió a sus figuras más relevantes antes y durante la campaña 2019. La incógnita existe en conocer cual de estos dos equipos saldrá con la derrota y con la posibilidad de tener el mejor puesto en el draft del año entrante, 2020.

La serie entre Washington y Miami, vigente desde el año 1981, es liderada por el equipo de Miami 5-0 en partidos realizados en el Sur de la Florida. Este es un dato que puede aguar las fiestas de aquellos que abogan por el llamado “tanking” es decir, los que desean ver a los Dolphins perder para que así el equipo obtenga el puesto número del draft. La dificultad existe en que los Washington Redskins también se encuentran en esa misma realidad. 

Por eso, este partido que tiene muy poco interés a nivel nacional puede ser clave en el futuro de quien se proyecta ser la escogencia número uno del NFL Draft 2020, Tua Tagovailoa de Alabama y del que probablemente sea el número dos, Justin Herbert de Oregon. Ambos son quarterbacks, posición que será altamente codiciada en el draft.

Pero, vamos a los números, durante esta temporada y estos primeros cinco encuentros, ¿que equipo es peor realmente? Bueno, comencemos por el de casa, nuestro gloriosos Miami Dolphins. El equipo tiene un total de 992 yardas acumulando apenas 207 para la vía terrestre y 785 por el aire, estos número probablemente no cambie mucho después del encuentro ante Washington. Los mayores receptores de Miami son Preston Williams y DeVante Parker ambos empatados con 201 yardas, Williams en 15 recepciones y 10 para Parker.

Washington entró al partido con un total de 1,543 yardas de las cuales 344 son por el suelo y 1,199 llegan por la vía aérea. Aunque sobrepasan a los Dolphins por 758 yardas, Washington aún se encuentra dentro de los peores en la ligas en ese departamento, poseen 281.6 yardas por juego número que los pone en el puesto #28 en la liga. Miami aún peores con 225 yardas por juego.

Entonces, cuando vemos los números defensivos, las probabilidades son aún más grandes para que Miami pierda este encuentro. Además, aun contamos con el dato que les mencione al principio, Miami nunca ha perdido un partido en casa ante los Redskins desde que comenzó la serie entre ambos equipos en el año 1981, un total de cinco encuentros. Dado esto, nos falta por ver en números otro aspecto importante del juego, los equipos defensivos.

Confieso algo de temor en revisar y publicar estos numero porque si ambos conjuntos están mal en la ofensiva, ¿que nos espera al ver la defensiva? Veremos.

Miami apenas tiene una intercepción en la campaña para 21 yardas, ya comenzamos mal pues Washington tiene cinco intercepciones para 31 yardas. En los tackles, Washington tiene 249 sorprendentemente entran en el sexto lugar de la liga, También sumen allí nueve derrumbes detrás de la línea de impacto al rival mientras que Miami en este departamento tiene cinco. Los Dolphins están en el puesto número 30 de la liga en tackles con apenas 184.

Analizando los números, nos damos cuenta que las probabilidades están en contra de Miami para ganar este partido. Esto, puede ser algo mucho más positivo para el equipo ya que se enfrentaron al segundo peor equipo de la liga después de ellos mismos y quizás puedan mantener un record negativamente perfecto para ir por Tagovailoa en el 2020.

Lo cierto es que Miami debe enfocarse en desarrollar el talento joven que tiene en estos momentos y buscar la manera de conseguir el mejor talento posible en el draft del 2020 ya que tienen múltiples escogencia de primera ronda gracias en parte, a los cambios que a efectuado el equipo después de declararse en “tanking”.

Para concluir, quiero mencionarles que me parece algo increíble que un simple partido de Football Americano pueda significar tanto para el futuro de al menos dos o tres estrellas jóvenes del football colegial.

Fotos cortesia de: Tony Capobianco @TonyCapobianco

Miami Hurricanes stifle Virginia Cavaliers, 17-9

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Manny Diaz took more ownership of the Miami Hurricanes’ defense Friday night.

It seemed to have an impact.

Miami kept Virginia — which came in averaging more than 30 points per game — out of the end zone, winning 17-9 and getting back in the ACC Coastal mix. The defensive dominance was necessary, because it took N’Kosi Perry and the offense some time to get going, with the fill-in quarterback finishing the scoring with a keeper.

“I had more players to throw to,” Perry said of that scramble. “But I saw the hole and I had to take advantage of it.”

Perry added that “I felt like we stayed together the entire time. And we trusted each other… Everyone was communicating more than normal. Everyone’s intensity was more than normal.”

Perry was 16 of 27 for 182 yards with a touchdown, and Deejay Dallas (photo by Tony Capobianco) had 63 yards on 13 carries, and a touchdown receiving.

Here were some of the tweets that told the story: