Goldie’s Best Bets for Week 8: Bills Romp, Cowboys Survive

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Goldie:

All Time Record: 191-90          

Vs. Spread: 140-137-1

 

21-22 Season:  65-35               

Vs. Spread: 51-48-1

 

Week 7 Record : 7-5                 

Vs. Spread: 8-4

 

Guarantee All Time: 13-8       

21-22 Season: 4-3

 

Upset All Time: 12-8              

21-22 Season: 3-4

 

Crazy Uncle Jeff 

All Time: 28-5              

21-22 Season: 12-4       

Week 7: 1-1

 

Goldie’s Guarantee

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-1) @ New Orleans Saints (4-2)

Vegas Picks: TB -4.5

Goldie’s Take: Buccaneers Win 32-21

Jameis and the Saints had trouble putting away the Geno Smith led Seahawks last week, and now they’re supposed to go stop Tom Brady? I don’t think so. Brady and the Bucs dropped 38 points on the Bears last week, and another 30+ point performance could be coming again this Sunday. Not to mention the Bucs defense should give the Saints a really hard time too after forcing 5 turnovers and 4 sacks last week against Chicago. Bucs are firing on all cylinders right now, while the Saints are no more than a middle of the pack team. It is worth noting that WR Antonio Brown will be out, but it shouldn’t really make a difference when you have the literal GOAT at quarterback. TOMpa Bay takes full control of the NFC South with a road win this Sunday. I GUARANTEE IT!

 

Goldie’s UPSET of the Week

Philadelphia Eagles (2-5) @ Detroit Lions (0-7)

Vegas Picks: PHI -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Lions Win 30-27

Detroit has lost two games 19-17, they’ve played the Rams and 49ers tough, and just haven’t been able to put together a win yet. I believe this is the week. They’re at home against a below average Philadelphia Eagles team. Plus the Eagles will be without starting RB Miles Sanders. The final unbeaten went down Thursday night, and I think it’s time the final winless team finally gets out of the gutter. Lions win! UPSET!

 

Crazy Uncle Jeff’s Lock of the Week: DAL -1

Dallas Cowboys (5-1) @ Minnesota Vikings (3-3)

Vegas Picks: DAL -1

Goldie’s Take: Cowboys Win 28-22

I received a string of texts from Jeffy Wednesday afternoon, and it read, 

“The Boys! Cowboys, bet the house on them”

“And condo”

“And Rolex”

LOCK IT IN!

 

Rest of Week 8:

 

Carolina Panthers (3-4) @ Atlanta Falcons (3-3)

Vegas Picks: ATL -3

Goldie’s Take: Falcons Win 24-20

Big mistake picking the Panthers as my guarantee last week. Without Christian McCaffrey this team cannot be trusted. Carolina is 3-0 this season with CMC, but 0-4 without him. He’ll be out again this week as he can’t come off IR until week nine. Plus Dirty Birds enter this one feeling themselves a bit, winners of 3 out of their last 4. Falcons stay hot and get the win at home. 

 

Tennessee Titans (5-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (3-4)

Vegas Picks: IND -2.5

Goldie’s Take: Titans Win 27-23

Not understanding Vegas’s logic with this point spread. They have the Colts favored in this one after the Titans are coming off back to back wins against the Bills and Chiefs. Also, Derrick Henry has far and away been the best RB in the league this season, and I don’t see the Colts having an answer for him. T’s take firm control of the AFC South with a road win in Indy. UPSET! (though it doesn’t really feel like one)

 

Miami Dolphins (1-6) @ Buffalo Bills (4-2)

Vegas Picks: BUF -13.5

Goldie’s Take: Bills WIn 37-0

Miami’s in for a long day this Sunday as they head to Buffalo. The ‘Fins have been an absolute mess so far this season. Sitting at 1-6, the morale in the locker room is probably at an all time low, especially considering all of the Deshaun/Tua trade rumors flying around. The team has no identity right now. Also, the Bills have owned the Dolphins in recent memory, winning six straight matchups against their division rival. Buffalo, coming off a tough loss to the Titans two weeks ago, are going to unleash hell on this frail Dolphins team. Not to mention Buffalo has had an extra week to prepare for this one as they’re coming off their bye. Buffalo circles the wagons and cruises to a home win this Sunday, meanwhile, Dolphins fans can’t wait for this season to end.

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Cincinnati Bengals (5-2) @ New York Jets (1-5)

Vegas Picks: CIN -10.5

Goldie’s Take: Bengals Win 32-17

Joe Burrow has this Bengals team ROLLING through 7 weeks and they are starting to seem like the real deal. On the flipside, the one-win Jets are starting Mike White at quarterback this weekend as rookie QB Zach Wilson is out with injury. Not much to think about here, the Bengals have the edge across the board, and I’m fully expecting them to sail right past the Jets. 

 

Pittsburgh Steelers (3-3) @ Cleveland Browns (4-3)

Vegas Picks: CLE -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Browns Win 30-23

Big time AFC North showdown in Cleveland this Sunday. Pittsburgh, coming off a bye, will look to avenge that ugly loss they suffered at the hands of the Browns in last January’s WIld Card weekend. Meanwhile, the Browns are supposed to get a much needed boost from players coming back from injury. Both QB Baker Mayfield and RB Nick Chubb are set to return after missing last Thursday’s matchup versus Denver. Picking the Browns in this one for a variety of reasons: I don’t trust the ancient arm of Big Ben, Cleveland is finally getting healthier, and the Browns are at home. Venue call!

 

Los Angeles Rams (6-1) @ Houston Texans (1-6)

Vegas Picks: LAR -14.5

Goldie’s Take: Rams Win 34-10

The Texans have combined for a total of 8 points in their past two games (2 of which came on a defensive safety), so naturally I don’t have much faith in their offense going against Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. The Rams being one of the best two way football teams in the league, should go into Houston and steamroll the Texans. 

 

San Francisco 49ers (2-4) @ Chicago Bears (3-4)

Vegas Picks: SF -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Bears Win 20-19

With Niners losers of four in a row and Bears losers of two in a row, neither squad enters this one with any sort of momentum. Both teams also have huge question marks at the quarterback position. Both Justin Fields and Jimmy G are coming off of their worst game of the season. For Fields, a game where the Bucs D showed the rookie no mercy, forcing five turnovers. For Jimmy G, a three turnover night in a home loss on MNF. I have little to no faith in either one of these teams, but give me stingy Bears D and home field advantage to give Chicago the UPSET in this one. DA BEARS!

 

New England Patriots (3-4) @ Los Angeles Chargers (4-2)

Vegas Picks: LAC -4.5

Goldie’s Take: Chargers Win 28-21

Picking the Chargers with heavy caution in this one, after the 45-0 beatdown the Pats put on them last season. BUT I think this is a different Chargers team. Herbert and the offense are only getting better, and they’ve had extra time to prepare for this one as they’re coming off a bye. Plus I don’t see Mac Jones repeating a 50+ point performance. Chargers roll to 5-2 with a home win. 

 

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) @ Seattle Seahawks (2-5)

Vegas Picks: SEA -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Seahawks Win 23-20

Can’t believe I’m really picking the Lions and Jaguars in the same week, but I believe in both Big Cats this weekend. Jags are coming off a bye, while ‘Hawks played Monday night. So the preparation edge definitely favors Jacksonville. Plus Seattle’s “12th man” hasn’t been as strong this year as Seahawks are 0-3 at home. Geno Smith is a major downgrade from Russell Wilson, and the offense has had an extremely hard time adjusting (mustering just 10 points at home on MNF last week). Well rested Jags pick up second win in a row in an UPSET in Seattle. 

 

Washington Football Team (2-5) @ Denver Broncos (3-4)

Vegas Picks: DEN -3.5

Goldie’s Take: Broncos Win 27-24

After Denver’s 3-0 start, they have completely flopped, following it up with four consecutive losses. However, those three wins were thanks to a cupcake schedule to start the season. They’ve proven they can beat subpar teams, and that’s exactly what they’re facing in their matchup with Washington. The No Names defense has allowed the most points in the league so far this season, so Teddy Bridgewater should be able to get the Broncos offense moving. Denver gets back to .500 with a win in the Mile High. 

 

New York Giants (2-5) @ Kansas City Chiefs (3-4)

Vegas Picks: KC -9.5

Goldie’s Take: Chiefs Win 30-20

Okay, what the hell is going on with Kansas City. After years of total domination, the league just suddenly figured them out? We know they have great weapons surrounding arguably the league’s best quarterback. So what’s the problem? Personally I don’t think it’s the Chiefs getting worse, but the rest of the league catching up to them. Whatever it is, I still trust them to take care of business at home on Monday Night against a shaky Giants team. 

 

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hornets

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The Miami Heat took down the Charlotte Hornets on Friday night to improve to 4-1 on the season. Miami took care of business on both ends early, through scoring domination from Butler, Adebayo, and Herro, plus a continuation of that swarming defense against the league’s best offense.

Charlotte did make a run in the second half, but Miami held them off. So, here are five takeaways from this game…

#1: The help Lowry is providing for Butler is different from the rest. 

I’m not just going to discuss the help Kyle Lowry is providing to those around him after every night like this, but it’s actually quite necessary. We may be wondering what the difference is specifically in Jimmy Butler’s urge to score right out the gate each night, and the answer is simply Lowry. Why is that? Well, Butler had a lot on his plate last season. Go-to scorer, go-to facilitator, etc. Not that he can’t handle that, but handing out roles like their name tags to begin the year has allowed Lowry to be that passer who doesn’t have to worry about scoring, and vice versa for Butler. Jimmy may be a natural play-maker, but it not being needed from him allows him to be this strong attacker that we essentially haven’t seen since the bubble with the number of attempts.

#2: Tyler Herro continues to “Heat up,” allowing veterans to “cool down.”

Tyler Herro is another topic that we will probably end up discussing most nights. He entered the game off the bench per usual, and continued to put the ball in the basket at a high level per usual. Oh, and the key word: efficiently. 18 points in 14 first half minutes on 7 of 8 shooting is pretty good in my opinion. The three was falling, he was getting to the rim, and that mid-range/floater go-to is still his number one skill on that end. It isn’t just about the ball falling through the hoop, it’s that he’s getting to his spots at a completely different level. Step-backs, step-throughs, and no hesitance on the pull. As this scoring continued, Butler sat on the bench without the need for him to make eye contact with Spo to go back in. This is a new team. They can survive without him for stretches, which is huge for this squad, yet it wasn’t possible last season.

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#3: Rebounding domination continues, uniting Spo and Riley’s play-styles.

I can’t say that I expected Miami to dominate the boards in this way this season, and I don’t think they expected it either. There are a couple reasons for it. 1) Guys like PJ Tucker and Markieff Morris may not have that extreme lengthy build, but that doesn’t always equal good rebounding. With that broad build, the box-outs are supreme, allowing the rebounding numbers to be spread out evenly with guards like Herro and Lowry crashing the boards. 2) Bam Adebayo is a clear-cut rebounding threat. It’s not that he wasn’t in the past, but the defensive schematics allow him to actually be in position for them more often this season. Since he’s not defending a guard on the perimeter every single play anymore, he finds himself down low on the box, awaiting the ball to fly off the rim. And well, that’s the formula.

#4: Miami’s role player run ends.

This may not be a stand-out takeaway, but it’s an interesting trend to keep track of. It’s not just about Miami’s role players basically carrying them against Brooklyn on Wednesday night, but there’s been one role player in every Heat win that stepped up when needed. Tonight, they didn’t have that big time game from a role player. To counter that, Miami just had Butler, Adebayo, and Herro rolling on the same night, which means the role players like Morris and Tucker can just do what they usually do on the floor aside from scoring. But if the shooting from Duncan Robinson and Lowry continues, they’re going to need somebody to shine if one of the main guys have an off night, and from what I’ve seen, I’m confident they will.

#5: At some point, shots will need to fall for Robinson-Lowry.

Kyle Lowry’s shot is going to need to fall sooner or later, since it hasn’t yet this season, but all of the other stuff he provides basically hides the poor shooting. Duncan Robinson, on the other hand, is right in that spotlight, due to the fact there were high expectations on him as one of the league’s premier three-point shooters. But to start the season, it’s been real ugly in that area. There’s still a certain level of focus on Robinson on the offensive end, but open shots are being generated for him quite regularly, and it’s almost as if he’s better with a hand in his face. Yet, with Herro’s name flying higher and higher up the scouting report, Robinson will have to get real comfortable in wide open spot-up threes. And aside from that recency bias, he clearly will.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

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Panthers coach Joel Quenneville focuses on the positives from opening-night loss to Lightning. (Craig Davis for Five Reasons Sports)

Joel Quenneville resigns as coach of Florida Panthers

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Joel Quenneville has officially resigned as the head coach of the Florida Panthers, effective immediately.

The Panthers announced today that Quenneville resigned from his role with the club and an interim head coach announcement will be coming. 

This news comes just two days after the release of the Jenner & Block investigative report on the Chicago Blackhawks sexual assault investigation.

Quenneville was the head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010 when video coach Brad Aldrich allegedly assaulted a player, who has come forward as Kyle Beach.

Today Quenneville, alongside Panthers GM Bill Zito and President/CEO Matthew Caldwell met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in New York to discuss Quenneville’s role in the sexual abuse cover-up scandal from the 2010 Blackhawks team. 

Here is a quote from Quenneville following his resignation:

There has not been an official announcement from the Panthers regarding the interim coach, however, reports say that Panthers assistant coach Andrew Brunette will take over as the interim coach. 

Brunette played over 1100 games in his NHL career and has served as an assistant coach for both the Panthers and Minnesota Wild.

The Panthers have had the fastest start in franchise history, at 7-0-0.

 

Three trade deadline ideas for the Miami Dolphins

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The NFL trade deadline will take place on Tuesday, Nov. 2 at 4 p.m. ET. Some trades may not be announced until after 4 p.m. ET, but all must be agreed upon and filed to the league office before that time.

With the Trade deadline days away lets go ahead and speculate some moves the Miami Dolphins could make.

Spoiler: this article does not include Deshaun Watson.

WR Devante Parker and a 6th for OT Andre Dillard and a 5th

When the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Andre Dillard with their first pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, he was seen as one of the top two offensive tackles by many draft experts. However, he hasn’t panned out his draft stock yet.

There have been reports about Dillard being shopped around two AFC teams and would not surprise me  if the Dolphins are one of the two. Desperately, the Dolphins need help along the offensive line. He might not be the most exciting name but he becomes a serviceable starter on a putrid Dolphins offensive line.

Dillard, a backup LT for the Eagles, filled in for an injured Jordan Mailata and looked decent. Dillard, could play LT or RT depending on what the coaching staff prefers.

He has been one of the better OL for the Eagles in his limited playing time and was the highest graded player against the Carolina Panthers.

 

Devante Parker on the other hand has not been able to suit up for the Dolphins much this season. When healthy, he is a valuable weapon in the passing game. Parker could help Jalen Hurts’ development and be a veteran voice in the WR room.

There have been rumors about Devante Parker potentially mulling retirement. It would not be surprising if he is indeed the player as soft tissue injuries have made him sit out multiple games. 

A change of scenery may help Parker get back into his groove. Also, helps the Dolphins to dump of his salary and recoup it for 2022 Free agency. 

 

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WR Albert Wilson for LB Zack Baun

The Saints are desperate for WR help signing Free Agent Kenny Stills. Micheal Thomas has yet to return from IR, Tre’Quan Smith is coming off of IR. Mickey Loomis has to be on the phone for a WR that can stretch the field.

Albert Wilson can be that guy for the remaining 10 games for New Orleans. Wilson has not seen the field much as a Dolphin even with a stellar training camp. It seems as if Miami has been holding onto him as a trade asset.

Baun, the former Badger LB, has been relegated to special teams, and made some major strides during training camp and preseason for his development. Unfortunately, his game tape does not give a strong sample size to see his productivity. Still, Baun is capable of being a strong linebacker in the league.

The former 3rd round pick is speedy around the edges and active in pursuit against the run and does a good job hugging the line of scrimmage. Not to mention, he can cover the flats and hooks decently.

Baun will be helpful in special teams value and Duke Riley could be seen as a casualty, Baun is a cheaper replacement, still on his rookie deal, on special teams and a valuable 3rd down pass rush specialist. He reminds me a little bit of Kyle Van Noy, but lacks experience in this scheme.

OT Austin Jackson and CB Noah Igbinoghene for OT Taylor Decker

This may indeed cause an uproar for Dolphins and Lions fans. If a deal like this is made, Chris Grier and the Dolphins publicly admit that the selections and development of Jackson and Igbinoghene have been a failure.

On Detroit’s end, moving on from Decker shows that the Lions are fully committed to a rebuild and want young cheap players that they can mold to fit into their vision. Decker is in the first year of a four-year, $59.65 million contract extension ($29 million guaranteed), which shouldn’t be discounted in any trade speculation with cap numbers above $17.5 million for 2022-2024. 

Detroit can clean out big cap dollars in those three seasons with a trade. They can also start the future with Penei Sewell at left tackle now, not just as a fill-in for Decker as it has been so far this season.

Furthermore, Miami is able to move on from Austin Jackson and fortify their offensive line; thus to better protect Tua Tagovailoa and help the run game. A better offensive line will allow the Dolphins offense to score points on the board and help their defense. 

Decker may not be able to play out of the gate with a finger injury, but he locks up a spot for the future and bring veteran leadership the Dolphins have been missing for some time.

As for Igbinoghene, he has not been able to see the field much recently. A good athlete that is around the ball at all times cannot seem to make the plays after two years of development from this coaching staff. 

While learning behind one of the best corners in the game, Igbinoghene has not been what the Dolphins have hoped for. A change of scenery in Detroit to learn under former DB coach Aaron Glenn would help his development. It will also have him partner up with Jeffrey Okudah

This also opens up avenues for UDFA Trill Williams to possibly get more playing time, he was active against the Jaguars and made a few plays.

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PJ Tucker: The Kyle Lowry of the Defense

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0 points, 0 assists, 0 steals, 0 blocks, and 1 rebound.

That was PJ Tucker’s stat-line in a home match-up against the Orlando Magic on Monday night through 21 minutes of play, and while those numbers represent a pretty invisible night, it’s actually quite the opposite.

Tucker was not brought to Miami to score the basketball at an elite level, he was brought here to do everything else. The main element to that is the defensive side of the ball, creating a suffocating starting lineup with Kyle Lowry, Jimmy Butler, and Bam Adebayo.

And well, a lot has changed for many of the East’s best teams this season for better or worse.

Brooklyn lost Kyrie Irving due to his unwillingness to get a vaccine.

Philadelphia currently lost Ben Simmons for reasons I don’t have time to explain.

And Milwaukee lost a specific piece of their team that isn’t being brought up enough, PJ Tucker.

To win a championship, you need guys like Tucker who can play over 20 minutes without scoring a point, and still look like the most important player on the floor.

Over the first 4 games of the season, players being defended by Tucker are shooting 26% from the field on 10 of 39 shooting. Some may say that’s a small sample size, but I’d say that number won’t shift much.

There are guys like Butler who are just ball hawks in a lot of ways to hit those passing lanes at an elite level. There are guys like Adebayo who are just so physically gifted at that size to stay in front of small, shifty guards on a regular basis. But there are also guys like Tucker who are just so positionally sound that he won’t give you an inch.

That’s what has made it so hard for Kevin Durant, which by the way, difficult for KD in a game is scoring 25 points on 50% shooting, but it was very evident he was uncomfortable. It’s not that Tucker uses length against him. It’s not that he’s reaching a ton to let the referee dictate the possession. He just gets in his grill, doesn’t give up that space, and forces the Durants of the world into tough deep ball shots.

Looking back at the recent trend of front-court mates for Bam Adebayo, it’s been a pretty rocky ride in my opinion.

Starting with Meyers Leonard, they had major success throughout the first half of the regular season, giving him that stretch big who plays in drop coverage essentially was a springboard to Adebayo just letting everything show on the defensive end.

But with Coach Erik Spoelstra, that type of play-style was not going to last in the post-season.

They acquired Jae Crowder, Andre Iguodala, and Soloman Hill at the deadline, leading to an incredible Crowder bubble run at the 4, basically showcasing the correct path for that slot next to Adebayo.

After he wasn’t retained, things did not go so well for that power forward position. Moe Harkless to Kelly Olynyk to Trevor Ariza was the continued revolving door for this Heat team. And although there were moments when the Ariza insertion was clicking, there was just one main difference between him and the ultimate 4.

They needed a guy who can size up.

It was great that Ariza plugged Miami’s point of attack defense at the time, but they have that in Kyle Lowry now. At this moment, the 4 who can size up instead of size down was the missing piece.

And that is Tucker.

As he said after the game regarding this team’s defense, “I can be on KD then Bam will switch and I’m like cool, then Jimmy will switch and I’m like cool, then Kyle will switch and I’m like cool.” And that right there is the beauty of this team’s new look defense.

When that switch occurs, Tucker has no problem sizing down as well, since frankly, he’s 6 foot 6 so it’s not necessarily “sizing down.” Looking at Miami’s defense on James Harden last night, he shot 0 of 7 when Adebayo, Butler, and Tucker were defending, and that was not accidental.

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Tucker was the reason Miami took down Brooklyn on Wednesday night, and there’s a chance I could be writing that same sentence following a playoff game later in the year.

He may be making an outstanding impact on defense and on the boards, but he’s actually provided a really positive offensive role as well, which may not be the case all season. Tucker is currently shooting 39% from three on over 3 attempts a game, which is needed to take some pressure off Miami’s wing ball-handlers.

To put some of that stuff in perspective, obviously this is once again a small sample size, but Tucker has the best net rating on the team right now at 25.1. Where do the other starters land? Lowry at 19.1, Butler at 16.4, and Adebayo at 9.8.

And that’s not all due to Tucker’s 81.6 defensive rating, which is absolutely insane, but he also has the highest offensive rating among Heat starters. The sustainability of this is another conversation, but there’s no doubt that Tucker is playing at a level that I don’t think many expected.

Well, maybe Pat Riley expected it.

The last thing that must be pointed out about Tucker: he’s the Kyle Lowry of the defense.

Lowry isn’t the best offensive weapon on this team, but his job is to set up the better offensive options and put them in better positions to thrive on each possession. And that’s exactly what Tucker is doing for the defense.

Aside from the vocal aspect, since he never stops talking on the floor, he’s placing Adebayo and Butler into these weak-side defensive stances where each of them thrive, while also taking the bigger match-ups so Adebayo doesn’t have to take the beating on that end of the floor every night down low.

We knew they needed a guy to set up offense like Lowry, but I don’t think we fully recognized the need for a guy to set up defense like Tucker.

They have that now, and Tucker has been good. Really good, and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.

 

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Five Takeaways from Heat’s Big Win Over Brooklyn

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The Miami Heat took down the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night in the definition of an all around night. Lowry thriving, Butler shining, and role players making the difference.

So, here are five takeaways from this big win…

#1: Hit ahead passes were not only the first quarter theme, but a new Miami offensive theme.

Some offensive things fluctuated throughout this one, due to stretches being picture perfect, textbook offense, while other spurts were once again in the mud. But to look back at that clicking style of play, it aligns with that transition offense that we all knew Kyle Lowry would provide upon arrival. Yes, he pushes the ball down the floor. Yes, he can slow them down when it’s needed. But most of all, that hit ahead pass has been pretty contagious across the roster. With it only being the fourth game of the season, it feels like we’re still in that stage where they’re trying to grasp the timing of it fully, but it still works. Guys like Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo have fully embraced that as well, which is a major part of it this early in the season. But it’ll be necessary to mix it in out the gate, instead of showing all of their cards immediately as the season progresses.

#2: Jimmy Butler comes out with all eyes on the rim.

Jimmy Butler always seems to come out with a clear-cut plan when the game begins. Sometimes in a game without Lowry in Indiana, it’ll be pure play-making with the ball in his hands. But in a game in Brooklyn after a 36 point night against Orlando, it was all about scoring. He was getting to the rim consistently, and even without getting that whistle, he was still converting regularly early on. And well, that’s the Butler they’re going to need over this next stretch of games against tough opponents. Butler was so crucial in the rebounding and defensive aspect of this game, providing second chances and extra possessions for himself over and over on the box. Coach Spo is exactly right when he says Butler is not a flopper, but that physical downhill play isn’t disappearing. Fullback Jimmy is still very much in effect.

#3: This version of Dewayne Dedmon provides much more flexibility.

There’s been one bench guy that has stood out in many of these games, either in a positive or negative light, but tonight that guy was Dewayne Dedmon. In many ways, offensive opportunities were just falling right into his lap under the rim, but actually converting on those possessions is a completely different story, which he has continually done at an extremely high level. This team also hasn’t been the greatest rebounding team in recent years, especially when relying on an undersized rookie Precious Achiuwa as your back-up center to provide that specific skill. Dedmon has done just that, and the offensive activity is the main element. Six first half rebounds with four of them being offensive. Miami needs those extra opportunities like that if they’re shooting this poorly from three, and having a reserve propel you in that way is important. But it wasn’t just him, which I’ll touch on down the line.

#4: Miami’s third quarter run: off-season acquisitions.

Coming out of halftime, it almost looked like Brooklyn could run away with it after an immediate triple from Kevin Durant. But what turned it around for Miami in that span? Well simply, the new guys. Kyle Lowry was a big reason for it to start, after a quick run that consisted of himself and himself only. Transition pull-up three, running the floor for a lay-in, and a nice dish for a Robinson three was how it went down in a stretch, really sparking Miami to kick off the second half. But the guy who was even more impressive tonight, specifically in that third quarter, was PJ Tucker. Making Durant as uncomfortable as humanly possible, competing on the boards in a way Miami hasn’t had in years, and just getting his hands dirty by diving for loose balls and things of that nature. If you get a big time game from one or two role players over this tough stretch of games, they will be in great shape coming out of it.

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#5: A rebounding flip from this Heat team changes things.

Looking back at the off-season, the Heat lacked a couple of things when evaluating the team on paper. They needed a pure point guard, which they got in Lowry. But they also needed added rebounding, which it was unclear if they acquired. They brought back Dedmon, but the only other front-court additions were strong 4’s who provide more of that horizontal presence than vertical presence. But let me just say, length doesn’t always equal good rebounding. Miami killed the Nets in that category tonight, and it was the definition of a team effort. Butler was outstanding in that area, Adebayo did his job, Tucker/Dedmon provided those extra opportunities, and Tyler Herro continues to bring that strong attack off misses. Keeping Spo’s personnel while adding a Pat Riley staple is the definition of a successful off-season.

 

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A Duncan Robinson Dribble Hand-Off Shift: Adebayo to Butler

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EDITOR’S NOTE: FIVE REASONS SPORTS IS PARTNERING WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS OVER AT PICKUP TO GIVE AWAY FANATICS ($20 VALUE) TO 3 LUCKY WINNERS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MAKE YOUR PICK ON THE PICKUP PROP IN THIS ARTICLE AND FOLLOW THE STEPS TO VERIFY YOUR PICK FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.

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Coming into the season, it was known everybody on this Heat team was going to endure a shift. Duncan Robinson’s shift, though, was for very different reasoning.

Guys like Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro were going to see a positive change in terms of their newly acquired point guard, Kyle Lowry. And Bam Adebayo was going to begin that transition into a “flat-out scorer,” as Pat Riley noted before the season.

But as Adebayo begins to flip that switch, a prominent part of the offense was going to be cut out a little more: the dribble hand-off. While many Heat fans may scoff at the thought of a hand-off at this stage, it can still be highly effective, especially when Adebayo isn’t the one doing it.

To that point, my initial thought to begin the year was that’ll be PJ Tucker’s role. He’s a great screener with his wide frame, and has shown to be more than willing to play that “set-up” role on the offensive end of the floor. And well, he’s done just that so far.

But there’s actually been a better guy for that job through the Heat’s first 3 games of the regular season, and that guy may surprise you.

It’s Jimmy Butler.

Robinson is currently 8 for 25 on threes to begin the season, but the issue isn’t exactly those two numbers provided. It’s actually the spurts where you kind of forget he’s on the floor, since that hasn’t happened up until this point.

He’s always been a guy that can draw two to the ball at any time, but that’s actually been the new norm for Tyler Herro to begin the year. With that said, there should be even more of an urge to find Robinson and let him fire, especially in a game in Indiana without Kyle Lowry.

But without the continued DHO spam from Adebayo on a nightly basis, how does Butler provide an effective two-man game with Robinson?

Well, it’s actually in the same exact way Adebayo does it.

Taking a look through these clips above, there must be an understanding of the situation. This game was completely in the mud to say the least, and Butler was essentially being drowned in that mud.

He couldn’t get anything going, while Robinson couldn’t truly find a way to be incorporated in the offense without a true orchestrator by his side. So, the third quarter plan was to work themselves in together in space.

In the first clip, Butler gets another isolation possession for himself, but on this inefficient night, he’s looking for other options. Robinson loops around for the hand-off as Butler slips the screen, and he catches it in stride for the easy bucket.

Now, let’s move onto the second clip. And no, it’s not the same clip being replayed.

Robinson once again comes around the perimeter as both defenders bite on that DHO, which is why we constantly harp on his gravity. He hits Butler, and points come out of it once again.

Indiana head coach Rick Carlisle calls timeout for one reason and one reason only: to make an adjustment to that offensive combo.

Fast forward 30 seconds and you can see that defensive change that is made. Malcolm Brogdon doesn’t attack the Robinson hand-off, and just awaits the Butler slip. What does that mean for Miami? Well, it means Robinson has one job now: try and collapse the defense.

That collapse never truly occurred, which gave him a wide open driving lane for the easy two. If Robinson can counter those defensive adjustments consistently in this same fashion, then Miami really does have the best of both worlds.

Adebayo can play that weak-side as a scoring threat, while Butler plays that short roll with deep-threat Duncan by his side.

But Robinson has to get back to that same shooting level where it’s less thinking, and more reacting.

And it should be mentioned that this wasn’t just a one game thing.

As seen above, Miami worked it into their game-plan against Orlando as well, which makes it even more deadly when Butler is knocking down those bunnies/mid-range jumpers on that slip.

But they’re going to need that unconscious shooting from Robinson for this to fully work. With the guys around him, less attention will be on him then there previously was, but he’s going to have to make them pay.

I don’t really have any concerns about that necessarily, but the shots aren’t going to come in the same exact ways that they did last season. It may be more transition stop and pops off the catch. It may be more open looks that he has to knock down. And well, it may be the continuation of the dribble hand-off with Jimmy Butler.

But for his minutes to be a success next to Herro in those specific lineups, those shots will have to fall. And that combo hasn’t been considerably great so far.

Now as the schedule really starts to ramp up, they’re going to need him in a bunch of these big games. It’s about getting back to that original mindset: not focusing on three-point makes, but focusing on three-point attempts.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Orlando

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The Heat took down the Orlando Magic on Monday night to improve to 2-1 on the season. Jimmy Butler led the way with an outstanding bounce back, while others sprinkled in some other things behind him.

So, let’s take a dive into some takeaways from this game…

#1: All eyes on Tyler Herro.

Tyler Herro has had a pretty incredible start to the season, kicking it off with a 27 point night then following it up with a 30 point night. A main takeaway from those games: he had a ton of attention on him…after he got rolling. It was a different story tonight, as once Tyler Herro’s name was announced across the arena, there was a united understanding on the defensive side of the ball for Orlando: hound him. Hedging pick and rolls, guards full out blitzing, and much more. What did that mean for him in the first half? Find Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, and that’s exactly what he did, leading to a combined 34 point half for those two. And that will be expanded upon more as the opposing scouting report continues to hone in on it.

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#2: Jimmy Butler comes out with a purpose after his poor performance.

If you watched Jimmy Butler against Indiana, you’d know he wasn’t himself. Efficiency was terrible, and as he said after the game, he allowed that to dictate his defense. In this game, he turned that around completely. 24 points on 11 for 13 shooting through 17 and a half first half minutes is a clear indicator. The interesting part is that only 2 of the 24 points came from the free throw line, but you don’t need fullback Jimmy when he’s knocking down those easy bunnies and mid-range jumpers. Were those points just being generated through Kyle Lowry’s presence? Part of them were, but the 4 first half steals can pretty much tell you he was generating stuff for himself as well.

#3: Miami’s offense is back…I wonder why.

From tip-off, the Heat were not only getting out on the break at a higher rate, but half-court sets were flowing. What led to the turnaround? His name is Kyle Lowry. It wasn’t Butler and Adebayo reverting back to late year’s play-style anymore. It was them receiving the ball right in their spots, just focusing in on that off-ball movement that each of them are so good at. In terms of the transition offense, it’s pretty obvious why it’s called “Kyle chaos” among the team: nobody can truly keep up with it. Guys like Adebayo and Herro are embracing that style of play to fully sprint down the floor, but it’s another thing to be in the right spot at the right time with the right peripheral vision. That stuff will come over time, but having that Lowry base will pay off majorly as the season continues.

#4: Markieff Morris embracing the offensive role necessary.

Something I’ve been talking about with Markieff Morris since he arrived has been the offensive spotting that he finds himself in. A main reason he’s been toward the bottom of many rosters recently is due to that inefficient deep ball that continues to pop up year after year. How can they maximize him then? Well, making him a roll/mid-range threat is the obvious way. It’s only the third game of the regular season, and we’re seeing it repeatedly. Toward the end of the third quarter, his stat-line read: 10 points, 5 for 5 shooting, zero 3 point attempts. Shortly after, he clanked a triple off the side of the rim, and followed that up with a big shot from the corner, but the point still stands. He has a chance to really thrive in this role, and three point attempts aren’t the way to do that. A potential shift in his front-court mate may enhance him even more though.

#5: A point of emphasis for Max Strus: get up shots.

Max Strus’ role is clear with this team, provide spacing and shoot the ball. As he said after practice when I talked to him, his role is to get Tyler Herro the ball, but could he be taking that too literally? He had 1 shot attempt up until the beginning of the fourth, before letting a wide open three go in the corner. But that play kind of projected his entire mindset. He had the open corner three initially, but swung to a covered Herro. Herro then gave it right back to him as he knocked down that shot. But focusing on his shot attempts will be crucial for him. They need him to score in this role, even if Herro and one of Butler, Adebayo, and Lowry are on the floor. He’s been doing a lot of other things well such as taking charges frequently, but those attempt numbers will need to rise. And not just the late-game heaves after the game is decided that he loves.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

What Happened to Miami’s Offense Down the Stretch Against Indiana?

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Going from an opening night performance where Miami scored 72 points through 2 quarters to the second game where Miami scored 91 points through 4 quarters and an overtime is pretty interesting.

The missing piece from the puzzle: Kyle Lowry.

It’s not just that Miami missed his pure skill, but they just need that extra piece at the top of the roster to avoid lineups that are pretty uneven bench groups to say the least. As many have noted, this game looked like one from last season.

The other element to missing Lowry was that the offense was so out of control and in the mud throughout this game. They missed that offensive initiator to place them into their sets and allow them to just go, and it’s even harder when Jimmy Butler has a night shooting 7 for 22 from the field.

So, on this atrocious shooting night, it’s important to look into the stuff that was being run late in this game. Let’s take a quick walk through Miami’s last 2 minutes of regulation and the entire overtime on the offensive side of the ball…

The one positive note from Miami late in this game was the scoring from Tyler Herro, even if he did do it on 28 shots. Attempts should not be harped on with him in a game like this, since considering the offensive pieces around him last night, he should’ve been shooting for 30+.

Aside from that, it was clear the ball needed to be in his hands late in this game no matter what. Down 2 with 2 and a half minutes left, he avoids the screen and moves back left for a tough shot above the break. And well, he buries it.

Fast forward to 55 seconds left, Miami’s score remains the same, but they go back to that Herro creation at the top of the key. He steps back on Brogdon moving to his left and hits by far the toughest shot of the night.

If this wasn’t a signal that the ball had to go through him, I don’t know what was.

But yet, Indiana’s defense seemed to want the ball in anybody else’s hands as well.

Tie game with 30 seconds left, Butler is trying to get Herro on the move like they’ve done up to that point with constant screening. But with Brogdon covering Butler, he can easily show and recover on the screen, leading to a Miami reset.

Butler gets the ball at the top of the key as Bam Adebayo comes for the screen, and this is exactly what you want. Take a look at the spacing on the floor: Robinson and Herro both have their defenders glued to them on the perimeter, giving the Heat’s best two players the ultimate runway.

But everything just seemed a step too slow in that department. And better yet, predictable.

There was a crease for Butler to hit Adebayo on the roll, but he misses him with all attention on him on the ball. He then speeds up to attack, and every defender basically crashes in at once.

Why is that? Well, all 9 players on the floor knew what was coming next, and it led to them meeting him at the rim.

Without the team’s primary initiator, of course processing things offensively will be a bit delayed, but it’s unlike Butler to miss the type of reads that he always makes. He tried to make a play, but came up short on this possession.

Now, we make our way into the beginning of overtime, and it actually kicked off with one of the few good looking possessions for Miami in this game.

Butler orchestrating for guys to be in the right spots, as Adebayo sets a pin-down for Herro as a decoy essentially for them to get into the initial action. Adebayo gets the ball, Herro sets the back-screen for Butler, and Adebayo lobs it up to Butler for the bucket.

Now that looked like good offense that we saw against Milwaukee in the season opener.

The Heat are now down 2, and they try to run something similar to what was shown in the last clip with Adebayo receiving the ball in the high post. The ball gets bounced around, and it leads to a top of the key pick and roll with Herro and Adebayo.

Not only does Herro see two defenders fly at him, but there was no worry in the scheme defensively to quickly recover. The plan was clear: make Herro uncomfortable.

That’s exactly what they did, as Herro makes the right read to hit the open corner, but it flies way over Tucker’s head out of bounds.

When looking back at this play, there should be a slight shift if this coverage is ever thrown at him again, which many Heat players said after the game will be seen again. Adebayo should relocate to the free throw line extended on the roll as a release valve, while PJ Tucker should drop to the dunker spot.

If a defense is going to commit that heavily, you have to ultimately force them into flawless rotations once Adebayo catches that in the mid-range. Obviously it’s just the second game, so stuff like this will be tweaked when seen again, but that right there isn’t Herro’s fault.

The supporting cast can’t be immobile when this type of thing is seen.

This was a very crucial play for Miami when looking back at it, but it told us all we needed to know about this game. It’s Herro and Butler playing catch on the perimeter, while Adebayo’s early aggression fades completely.

In many ways, the role of Adebayo in overtime was the one he embraced when playing for Team USA in Tokyo.

Taking up space in the dunker spot, and pure screening and relocating. He wasn’t a roll threat, he was just a screen threat.

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Now, that’s not all on Adebayo, since the wing players have to do a better job of hitting him in those open windows, but there has to be that self awareness of who he is in these moments.

You’re already without a top player, in Kyle Lowry, so it should be him taking a step forward instead of a step back in terms of role.

The play ends in Butler trying to draw a foul on his three-point attempt, which clanks off the rim and into the Pacers’ possession. When the team is down 4 with 3 minutes left and that’s the shot you’re getting, you just aren’t winning those games. Especially considering the night Butler had up until that point.

But hey, somebody other than Herro had to try and make something out of nothing.

The hopes of Miami making a late push are pretty nonexistent at this point. Out of the timeout, down 9, Erik Spoelstra draws something up for one of the best shooters on the planet: Duncan Robinson.

Why is this important to note? Well, we needed to see more of this when offense wasn’t clicking late.

Miami went from a team that only relied on Robinson on the offensive end through hand-offs last year, to almost forgetting he’s on the floor at certain points last night.

Robinson has usually been the guy getting the double teams thrown at him in these spots, but his teammate, Tyler Herro, was seeing that instead. And that right there is an indicator to get Robinson some looks no matter if he missed some easy ones early on or not.

Robinson gets a wide open three on the inbound off the Adebayo screen, which is not something we’ve seen often on inbound plays recently since he’s the usual piece being focused on. But waiting to unleash him in this way 3 and a half minutes into overtime didn’t give them much time to recover.

Speaking of “waiting to unleash,” here’s Adebayo pushing the ball up the floor with 1 minute to go in OT, and ultimately missing two forced shots at the rim.

Once again, does it matter that he fell short on those lay-ins late? Maybe to a certain degree, but they just need him to get the ball up. And yet, this was the first time in overtime that he took it upon himself to initiate offense.

This isn’t just a conversation harping on the aggression of Adebayo, since I actually feel he has become much more purposeful in that department, but it must stay consistent.

It can’t be forceful right out the gate, it has to be in the normal flow as well.

It can’t be Kyle Lowry telling him to go, it has to be him realizing he can blow-by his guy as well.

In no way should people overreact to this game, since many of these trends won’t be the case when Lowry gets back on the floor, but this team has to be prepared for one of Butler or Lowry to be out for a game here and there.

Since that can be the difference between finishing the season with home court advantage or not.

 

Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Overtime Loss in Indiana

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The Miami Heat fell short in OT to the Indiana Pacers, in a game that was the basketball definition of “in the mid.” Jimmy Butler just couldn’t put the ball in the basket, and without Kyle Lowry, it became the Tyler Herro show late.

On a very rough offensive night, here are some takeaways walking away from this game…

#1: Bam Adebayo’s aggression stays consistent early on, but unfortunately fades late in terms of offensive set-ups.

The Heat are 8 minutes into a pretty uneven start to this game. Bam Adebayo with 6 shot attempts, rest of Miami with 7 total shot attempts. This wasn’t just an abnormal aggressive start from Adebayo. This is just him now. Pulling up with zero hesitance on that inner wing, attacking the basket right at Myles Turner and Damantas Sabonis like he always does against this team for some odd reason, and getting to the line due to that driving urge. The point is this: if it can get to a point where it’s expected instead of hopeful, then that’s a fantastic starting point. Nobody will question an inefficient night at this stage of his career, the same way many will question an unwillingness to shoot. The issue with that is he faded late. When offense grew more and more stagnant in overtime, it was forced jumpers from Butler and double teams flying to Herro. In a game like this, Adebayo must be set-up late the way he was set-up early.

#2: Kyle Lowry out, Gabe Vincent in. What does that mean for the rotation status?

Kyle Lowry was a game time decision for this game and ended up sitting out, which I don’t think was a bad choice considering it’s only game two. As I expected, Gabe Vincent stepped into the starting lineup, since well, that’s the Erik Spoelstra way. But after a slow start from Vincent, it may lead to some questioning the insertion, but let me just say that move is even more necessary in a game like this. Things clearly fell apart in the non-Butler and Adebayo minutes like they did last season, and starting Tyler Herro means you’re making the minute distribution even worse. Vincent looked very predictable in his minutes, since his defender seemed to always know exactly what he was doing before he even did it. But a major point of emphasis in a game without Lowry is to put Herro in the right spots, which they did…

#3: The growth of Tyler Herro is real…and it’s not just one thing.

When walking away from the first half, the primary takeaways were all negative: lacking full-on engagement, Butler’s shots weren’t falling, Dewayne Dedmon looked a step slow with that ankle injury, etc. But a positive element somehow outshined those other things: Tyler Herro. A 16 point performance in the first half through 16 minutes doesn’t do his evaluation justice. Movement shots on the baseline, carving up the mid-range with ease, and utilizing that added muscle by embracing contact on the attack. That stuff is brand new. We can sit here and breakdown the “growth” from Herro to begin this season, but it truly isn’t one thing. He’s just comfortable, and combining that with an immense amount of confidence to lead the team in shots in the first half by 5 attempts is pretty interesting. And then capping it off with clutch shot after clutch shot late in the fourth is a completely different story. The emergence is here.

#4: Miami’s third quarter fight finds an offensive set that is quite intriguing.

Jimmy Butler had a rough game shooting the basketball, but he did find other ways to chip away with this team. One way of doing that was defensively, and the other was trying new things on the offensive end. Early in the third, Butler found himself on another isolation on the inner wing, which hasn’t worked all night. Duncan Robinson makes his way around the wing instead, Butler hands it off to him, and two Indiana defenders fly at him. Robinson dumps it down to Butler on the short roll: easy score. A few possessions later, the same thing is seen again. Robinson draws attention on the hand-off, Butler gets it in the middle of the floor and lays it in. But is it just that simple? Well it is, until Robinson adds that dribbling element like he did late in the third. The third Butler DHO for Robinson was seen, but they were ready for the roll this time. Robinson gets to his right, finds space inside, and banks it in. This offensive wrinkle sparked them tonight, and could be a base moving forward.

#5: This team is going to play in the mud a ton.

When I say that this Heat team will find themselves playing in the mud frequently this season, that isn’t a knock on their offense. It’s putting this defensive structure on a pedestal. Miami had trouble scoring as well, but holding this Pacers team to 8 points in the third quarter after the way they came out shooting wasn’t accidental. Even without Lowry and using plenty of Robinson-Herro lineups, this team stayed true to their identity. Not because of pure athleticism or defensive abilities, but through perfect positioning on that end. The number of charges drawn in this one should tell you enough about how this game went, but even on rotations, this team found themselves in the right spot time and time again. Many may look at a stat sheet from the second half and say Indiana had an off shooting stretch, but it was actually the pressure Miami put on them on that end when the offensive stuff wasn’t clicking. But after the team offense truly never “clicked,” the defense finally broke down late, leading to an overtime loss.

EDITOR’S NOTE: FIVE REASONS SPORTS IS PARTNERING WITH OUR GOOD FRIENDS OVER AT PICKUP TO GIVE AWAY FANATICS ($20 VALUE) TO 3 LUCKY WINNERS. ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS MAKE YOUR PICK ON THE PICKUP PROP IN THIS ARTICLE AND FOLLOW THE STEPS TO VERIFY YOUR PICK FOR A CHANCE TO WIN.

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Everything Tradeshows is a one-stop-shop for trade show exhibit rentals and custom exhibit display purchase solutions to companies of all sizes.

Visit them at EverythingTradeShows or call 954-791-8882