Green Bay Packers: Who Are the Packers Legends?

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Green Bay Packers are synonymous with success in the National Football League. 

Led by some of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game, the Packers have won countless Super Bowls, divisional championships, and other honors.

When you look at the NFL Playoffs Worst Odds for a given year, you will likely not find the Packers on that list. Even when the team doesn’t have a great start, such as in 2022, pundits assume they will eventually get their act together and make the playoffs.

In order to maintain such high standards, the Packers must ensure any players that come into the franchise are of the highest caliber.

Below is an analysis of the careers of several Green Bay Packers legends.

 

5. Donald Driver

While he may not be the most famous name to have an association with the Packers, most die-hard fans of the team would put Driver in their top five players list.

Driver was an outstanding wide receiver for the Packers, and is still the team’s leader in receptions and receiving yards. He was a five-time Pro Bowler who was inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame back in 2017.

The greatest season in Driver’s career came in 2010, when he was a part of the Green Bay Packers team that won the Super Bowl. He was one of the best players in the league that year, shining with Aaron Rodgers as his QB.

4. LeRoy Butler

A safety who is also a recent Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, Butler is recognized as one of the best players who ever lined up in his position. He was an extraordinarily challenging defender to handle when he was in his prime in the 1980s.

When Butler was lining up for the Packers, he played under coach Mike Holmgren, with Brett Favre as his QB, with defensive end Reggie White on the team as well at one point. Given the talent of the players on the roster, the fact that Butler is so fondly remembered shows just how great a player he was. Fun fact: Butler also invented the famed Lambeau Leap celebration!

 

3. Brett Favre

In many ways, Favre was the quintessential American footballer. Even though he has had his controversies off the field, the quarterback was a consummate pro on the field for the Green Bay Packers.

After announcing his retirement in 2011, Favre left the league as the leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns. While both of those marks have been overtaken in recent years, he’s still fondly remembered as one of the all-time great quarterbacks.

A winner of three straight MVP titles and a Super Bowl MVP, Favre will always have a place in Packers folklore.

2. Bart Starr

The Green Bay Packers are renowned for having outstanding quarterbacks in their franchise. Bart Starr is another one of those legendary players who wore the great green uniform.

The no.15 was one of the top players that legendary coach Vince Lombardi had the pleasure of mentoring. He was an MVP in both Super Bowl I and Super Bowl II.

Even though modern NFL fans might not remember Starr, he is forever enshrined in the history of the Green Bay Packers franchise. He was a leader in the NFL in both completion percentage and passer rating four times in his career, along with winning the 1966 MVP.

While he was a part of a top-notch organization, most Packers fans recognize that without Starr as their leading QB they would not have been such a dominant team in the 1960s.

1. Aaron Rodgers

A list of Green Bay Packers legends would not be complete without the man who is still creating his legacy to this day. Despite having lit up the NFL for 18 years, even with his injury setbacks, Rodgers is not showing any sign of slowing down his game anytime soon.

Even though the Packers are far from the best NFL team in 2022, Rodgers is still up there as one of the best QBs. When he receives the appropriate protection from his teammates, he can still throw as well as any other player in the league.

A winner of two straight MVP titles earlier in his career, along with a Super Bowl, Rodgers has one of the lowest passer interception percentages in league history.

 

How to Make Better Sports Betting Decisions

/5 Comments/in , , /by

For many people, the fun of sports betting might come down more to a sense of occasion and involvement rather than the requirement of a positive result, but that’s not going to be true for everyone. Stumbling around in the dark and feeling as though every bet you make is a dud can eventually lead to the whole activity feeling devoid of fun.

Therefore, you might be interested in knowing what you can do to make better sports betting decisions. This might mean knowing where to go or simply what you should be doing differently, but with the great unknown of luck looming over all decisions, it’s never a guarantee that one thing is going to change yours for the better. However, it may still be worth investigating. 

Use the Stats


If you’re finding that your own predictions and bets are consistently leading you nowhere, it might be time to consider a source that can better inform the picks that you make. There will be dedicated platforms, such as shotqualitybets.com, that offer statistics-based picks that you can be more confident in, and becoming more familiar with the process behind such decision-making might be something that you can take with you moving forward. 

It’s not only these kinds of services that can be helpful, though. You might also find that digging deep into player stats can give you some idea of how a decision should be swayed when an injury occurs. Getting a better understanding of the relevant game at large can go a long way in this regard. 

A Clear Head


Emotions can run high when it comes to an activity like betting. When a bet doesn’t go your way, it can be tempting to jump back in an effort to make up for what you lost, but this might be a strategy that quickly finds you falling deeper into the hole rather than helping you out. Therefore, it’s important to understand how you can enter into this activity with a clear head, maintaining a clear objective and knowledge of when to quit. 

A lot of the time, this might mean taking a break when it all feels as though it’s getting a bit much, but it might also just mean that you limit yourself to what you originally planned to prevent spontaneous bets that you didn’t account for. 

Smaller and Safer Decisions


Some of the appeal of activities like sports betting might be veering towards the truly outrageous bets that don’t seem likely to pan out, but the spoils are too tantalizing to ignore. Regardless of the odds that you’re told, it’s easy to convince yourself that the stars will align due to one gut feeling or another. This approach might be something that goes hand-in-hand with your disillusionment with the practice as a whole, and instead, you might see what smaller and safer bets can do for you. It might not sound as exciting, but having a better chance of a successful result (with less disappointment if it doesn’t go that way) might have an overall positive impact. 

Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro: Sharpening the Important Tools

/0 Comments/in , /by

We know what Bam Adebayo is as a defender. We know what Tyler Herro is as a scorer. Although one of those guys is a bit more consistent with his skill, we are still aware that both possess a pretty elite attribute more often than not.

But are those the most important areas of their game as the Heat push forward with the hope of these guys leading the way? Probably not.

Herro had 20 assists over the last 2 games. Adebayo had 70 points over the last 2 games.

If that doesn’t tell you what I am hinting at, I don’t know what to tell you.

The Herro-Bam pick and roll has been a Heat staple for some time. But late in the regular season last year, there was full realization that it was the team’s best action in the half-court.

It sliced up the Philadelphia 76ers in the playoffs for games 1 and 2, and it’s been slicing up teams on this Butler-less roster since Herro returned from injury.

Looking at the clips above, this is pretty much the base PnR look for these two. Forcing a 2-on-1 in the middle of the floor, while eyeing the help from either side of the floor and reacting.

While the Herro pull-up/floater is the true threat to pull it all together, the Adebayo alley-oop or mid-range pull off the pocket pass are the two most likely outcomes.

This PnR combo is actually averaging 1.35 points per possession this season, which is on high volume since it’s the most used PnR combo on the team.

But we know all of this about their base action already. The reason I bring it up is because we’re seeing the subtle wrinkles they’re throwing in the mix.

To open up the Heat-Wizards game, Adebayo set a pin-down for Herro to operate off of, as Kyle Lowry hits Herro on a curl. This forces another version of a 2-on-1 for Herro and Bam, except they’re both running full speed downhill with a shrunken floor.

Win for the Heat offense since there is no help.

A lob to Bam gets things started.

Fast forward to this game against the Hawks, the Heat waited for the beginning of the third quarter to get into this bag of tricks. Herro flies into the curl 2 separate plays with the same exact result.

That dropping big’s job is to contain in middle ground, yet there’s no middle ground when it comes to a pull-up threat and a lob threat.

This is just one very simple adjustment for these two, and there are many more complex ones to come I assume, most likely closer to the playoffs.

But the reason I bring all of this up right now: Adebayo the scorer and Herro the play-maker can shift this Heat offense completely.

I’ll start on the more obvious Adebayo front by saying he needs to be a primary option on the offensive end for this team consistently. Actually, he needs to be *the* option.

How do the Heat figure out this starting lineup dilemma when fully healthy?

While that conversation has many different answers, the simplest one is Adebayo. When he is gone to early in games, he’s hard to stop past that point. He’s a rhythm player who needs sets run for him to create positive offense for the rest of the group.

Butler has interior gravity and can work the drive and kick game immensely, but he doesn’t shift an entire defense like Adebayo potentially could. The most teams will do to Butler is send the occasional double team, but the entire defense will pinch when it’s Adebayo attacking your drop big in the middle of the floor.

It’s a very obvious statement, but Adebayo the scorer is the most important development for this Heat team.

But do you want to hear a close second?

Tyler (Herro) the Creator. More specifically, the play-maker.

Since I brought up that 76ers series earlier in this piece, let’s go back to it. They found a way to make Herro uncomfortable by putting two on the ball, but what is the counter to that other than not calling for the screen in the first place?

Quick decisions and perfect passes.

If you look at the clips I provided previously, Herro’s way of hitting the roller in these last two games has been eye opening. And if he can hit that pocket pass enough, teams aren’t just going to be *okay* with letting Adebayo run 4-on-3’s on that backside.

These two young guys have this underlying skill within them, it’s just about channeling it and being willing to more often. Butler and Lowry would love for these two guys to take the reigns, and it’s in the team’s best interest to maximize those two guys for the post-season the best they could. (Obviously by getting to a comfortable spot in the standings first.)

We’ve been talking about them sharpening these tools for a while now, but we’ve approached the time period where these tools are ready to be used. Consistently.

Not just as fun offensive wrinkles, but to be the entire Miami Heat offensive base.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Hawks

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat kicked off an important road trip in Atlanta, and put together some pretty good basketball without Jimmy Butler.

That was headlined by Bam Adebayo yet again, while Caleb Martin shined right behind him.

So here are some takeaways from this win…

#1: Bam Adebayo’s scoring growing, while the side quests remain the same.

After a 38 point night against the Washington Wizards for Bam Adebayo, he came out firing yet again. His consistent goal is to hunt for his spot in the middle of the floor, as he can rise over the top for the jumper. They were also running sets for him out of the mid-post, while embodying the grab and go system so he can operate in transition. The scoring game is growing. But as I said in the headline, the other stuff isn’t declining. The amount of stuff on his plate is insane to watch: covering up everything at the bottom of the zone when the point of attack gets blown by, finding a body to box-out to clean up the boards, and running down the floor to be the one and only action hub as his constant screening is necessary. Yet with all of that said, he didn’t seem to be slowed down in any area. The Bam Adebayo surge is a good thing to see.

#2: Max Strus back, Max Strus comes out as only source of perimeter punch.

While Adebayo was the main punch in an all-around sense, Max Strus was the initial provider on the perimeter. As the offense tries to find themselves without Jimmy Butler, the one thing that’s clear is they need to shoot the ball well from the outside, which just hasn’t been the case. The connecting factor, though, to outside shooting is paint touches, which Miami made a priority early. Strus hit two threes to begin the game off a Kyle Lowry drive and Caleb Martin attack. Aside from the pick and roll spam or occasional Adebayo hub in mid-post, this is the only other scoring supplier. After Strus missed some time, the Heat are very fortunate that he came back firing away in this sense, since if there’s one thing about Strus, it’s that he can get shots up no matter the coverage, time stamp, etc. When it comes to positives in that first half, we stop after these two guys.

#3: A lineup for Miami sums certain things up…

Dru Smith-Strus-Haywood Highsmith-Jamal Cain-Dewayne Dedmon. That was a lineup for an extended period early in this game, which pretty much gives us some perspective on where the Heat stand on bodies. I often write about the individual struggles or positives from these guys, but when watching them all out there together, there’s not much to overly analyze. There’s just not much expectation for good stuff to be taken from it. Dedmon actually gave some good minutes for a stretch and these guys got stops, but as you would expect, they have limitations. The Hawks expanded a lead before the starters came back in, but I just can’t sit here and put the focus on a bunch of undrafted guys who were playing in Sioux Falls anywhere from a few months ago to a few weeks ago. At the half, they needed more from their starting back-court to push them forward, so the bench mob’s job can be battling to stay neutral.

#4: Tyler Herro altering the focus in the 3rd.

With Adebayo’s hot start in the first half, they needed to find a way to 1) keep him involved in the second half and 2) have it come without him having to create it all himself. And well, the answer to that riddle is Tyler Herro. As I’ve talked into the ground for some time, the Herro-Bam PnR is the best action on this Heat team. The Heat used a variation of that in the 3rd quarter, and didn’t go away from it. Lowry creating at the top of the offense, Adebayo setting a pindown for Herro, which flows into a curl for Herro and Bam to operate in a 2-on-1. Dribble, lob, dunk. The next time down, we see the same exact set-up. The result: dribble, lob, dunk. Fast forward a few plays later, they run it for a third time, and the Hawks didn’t adjust. The only change was his lob ended up being a goal-tend instead of a converted alley-oop. The beginning of the 3rd quarter was the same action being spammed over and over and over, before the ball movement took the offensive steering wheel the rest of the way. Herro finished with the first triple double of his career.

#5: Caleb Martin’s 4th quarter counter.

The Hawks wanted Caleb Martin to settle for the catch and shoot three in the half-court all night, but no matter the possession, he just would not fall into the trap. Pause, look, attack. His paint touches were crucial, and off-ball cuts provided very nice boosts through the first three quarters. And then the start of the 4th quarter hit. He continues to be a dominant transition player for this team, since he’s patient enough to wait for his fast-break defender to settle on him. Once he can go 1-on-1, he makes that euro step and he’s basically got you right where he wants. He’s an athlete, just like Bam Adebayo, so they’re treating them like athletes. The other element of Martin’s play that has stood out is his creation, not only for himself but for others. The handle is tighter, the shiftiness is there, and don’t get me started on the way he attacks his defenders front foot. Martin’s ascension this season has been one of the true bright spots.

Tips for Easy Online Casino Withdrawals

/0 Comments/in , , /by

You will experience real gains when you play at online casinos with real money. And when you do, you’ll want to use your profits by withdrawing money from the casino. Although making a deposit is frequently a simple procedure, players occasionally have concerns about withdrawal from an online casino. There are frequently additional steps needed to withdraw real money from pin-up casino. So it seems to make sense that new gamers could feel a little lost. We created this guide regarding withdrawals at online casinos as a result.

Learn how to withdraw money from an online casino:

It’s simpler to enjoy these games now that online casinos are more popular. You can play anywhere, whether at home or while doing your grocery shopping. Before playing any games, you must research the online casino’s withdrawal policies. A significant element is having straightforward pin-up casino withdrawals. Any player, whether new to the online casino, a seasoned veteran, or a VIP, will find the withdrawal process simple. Advice from the professionals is as follows: try to find a casino online that accepts your money. 

Recognize the Withdrawal Restrictions:

You must be aware of the withdrawal restrictions in addition to the withdrawal setting. There is typically a limit on how frequently you can withdraw money from your account at online casinos. Additionally, the maximum withdrawal amount varies widely between online casinos. While some only allow withdrawals up to $500, others advertise a $100,000 cap.

Get Your Identification Ready:

Have a form of official identity on hand, please. It can be front and back scans or readable photos of your passport or driver’s license. It gets required by the online casino to validate the legitimacy of the withdrawal. Additionally, it confirms that you are the owner of the account on their website.

 

Verify You Have Enough Money:

In most online casinos, you can’t always withdraw your entire balance. The total amount and the withdrawal amount that is readily available vary. By separating total funds and additional monies into separate, designated sums, most online casinos streamline this. 

Safety Checks:

In most cases, new members can fund their accounts and place real money bets after registering. However, they failed to cash their winnings until their accounts get validated. An ID card or driver’s license photocopy must be uploaded as part of the verification process to establish the player’s identity. As a result, you must finish the process as soon as you register. To make the verification process simple, provide accurate information when registering.

Conclusion:

The process of withdrawing winnings from gaming sites is surprisingly simple, versatile, and potentially safe. You only need to make sure that you should know the benefits and drawbacks of the various payment options and select the one that best suits you. In conclusion, the best strategy for quickly and easily withdrawing money from an online casino. Reputable websites always provide quick and secure payments. Make careful you select the option with the fastest payout and processing times. The majority of websites feature knowledgeable help desk staff that are eager to help.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Washington

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat faced the Washington Wizards once again on Friday night, and it was the Bam Adebayo night.

A dominant offensive performance from start to finish, as he led Miami into a much needed two game win streak.

So, some takeaways from this one…

#1: Bam Adebayo’s early offensive dominance.

Bam Adebayo’s first half was pretty eventful on the offensive end: 22 points on 9 of 10 shooting is a pretty insane stat-line. But it was more about the shot profile since it wasn’t repetitive at all. It started out with a heavy dosage of Herro-Bam PnR, which was expected in this match-up against drop. Some early buckets off the roll boosted energy and confidence for him, leading into some early shot-clock work on some face-up jumpers and attacks. One possession stood out though to kick off this game, since I love when they run sets for Bam: Herro handling, Jovic pin-down on the left box for Bam to operate off a curl, leading to a bucket in the mid-range. More. They continued to let him work on the move which is the key, but that type of efficiency is just so impressive. The most important thing for this team’s success is to prioritize getting Bam going early in games.

#2: The Wizards defensive game-plan in the bench minutes.

In these two-game sets, it’s kind of like a mini playoff series. Minor adjustments are utilized back and forth, meaning counter punches are being thrown on the fly. Once again, not playoff sized counters, but simply and minor ones. For instance, the Wizards had an approach that made a whole lot of sense against Miami’s lineups with a front-court of Highsmith-Cain-Dedmon. Or we can even simplify it down to the two-man combo of Highsmith and Cain. Since they’re being utilized as the spacers, the Wizards were shading over hard at Lowry and Herro as primary ball-handlers. Once they would draw a mismatch like Porzingis, Wes Unseld would wave his hands to send the double. Herro or Lowry have to swing, Highsmith or Cain ends up getting it in the corner, and the lack of a quick pull means they can rotate/recover quickly. That’s just the result of those type of lineups, but an intriguing wrinkle to note.

#3: More eyes on Caleb Martin playing the wing.

Watching Caleb Martin’s movement in this game again, it’s clear that he’s comfortable as an attacker at the moment. Part of that is the match-ups he’s seeing from Washington, as he voiced to me on Wednesday, but there’s also the element of playing a lot at the three, while Highsmith and Cain play the “Martin” role for now. I will say that this team needs his on-ball slashing a lot more right now than when the full starting lineup is out there, since a lot of guys are demanding the ball, but that’s exactly what puts this into some perspective. If he can slide over to the bench with more usage and better match-ups while not having to size up, that’s the goal in my opinion. The unwillingness to stick with Jovic tells me that change won’t be made until we see a trade, but the point still stands that *this* is the role for Martin.

#4: A counter punch by Miami in terms of adjustments.

As I went over these two-game sets being mini playoff series, Erik Spoelstra wasn’t going to let Unseld and crew have all the fun with adjustments. As the Heat needed some added juice in the third quarter, Spo mixed up the coverages a bit away from the 2-3 zone. As I talked about on Wednesday, the Martin-Highsmith-Cain-Bam minutes are a waste of zone time. That’s a team that can switch around a bit, which is exactly what Spo went to in that span. This created a bit of a run, as Highsmith did a good job switching, Bam shut the water off on the perimeter, and some stops led to transition buckets for Martin and company. I’m totally for the reliance on zone with the roster that’s being utilized at the moment, but I also feel like there are pockets of time where it can use a break, as seen in that span.

#5: Another look into the late-game approach.

As the Heat had an uphill climb while trailing throughout the 4th quarter, the Heat’s approach didn’t waver. Bam Adebayo was still the primary option, as he would receive it in that mid-post almost every possession to set up offense. A bucket mid-way through the quarter put him up to 32, while the following play a goal-tend at the rim increased it to 34. Heat trail 98-96. After a stop, Lowry bursts by the point of attack, draws help from both corners, kicks to Bam in the right corner, who immediately flows into a hand-off with Herro who hits a fading three in the deep corner. But the Wizards answer right back with a bucket and a trip to the free throw line, giving the lead back to Washington 102-99. Out of a timeout, Herro gets stuck off the dribble again, swinging the ball to Lowry on the left wing. Shot clock ticking, he sizes up, and fires over Kuzma, converting on the and-1 triple to give Miami another sign of life. Fast forward to under a minute, after taking a one point lead, the Heat just kept forcing stops on the other end. 30 seconds left, Lowry-Bam PnR in space is the action. He feeds it to Bam rolling to the basket, who hits an insane left handed scoop. 38 points on the night. Ball-game.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Win Over Wizards

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat faced the Washington Wizards again on Wednesday night, except they were slightly healthier.

Tyler Herro returned, Kyle Lowry shined, and we witnessed another blown lead.

Either way, Miami’s going to take a win in any form.

So, here are some takeaways…

#1: Kyle Lowry’s offensive resurgence continues.

Off a rough road trip for this Heat team where they went 0-4, I’m pretty comfortable saying there was only one single bright spot: Kyle Lowry. Pushing his limits to play close to 48 minutes is one thing, but actually being productive is another. Fast forward to tonight with Miami piecing some guys back together, he shined even more. He began the game with a very solid approach of generating constant paint touches to get this team decent looks without their two main shooters, but then his own three ball began to fall. He opened up the game going 5 for 5 from three, just simply taking the pull-up above the break threes when they were sitting there. For a team that hasn’t had their legs as of late with the extended minutes, Lowry isn’t a part of that grouping at the moment, which is a good sign. Summary: he’s been great.

#2: My take on the man/zone balance for this current Heat squad.

I spend a lot of time on these pieces talking about the 2-3 zone or Miami’s defensive structure in general, but the timing of utilizing each base is more intriguing. For example, Spoelstra doesn’t *want* to be playing this much zone defense all game, but he’s forced to with the current state of the roster. Yet tonight, it felt like there were times where it wasn’t the only choice. A lineup of Lowry-Martin-Highsmith-Cain-Bam was put out there for a long stretch in the second quarter, as Miami sat back in the 2-3 zone. For clarity, it did its job by forcing those push shots in the middle of the floor, but that’s a 5 man pairing that can guard straight up. They didn’t have many issues defending tonight, but it’s just something to monitor. Lineups with two below average defenders should call for immediate zone, but a solid defensive grouping shouldn’t settle there for too long.

#3: Caleb Martin playing well…as a 3? Who knew?

If you are scrolling down social media and click on the profile of Caleb Martin, you would see his bio states Miami Heat guard. Yet as we see often in Miami, guys eventually size up their position. In Martin’s case, it’s been an abrupt adjustment since it occurred in the starting lineup with certain shoes to fill. He’s been very good this season, but the opinion on him sway since it’s clear he’s just in the wrong position. With Jovic and Bam making up the front-court tonight, he was able to slide to the three. And well, he was able to slide into a familiar play-style. Less worries about screen, less hand-off feeding, more half-court flowing and moving with and without the ball. He was a big part of the early offense with his slashing, and that just projects forward to where he should be placed in the near future.

#4: The Heat’s trend of giving up leads is literally not a joke.

Whenever the Heat gather a lead close to 20 points, we often are inclined to make jokes this season like ‘well, this is going to be a tie game in a few right?’ But the thing about that is it’s not a joke, it continues to occur night in and night out. Once again in this one, the Wizards climb back in the third as the offense gets stale and the transition defense continues to leak. But it makes us question: logistically, why is it happening? That’s a film dive for another time to get the full scoop, but off the top of my head, a twenty point lead means weaker rotations. A twenty point lead means settling for looks in the half-court. But with this group, they just can’t settle at all. It’s a trend that’s extremely problematic healthy or not.

#5: Tyler Herro returns.

Tyler Herro finally came back after being out for close to three weeks, and well we almost saw another set back. He rose up on Porzigis at the rim, and hit the floor hard on his back. He laid there for a bit which seemed like a stinger, then foul trouble sat him out a good portion of that first half. Onto the second half, it was clear he was just searching for some sort of rhythm. A couple pull-up triples seemed to be the one sign of that, but he still wasn’t looking like himself all the way. His overall movement on the floor and overall disposition, which I wonder if it had anything to do with that earlier fall, since I doubt it was the ankle. Never should expect too much in a return game anyway, but he did have a big bucket late which got him into that flow he was looking for. Three point game, he hit a tough step back three on the left wing to give Miami an offensive jolt. Kuzma answered with an and-1 to cut it back to three, but Herro’s reverse hand-off action with Bam led to back to back triples. His fourth quarter performance *was* Tyler Herro, which this offense needs extremely.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Timberwolves

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat played the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back to back, and well, they fell yet again.

They came out firing with high energy, but like most nights, it all faded.

Some takeaways:

#1: Heat first half takeaway- intention in two places: boxing out and a shift in the 2-3 zone.

The Heat were coming off a night in Cleveland where they essentially couldn’t defend the Cavs in the 2-3 zone, while also not gobbling up any boards. Yet tonight, it was clear from the jump that they shifted their attention. While the Timberwolves do have a lengthy front-court in Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, they have not been a good rebounding team. The Heat, who were much smaller, sent 3 to 4 bodies at the rim for box-outs and crowded boards, sensing some intention. On the 2-3 zone side of things, they were continuing to force the shots in the middle of the floor that I harp on. Towns was getting it to go, but the portion of kick-outs Miami was forcing fell in their favor. Minnesota shot 3 of 25 (12%) in the first half from beyond the arc, which the Heat’s rotations deserve most of that credit. Then the third quarter happened, where all of those numbers were thrown out the window. The timberwolves put up 37 in the third, where Miami shifted to a lot of man, and hit the three at a high clip.

#2: A standout moment from Nikola Jovic.

Nikola Jovic started at the 4 next to Bam Adebayo yet again, but there was less intention to solely feed him early in this game. They wanted to find their base with the Lowry-Bam PnR, then work him in. Yet he wasn’t finding that same rhythm as the outside jumper wasn’t falling, which usually leads into a dark path for young players like himself. But we saw a different response. After some poor offensive possessions, he was crashing the boards and embracing the grab and go system completely. He ran into transition with intention, as Max Strus trotted on his left to the wing. On back to back plays, we saw the same exact formula: transition, Jovic assist, Strus three. For him to be confident enough to run the floor and make decisions after being blitzed early on, that could be one of the most promising signs I’ve seen to date.

#3: Miami’s updated usage of role players…

It’s hard to have offensive diversity when dealing with a short-handed roster with heavy minutes for guys like Haywood Highsmith and Jamal Cain, but Erik Spoelstra found a way to change some minor things up in the first half. With the same roster as last night, minus Duncan Robinson, they needed a positional shift in the half-court for the role players. Banking on threes from Orlando Robinson, Highsmith, and Cain types won’t work when the opposing team is intentionally helping off that corner “spacer.” But the key is they aren’t spacers, so don’t use them as if they are. That was the shift from Miami in this one, as they just constantly sent those two young wings streaking down open lanes and cutting to create some chaos. Highsmith and Cain went on a 9-0 run by themselves in that first half, hammering that alone. Then that led into Highsmith knocking down the outside jumper, which absolutely opens up their half-court offense when dealing with that weak-side helper.

#4: The ball-handling reps for Miami are eye opening with short-handed roster.

As I talked about after last night’s game, one of the main issues with the offense was the lack of shot creation from the guards. Every two-man action is run through two different guys: Kyle Lowry, who we know as the primary set-up man generally, and Max Strus. They were running high PnR after high PnR for Strus in this one, not because there was a match-up they liked, but due to the fact that was their only option. Yes they have Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic, but they aren’t guard creators that are necessary to run a consistent high powered offense. Many of the creators should be back after this one, but it’s pretty clear that there’s a lot on the plate of Lowry at the moment as the sole option in the ball-handling room.

#5: Late-game execution watch…

With 5 minutes left in this game, the Heat trailed by 3. The Lowry-Bam PnR spam continued, and the Heat couldn’t hit open threes. Not only could they not make those shots, but free throws were bouncing out. The offense for Minnesota was consistently on the shoulders of Anthony Edwards, who had a big night, yet he kept walking away with empty possessions. Bam Adebayo walked into a pull-up mid range jumper under four minutes to go, tying this one up at 99. Back on the other end, a foul was called on Kyle Lowry who felt he got all ball with a block on McDaniels, which Miami challenged and won. Big swing for the time being. After a miss for Miami, Russell hit a baseline jumper to take the lead by 2. Shortly after, Lowry took a charge on the driving Towns to foul him out of the game, showing some more hope. But well, that faded quickly. The Heat’s offense didn’t show up for most of this one, and a late step back three from Strus summed it all up. They don’t have options at the moment.

Five Takeaways from Heat’s Loss to Cleveland

/0 Comments/in , /by

The Miami Heat had another short-handed night, adding Bam Adebayo to the fold, but it still wasn’t enough against a healthy Cavs starting group.

They were blitzed on both ends from start to finish, not even in competition to put up a fight.

So they fall to 7-10 with another game tomorrow night. Anyway, here are some takeaways…

#1: The Cavs taking advantage of Miami’s zone defense for a couple reasons…

With the roster Miami had available tonight in Cleveland, it was clear we had a night of 2-3 zone ahead of us. And well, the Cavs found their way against it early on, which should happen when a team stays with it as long as Miami. The Heat are looking to force a certain push shot in the middle of the floor, mostly known for being inefficient, but Evan Mobley was the consistent hub in the middle of the floor. He chopped Miami’s zone up a bit, which leads into the next element. Now that Miami has to clamp down middle, who should they help off? Well the easy answer is Isaac Okoro, right? Okoro ended up going 4 of 5 for 13 points in the first half. Combine those schematics with a ton of ball movement and a bunch of high low action from Mobley and Allen on Miami’s lack of size, and yeah, it’ll lead you to giving up a 59 point first half.

#2: The two sides of Miami’s offensive shot process in the first half.

The Heat came out clicking offensively to begin the game, with Bam Adebayo and Nikola Jovic running the show. The process was clear: Adebayo had the green light. Every set was being ran through him: isolations, post splits, face-ups, post-ups. The key on night’s like this is movement, movement, and more movement. Why do I say that? Well, a good portion of that first half would give you that answer. The Heat fell right back into the trap of having Miami’s guards and wings create, which is a tough ask without Herro or Butler. None of their guards could burst by Cleveland’s point of attack, leading to a pretty ugly shot profile. I’ve compared this to a first drive in football, where a team has that initial drive that is scripted. The Heat are great as a scripted offense beginning halves, but when they stray, they stray away far.

#3: The Nikola Jovic timeline tracker…

As I began to dip into a second ago, we got the Jovic debut next to Adebayo, but it was much briefer than we all expected. While it was executed perfectly in that opening stretch, Haywood Highsmith entered into the game and it felt like Miami completely went away from Jovic again. At the half, on a night where Miami was very short-handed, Jovic was tied for the 6th most minutes on the roster. Yeah, it’s interesting. It feels like there are more positives than negatives with Jovic on the floor in games like this one, yet there doesn’t seem to be the same level of trust that we’re accustomed to with other guys. Same thing in the last game against Washington where they had 7 total players. We will see if it changes, but the Jovic minutes just aren’t equating with the fan-base’s perception of effectiveness right now.

#4: Injured or not at the moment, here’s the team headliner:

No need to further explain. They need more…

#5: Onto…tomorrow night?

These games have felt like Miami’s trying to get to that final buzzer by any means, as Miami’s without many of their primary guys on the roster. As the Cavs ran out a major lead in this game, I said to myself ‘well, it’s time for them to get the main guys out for tomorrow night.’ But they essentially couldn’t since they only had like three guys to sub in for them. Now Miami is less than 24 hours away from another game against Minnesota, where they will be without the same guys on the roster. And even worse, it’s another lengthy front-court with Karl Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, meaning the rebounding numbers will be wild yet again. Miami could possibly find themselves at 7-11 after tomorrow night if they can’t generate some lightning in a bottle, which seems near impossible with what we saw in this one in Cleveland. But well, onto tomorrow night…

Top 5 Power Forwards The Miami Heat Can Realistically Acquire

/12 Comments/in , /by

With the first month of the NBA season on the cusp of the end, it lies pretty clear what one of the struggles of the Miami Heat is, and that’s the starting power forward position. 

Although Caleb Martin’s numbers have been solid overall, and he is a good asset for the Heat, there is one thing he lacks, which is height. 

At 6’5 Caleb Martin is one of the shorter Power Forwards in the league, the Heat are currently 16th in the league for rebounding.

The Miami Heat currently average 39.4 rebounds a game, which is less than last years 2021-22 season, where we averaged 43.7, so this list is going to show 5 Power Forwards the Miami Heat can realistically trade for.

 

________

    

Jae Crowder

1 of 5

                

Miami Heat Receive: PF Jae Crowder, PF Dario Šarić

Phoenix Suns Receive: SG Duncan Robinson, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected)

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Even though it is hard to give away the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick. 

The Heat trading for Jae Crowder and Dario Šarić benefits Miami in not only reuniting Jae Crowder, who was a good role-player and defender on the 2019-20 Eastern Conference Champion Miami Heat, with the team. 

It also adds another PF in Dario Šarić who is a taller, three-point shooting big who just two to three years ago, in the 2019-2020 season was averaging 6.2 rebounds a game. 

The trade also frees up the contract situation with Duncan Robinson for Miami, as he still has three years left on his 5-year 90M deal, and both Crowder and Šarić are on the last year of their contracts.

 

How The Trade Benefits Phoenix

Phoenix not only will be getting the unprotected first-round draft pick that Miami has in 2023, but they will be receiving Duncan Robinson in the trade as well.

Duncan Robinson has a career average three-point percentage of 40.2%, as of right now the Suns have the 8th best three-point shooting percentage in the NBA, at 37.9%.

Even though trading for Robinson can be seen as a risky move, he potentially can add three-point shooting off the Suns bench, to help increase their already good three-point percentage.

________

 

P.J. Washington

2 of 5

                       

Miami Heat Receive: PF P.J. Washington

Charlotte Hornets Receive: C Dewayne Dedmon, PF Nikola Jović

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Although losing the new-rookie in Nikola Jović maybe isn’t the ideal choice, this trade does bring in an athletic stretch-big in P.J. Washington, who is only 24, and is averaging 15.1 points per-game, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists with the Charlotte Hornets. 

With Dewayne Dedmon no longer on the team after this trade, it also allows Omer Yurtseven to get a chance to make an impact off the bench for the Heat.

This trade also wouldn’t be allowed to happen until January 15th, due to Dewayne Dedmon being on a recently-signed restriction, and because he re-signed using Bird rights with a 20% raise in salary and the Heat are over the cap.

 

How The Trade Benefits Charlotte

This trade allows the Hornets to get younger with adding Nikola Jović, who is only 19 years old, and also gives them the chance to help develop the rookie from Leicester, England as much as they can.

During the 2021-22 season with KK Mega Basket, a men’s professional basketball club based in Belgrade, Serbia, where Jović played before he got drafted. Jović averaged 11.7 points while shooting 42.8 percent from the field, 35.6 percent on threes, 75.4 percent from the free throw line, 4.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists to 2.7 turnovers and 0.4 blocks per game in 25 appearances.

________

 

Julius Randle

3 of 5

 

Miami Heat Receive: PF Julius Randle

New York Knicks Receive: C Omer Yurtseven, SG Duncan Robinson, PF Nikola Jović

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

The Miami Heat have always been known as a team who chooses not to tank, as well as also being known to be a win-now team, so although we would lose two young and promising players, in Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jović, we would be receiving the Knicks current star-player in Julius Randle.

Randle as of right now, although having early season struggles, averages 21.3 points per-game, 9.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists so far in this 2022-23 season.

Julius Randle also helped lead the Knicks to the playoffs in the 2020-21 season.

 

How The Trade Benefits New York

The Knicks in this trade, would receive 2 young players, in Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jović, which they can help develop, as Yurtseven is currently 24 years old, and Jović is currently 19 years old.

Along with receiving the guard, Duncan Robinson who averages 40.2%, from the three-point line, for his career.

New York would be getting younger, and can use a bit of a restart by trading Randle, after failing to make the playoffs last year, having a record under .500,  with 37 wins and 45 losses.

________

 

Lauri Markkanen

4 of 5

              

Miami Heat Receive: PF Lauri Markkanen

Utah Jazz Receive: C Omer Yurtseven, SG Duncan Robinson, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected)

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

Lauri Markkanen has found himself with the Jazz, as he is currently averaging 21.3 points per-game, 8.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists so far in this 2022-23 season. 

Lauri Markkanen is averaging better numbers than he had in his one-year stunt with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. 

Markkanen could help space the floor with Bam Adebayo, as Markkanen would play his role as a three-point shooting stretch-big.

 

How The Trade Benefits Utah

The Jazz over the off-season traded the former three-time defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert, this trade would allow Utah to help develop Omer Yurtseven into the next center for the Jazz’s future.

The Jazz will also be getting Duncan Robinson, who can bring in some firepower from deep off the bench for Utah.

All while giving Utah the unprotected first-round draft pick, that Miami has in 2023, which will add another to the Jazz’s huge pick stash.

________

 

John Collins

5 of 5

                                   

Miami Heat Receive: PF John Collins

Atlanta Hawks Receive: SF Max Strus, SG Duncan Robinson, PF Nikola Jović, 2023 first-round pick (unprotected), 2026 second-round pick via OKC, DAL or PHI

 

How The Trade Benefits Miami

This trade benefits the Heat by getting a 25 year-old star in John Collins, although the Heat might be giving up a lot especially like a core player in Max Strus, and the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick, you gain an established, versatile scorer in Collins — who happens to be from South Florida and has always expressed an interest in returning.

Collins is also currently in a 5-year 125M deal, which in trading for him, the Heat have a guaranteed player for the next three years.

It has also been reported, by trusted reporter Shams Charania, that the Hawks have opened up preliminary trade discussions involving John Collins.

 

How The Trade Benefits Atlanta

The Hawks would not only be receiving a good role-player in Max Strus, who has come into his own the past year with Miami, elevated three-point shooting with Duncan Robinson, and a young player with potential in Nikola Jović.

Atlanta would also be receiving the 2023 unprotected first-round draft pick, that Miami currently has, along with the 2026 second-round pick via OKC, DAL or PHI.

Trading Collins to Miami would also free up some cap space for the Hawks, as Max Strus is on the last year of his deal.