Tag Archive for: Miami Heat

Miami Heat Beat report: Juwan Howard expected to coach Michigan

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It’s no secret that Juwan Howard has been looking for a head coaching job, in the NBA or in college.

Now it appears that Erik Spoelstra’s top assistant will land the perfect one.

The former member of the Fab Five is expected to take the gig at the University of Michigan, according to Five Reasons Sports affiliate Miami Heat Beat, which has been out front of recent news related to Howard.

If Howard goes, it leaves a huge hole on the Heat staff. Howard is the primary communicator with the players among the assistants, filling the role that current New York Knicks coach David Fizdale did with the Big 3 when Howard was a playing member of those teams. Howard is respected in the locker room for what he’s done in a variety of capacities, especially by the big men.

It’s also notable that, other than Anthony Carter — who is still learning the ropes — the Heat do not have a prominent African-American assistant, which is striking considering how progressive the franchise has been in many areas.

Now we have more on the possible candidates.

Some interesting names — and I’m personally hearing that Posey could emerge as the favorite.

The Big 3 guys, starting with LeBron and Wade, are in favor of the move.

Big time.

The Heat’s Big 3 stars want Juwan Howard at Michigan

 

 

Here is more on Irv Roland, who has an excellent reputation:

 

Chris Bosh to the Heat’s Kids: Lead

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In the morning, we will post my 35-minute conversation with former Heat forward Chris Bosh, on everything from cologne to controversy to glory.

And we will insert the link here, so you can listen to all of it, on Apple or Android.

But here’s one clip that may get some attention.

Bosh has never been shy about sharing his opinions; he doesn’t do it to create a stir, he just is incapable of anything but authenticity. So it wasn’t surprising that, when asked about the Heat’s “Kids” — generally classified as Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo and recently Derrick Jones Jr. — Bosh shared his true feelings.

And it’s good.

It is.

But it speaks to where the Heat organization stands.

Here’s the clip:

And if you want an even shorter synopsis of that, here it is:

But listen to the whole podcast.

Bosh, as a talker, is still the best.

Can the Heat find another Justise or Bam at 13?

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The Heat will continue to need to build through the middle, unless they can flip picks and players for a superstar, which doesn’t seem especially likely over the next season.

Until that opportunity arises, Miami’s front office and scouting staff will be looking at options for No. 13 this season, hoping to get a player as promising as Bam Adebayo (No. 14 in 2017) or, even better, someone as good as the guy who went one spot ahead of Adebayo that year, Donovan Mitchell.

The process has been ongoing, but it accelerates in Chicago for pre-draft camp, and the reporters on scene from South Florida — Ira Winderman, David Wilson, Shandel Richardson — had the details.

That’s not a surprising list, even if it seems unlikely that Reddish would be there at 13. Porter — along with Clarke and Bol Bol — has been among the prospects linked to the Heat in early mock drafts.

Don’t pay much attention to position. The Heat need help everywhere, though it would seem that center would be the least pressing need, at least while Hassan Whiteside and Kelly Olynyk are still in Miami with Bam Adebayo.

And this is a franchise that took Dwyane Wade in 2003 when it was paying Eddie Jones a fortune to play two-guard.

Also, don’t place too much emphasis on who the Heat interview in Chicago.

In 2015, I recall speaking with Justise Winslow there. Winslow was expected to go higher than the Heat’s slot (No. 10) and he told me that he hadn’t met with the Heat there.

There will be plenty of tidbits between now and the draft in six weeks, including this one:

Scenes from a Miami Heat lottery party

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We didn’t win….

But we didn’t lose!

The Miami Heat had about the same chance to jump into the top 4 of Tuesday’s NBA Draft lottery as they did to drop from No. 13 to 14. And they didn’t do either. They stayed at No. 13. Which should count as a small victory for our beleaguered Five Reasons Sports Network.

But you won’t let us. So call it 0-10 for watch parties. Even so, we had a great time at Tap 42 in Midtown Miami, and will be back if they will have us. The Miami Heat Beat guys even recorded a rambling 55-minute podcast that I crashed.

You can find that here……

Here are some scenes from the party, as we filled up a back room with some overflow.

NBA Lottery Watch Party! Tuesday, 7 p.m.

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We will win one of these eventually.

It probably won’t be Tuesday night, when the Miami Heat have a 4.8 percent chance to get in the top 4 of the 2019 NBA Draft — and a 1 percent chance of the top pick, which could mean Duke forward Zion Williamson.

But we’re trying anyway.

We will hold our 11th official Five Reasons Sports watch party, this one co-sponsored with Miami Heat Beat.

This one will start at 7 p.m., at Tap 42 in Midtown Miami.

tap 42 midtown 2

The address is 3252 NE 1st Avenue, Miami, FL 33137.

The lottery is 8:30pm., with the start of the Western Conference Finals (Warriors vs. Blazers) after.

We will have free appetizers. You buy your own beer to drink away your sorrows, when the Heat slip from No. 13 to No. 14 simply because we are there (that happens if the Boston Celtics, via the Sacramento Kings, jump into the top 4).

To follow the event, go to….

Facebook-  Tap 42 MIAMI
Instagram – @tap42bar
twitter- @tap42bar

NBA’s Final Four followed the path Heat taking

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The Miami Heat, as currently constituted, are nowhere near the NBA’s Conference Finals.

They weren’t as good as any of the bottom four teams in the East’s playoff bracket — and none of those teams, after Victor Oladipo was injured for Indiana, were all that good.  But, at the very least, there is some validation of Miami’s recent approach, which has been to build from the middle rather than break it all down and sink to the bottom.

Toronto, Milwaukee, Portland and even Golden State rose to prominence with picks outside the top 5.

The Raptors started their rise with the drafting of DeMar DeRozan ninth overall in 2009; eventually DeRozan was flipped for Kawhi Leonard, taken 15th by San Antonio. New star Pascal Siakam was taken 27th.

The Bucks? Giannis was 15th also. Khris Middleton, scrapped by Detroit, was a second rounder. Brook Lopez went 10th to the Nets. Eric Bledsoe was 24th.

The Blazers? Their excellent backcourt came into the league at No. 6 (Dame Lillard) and No. 10 (CJ McCollum).

Then there are the Warriors. And we know it’s unfair now, as long as former No. 2 overall pick Kevin Durant is healthy. But the original base of the squad was constructed with Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, all of whom should have been drafted higher than they were, with Curry (7) the highest.

The point is, you can build through the middle. Denver, which nearly got to the West Final, has done it as well as anyone. Philadelphia, which was a shot from the East Final, has done it the other way — but Phoenix has tried that way and its only elite player is a guy the Suns took 11th (Devin Booker). None of the other players, picked higher than the players in the posted tweet, are as good at the moment as anyone on that list.

And Miami has done well in the middle with three picks, all of which have outperformed their draft slots as compared to the other players in that draft, whether Justise Winslow at 10, or Bam Adebayo at 14, or especially Josh Richardson at 40 — Richardson has been the third most productive player in his draft so far.

So even if our Lottery Draft Party (at Tap 42 in Midtown Miami) is a spectacular failure, and Miami slips from No. 13 to No. 14 rather than moving up, it still can land a quality player. And get the narrative of team-building back in its favor.

 

Latest Miami Heat Beat: Juwan, Lowry, Thrones, Rio

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Miami Heat Beat: Episode 206.

Giancarlo Navas, Brian Goins and Christian Hernandez discussed Juwan Howard staying in Miami, whether the Heat should have pushed harder for Jimmy Butler and then shifted to Game of Thrones to debate who has the best odds of ruling Westeros on the Miami Heat Beat’s 206th episode.

The Los Angeles Lakers recently interviewed Juwan Howard for its head coaching vacancy, but multiple reports expect Tyronn Lue to be named the next head coach and reunite with LeBron James. Hernandez prompted the thought of how it’s good that Howard will stay with Miami because the Heat retain its top assistant. However, there comes a time when an assistant eventually is expected to move on to higher positions, and if they don’t eventually climb the coaching ladder and get hired as head coaches, does that signify that they’re bad at their job?

The guys moved on to discuss the NBA Playoffs and how Jimmy Butler has impressed thus far. Navas debates whether the Heat made the right decision regarding Butler, and where the franchise would be right now if they had made the deal.

Butler continues to take over fourth quarters for Philadelphia. In clutch time situations in the postseason, Butler has been the most efficient player in the NBA.

The price tag of Kelly Olynyk, Josh Richardson and a future first rounder for a 30-year-old star with the baggage of Tom Thibodeau minutes and an eventual max contract on the books seems too high for Navas. The move may have put them ahead of the Indiana Pacers as a five or six seed, locking the Heat into a relatively higher mediocre level than they find themselves now. Hernandez argued that this Heat team was built for a player like Butler.

Miami lacks the fourth-quarter superstar that shines when all eyes are on him. Butler has proven he can be that player. However, the Heat’s cap situation in this what-if scenario makes the situation too difficult to debate whether the move could be reasonably justified long-term.

Navas, a known Kyle Lowry-apologist, then broke down the Toronto Raptors woes in its playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers. The Raptors are making about 30 percent of its three pointers this series, and subtracting Kawhi Leonard from the equation drops the team to 23 percent from beyond the arc. The combination of Joel Embiid’s size, who has been covering Pascal Siakam since Game 2, and the 76ers adjustments defensively have caused Marc Gasol, Danny Green and Siakam to struggle throughout the series. Kawhi Leonard, however, has been one of the lone bright spots with his historically efficient play. Leonard’s career true shooting percentage increases in the playoffs compared to his regular season numbers, a massive anomaly among all current NBA players. Dwyane Wade’s true shooting percentage numbers also remained exactly the same in the regular season and playoffs, showing his consistent play throughout his career.

The guys shifted from NBA talk to an even more polarizing subject recently: Game of Thrones. The communal aspect that Game of Thrones has exemplified the past few weeks whether on Twitter or at work is unlike any other television show ever. Though this cultural phenomenon seems to be finding its way everywhere, fans continue to express their displeasure with where the plot and storylines are headed with just two episodes remaining in the series. Despite this, the guys headed to OddsShark to debate who they think will take the Throne. After an over-confident Night King blew an easy 3-1 lead to the Starks, Brian thinks the white-walker king may make a return and claim the Throne. Navas thought Arya Stark, described as the LeBron James of Westeros (or Justise Winslow, depending on who you ask #JustiseBetter), provides the best betting value at +1400 to sit on the Throne at the end of the series.

Rounding out the episode, the guys discussed the illustrious career of Miami’s best point guard in franchise history: Mario Chalmers. After claiming a European Championship overseas with Virtus Bologna this past month, the 32-year-old point guard is now a two-time high school state champion, an NCAA champion, a two-time NBA champion and a European champion. Chalmers is now taking his talents to the Big 3 League, where he was drafted this week in the third round by the 3 Headed Monsters. Stat of the Pod: Jason Terry outscored LeBron James in the 2011 NBA Finals (JT: 108, LJ: 107)

Is Juwan Howard the only man willing to coach the Lakers?

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It appeared the Miami Heat had escaped a bit of a crisis.

Short on assistant coaches with real playing experience who connect in that way with their current players, the Heat appeared to be keeping Juwan Howard through at least this offseason. About a month ago, our Greg Sylvander wrote this piece about Howard’s importance in the locker room and on the practice court, and why the Heat could not afford to lose him now.

Then, amid the rumors of the Los Angeles Lakers’ interest in Howard, Monty Williams and Tyronn Lue (LeBron James’ former coach) emerged as primary candidates.

Now both have turned down what was once among the prized jobs in sports.

Jason Kidd remains somewhere in the picture.

But here we are…

This makes sense for a lot of reasons, foremost among them James’ respect for Howard — and also Howard’s lack of head coaching experience, which may make it easier for James to get his way. James has played better for coaches with some experience than those without any (David Blatt, Luke Walton).

And it’s not like elite proven candidates are clamoring for the job.

If you want a full list of Lakers coaching candidates, look here.

Or here…

 

What’s not clear is what the Heat will do if Howard leaves. Dan Craig is still around, as is Chris Quinn, but the reality is that it helps to have a strong black voice on a staff in the NBA, and the Heat don’t have one. Anthony Carter is a relative newbie, and didn’t have Howard’s playing chops.

 

Miami Heat looked better than they played

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The Miami Heat had one of their more mediocre seasons in the past quarter-century.

But, in the eyes of some fans, they’ve never looked better.

By any measure, the Vice jerseys were a huge hit from the start, even though the Heat could never seem to win in them. The personnel department is going through a rare rough stretch, but the marketing department has been on fire for a while now, from the jerseys to the court color change to everything that revolved around Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance.

And the numbers prove it:

Twenty-four percent.

There are 30 teams, so the Heat should have been at three percent.

So it’s really a remarkable achievement, and the timing was right to coincide with the Wade celebration.

Now they just need another star to wear them, one in his prime, so they’ll win a bit more often.

Why is Pat Riley assisting the enemy?

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One of the remarkable things about the late-career Pat Riley story is that he keeps getting asked for his advice about other franchises — even as he’s uncharacteristically struggling to fix his own.

First, there was all that Los Angeles Lakers chatter, following the resignation of Riley favorite Magic Johnson — and reports that owner Jeannie Buss wanted to bring Riley back aboard.

And now, the organization that supplanted the Heat as the power brokers in the NBA apparently has consulted with Riley as well.

This was an interesting nugget from the only person on ESPN, Stephen A. Smith, in reference to scuffling Warriors guard Klay Thompson who, like Kevin Durant, is due to become a free agent.

“Even folks like Pat Riley have spoken to folks within the Warriors organization to say, ‘Your priority had better be keeping the Splash Brothers together. Not only have they heard that from Pat Riley, they’ve heard it from Jerry West, they’ve heard it from others. Keeping the Splash Brothers together. Obviously you know that Kevin Durant is the best player on the team, he’s one of the top two players on the planet. But the point is they anticipate — although they hope otherwise — they anticipate that he may leave….”

That is typical Riley thinking, it would seem, not wanting to sink to the bottom. Recall that after the Heat added Josh McRoberts and Danny Granger in the summer of 2014 — and then watched LeBron James walk — Riley immediately maxed out Chris Bosh to top a competing offer from Houston, while giving Dwyane Wade just enough to stay. (Riley has later said he regretted the decision not to max Wade first, which ultimately contributed to the fractious negotiations in 2015 and the ugly departure of 2016).

But there’s a deeper question here:

Why is Riley, the man who would fine his players for picking opponents off the floor and scowled every time BFF’s Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing went to dinner during a Heat-Knicks series, helping the team he and the rest of the NBA have been chasing? West, Riley’s mentor, isn’t even with the Warriors anymore, but now with the Los Angeles Clippers, who are far better positioned than the Heat. Did anyone — save perhaps Riley pal Gregg Popovich — offer the Heat advice during the Big 3 run?

No. They were all too busy legislating against the Heat, voting through punitive luxury tax penalties to ensure the Heat’s eventual breakup. If the Warriors are dying their last breaths, let them die Pat. Don’t throw them a lifeline. Or just tell them to sign a contract equivalent to James Johnson’s.