Miami's Nightmare Season

Let's face it, no one saw this coming. Between the Chicago Bulls not making the playoffs and New Orleans leading the West, this is the biggest surprise of the 2007-08 NBA season. Could you imagine the looks on Miami Heat fans when they realized that a team with Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O'Neal not only wouldn't make the playoffs, but be dead last in the Eastern Conference? THE EASTERN CONFERENCE!!! Pat Riley knew at the beginning of the season that this team just doesn't have it in them, so he decided to make changes. The first changes were before the season, and the Heat received the following:
(o7-08 averages)
Ricky Davis
6'7 195
29 yrs old
9th Season
$6,819,000
(13.5PPG, 4.2RPG, 3.2APG)

Mark Blount
7'0 230
32 yrs old
7thSeason
$7,901,040
(8.4RPG, 3.8RPG, .47 FG%)

The faces of mediocrity

The Heat gave away the following:
Antoine Walker
6'9 245
31 yrs old
11th Season
$8,329,640
(8PPG, 3.7RPG, .32 3PT%)

Michael Doleac
6'11 262
30 yrs old
9th Season
$3,120,000
(2.4PPG, 2.1RPG, .47 FG%)

Wayne Simien
6'9 250
25 yrs old
3rd Season
$997,800
(N/A)

"Isolate, so I can make a four-point play"!

Also throw in a future first-round draft pick (top 14 protected in 2008) and a second round pick from Miami. Now if you're just looking at it by stats, you can easily say that Miami won this trade. But they gave up three expiring contracts for one and they took in Blount's terrible contract. Not only that but this was supposed to cover up the weakness at SF and bring more firepower off the bench. Well, its safe to say that it didn't happen. And I won't even mention the Shaq-Marion that dealt the final blow to this terrible team. Let's just look at the current rotation now.

(stats over the last five games)
PG Chris Quinn (13.4PPG, 5RPG, 7.2APG, 2.6SPG)
SG Daequean Cook (13.6PPG, 4.2RPG, .400 3PT%)
SF Ricky Davis (12.6PPG, 5.8RPG, 4.6APG, .440 3PT%)
PF Earl Barron (4.8PPG, 3.4RPG, .275 FG%)
C Mark Blount (5.6PPG, .8BPG, .424FG%)
--------------------
PF Joel Anthony (7.0RPG, 2.8BPG, .500 FG%)
PF Stephen Lasme (5.6PPG, 4.4RPG, 1.0BPG)
PG Blake Ahearn (1o.1PPG, .318 3PT%, .918 FT%)
C Alexander Johnson (4.4PPG, .412 FG%)

The next White Chocolate?

What you see is not their practice squad, but their actually team. Quinn has been the lone bright spot for this team as he has been easily the best player on the team but is more of a 3rd string point guard on a good team. Cook has not live up to his expectations being a starter because coach Pat Riley wants to see more all-around game from him. Davis hasn't done anything to prove that he can win being a starter and is more than likely not going to be on this team next season. Blount and Barron have been rebounding enigmas and combine for a whopping 6 rebounds over the last 5 games. I don't see Barron back and this team is stuck with "I'm a terrible shooting guard in a frail center's body" Blount. With this team, the best rebounder is the 6-9 undrafted rookie Anthony. The team needs to work on his offensive game but he has a great defensive ability to block shots. The same goes for Lasme, who plays out-of-position as a PF. Lasme needs to work on his perimeter game and offensive awareness. (Bonus that he's from UMass, because any player from Massachusetts is alright with me). Ahearn and Johnson are probably heading to the D-League. Ahearn hasn't shown his shooting touch that made him torch the D-League for 45 points in a game. Johnson, who played last year for the Memphis Grizzlies, hasn't really been at full strength but he has some upside. But when your 3rd string players are your best players, that's how you know you're a bad team. They have had 12 consecutive games where they have had less rebounds. And the only times where they have won was against Milwaukee twice. They need to address this issue with importance because Marion could opt out, Udonis had knee surgery, and Zo could retire leaving them a mess at the big men position. I would use the open 15th spot (Kasib Powell was waived) to look at a big man from the D-League. I am in love with Rod Benson, (13.4PPG, 12.1RPG, .523 FG%) but other options include Chris Alexander (11.3PPG, 11.2RPG, 2.0BPG), Marcus Campbell (12.4PPG, 8.2RPG, .533 FG%), and Jelani McCoy (10.8PPG, 7.7RPG, 3.2APG, 2.1BPG, .706 FG%). Don't let McCoy's number sway too much because he was called up from the Nuggets earlier this season and couldn't play at an uptempo pace. The Heat have a lot of work to do, but with a healthy D-Wade, Udonis, Dorrell Wright, and a top pick in this year's deep draft, the future could be heating up.