From the Department of Hackneyed: Heat Are Putrid; Dwyane Wade Needs Rest

by Steve Weinman on Jan 20, 2008 12:23 AM EST in NBA Comment 6 comments

Watching the final minutes of the Heat-Knicks, er, contest, last night was downright painful.

Sure, any Knicks win is hard for me to enjoy, but this had nothing to do with the blue and orange.

It has everything to do with the team with the two banged up stars and under-performing supporting cast that can't beat anybody. Certainly not in 2008, anyway.

The Heat couldn't buy a basket at the end of an 88-84 loss, and, sad as it is to say, Dwyane Wade may have been a big part of the problem rather than the solution.

His overall numbers on the season might be decent, but watching him even for just a few possessions illuminates what Pat Riley has to be cognizant of: Dwyane Wade is not anywhere close to being himself these days. Chances are, it has to do with his recurring injuries that Riley has referenced and every television announcer feels compelled to mention every six seconds.

But regardless of what the issue is, Wade's game is completely off-kilter. He doesn't have his explosiveness, and as a result he isn't doing what he does best: getting to the basket and drawing fouls with abandon. Since the turn of the calendar, Wade is only getting to the line 6.4 times per game, a figure well below his season average of 10 per game. Wade is a decent jump shooter but by no means a lethal one, and he is doing a lot of settling for deep mid-range jump shots (he is a putrid three-point shooter). This makes him far less dangerous, as it is easier not only to keep him from scoring but to keep him from getting his teammates involved. When Flash gets into the lane, he is more likely to require the attention of multiple defenders, thus opening up passing lanes to shooters on the outside and cutters to the rim. With Wade forcing jump shots instead, those lanes aren't there, and the entire offense stagnates.

The Heat have now lost 13 straight. Their season is all but over. Their franchise player is in terrible physical shape. For the long-term good of this franchise, Pat Riley needs to suck up the embarrassment of coaching a downright horrendous team and shut Wade down before he permanently damages the franchise's most valued investment.

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The Heat’s season does look over but if they could get a little bit of momentum going they’d be back in the running for a playoff seed. The East right now is beating each other up. They’re about 8 games out of a playoff spot. Seriously, two stretches of winning 7 out of 10, .500 the rest of the way, and this team has a great chance of making the playoffs.

Will they manage that? Very tough to see it happening. The way they’re playing now and the amount of roster upgrades …. almost guarenteed not to happen.

But they have a chance if there’s some belief left in that locker room.

by Who on Jan 20, 2008 2:33 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’ve watched a lot of games where Dwayne Wade has gotten worse as the game has gone on. His body just tightens up by the fourth quarter and he simply isn’t able to change directions or speeds like he normally can. Lot of quiet fourth quarters when this happens.

by Who on Jan 20, 2008 2:36 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Who,

That last description perfectly sums up tonight’s fourth quarter.

-sw

by Steve Weinman on Jan 20, 2008 2:37 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

It isn’t worth risking Flash’s body to make a long-shot push for the playoffs. This guy is the face of the franchise for the next decade. The goal should be thinking down the road to the next title run. That won’t be this season.

-sw

by Steve Weinman on Jan 20, 2008 2:38 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Yeah I didn’t see the fourth tonight, watched the first quarter and went hunting for a better game. It was pretty ugly right from the start. On a plus note Jason Williams was moving around the court freely, it would be great if they could get anything out of him. He’s been very poor this season.

by Who on Jan 20, 2008 2:45 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don’t know Steve. I’d hold off on that decision another 10 games or so. Wait and see if any trading possibilities come up. If there’s nothing that can get them to the dance with a shooting chance then I say close it down but if there’s a chance it’s worth going for.

I’m really disappointed in Udonis Haslem too, he was meant to be working on a go-to post move. He really isn’t doing anything for this team offensively. He had no right to call out the bench when he’s been underperforming all season. He was meant to step up and give them a reliable scorer, in the teens, to take some of the weight off of Shaq Wade’s shoulders. Ricky Davis has been a disappointment too.

Nobody is playing well under Riley right now and for good reason, it takes only one glance at their offense to realize they’re doing everything wrong. He needs to step aside and let an NBA level Head Coach take over. Riley’s day is done, time to step out of the spotlight. He’s had an incredible coaching career but the game has passed him by.

by Who on Jan 20, 2008 2:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs