Riley Facing Big Decisions With Heat
MIAMI (CBS4) ― Paging Pat Riley.
Those may be the words coming from the mouths of Miami Heat fans soon. While it's long been expected he would take over the team if they looked finals bound, the Heat look nowhere like the Dream Team they were labeled and are barely above .500 for the season.
There are several things playing into the Heat's demoralizing start, at least demoralizing with the collection of talent for the Big Three, Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
One problem for the Heat is they have no play at the point guard position. Mario Chalmers has been a disappointment at best for the Heat and Carlos Arroyo is a backup who starts for the Heat.
One needs to look no further than the opponents who have beaten the Heat and the common theme is stellar point guard play. From Rajon Rondo to Chris Paul, good point guards are eating the Heat alive every night.
Another issue the Heat has is what happened to Chris Bosh. The former Toronto Raptors star is having trouble getting free for his shot without the offense coming through him. He was the focal point of the offense in Toronto, but is now the third option with the Heat and so far this season he has struggled offensively.
Heat guard Dwyane Wade has been getting his shots, but during Thursday's loss to the Boston Celtics, the second of the season, Wade often parked himself in the corner and watched the play. Wade and LeBron have been playing a high number of minutes, which could spell trouble come playoff time.
But it's LeBron who has brought his A-game thus far. That said, he has struggled at times as the game wears on and struggled mightily at the end of the game against the Celtics.
All of that, combined with weak center play from the team has led to the Heat struggling. It's almost as if the three stars don't know how to play with each other, which isn't surprising considering they didn't get to play together in the preseason.
This brings everything back to Heat President Pat Riley. He has a history of getting stars to play together, see the Showtime-era in Los Angeles. But, he has his hand-picked coach and a hand-picked roster that is not performing.
That brings the question to the minds of fans: how much will Riley let go before he steps in. The Heat are limited with trade possibilities and the free agent wires aren't exactly lighting up fans eyes. Can Riley put it together? That's what fans want to know.
The Heat went to great struggles to put together the trio of Bosh, James, and Wade. However, in doing so, team leaders neglected to notice that it's still a team sport.
That means you have to have solid contributions from everyone, including role players. It's something the Heat aren't getting, but will determine the success of the team.
