Miami Heat: What To Do About Mario Chalmers?

It’s been one of the biggest subplots to this short preseason but it’s rooted in a disappointing loss to the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals; Mario Chalmers is struggling to find a place on the Miami Heat.

Chalmers, the expected starter at point guard, has been on the bench as Norris Cole has usurped the starting role in the last two games. With the departure of LeBron James, it was hoped that Chalmers would provide stability at the PG position, providing outside shooting and leadership after re-signing with Miami during the offseason. Instead, Chalmers seems to be on the outside looking in.

Dating back to the failed Finals run, Chalmers has lost his way, displaying an uncharacteristic lack of confidence from a player that has been somewhat delusional in his self-assessment. When his contract expired this summer, it was no secret that the Heat front office was looking for an upgrade, namely the Toronto Raptors’ Kyle Lowry. When Lowry stayed in Canada and with James back in Cleveland, Miami’s “Plan B” suddenly included Chalmers (who, quite frankly, was probably not as highly sought after as he expected to be).

It didn’t seem like a bad decision, not entirely, with team president Pat Riley giving public support for the maligned guard, even going so far as to say that his role with the team would increase as a backup to Dwyane Wade. That much has happened in three preseason games, with Chalmers giving Wade some rest while the younger Cole stays on the floor.

But the production hasn’t been there, with Chalmers only shooting 3-of-12 with three assists in limited minutes. A hip-pointer injury during Miami’s overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t help and rookie Shabazz Napier isn’t making things any easier; while the former UConn player has struggled with his shot, his comfort level at PG exceeds anything we’ve seen from Cole or Chalmers (albeit against weaker competition).

So what are the Heat to do about Mario, whose erratic play over the past four years was covered up by the strengths of James, Wade, Chris Bosh and others? Wes Goldberg of FanSided’s All U Can Heat has an interesting suggestion; keep him on the bench as the team’s sixth man.

The issue with Chalmers has never been a physical one – he’s taller than many point guards and still quick enough so that he won’t be exploited defensively. He can shoot from outside (37 percent for his six-year career) and has shown a surprising knack for driving to the rim against bigger players. The problem with Chalmers is a mental one that has yet to be solved.

Goldberg’s solution addresses many points, among them the following:

• Concerns with production – As a bench player, Mario might see the demotion as impacting his future worth in free agency. Having signed a short, two-year deal, Chalmers is probably looking to cash in once the NBA’s new television deal brings expected cash to the free agency market. As a sixth man, he’d still get a lot of minutes and enough opportunity (against weaker reserve players) to prove he can be productive
• Use at both guard spots – If Wade needs a break or if Cole finds himself in early foul trouble, Chalmers can be the first player to fill in for either player, thereby fulfilling Riley’s hope for him this season. While he can’t create his own shot as easily as Wade, he’s a better shooter from outside and with Bosh expected to be a bigger low-post presence, finding an open Chalmers along the perimeter could space the floor more effectively, giving the team an added wrinkle to an offense that has struggled without James in the lineup
• Closing games over starting them – This role was filled by Ray Allen last season, who was often in during at key moments down the stretch instead of the now-retired Shane Battier or Udonis Haslem. A closing lineup of Cole, Chalmers, Wade, Deng and Bosh would be smaller but provide a good mix of speed and outside shooting. Switch out Cole and insert Josh McRoberts and you sacrifice speed but improve the long-range proficiency.

In addition to finding a way to maximize Chalmers’ skillset, it addresses the psychological aspect that seems to be the biggest issue.

However, merely keeping him as the sixth man isn’t enough. As I’ve written before, this season represents arguably the biggest challenge in head coach Erik Spoelstra’s career. Aside from trying to rebuild a team in a post-LeBron era, there’s the weight of surpassing lowered expectations while proving that the past four years of success weren’t a fluke.

Part of Spoelstra’s challenge will be melding veterans while developing younger players; Chalmers, as always, falls somewhere in between. Not quite an unproven commodity, he’s been asked to change his game frequently over the past six years. Selling him on the idea of being the team’s go-to guy and, in effect, “leading” the second unit will be tricky.

Ultimately, it could be an option that would both improve the team and Chalmers’ value.