Miami Heat: Time to Look Forward to Next Season

Even as I write this, the Miami Heat are in the midst of a rout of the Phoenix Suns, yet I have no confidence that they’ll maintain this lead.

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It’s the theme for a season that has appeared anywhere from unlucky to disastrous. You might think there’s some resentment on my part but that’s not the reality. Instead, it’s an honest appraisal of this team’s short-term future.

Put succinctly, it’s not one worth fighting for.

When Miami’s Pat Riley pulled the trigger to acquire Goran Dragic, there was hope that the rebuilt team could contend for a title sooner than expected. The news that Chris Bosh would miss the rest of the season to heal from blood clots in his lungs erased this notion almost as soon it became a possibility.

Instead, the team struggles with consistency on both ends of the court and wins will be harder to come by as the seasons progresses.

In this piece written on Monday by the Miami Herald’s Joseph Goodman, a team that finds itself currently as the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference standings could find themselves out of the playoff picture very soon:

"The Heat could be in 12th place in the Eastern Conference by next week. As it stands right now, with 24 games remaining, the Heat (25-33) does not look like a playoff team and, truth be told, the players and coach might be starting to show the first signs of defeat, the first signs of losing hope in this star-crossed season. With four teams trailing the seventh-place Heat by a game or less, that’s disconcerting, especially considering point guard Goran Dragic and Chris Andersen are both questionable for Monday’s game against the Phoenix Suns."

Both Dragic and Andersen played during the Suns game but, again, it’s just enough to give the team and its fans a false hope. You can’t blame Miami for taking an optimistic approach — a team that has made the playoffs 17 times in the last 19 years is intrinsically hard-wired to complete for the postseason.

But without Bosh this team is stuck on a treadmill, running in place. They don’t have any hope of advancing past the first round and even stealing a game against Atlanta or Cleveland is just an extension of that fool’s gold.

Should the team decide to abandon all hope this year, what can they look forward to?

The continued connection between Dragic and Dwyane Wade: This could be a dangerous combination but that’ll take time, as Wade revealed to the Palm Beach Post earlier Monday (via Twitter):

Developing Hassan Whiteside: What? Developing him further? Yes, the player that has set fans’ imaginations on fire and provided a legitimate inside presence can be better. Specifically, as described here, his limited passing ability can only improve, helping the team’s perimeter shooting as he continues to draw double teams. In the meantime, he’ll just continue to be very good and not-quite-great.

Bosh/Dragic Pick-and-Rolls/Pick-and-Pops: Sure, Wade and Dragic will mesh to form a solid back court but the idea of providing a deadly shooter like Bosh to pair with The Dragon is far more exciting. When the trade was finalized (and before the sad news of Bosh’s illness), this combination had some predicting a deep run in the playoffs. That can happen next year.
Continuing the Heat’s “Youth Movement”: Miami’s tenure under Pat Riley has rarely put much stock in developing younger players. Riley’s gone on record as saying he doesn’t trust rookies (with the exception of Dwyane Wade, who was coached by Stan Van Gundy during his rookie year). This season, the Heat has had significant contributions from multiple rookies, including Shabazz Napier, James Ennis, and Tyler Johnson (not to mention Whiteside, who is effectively a rookie). On top of that, the team has mined their D-League affiliate (the Sioux Falls Skyforce) to perfection. With the added experience from this lost season, Miami has positioned themselves as a deep team.

Heat fans, like the team, expect the playoffs as a foregone conclusion. They’ve been spoiled by a run of success unmatched by any team over the last two decades outside of San Antonio and the Lakers. They’ll have to let go of these expectations and focus on a future that seems bright.

In the meantime, they can still enjoy the good times Wade referenced in his quote, so long as they recognize them as the exception and not the norm.

Oh, and that Suns game? Miami did hang on to win, 115-98.

Another false hope. Let the good times roll.

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