First Half:
The new-look Heat came out swinging, with Bam setting the defensive tone and Jimmy getting to the rim to set the offensive tone. Though its offense wasn’t perfect, the Heat got out to 6-0 start. The Heat’s defense was impregnable early on with Bam anchoring the team. Bam went toe-to-toe with Jaren Jackson Jr. showcasing a chip on his shoulder against the reigning DPOY. Turnovers remained a problem for the Heat, but with Tyler Herro knocking down threes and Josh Richardson getting to the rim the Heat was able to stay ahead. Without a true point guard in the lineup, J-Rich did a good job facilitating for his teammates while he operated in the point guard role. Towards the end of the first quarter, Terry Rozier III made his Heat debut to a loud crowd reception.
Rozier looked a little bit lost to start, but contributed well grabbing boards and working to set up his new teammates. Unfortunately, the Heat’s three-point shooting was awful, starting 2-8 and allowing Memphis to creep back within one. Rozier’s first Heat buckets came on two free throws as a result of an aggressive drive. Terry’s aggressive play was immediately noticeable as it set up second-chance opportunities on offense, which honestly have been a rarity in South Florida basketball lately.
Scottie Pippen Jr. and the Grizzlies took over early in the second robbing momentum from Miami and getting out to a small lead. The Heat fought back, getting opportunities at the free-throw line, but its motion offense looked disjointed and sloppy resulting in turnovers and missed opportunities. The usual second unite offense generators had nothing in the second with Duncan bricking most looks, and Caleb unable to hit a shot from beyond the arc. After a full 8 minutes without a field goal, it was Scary Terry who would end the drought with a three and a subsequent steal.
This game morphed into a chess match at the foul line, at least briefly as each team hacked away at each other. Eric Reid said it best when he compared the game to being played in quicksand because both teams weren’t doing much (I hope you bet the under.) With Miami so sluggish, the Grizzlies took advantage taking a six-point lead and leaving Miami on the outside looking in. Out of sync, the Heat air-balled threes, forced shots, and let Memphis make easy looks. The whole team looked awful and was lucky to go into the second half down only seven.
Second Half:
Haywood would open the second half with a three, but Miami’s defense was still suspect (despite repeatedly rejecting Jaren Jackson Jr.) With its sudden ability to once again hit threes, Miami’s offense started to work – still when you have David Roddy making every shot he takes, no amount of Jimmy drives can save you. So with that, the Heat stayed comfortably behind Memphis unable to make a move. Herro, Bam, and others attempted to chip at Memphis’ lead, but the buckets were few and far between. With the Heat’s anemic offense on full display, the Grizzlies went up 14 and the Heat looked like it wanted to quit. Tyler was the only one giving effort, with Rozier still looking unfamiliar to the offense (not his fault, he’ll improve). I wish I could highlight something positive about this quarter, but in true throwback fashion, the Heat served up a turd quarter.
Martin’s three to start the fourth breathed a little life into Miami’s lifeless body, as did Bam’s sixth block of the night and a Scary Terry bucket. But still, Memphis managed to keep its lead in double figures. Despite the awful play the crowd could be heard chanting “Let’s go Heat!” egging the team to get something going. Bam would cut the deficit to nine, but constant turnovers, undisciplined fouls, and a contagious lethargy kept things out of reach. Luckily, Caleb seemed immune as he did his best to get Miami back into things scoring well, and playmaking. Terry Rozier’s elite slashing suddenly cut the lead to five giving Miami a chance to make up for its previous effort on a 12-4 run. After a laughable three-quarters, the Heat had a real chance to win with Duncan hitting huge threes when Miami needed them most.
Jimmy would take a shot to the face, and come out briefly because of blood drawn with 2:41 left in the game and Miami down by six. Terry, Tyler, and Caleb all contributed to cutting the lead to two but a Vince Williams three, and uncontested layup made things that much more difficult. Just like that the Heat were down by seven, with all hope just about lost. It was, as Miami suffered a much-deserved loss. The Heat needs to figure things out quickly as they get ready to face a gauntlet of Eastern Conference rivals in the Celtics and Knicks.
Okay, here’s a huge hypothetical. I’m not suggesting it be done, only that it could be done. I apologize in advance for the length of this comment.
I think all or most of us respect Butler and would like to see him get a ring. But will he get one here this season? The upcoming extension must be considered and I am against the Heat giving Butler a 4-5 year $200-250 million extension.
So, what to do? I looked at contending teams that may need that one piece (Butler) to get over the top.
OKC has 17 first round and 22 second round picks. They are well under the cap. I Trade Machined Butler and Bryant for Dort, K Williams, and Bertans (for salary) plus the Houston 2024 top 4 protected pick, plus getting back our own 2025 pick. The trade leaves both teams well below the cap.
Replace Dort with Butler in that lineup and you have:
Shai G-A pg
Giddy sg
Butler sf
J Williams pf
Holmgren c
THAT to me, is an explosive contender!
For the Heat, Bertans has only a $5 million guarantee after this season, Kenrich Williams is a decent player on a friendly contract through 25-26 with a club option after, and Dort is a bulldog also under contract through 25-26 with a club option.
With the additional first round picks and now being under the cap, the Heat can make a trade for a Claxton or other pf, and still have the flexibility for more big trades in the future.
So, best case scenario in my little fantasy scenario, the Heat could have:
Rozier pg
Dort sg
Jaquez sf
Claxton pf
Bam c
Or, of course, Herro at sg if he’s still here in that scenario.
What about J Williams instead of K Williams?
Butler is gonna be playoff good long enough that by the time J Williams is better, okc woulda had to trade him anyway.
Just to clarify, you’re talking about Jaylin, not Jalen? I don’t think they’d give up their starting pf, Jalen, but would give up Jaylin. However, that changes the salary match by $4 million. So, maybe.
My synopsis of the game… WTF is going on with Jimmy Butler?
After some time to consider, the realization comes that maybe we should wait a few games for Rozier to acclimate and to see how JJJ return impacts the team as a whole.
It is possible that if we use our personnel wisely, that we are upgraded enough now to be quite competitive. A trade for a big man, if it comes, should be considered, but not jumped at out of necessity. And the terms should be more favorable that way as we essentially have no picks to use.
Another source of help could be the buyout market, where good players like last years Andrew Drummond can sometimes be had. But, only get one of the top one’s available, no Zeller’s please.
Before that, different rotations, more use of HH and maybe Bryant, should be considered. know I am almost alone in the idea that Bryant could be better used than the chances he’s gotten.
And then we can still make a trade, or maybe just see how this team does. The one caveat being, we will need a trade if anyone gets hurt, which is likely. But, if we save our assets to the summer, maybe we can make the one more move then, with more knowledge of our needs, to be the team we ideally need to be.
We lost to the Grizzlies JV team.
Ouch.
This has to be rock bottom.
All of the positives we picked up by going 7 games over. 500…were heading right back to. 500.
If water reaches its level is true then Spo has his work cut out for him.
Boston next. Good Lord, if they’ll play like that, there will be 50 point difference.
Rozier was almost the hero in his first game. When that 3 went up I thought it was going in and it everyone was going to go crazy. I guess it wasn’t a movie. Clank. Damn.
They played like crap and still had a shot to win it. Tonight it gets real.
I was watching the Herro-Rozier dynamic, because I think their ability to play off one another is going to determine our ceiling.
There was a few possessions where Rozier got by his man and kicked it out to Herro who immediately looked to do the same. Glimpses of 30-11.
The struggles *feel* like the injuries simplified the game plan for everyone, but then as guys got healthy there were too many moving parts. So I think we’re gonna see Spo start to change up the game plan on that end, and if Rozier and Herro can capture that rotation causing rim pressure havoc….
Oh yeah, the other thing I liked was seeing Bam with a guard who can beat his guy off the dribble at the top of the arc in the PnR. I almost forgot what that looked like.
I thought the same thing. We’re about to be open 24 hours like 7-11
It’s a lot to go from one team to another. First game is going to be difficult. In a way it only helps if it illustrates how flawed this team was. No matter what, no matter that he took charges, no matter that he was a calming influence, getting Lowry off the team helps. He went down in quality way more this year than last. He couldn’t shoot anymore, and was a turnstile on the d. I just can’t believe, with his contract, we got Rozier for him and a pick.
Rozier is going to be excellent, as he drives, something very needed. He looks like he will be decent on the defense too. JJJ is much more important to this team than any of us realized as his skill set, powering to the basket, quick feet on defense, quick hands for steals, is much missed. He was an amazing later round pick.
But, despite these upgrades, we still need one more trade and games like last night should not be ignored nor should excuses be made. We did that all this year while not facing reality.
Yes, Jimmy has come down a little, but rest assured, he can still be great.this year. But, next year, look what happened to Lowry, that will likely be Jimmy starting his descent. We need to make our move, right now. Ty and Dunc, though very different, are the closest we have to a surplus, and one can be traded and it won’t hurt us. Package Dunc with Caleb, who is not going to be with us next year anyway, and we can get better than Toppin, and won’t give up any more picks. I say trade Dunc over Ty as Ty is so explosive on offense, creates his own shot more, even if he is slightly more a liability on defense. We can live with his defense if we get another two way player.
One more move and we will have a great second half season.
Go Geat!
Heat.
A championship team must have a balance of youthful energy and excitement and veteran experience and stability. This team lacks youthful exuberance.
I didn’t realize just how much life Jaquez has brought to this team until seeing how they have missed playing without him. I already see him as “Jimmy 2.0” in his rookie season. Jaquez is averaging 14.0 ppg this year. Jimmy didn’t reach a 13.1 ppg average until his third full season.Jimmy seems to have lost his focus and passion for the game. He will be eligible for a $50 million + extension this off season. Jimmy routinely misses games in his age 34 season, imagine when he is 39 years old in 2029-30 making $60M+ a year? I can’t. With Jaquez coming into his own, I’m thinking it would be a good time to find a trading partner for Jimmy who is willing to give up assets (young player(s) with very high potential and draft picks) before it is too late to trade him? Herro looks like he has hit a wall. Will he ever become the two-way player he has the potential to be? Is he destined to be just another one-way shooter? Is there a two-way player out there worth trading Herro or Herro + a pick for? (DeJounte Murray)?Bam is the heart, soul and future of the Heat. He deserves to be surrounded by players who are willing to give 100% each and every game, both ways, just like he does. I’m sure there are trades to be had. It’s just a matter of whether or not Arison and Riley are willing to pull the trigger(s). Time will tell.
GO HEAT!!!
You said a lot of things I see too.
This was the new low. I cant remember if I ever saw this team that lethargic.
Spo unsuccessfully tried to change thing by rotating starters outside Bam, Herro and Butler.
But its obvious the main problem are those three. Maybe there is a bad fit, or they are all out of shape right now.
The solution for this is to bench one of those guys. The easiest would be Herro, because its young and he is done this before. But in the case, if this wont work, and JJJ is back, we should bench Butler.
I agree.
I remember the time Spo pulled out the entire starting team because they were playing like dogshit. Maybe he needs to do that now with Butler and Herro. Wake up call 101!
Their pride will either snap out of their funks or their egos will prompt them to demand trades. If they do demand trades, it will make Pat’s job easy. I’m sure there are several teams who would fight among themselves to give Pat whatever he wants.
Just a thought.
GO HEAT!
We are 44 games into the season, the same old problems are re-occurring.Turnovers, missed defensive assignments, guys missing open shots, silly needless fouls. It is not about meshing but more of coaching issues. What are the assistant coaches doing? This team played against a team that is the most injury depleted team in the NBA and still lost. It is Memphis that should be worried about meshing not the Heat. The only new player in the Heat uniform was Rozier but the problems were the same old problems. The assistant coaches need to get to work overtime on these players.
Are old films not being watched that the same old problems keep recurring?
Hold on. I think I got it. At the start of the season Heat lost four straight then ran 7 wins. So after this they will go on a winning run 😁
Heat seems getting to the mean in terms of performance as in like last season. Successive poor shooting slump. Losing “winnable” games. Still lots of time left as someone here said…to right the ship. Not losing hope yet.
Wow. This is the first game I’ve seen since Butler came back, and that was TURRIBLE. I don’t care that the Heat lost, they played like ass the whole game. It was painful to watch. Honestly, I turned it off about five minutes into the third quarter. If I wanted to watch crappy basketball, I’d go to a Blazers game.
Eric and Crotty kept saying that the Heat looked “off” and that they couldn’t get into a rhythm. To me, the problem seems pretty obvious.
All season, I’ve been talking about the ball movement, and how well the Heat have been passing the ball. Well, you get rid of Lowry, Jamie is injured, Jovic is benched, and Love only played a few minutes. Guess what? The excellent passing goes away, and this becomes a team of mediocre scorers playing iso ball. No shit the offense looks lifeless.
They gotta get Jamie, Jovic, and Love back into the rotation asap. And while I don’t want to over-react to one game, if anyone else from the core rotation is getting traded before the deadline, it should be Jimmy. He has looked bad all season.
ALL THAT SAID…
I’m gonna give the guys a pass tonight. Kyle just got traded. He was one of the most popular dudes on the team. I’m sure it can’t be easy to see your friend get fired and then show up for work the next day. I kind of expected a let down game tonight.
But shit, they better rediscover that mojo. Forget about wins and losses. This team has been really fun to watch all season, and that was like poison for my eyeballs tonight.
One game…with Rozier. But already 4 games all losses. We all can react but not over. Yet lol
you win some, you lose some. But that team tonight looked nothing like the team I watched in november and december.
This post gas some things I don’t agree with. We do need Jaime back. But, we need less, not more of Love and Jovic. Love was someone else’s castoff #11 in the rotation player. He has no business seeing more than 5 minutes a game. He is glacially slow and shots a poor percentage most games. Jovic is far from ready. I believe he was a wasted pick. I know he supposedly has potential. But, he looks nothing like a ball player yet, just being honest. We need more Bryant or we need someone better. I believe we should trade Duncan or Ty as they, although very different, have a similar impact on the team and thus one of them is the closest to being expendable of any players, of those who have some value, to get a good return. We need a Toppin or better, preferably better. And I prefer we trade Dunc over Ty as Ty can explode for thirty. We need more HH as the team works well with him in, but you can’t have him in with other nonscorers. First team, Butler, Bam, Rozier, JJJ, HH. Second team Ty, JRich, Caleb, Bryant or better, and a first teamer, or Cain or ORob. We only need to go nine deep anyway.
Get an upgrade on Love/Jovic, have patience for a few games, and we are ready for anything the good teams throw at us.
no worries, well gonna get it next game. Well gonna go 4-0 against celtics, knick, suns, and kings. Go heat!
I’m with this dude let’s go!
Rozier had a few nice drives today that didn’t fall, but they will. I’m hoping he starts tomorrow, it’s why he’s here. When Jaquez returns, they’ll be that much better. I’d still like to see another ‘tweak’ trade before 2/8, Toppin or similar power player. Either way, the team has improved and they’ll get it together soon.
trade Butler to the Lakers for Reeves, Hatchimura, and D-Lo.
If the Heat don’t win it all this season, I think that should be considered, especially with extension issues coming up next season. I say again that I hope they don’t extend Butler to the tune of $50-60 million a year. I hope they don’t extend him at any exorbitant amount.
i dunno, i don’t want to over-react to one game. But it seems like this team has been significantly worse since they replaced Jaquez and Love with Butler and Caleb.
Oh no, I’m not overreacting. This one game doesn’t matter all that much. I just don’t want to see the Heat offer Butler a 4-5 year extension paying him $200-250 million and ending when he is nearly 40 years old. It’d be the worst decision in franchise history imo.
I’m not talking about the next 4-5 years, I’m talking about right now.
What happened to the team that was cutting through the lane and zipping nifty passes for easy baskets? Jaquez and Love are elite passers, Lowry and Jovic are both very good passers. That becomes contagious, with guys like Bam doing screen-hand-offs and J-Rich cutting the lane and Duncan getting open shots.
All of a sudden, this team is starting Caleb, Butler, Herro, and HIghsmith and it’s a bunch of dudes just standing around.
I am legitimately wondering if Jaquez is a better player than Jimmy Butler this season. If I were Spo, I would pray that he gets back soon, and in the meantime make sure Jovic or K-Love are on the floor at all times.
A couple weeks ago I said this was best passing Heat team I’ve ever seen. Today they looked like a play-in team barfing up bad shots. If they play like that against Boston on Thursday they’re going to lose by 30
also, I’m never the ‘sky is falling’ guy. I usually bring up the playoff record anytime anyone complains about this team. But ever since Jimmy Butler came back they are playing terrible basketball, and it’s not just a matter of wins and losses. They looked like ass out there tonight
Okay, so let’s give it a bit more time. Love went out due to illness, so he’ll be back. I don’t know how much time Jovic will get now. He’s got lots of potential, but is still shaky on offense and sometimes on d. Rozier is a good passer.
Agree 100%. Toppin or similar.
If no one was told, you will not know this was Rozier’s debut with the Heat. He did not look out of place. HHH looked like he was debutting in Heat’s jersey. The offense often looked like it was in disarray. Turnovers, no clean shots, missed open shots, poor perimeter defense . You name it, same old problems, that is not a one man fit solution.In portions of the game, I was shouting take a charge, take a charge. No one sacrificed his body for a charge on defense. Lowry, no matter your shortcomings, the Heat missed you there. Hopefully, these correctable miscues will be corrected soon.
Go Heat, Go.
its gonna take time for these guys to mesh just like wade bron and bosh, doesnt happen overnight.the talent of the roster is there give it time with jjj back and terry.ty bam jim caleb patience.relax hhhers it should work just based on the players talent levels
This is not about meshing. These are longstanding errors that repeated itself. I had said before Rozier, that a new pg will not fix turnovers, guys missing open shots, defensive assignments being missed. We are close to midseason and you are still talking about meshing, good luck!