Does anyone have a pair of stone tablets to write on?!
One day after another trade deadline flameout, where the Miami Heat were the only team in the East to not make a trade, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson affirmed the core philosophies the organization lives and breathes by, dubbing them the “10 commandments.”
Here’s what they are:
- Never trade good players for future draft picks
- Never give up on a season
- Do not accept taking a step back with the hope that it could lead to better days ahead
- Go all in for an all-time great player but be very selective about pursuing other good players
- Do not make a trade simply for the sake of making a trade
- Don’t give up on a roster prematurely
- Don’t try to sell high on players
- Bam Adebayo is essentially untouchable
- Maintain roster/payroll flexibility if possible
- Don’t worry about losing a free agent for nothing
Why the Miami Heat needs a philosophical change:
While I’ve long respected the Heat’s front office continuity and organizational stability, there’s irony in their philosophy also staying the same.
What’s ever-evolving in today’s NBA is the game’s style of play, the league’s talent, how rosters are constructed, the cap mechanisms behind those roster decisions, etc.
Why can’t the Heat amend its philosophy?
You adapt, or you die.
And it appears that Miami remains stuck in the past, refusing to believe that taking a couple of steps backward, when mired in mediocrity, won’t spur a few more steps forward, among other things.
Making a trade just to make a trade is bad process. But never selling high on players — capitalizing on their value, especially when you’re stuck in the middle — investing all of your eggs in one basket (Giannis Antetokounmpo) when you don’t ever have the means to acquire said player and risk losing assets for nothing is very poor process, too.
It would be one thing if the Heat were winning. They are currently 27-26 in the East and are 154-145 over their last four seasons. The only thing they are winning is the play-in, and that’s embarrassing for an organization rich in tradition.
Previously, #HEATCulture™ was a moniker used out of respect; now, it’s a laughingstock.
You can’t skip steps in the NBA. Most of the East spent the last 72-96 hours either 1.) pushing to compete 2.) accumulating assets or 3.) making other forward-thinking decisions to set themselves up for short- and long-term success.
Miami did none of those things. It’s never bad to adhere to organizational philosophies. Every organization must set a standard of excellence that it must adhere.
But the Heat’s philosophies — and standard of excellence, which is currently being average — must shift if they want to get back to winning.
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For why not to blow it up/tank at the deadline, there are already 9 teams tanking with worse records than Miami (SAC, IND, WAS, BKN, UTAH, DAL, MEM, MIL, CHI), and 10 including New Orleans (who is actually trying to win because they’re sending their pick to ATL, but is 14-40).
It’s called a lottery, just like how Dallas went from being 11 to drafting number one you do know this. Just say you’re fine with the team as is. A middling mediocre playin team 4 years straight
Dallas had a 1.8% chance of getting the No. 1. pick last year, and just a 8.5% chance of getting a pick in the top 4. Is your strategy to shut down Bam, Wiggins, and Powell to replicate what Dallas did in the lottery last year? Or to trade Wiggins and Powell for second round picks?
Basketball reference gives the Heat a 47% chance of getting a top 6 seed and a 3.9% chance of winning the conference. The play-in is their floor – there’s almost no way they will not be in the top 10 in the East.
DET – concerns that they’re peaking too early? They’re the best team in the East with a clear defensive identity and a MVP candidate in Cade
BOS – added Vucevic in a cost-saving move, Mazzulla is a COY candidate
NYK – added Alvarado but lost Miles McBride to injury. James Dolan said they should win the title, ton of pressure
CLE – added Harden in a win now move, now or never for this group, ton of pressure
TOR – #6 defense, #17 offense, similar profile to Heat but with less playoff experience
PHI – #15 defense, #12 offfense. Maxey is a top 10 MVP candidate, playing 38.8 mpg
ORL – bad vibes and their only deadline move was to salary dump Tyus Jones
MIA – #4 defense, #20 offense, Herro played only 11 games
ATL – preseason EC contender that traded away Trae and Porzingis, no identity
CHA – #9 offense, #18 defense. Won 8 straight and will be a dangerous play-in opponent at minimum
11-15 – CHI, MIL, WAS, IND, BKN – tanking teams
Miami is currently the 8th place team, .5 game behind Orlando, one game ahead of 9th place Atlanta and 2.5 games ahead of Chicago and Charlotte who have have the same record and are tied for the 10th spot. 1 of the 5 teams will probably not make the play-in round. 3 of the 5 will end up as lottery teams.
Those 5 teams aren’t the same. The play-in is Miami’s floor but Chicago’s ceiling. Orlando is facing major issues and Atlanta already pivoted from trying to win now this season. Charlotte looks good now but has a below average defense.
I wouldn’t take anything for granted. I do believe Miami is a play-in team. Any higher seeding and they will need to play a lot better than what I’ve seen of late.
We’ve had a glimpse or two of a possible play-off team, but that was at the beginning of the season. The Heat has 29 games left and has the 4th easiest remaining schedule in the NBA. They should go at least 25-24 the rest of the way. That would leave them with a 42-40 season record. That’s probably good enough for 7th place. Any better and they might squeeze into the #6 slot.
Oops. Make that 15-14 in last 29 games.
I think 5-6 would be the goal. DET, BOS, NYK, CLE should be the top 4, but no one outside DET is scary there.
How tanking works via @JoshuaBRobbins:
“Add this to the tanking files. The Jazz led the Magic 94-87 going into the fourth quarter tonight. Lauri Markkanen and Jaren Jackson Jr. had already combined for 49 points, but they were held out for the entire fourth. Utah lost the game 120-117.”
Philly is far superior to us, even with George’s suspension. The gulf between us and them, now that Embiid is playing, is beyond question. Orlando is 4-0 against us. Toronto destroyed us when we last played, and is 2-0 against us. Atlanta hammered us just recently. I like your rosy outlook but it’s not reflective of what’s happening. The Heat are highly likely to be playing-in level again, even with their supposedly easy schedule. .
Studies indicate a mean age for dementia onset is often around 79–80 years. Hmm? It seems there’s a lot of that going on in Washington and elsewhere these days.
Hmm? Where have I heard those words before. They sound very familiar. Almost like someone was reading my mind (or my previous comments).
That commandment list is the reason this team is mediocre. It’s literally a blueprint to hamper, stall and alienate a team from getting better. Thanks Barry for posting this dumb old way of thinking bs
4peat playin championship pending
11 Never trade bad players for future draft picks
Is there a Heat commandment to overpay & overplay someone who has never proven he could play basketball against NBA players…but yet is given this opportunity time after time as if it it’s a gift ?
Mismanagement means a pattern of incompetent actions which are wrongful, negligent, arbitrary or capricious and which adversely affect the efficient functioning of an organization.