[外電] Diego: Need for Upgrade
JUNE 29, 2009
Need for Upgrade
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel speculated that the Miami Heat
may stand pat with its point guard lineup. He said that Miami paid the Los
Angeles Lakers $1.5 million to obtain the draft rights to Patrick Beverley, a
figure that is significant because Heat owner Micky Arison allowed Heat
President Pat Riley to give the Minnesota Timberwolves $2 million to acquire
Mario Chalmers only when Riley assured him that Chalmers would be a rotation
player.
Riley appeared to like Beverley while he spoke in his post-Draft press
conference, and there's no reason to think that he is not enamored with this
second-round pick. Chalmers filled in admirably to the starting point guard
spot and earned a place on the All-NBA Rookie Second Team. The fact of the
matter is that this team will probably not win a championship with two
inexperienced second-round picks as its quarterbacks, however.
Why do I bring up championships, especially when Miami has a long way to go
before it reaches that point? Because a commitment from the Heat front office
to winning championships will be its best bet to convince Dwyane Wade to sign
a contract extension this summer. And upgrading at the point guard spot will
help Wade the most.
Even with Chalmers starting all 89 games for the Heat -- including post-season
-- Wade was the true point guard more often than not. He was the one who was
setting up his teammates and himself for plays 90 percent of the time. Wade was
effective in that role, but it is a duty on Wade's shoulders that he would
prefer not to bear. It is a duty that he performs better without.
Why was Wade so impressive at the 2008 Beijing Olympics? He didn't have to
focus on setting up teammates or making plays for himself. The plays were
already made for him; he just needed to finish them. Now, the common rebuttal
is that Wade had Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd as point guards. The
Heat is not getting that kind of star power to join Wade in the backcourt. Fair
enough, but does that mean that Miami shouldn't improve?
Miami-area newspapers have mentioned Jason Kidd, who is a free agent this
summer, as potentially in the Heat's plans.With Miami already in the luxury
tax, signing Kidd may seem like a stretch, but Arison has repeatedly said that
he would have no qualms of delving into the tax if it means turning his team
into a championship contender. Kidd is one of the best players in the League at
making plays, but his jump-shot has always been bad. He probably doesn't make
the Heat into a championship contender, but Riley may sell Arison on the move
if he assures the Carnival Cruise owner that the acquisition of Kidd is a step
in building a championship contender.
The options go well beyond just the 36-year-old Kidd, though. Milwaukee, New
Jersey, Golden State and Phoenix have all given up more talent in exchange for
salary cap relief amid tough economic times. What do all those teams have in
common? They didn't make the playoffs, therefore not allowing these teams to
create more revenue through post-season games. Every team that didn't make the
playoffs -- and maybe a few that did -- are probably willing to give up a long-
term deal to take expiring contracts, even if it means giving up more talent.
Riley has those expiring contracts, with Jermaine O'Neal, Mark Blount, Udonis
Haslem, Dorell Wright, Chris Quinn and Yakhouba Diawara all scheduled to come
off the books next summer.
A team would be more willing to take those expiring deals if the player coming
to Miami had a few years left on his contract, of course. Riley has stated that
he cannot take contracts that go beyond 2010 until his franchise player, Wade,
signs an extension. Those negotiations will come. But there is one certainty:
if Wade does take the leap of faith in Riley and signs the extension, there is
no excuse for him not to upgrade. And this team needs it.
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