Blog 2
Record: 11-9
Standing: 3rd, Southeast
Offensive Rating: 99.10 (13th)
Defensive Rating: 97.60 (17th)
As of Sunday, December 7th, 2008 12:00PM

20 games into the season and we begin to see a bit of consistency from the Heat. There's been a bit of a shakeup in the lineup as Beasley now comes off the bench while Joel Anthony starts at center and Haslem slides over to his Power Forward position. Meanwhile, Marc Blount just warms the bench altogether. The injury bug has bitten again, apparently having affection for Dorell Wright's knee. He's out again for 4-6 weeks after undergoing knee surgery.

Pleasant surprises

 D-Wade being very offensive:  After 10games, Wade was 2nd in the league in scoring. Currently he leads the league at 28.9ppg and doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. Infact, as the season goes on, his scoring output is steadily increasing. If this continues, he'll be putting 35-40point games regularly by the end of December and who knows what's in store for next year, 50? Maybe a couple 60's? I wish!

Progress on the road: The Heat embarked on a 5game Western Conference road trip and posted a 3-2 record over there. It's a marked improvement over the 1-4 record we had before the trip and could have been a total mirrored 4-1 if not for a couple things that happened in the Clippers game.

Disappointments

Shawn Marion still not up to par: Marion, Marion, Marion where art thou! You're playing just "OK" which just isn't you. You're giving us 12.6 points and 9.4rebounds a game which makes you look more like a role player than the all star you once were. I expected 18ppg and 10rbg from you because I know that's what you're capable of but apparently maybe you just don't fit the team as well as you did in Phoenix, or maybe you're not focused or maybe you're getting old..who knows? We shall see.

 Dorell injured again: I can't say how disappointed I was to hear that this guy's knee is acting up again. Not disappointed in him as a player, just disappointed in his luck because I know he's got tons of potential and he's a good guy. I wish him the best of luck in his recovery and hope he gets a chance to show off some of that potential.

The Rookies

Michael Beasley fluctuating: Beasley's taking on that mythical "rookie's bug" early. He's sandwiching good games between ghost games. He destroyed Golden State in one game then was invisible last night against the Thunder. I'm not knocking him for it or anything, because when he finds consistency the Heat will be all the better for it. I also believe he's better coming off the bench to give a scoring punch to the secondary unit.

Mario Chalmers developing quietly: Early on Chalmers was making a heckuvalot of noise in the backcourt with Wade as they led all backcourts in combined steals, which they still do. Chalmers isn't making as much noise as the first few weeks, but he's still putting up good numbers and maintains his rank amongst rookies in steals 2.05(1st) and assists 4.5(2nd).

The Unknowns

Coaching habits..good or bad?: Eric Spoelstra is limiting Wade's playing time, I believe trying to get his minutes down to about 35-38 per game. This is all well and good as Wade is now becoming accustomed to putting up his numbers in shorter spaces of time (38points in 35minutes on Saturday versus the Thunder), but there's one underlying problem. Wade usually sits the start of the 4th quarter of games, which as anyone would tell you, is when teams make their final run. This is ok if the Heat have a large lead to cushion the run, but there are times when it's not a good idea as it may and has cost us games. On the November 12th Game when Portland visited Miami, the 4th quarter started with the Heat leading 75 - 73 and with Wade on the bench. Portland went on a run and took the lead. Wade came back into the game with 8:44 left and Portland ahead by 2. Wade then had to outshoot the guard combo of Roy and Fernandez who were already in a rhythm while Wade was just coming off the bench - not gonna happen. This almost happened again last night as the Thunder came back from 15down to tie the game at 90pts apiece. Spoelstra should limit Wade's playing time during the first 3quarters so that he can play the entire 4th.

Annoyingly sweet occurance: Anyone notice how Miami can score a multitude of points in a really short space of time? The first time I noticed was when the Heat beat the Mavericks in Game 3 of the 2006 NBA Finals when Miami erased a 13point deficit during the last 6minutes to win the game. Wade serves as a huge catalyst for this as it never happened during his 2 injury plagued years, but it has happened a couple times this year. Miami trailed the Nets by 10 at halfway through the 4th on Nov.10. Wade scored 14points in a 5minute span to help Miami win the game by 5. On Nov. 4, the Heat scored 18pts in a 5minute span against the Wizards. Finally on Nov. 19, Wade led a rally against the Raptors, helping the Heat post a blistering 23points (12 by Wade) in just 5minutes. My point? It's sweet that they can do it, but annoying that it's done only when they're down.

Overall: The team continues to grow, with everyone finding their role and with Jamal Magloire returning albeit being used sparingly. I can't wait to see how James Jones fits in upon his return and how Wade continues to score so seamlessly and efficiently.

     Blog 1
Record: 5-5
Standing: 3rd, Southeast
Offensive Rating: 110.5 (7th)
Defensive Rating: 105.8 (12th)
As of Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 12:00PM

10 games into the season and we've gotten just a glimpse of what the new-look Heat are capable of (both good and bad). The Heat are very good at running and playing pesky defense (deflecting passes, disrupting passing lanes, altering shots and forcing turnovers). What they're not good at is rebounding and maintaining a consistent offensive game plan. Many times the heat will get a lead by playing good team ball then lose it by taking low percentage shots and playing like they're taking buzzer-beaters (less than 3 passes followed by a 3-pointer with 1 or more hands in the shooter's face).

Pleasant surprises

 The backcourt of Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers is better than expected: Flash and his sidekick Super Mario are averaging a league best 4.9 Steals Per Game as a backcourt duo. If Chalmers continues to develop at this pace, Miami won't need to trade for or sign a point guard.

D-Wade is back: Over the course of the first 10 games, Wade has averaged stellar numbers of 27.9 PPG (2nd), 7.3 APG (8th),  5.2 RPG, 2.7 SPG (3rd) & 1.6 BPG. These Numbers are especially dominant among the guards of the league. As he ranks 1st in points and blocks, 3rd in steals, 8th in assists, 7th in rebounding and 1st in PTS/REB/ASTS average (Overall second to Lebron James). His efficiency rating is 2nd to only Chris Paul. His only blemish is his turnovers. He leads the league with a 3.9 TPG rating. This number will hopefully drop once Chalmers gets settled into running the offense.

Haslem at Center: When I heard about the experiment that would place Udonis Haslem at center, I threw a fit and was tempted to deem the season a total failure. After seeing him average 13.0 PPG and 8.5RPG, I've been convinced that he makes a more than capable center for the Heat. Multi-positional players are always a joy, but I never expected this kind of hustle and play from Haslem.

Disappointments

Shawn Marion: This isn't much of a disappointment, but I expected Marion to provide more of a scoring punch than he has so far at 10.3 PPG. I was expecting somewhere around 15-18 or at the very least more than Michael Beasley. His rebounding is a tad low for a team that lacks size at 8.4 RPG but that's not a glaring problem. He should be more of an offensive force than he currently is and I expect him to do better after recovering from his groin injury. If he's playing for a better contract than the 17Million he's currently on then he's not showing it at all.

No love for Dorell and Shaun: 10 games have gone by and Shaun Livingston & Dorell Wright have seen only 2games and 1 game respectively. Far be it from me to tell Eric Spoelstra how to run his team but weren't these guys signed to play? Just saying..

Road Warriors...or not: The Heat are so far turning out to be a force to be reckoned with at home at (4-1). However that's only half the battle. It seems that as good as the Heat are at home, they're the complete opposite on the road (1-4). The hustle that's shown in the American Airlines Arena just doesn't exist when The Heat visit other Arenas. It's more than possible to make the playoffs like this, but definitely not possible to contend for a championship.
The Rookies

Michael Beasley doing just fine: When the Heat drafted Beasley with the 2nd Overall pick, there was a lot of speculation as to whether Beasley would cause an uproar in the team's locker room with his history of bad behavior. Well, just over 10% into the season and he seems to be the quietest rookie of them all. He's averaging 16.3 PPG & 5.9 RPG. Good for 3rd and 7th respectively among rookies. His .868 free throw percentage is stellar and he's shown a commitment to defensive improvement. He's got no problem with his offense having scored less than 10 points only once (9 on opening night).

Mario Chalmers a steal (no pun intended): When the heat purchased the rights to Mario Chalmers on draft night, I had a feeling that Riley was up to something. Turns out he stole Chalmers from every other team (Drafted No.34 by Minnesota) and in return, Chalmers steals for the Heat on a nightly basis. Having gone only 1 game without a steal (VS New Jersey, Nov 10th) He leads all rookies in steals with 2.2 SPG and is 2nd in assists to Derrick Rose with 4.7 APG. His offensive output tends to fluctuate (6.6 PPG) but he doesn't need to rush it with such potent offensive players surrounding him (Wade, Beasley, Marion)

The Unknowns

Missing pieces: Jamaal Magloire and James Jones have been injured since the pre-season and haven't had the chance to play with the team as yet. With Jamaal being the team's best pure center (6ft 11, 265lbs. 7.2 RPG) and James being the team's designated 3-point shooter, (.399% career, .444 last season) it gives us fans the hope that the team will be a lot better once these guys come in and improve our rebounding (39.2 RPG, 25th) and our 3pt shooting (.350 14th)

Trades?: We all know Riley is a mastermind when it comes to finding talent and making trades. The question is this: Will he wait and see how this team works out when all the pieces are at 100% or will he package some people and make a trade to shore up the holes. Everyone knows Marion is the most moveable piece on the team so it's just a matter of time will tell.

Overall: I personally like this Heat team and believe that when the J's come back in, we're going to be a lot better. Maybe not a perennial contender yet, but then again, we weren't picked for the 2006 Championship and we all know that like it or not, if you give a healthy Wade a 7-game series, there's a good chance of him pulling a rabbit out of the hat. Just ask those Mavericks fans.