Pre-Season Game #1: Heat @ Hawks 2PM ET

[Wade2k6]

I think Bosh has really grown since coming here. He isn't going to be the quantity scorer and/or rebounder like he was in Toronto because he doesn't have the same opportunities, but he's learning how to effect the game without having to do that. That is invaluable, especially on a team with 2 ball-dominant players. I don't see why people have problems with what he has done here.

He has improved a lot defensively and even though he isn't a true defensive anchor, he fits into Miami's system perfectly. He defends the PnR very well because his length allows him to hedge and his quickness allows him to recover without being burnt. He also rotates and closes out on shooters pretty damn good for a big-man. This, in part, allows Miami to play the type of defense they want. Obviously it doesn't hurt when you have Wade, LeBron, Battier, Haslem, JA on the court with you and pesky young defenders like Cole and Chalmers. I think we all saw his worth during the playoffs. Without Bosh they don't have anyone to play the lengthy PF-C type players like Garnett, Josh Smith and they don't have anyone consistent enough to stretch the floor, open the lanes, or finish around the rim on dump-off passes from LeBron & Wade.

One thing I'd like for Miami to do is make a conscious effort to incorporate Bosh early & often offensively. They would do this at the start of every game in '10 with JON. Let him get into a rhythm, this will open up lanes for Wade & LeBron to penetrate (and as a result open up 3pt shots for Chalmers, Allen, Miller, etc). And when he does get into a rhythm, stay with it. There was too many times last year when he would hit 2-3 shots in a row and he wouldn't see the ball again.

[Zasterror]

Bosh is very invaluable to our team, both offensively and defensively. However, you cannot deny that Bosh, at times, "disappears" especially at the offensive end. His role is becoming more and more defined as opposed to the first season the Big 3 got together; sometimes he looked lost out there. I'm glad Bosh is getting more comfortable, he will only get better from now on.

[Wade2k6]

Agreed. There are times that Bosh needs to be more aggressive offensively, but there is also times that he's feeling it and they don't feed him the ball. Bosh "disappearing" has a lot to do with playing on a team with 2 of the best players in the game. On one hand you want to get Bosh going because he opens up the entire floor, but on the other hand you have Wade and LeBron on the wing that score as efficiently as any perimeter players in the game.

I think they need to work on force-feeding him the ball in the beginning of the game. Get him in a rhythm and it'll make Wade and LeBron's job easier, plus open up the shooters. And look to be more aggressive he's in w/ Wade when LeBron goes to the bench at the start of the 2nd & 4th Q.

[Slot Machine]

I think Bosh has really grown since coming here. He isn't going to be the quantity scorer and/or rebounder like he was in Toronto because he doesn't have the same opportunities, but he's learning how to effect the game without having to do that. That is invaluable, especially on a team with 2 ball-dominant players. I don't see why people have problems with what he has done here.

He has improved a lot defensively and even though he isn't a true defensive anchor, he fits into Miami's system perfectly. He defends the PnR very well because his length allows him to hedge and his quickness allows him to recover without being burnt. He also rotates and closes out on shooters pretty damn good for a big-man. This, in part, allows Miami to play the type of defense they want. Obviously it doesn't hurt when you have Wade, LeBron, Battier, Haslem, JA on the court with you and pesky young defenders like Cole and Chalmers. I think we all saw his worth during the playoffs. Without Bosh they don't have anyone to play the lengthy PF-C type players like Garnett, Josh Smith and they don't have anyone consistent enough to stretch the floor, open the lanes, or finish around the rim on dump-off passes from LeBron & Wade.

One thing I'd like for Miami to do is make a conscious effort to incorporate Bosh early & often offensively. They would do this at the start of every game in '10 with JON. Let him get into a rhythm, this will open up lanes for Wade & LeBron to penetrate (and as a result open up 3pt shots for Chalmers, Allen, Miller, etc). And when he does get into a rhythm, stay with it. There was too many times last year when he would hit 2-3 shots in a row and he wouldn't see the ball again.

Agreed. Good post.

[Pimpwerx]

I'm actually interested to see how Bosh plays when Wade returns. I wonder if he'll be our secondary scoring option after Lebron. Wade minutes might end up limited to 24 or 25. I wouldn't mind seeing Bosh take on a bigger scoring role.

Anyway, some other thoughts I had on the game:

- Ray Allen looks better than I anticipated. He can be a dynamic scorer still, not just someone who runs around screens. We don't call too many plays, so I liked how he looked as a playmaker. It's like Boston slowed him down, and now w're playing his speed. He can run forever, so he could really help us keep the pace up. I'm interested in seeing more of his post game too. That was a bit of a surprise to me.

- Our spacing was pretty ridiculous. Playing uptempo let Bron and Cole pressure the defense and force them to collapse, leaving multiple wide open shooters. I think it might be better for shooters to close in for a more certain midrange jumper than a long 3. The corner 3s are fine though.

- The team looked "weird" with Pittman in. If you can't score AND run the floor, you're probably not a 2012 Heat rotation player. Them's the breaks.

- I think a strategy teams are gonna employ to slow us down is harassing the outlet pass to buy time for the rest of the team to get up the court. The rebounder should be able to push the ball up the court.

I think Ray was quoted before as saying he will be playing some SF this year. I don't know much about that, but I know that Wade can guard SFs. I'm thinking we might well see a decent amount of:

Rio/Ray/Wade/Bron/Bosh

That's 5 ball-handlers, all can shoot the 3, can attack the rim, kinda suck at rebounding and defense though. That could be our rally lineup, since everyone can push the ball up the floor off a rebound or inbound. PEACE.

[DWadeno3]

@Pimpwerx: Are you referring to Wade's preseason or regular season minutes? Because if you believe he'll be at 24 to 25 minutes a game during the regular season, then I gotta ask you if you think he's 30 or 40. This whole limited minutes thing is crap. If his knee is an issue, he should sit, not play limited minutes. If his knee is fine, there's no reason for him to not play around 34-35 MPG.
Also regarding your lineup, I like it but don't understand how it's gonna suck defensively. None of the players, if healthy, are bad defensively, neither as individual nor as team defenders. Sure, having Wade and Allen on the wing could cause mismatch problems, but I think with the quickness and athleticism we have, our system can cover up for it.

Regarding Bosh, I don't fully understand the concern. As others have pointed out, you're not always gonna be able to produce big numbers with other star players on your team. CB had a USG% of 24.2 and attempted 14.5 shots per 36 minutes a game. This is more than enough for a third option. His OWS was at 3.6, which is the third best number on the team, but more importantly, his DWS were at 3.3, which is the second highest number on the team and the key to Bosh's value to us. As Wade 2k6 has pointed out, he does a ton of little things on the court, which can't be replaced by any other player on our team because they're either not tall or good enough to replace them. In another thread I pointed out how Bosh is probably the player who is the hardest to replace on our roster based on those unique qualities (unique meaning unique on our team).

Let's just take a look at Pimpwerx's lineup of Rio-Ray-Wade-LBJ-Bosh. Without Bosh, that team misses the key anchor defensively and thus is that much less valuable. Just speaking from a defensive standpoint, when you throw Joel or UD in there, you may the quickness of Bosh, but not the size or length. When you throw Pittman in there, you may have the size but not the quickness. This is pretty much repeating/adding to what Wade2k6 already mentioned, only that I don't see the necessity for CB to be forced into more shots because I believe everybody should be aggressive and whoever gets a good shot takes it.

[DieHardBallFan]

One thing people seem to either ignore or just not know is that Spole has a HUGE part as to what Bosh's role is and how much offensively he participates, as does Lebron.

Spole could step in at anytime and demand Bosh get's more plays ran for him, that his role is bigger.
As can Lebron, by directing what plays are ran on the fly and what play is needed at the time.

Bosh can only do so much. He is all about winning and team. And so far that has got him a championship.
He could turn into a Carmelo and yell at his teammates, demand the ball, and disregard the team. But that isn't what he does and I appreciate him for that.

With that said. Wade in my mind is a top 5 player in the NBA and SHOULD be ahead of Bosh at this point as far as role's go. So while others claim "disappearing" I am not complaining and promote it.

[Pimpwerx]

@Pimpwerx: Are you referring to Wade's preseason or regular season minutes? Because if you believe he'll be at 24 to 25 minutes a game during the regular season, then I gotta ask you if you think he's 30 or 40. This whole limited minutes thing is crap. If his knee is an issue, he should sit, not play limited minutes. If his knee is fine, there's no reason for him to not play around 34-35 MPG.
Also regarding your lineup, I like it but don't understand how it's gonna suck defensively. None of the players, if healthy, are bad defensively, neither as individual nor as team defenders. Sure, having Wade and Allen on the wing could cause mismatch problems, but I think with the quickness and athleticism we have, our system can cover up for it.

On the minutes, it's something Haberstroh and I think Skolnick posited based on a mix of stat mining and injury considerations. I'll look to see if I can find the articles and tweets, but basically, Wade was most-efficient last season when he played 24-26 minutes. Something like that.

As for that lineup being poor defensively, it's the length. That lineup wouldn't be that good against a tall team. It can certainly score a lot of points in a little amount of time. PEACE.

[SmushedPennies]

And a tall team would get killed by that lineup. Works both ways, and I think we'd have a better chance of making up for the deficiencies. We do have LeBron "Skeleton Key" James, you know.

Regarding Wade's minutes, I don't think that's what Hab meant. Was just indicating that reduced minutes mean better production by minute for Dwyane, not that he should play exactly those minutes. No way Wade averages under 30 if he's healthy. I think he'll be around 32, which is very low for a 30-year-old superstar.

I think Bosh has really grown since coming here. He isn't going to be the quantity scorer and/or rebounder like he was in Toronto because he doesn't have the same opportunities, but he's learning how to effect the game without having to do that. That is invaluable, especially on a team with 2 ball-dominant players. I don't see why people have problems with what he has done here.

I hope you're not talking about me. If you are, I thought I made it pretty clear I've loved what he's done here, but have found it apparent he's had trouble consistently filling his role offensively. Mostly not his fault, as I stated.

I agree with everything you said, including the unquoted portion of your post. Too often we go away from him when he's hot. I was very frustrated with LeBron and especially Wade hijacking possessions with early, off-balanced jumpers too often last year. Bosh is our most fundamentally-sound star, he needs a steady, reliable diet of the rock to show it though.

- Our spacing was pretty ridiculous. Playing uptempo let Bron and Cole pressure the defense and force them to collapse, leaving multiple wide open shooters. I think it might be better for shooters to close in for a more certain midrange jumper than a long 3. The corner 3s are fine though.

This is one of the most common fallacies in the game. The long 2 is the least efficient shot in basketball. Three-pointers, even at a lower percentage, are more efficient since they're worth 1.5x more. There's no reason with our great arsenal of shooters we should be having them step in like Dorell used to do before he developed his 3-ball here.

I think Ray was quoted before as saying he will be playing some SF this year. I don't know much about that, but I know that Wade can guard SFs. I'm thinking we might well see a decent amount of:

Rio/Ray/Wade/Bron/Bosh

Actually, Ray played a good amount of SF in Boston. So many teams go small on the perimeter anyway. But yeah, I'd rather have Wade guarding the bigger wing.

I've been championing that lineup since we got Ray. I think it'll be poetry. The problem with that lineup for opposing teams is they can't hide their PF on the SF like they could a Pau Gasol or David West on a Battier or Miller. The Big 3 + Rio/Ray could be killer. Everyone can create their own shot, our two best players are the two worst shooters. Can't wait to see it.

Regarding Bosh, I don't fully understand the concern. As others have pointed out, you're not always gonna be able to produce big numbers with other star players on your team. CB had a USG% of 24.2 and attempted 14.5 shots per 36 minutes a game. This is more than enough for a third option. His OWS was at 3.6, which is the third best number on the team, but more importantly, his DWS were at 3.3, which is the second highest number on the team and the key to Bosh's value to us. As Wade 2k6 has pointed out, he does a ton of little things on the court, which can't be replaced by any other player on our team because they're either not tall or good enough to replace them. In another thread I pointed out how Bosh is probably the player who is the hardest to replace on our roster based on those unique qualities (unique meaning unique on our team).

I would venture to guess you're mixing production up with efficiency. I think some people would just like to see him have less stretches where he seems like he has no idea what to do, either turning the ball over or hoisting/missing awkward jumpers. He looks to be well on the way to getting passed that though, as he gets more comfortable with the system and teammates. He said several times during media day he's still getting comfortable/learning the system on both sides of the court.

Guys, this isn't necessarily about more touches for Bosh. Its more an issue of when and where. He and his teammates are much closer to figuring out how to work that out for the best for everyone.

And I don't know why this has turned into an all out defense of his overall abilities here. Pimp never said he wants to get rid of Bosh or that he has no value. He just made a quip about his offense with Wade in the fold.

[Wade2k6]

I think Bosh has really grown since coming here. He isn't going to be the quantity scorer and/or rebounder like he was in Toronto because he doesn't have the same opportunities, but he's learning how to effect the game without having to do that. That is invaluable, especially on a team with 2 ball-dominant players. I don't see why people have problems with what he has done here.

I hope you're not talking about me. If you are, I thought I made it pretty clear I've loved what he's done here, but have found it apparent he's had trouble consistently filling his role offensively. Mostly not his fault, as I stated.

I agree with everything you said, including the unquoted portion of your post. Too often we go away from him when he's hot. I was very frustrated with LeBron and especially Wade hijacking possessions with early, off-balanced jumpers too often last year. Bosh is our most fundamentally-sound star, he needs a steady, reliable diet of the rock to show it though.

Nah not at all. I just saw a few people arguing about Bosh and I didn't feel like reading through 2-3 pages. It wasn't directed towards anybody, just my general thoughts.

[SmushedPennies]

Didn't think so, just wanted to make sure.

GOOD SH*T.

[krikor]

season is back, but no need to panic after game 1 in pre-season.I rather we lose some in pre-season to push our players to work harded plus make them hungrier.

what worries me wade, and chalmers injuries.

Why are you worried about them? Chalmers has a minor injury and Wade is just recovering, but has been practicing at full speed. I don't see any reason for concern and, in response to several other posters, neither do I see a concern with LeBron's jumper. Aside of him being fine during the regular season anyways, I'd much rather see him work in the post more and move away from the perimeter. It may take him this season to get more comfortable down there, but I think this is where he could possibly add a better dynamic to his game and more importantly to our team.

I also hope LeBron will be wise enough to rest during the preseason and even the regular season. He's had a busy year and maybe part of the reason his shot is flat is fatigue. Let him participate in the China games against the Clippers for marketing purposes and then play him in two of the remaining five games.

You are right, But I want us to have perfect pre-season.The big 3 know each other, along with battier chalmers etc etc... but we need them to play with ray allen and rashard lewis too.The pre-season is there to prepare, and try things.

I dont like wishing bad to others, but am happy lakers are having kobe/howard injury troubles.This will hinder establishing perfect chemistry between them until playoffs.

[jjgp111292]

LeBron's jumper is looking pretty in this Clippers game. Crisis averted?

[ricochet]

LeBron's jumper is looking pretty in this Clippers game. Crisis averted?

It's looking Sick.. and did you see that dunk???????