OffSeason Free Agent Thread...Let's build a DYNASTY! 3.0

shanedude · Post #1261 » by **shanedude** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:44 pm

Do you guys think Battier at the 4 was just for the finals matchup, or could be used in the regular season?

Slot Machine · Post #1262 » by **Slot Machine** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 7:58 pm

I could see Battier playing a few minutes each night at the 4, but I'd be pretty surprised if he started or played the majority of his minutes there.

Pimpwerx · Post #1263 » by **Pimpwerx** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 8:11 pm

shanedude wrote:Do you guys think Battier at the 4 was just for the finals matchup, or could be used in the regular season?

I think Spo and co will look at the numbers and see that Shane's performance seemed to improve once he got starter minutes. Starting let him get into a groove early in the game, and also allowed him to find his place in the offense since he wasn't coming in as a SG one game or a SF the next and a PF the next. He had a defined role on offense, and was able to build nice chemistry with the other starters. His defensive flexibility also proved valuable. I see Spo sticking with him in the starting lineup and tinkering only if Shane starts off cold again, or if he sees something he likes from the C or PF positions. PEACE.

orangeparka · Post #1264 » by **orangeparka** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:18 pm

Apparently, we are interested in Sean Williams.

WTF.

This IsMy House · Post #1265 » by **This IsMy House** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 9:34 pm

shanedude wrote:Do you guys think Battier at the 4 was just for the finals matchup, or could be used in the regular season?

If they decide to play really small I could see them playing him or LBJ at the 4. They know that lineup works so they might go to it, but now that Lewis is on the team he might take that spot too.

orangeparka wrote:Apparently, we are interested in Sean Williams.

WTF.

Ya I saw that too, I hope thats just an awful rumor going around. :-?

Noodle Arm · Post #1266 » by **Noodle Arm** » Wed Aug 29, 2012 10:09 pm

orangeparka wrote:Apparently, we are interested in Sean Williams.

WTF.

This is why I can't stand the media sometimes. There hasn't been one report I've seen yet that says the Heat are legitimately interested in him. It's all been speculation from the reporters. Every time a big gets released, it seems there's a "report" the Heat could be interested. Yes, the team has shown interest in him in the past, doesn't mean we are right now, and I have yet to see anybody say we are. It's just been "The Heat could possibly show interest", but of course you wouldn't know that from the headlines because it's easier to spark rumors than to actually get sources and report. As great as the 24 hour news cycle and instant social media news can be, it also seems to just give reporters carte blanche to throw crap on the wall and see if it sticks.

/END RANT

SmushedPennies · Post #1267 » by **SmushedPennies** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 4:22 am

Yes, Nood! Thank you for ranting so I wouldn't have to. Please read the wiretaps carefully, y'all. Anything that says "might" or "may" or "could" is a ploy to get you to click your mouse. Marc Stein tweeted about the Heat showing interest in the past and presumably looking at a big. That's how news hits the wiretap.

Pimp, you make a good point about Shane taking off once he began starting. Despite what Shane said about not being able to see himself play a full season at PF, that could factor in to the coaching staff's thought process. The important thing to consider is this: If Battier is starting at F next to LeBron, he's not playing the 4. He and LeBron would both be playing the 3.5. They'd be sharing duties defensively and switching playing out of the post (Shane is underrated there.) This would reduce each player's wear and tear and allow us to start with defense and 3-point shooting in the final spot, somewhat of a one-or-the-other proposition between UD and Shard.

I've been on the Lewis or UD bandwagon, but there's a strong case to be made for sticking with Battier.

Bubstubbler wrote:I'm on board with the Heat's plan to start Bosh at c and have him play the majority of his minutes there, and I'm also on board with the 'pf by committee' approach using Haslem/Battier/Lewis/LeBron at that position (with some Bosh undoubtedly sprinkled in).

The thing that I'm really unsure of, however, is exactly what that pf rotation is going to look like. Who starts when everybody's healthy, and how will the minutes and rotations be managed? It's going to be interesting to see how many minutes Haslem/Lewis/Battier/LeBron/Bosh play at pf.

Chalmers/Cole
Wade/Allen/Miller
LeBron/Battier/Jones
Haslem/Lewis
Bosh/Birdman/Anthony/Pittman

You nailed it. People talk about us being Wing City, but I think we have just as much quality depth (or logjam) in our PG rotation as we do at the wing. It'll be very interesting to see how things shake out. I think our roster is optimized if Lewis is playing well enough to start, and Haslem can back up either big spot (depending on matchups) to grab a bunch of boards and play D. Ideally UD would play C off the bench, allowing us to go to our optimum lineups with a perimeter player at the 4.

I'm not penning The Birdman in yet. If he does come, however, UD's already questionable minutes would be in further jeopardy, and he might have to start to get minutes.

ElXavier407 · Post #1268 » by **ElXavier407** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:28 pm

I think the money line up will end up being Wade, Allen, James, Lewis & Bosh...Don't under estimate The Lewis signing!

shanedude · Post #1269 » by **shanedude** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:42 pm

I really hope Lewis can somewhat return to his old form. It would do wonders for this team.

SmushedPennies · Post #1270 » by **SmushedPennies** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 7:43 pm

I agree to a point Xavier. We definitely hope that's the money line up. It has the maximum potential. It'll depend on how well we can work out matchups defensively on the perimeter, but more importantly where Lewis' game is right now and how he'd fit in. Can he rebound enough and play adequate enough defense to play with those guys? Will his 3-ball be falling? Hopefully yes to both.

LikeABosh · Post #1271 » by **LikeABosh** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:14 pm

I'm not too worried about Shard's rebounding. Battier is noticeably worse. Not really his fault though. He just doesn't have the size to box out a guy like perkins.

SmushedPennies · Post #1272 » by **SmushedPennies** » Thu Aug 30, 2012 8:52 pm

Based on rebound %, Shard beats Shane by a little over a percentage point for their careers. Shard's last two seasons, in limited play with Washington, he put up 10.4% and most recently 8.4%. Shane only grabbed 6.2% with us last year, following 9, 9, and 10% seasons, in ascending chronological order.

Rashard is two years younger, and two inches taller, which further shades the numbers in his favor. However, he does have the advantage over Battier of having played at PF mostly in recent years. Shane only began starting at the "3.5" in the playoffs.

So I guess it'll really just come down to who has the best net production of shooting and defense. If its Rashard, we have the advantage of a slightly better rebounder and taller jumpshooter. That also mean Battier would likely come off the bench, maximizing his versatility.

DWadeno3 · Post #1273 » by **DWadeno3** » Sat Sep 1, 2012 7:34 pm

SmushedPennies wrote:I agree to a point Xavier. We definitely hope that's the money line up. It has the maximum potential. It'll depend on how well we can work out matchups defensively on the perimeter, but more importantly where Lewis' game is right now and how he'd fit in. Can he rebound enough and play adequate enough defense to play with those guys? Will his 3-ball be falling? Hopefully yes to both.

Aside of his three-point shooting, his defensive energy will be a huge factor for his playing time. He's not the quickest or biggest guy, but I think can bother his opponent with his size and long arms. He may be skinnier than most PFs, but is quicker than them. He may be slower than most SFs, but he's taller than them. It's all up to him whether he learns to use his positives to overshadow his negatives and on top of that will be a willing team defender. I'm curious to see in what kinda shape and how athletic he'll be, as it'll determine a lot for him and for us going forward. I agree with the notion that he could be a terrific pickup for us which a lot of people don't even notice now.

SmushedPennies · Post #1274 » by **SmushedPennies** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 5:28 am

As far as shape, I think he'll be tip-top. Not only had he been working out at Impact Basketball in Vegas since before he even signed with us, but he's since come down to Miami to workout with the Heat staff. I want to say that was at least a month ago. Hearing that about a veteran 3 months before the start of the season is great news. He claimed his injuries are what kept him from getting into a good playing rhythm the past two years. Apparently he never had time to maintain his game since he was always, at best, maintaining his body. It sounds like he's finally fully healthy, but who knows how long that'll last for sure.

Regarding athleticism, the good news is his game has never been dependent on it. He was definitely an above-average athlete at SF coming into the league out of high school, but as his NBA career progressed he developed more and more skills (namely outside shooting, creating his own shot, and post play), and by the time he wound up in ORL he was seldom, if ever, using an athletic advantage to score. I would even argue his athleticism was already average by then. His best attributes are his shooting and his scoring instincts. Obviously quickness is helpful for the latter, but his height advantage is what really helps him. Watch Andre Miller go to work in the post and tell me you need to be quick to get points out of it. Guys like that are crafty and have a nose for buckets.

If he can still create his shot well enough to make defenses pay for hard closeouts, he can be a great addition. Lineups with he and the big 3 + Ray or Rio would be extremely difficult to defend.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejhGpmaUQM[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLe4Mg5e4tQ[/youtube]

(EDIT: Anyone know why those aren't working?)

Haha, the Boston color guy sounds like an incredible homer when he says "Walk!" Classic. Funny how many times the word "automatic" is used by he and Tony in the Heat video. If he gets that J anywhere near this level again, I'll be drooling. And as you can see, a lot more craft than athleticism. He and Ray used to strike such fear in my heart when the ball kicked out to them with a second of daylight. Unbelievable they'll be getting looks in Miami now, even if they are a bit aged. Hey, I've seen 50-year-olds with two knee braces light up pick up games from 3.

SmushedPennies · Post #1275 » by **SmushedPennies** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 9:58 am

Whoa...just calculated that while Rashard and Kobe Bryant both came out of HS, with Kobe being drafted two seasons earlier, he's played 383 more games in the NBA (reg + playoffs). That's crazy. Average of 191.5 games each of the two years!

Kobe = 86.3 games per season

Rashard = 71.3

That disparity is crazy with Shard only being a year younger. I wonder how much of a difference mileage actually makes.

Also impressive Kobe's been durable enough to average that many games in a season, as well as a testament to how many deep playoff runs his teams have gone on.

DWadeno3 · Post #1276 » by **DWadeno3** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 10:02 am

SmushedPennies wrote:As far as shape, I think he'll be tip-top. Not only had he been working out at Impact Basketball in Vegas since before he even signed with us, but he's since come down to Miami to workout with the Heat staff. I want to say that was at least a month ago. Hearing that about a veteran 3 months before the start of the season is great news. He claimed his injuries are what kept him from getting into a good playing rhythm the past two years. Apparently he never had time to maintain his game since he was always, at best, maintaining his body. It sounds like he's finally fully healthy, but who knows how long that'll last for sure.

Regarding athleticism, the good news is his game has never been dependent on it. He was definitely an above-average athlete at SF coming into the league out of high school, but as his NBA career progressed he developed more and more skills (namely outside shooting, creating his own shot, and post play), and by the time he wound up in ORL he was seldom, if ever, using an athletic advantage to score. I would even argue his athleticism was already average by then. His best attributes are his shooting and his scoring instincts. Obviously quickness is helpful for the latter, but his height advantage is what really helps him. Watch Andre Miller go to work in the post and tell me you need to be quick to get points out of it. Guys like that are crafty and have a nose for buckets.

If he can still create his shot well enough to make defenses pay for hard closeouts, he can be a great addition. Lineups with he and the big 3 + Ray or Rio would be extremely difficult to defend.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tejhGpmaUQM[/youtube]

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLe4Mg5e4tQ[/youtube]

(EDIT: Anyone know why those aren't working?)

Haha, the Boston color guy sounds like an incredible homer when he says "Walk!" Classic. Funny how many times the word "automatic" is used by he and Tony in the Heat video. If he gets that J anywhere near this level again, I'll be drooling. And as you can see, a lot more craft than athleticism. He and Ray used to strike such fear in my heart when the ball kicked out to them with a second of daylight. Unbelievable they'll be getting looks in Miami now, even if they are a bit aged. Hey, I've seen 50-year-olds with two knee braces light up pick up games from 3.

Regarding his athleticism I wasn't speaking of him being much of a leaper, as I never considered him to be a great athlete, but still quick enough to stay in front of guys, which is questionable given the injuries he dealt with the past two seasons. JJ is anything but a great athlete, yet he was good enough defensively to not cost us more than he provides at the other end of the court.

orangeparka · Post #1277 » by **orangeparka** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 11:59 am

I have really low expectations for Rashard, so hopefully he proves me wrong.

This IsMy House · Post #1278 » by **This IsMy House** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 12:29 pm

orangeparka wrote:I have really low expectations for Rashard, so hopefully he proves me wrong.

Hes not going to be asked to that much. Play a little defense, get a couple of boards and just spread the floor.

SmushedPennies · Post #1279 » by **SmushedPennies** » Mon Sep 3, 2012 2:44 am

Yeah I kinda picture him playing that role Christian Laettner played for our '05 team (in terms of rate of appearance), but I optimistically envision the remote possibility he can be a key rotation player.

cheenofly523 · Post #1280 » by **cheenofly523** » Mon Sep 3, 2012 4:07 pm

Josh Harrellson (@BigJorts55) announces on Twitter that he'll be in Miami "for the next nine months."