Spoelstra's coaching (in)abilities

[Mutnt]

Plain and simple. How do you like coach Spo's work with the Heat overall? Do you think he's doing a good job, a great job or conversely, do you think he's been terrible and should be fired pronto?

Oh and let's stick to this season only. Spo has made some good and some wretched decisions in the past, but that's already sealed away.

Note: This is not some sort of knee-jerk thread because of the loss last night. There's gonna be more losses and wins to come, I just want to see an honest evaluation of Spoelstra and his work.

Ok, so I guess I'll start.

I, personally, am unhappy with Spo's coaching methods this season for various reasons. Here are some of those reasons:

1. 'Small-ball' - Seeing as how there already is a hate thread on this subject I assume most of you share a similar opinion. It just simply isn't working. period. I'm not saying it never worked. I'm not saying it will never work. But over a big(ger) game sample size it sure isn't working. The first contra-argument might be: ''BS, how do you explain the fairly successful 22-9 start.'' Most of those wins were purely based on talent (mainly LeBron's) and the Heat got away with a few lucky ones in the process.'' Those wins were definitely not a product of Spo's ingenious 'small-ball'. If anything, small-ball made those games even harder to win that they should've been. Obviously, the main handicap of small-ball is size, which results in a great rebounding disadvantage (in Heat's case this season, historical rebounding deficits and the opposition setting rebounding records ''Hi, Nic Vucevic'') and of course getting beat up down low in the paint by opposing teams (mainly due to off. rebounds/2nd chance points or simply lack of defense which makes other teams big men look like All-Stars ''Again, Hi, Nic Vucevic''). Now before somebody jumps the gun and says the Heat have no adequate, non-sucking bigs, I'm fully aware of that. I'm also aware that Joel, Bosh and Haslem (hard to believe that all three of them, but ok) suck major balls when it comes to rebounding, but that is absolutely no reason to keep playing small with Battier at the 4, because he's even worse. Every time I'm watching the rebounding 'battle' I see Shane getting out-muscled and out-hustled like it's nothing. He's getting tossed to the floor like a rag doll.

Solution (?): Change the front-court rotations. Main adjustments:

- Joel starts at C (His minutes depend on the situation. If there's a bigger need in defense/rebounding he's played more, If we need scoring/floor spacing he's played less. Simple enough I think. Sadly, coach Spo isn't really good in noticing what's needed on the floor).
- Bosh starts at PF
- Battier does NOT play the PF (Maybe, MAYBE some rare games, when we need to stretch the floor, but even then we got Lewis for this job right?)
- Play Lewis some (I doubt he's much worse than Battier at his role)
- Activate Jorts for Pete's sake (I'm not saying he should play 25 minutes, not even 15 minutes... I know this guy is a big question mark, but when the Heat are getting out-rebounded by half as much and have no effort whatsoever you got to pull the trigger. Absolutely got to.)
- If none of this is working, use LeBron at the PF... But use him as a kind of joker (like OKC does Durant) because there's no need he should be busting his balls in meaningless regular season games by rebounding the glass and defending big guys. He can do that in the playoffs more, when it matters...

So, recap:

C: Joel/Bosh/Jorts
PF: Bosh/Haslem/Lewis/LeBron
SF: LeBron/Battier

I think this rotations would give us a more balanced team, that can stretch the floor for LeBron & Wade, can hit threes, but at the same time fortifies the defense and doesn't get raped on the glass by +25... Let's move on.


2. In-game rotations, substitutions, allocating minutes & who plays who doesn't

In here goes everything, from not playing Jorts, giving too much minutes to Haslem & Miller, not enough minutes for Joel, overplaying LeBron, underplaying Wade, sticking to his rotations by the balls (This means taking out Wade/LeBron/Bosh or anybody out there who's tearing up the court at that moment, just because it's his usual rest time... He obviously doesn't understand that basketball is a streaky sport, and once you get in a zone, especially guys like Wade & LeBron, you need to take advantage of that... There's enough time to adjust for them not playing too much later on in the game) etc. etc.

Of course there's also the phenomenon of playing lineups that get severely trashed by the opposition... Lineups like the one usually starting the 2nd quarter, that is: Bosh, Battier/Haslem, Miller, Ray, Cole


3. Bad motivational speeches

This might be nit-picking, but sometimes when things aren't going your way, you as the head coach need to take responsibility and 'get serious'. There's no shame in getting angry, shouting, calling players out... all this simply to instill motivation and hunger into the players. Every great coach in the history has always had this trait. Just look at how masters like Popovich, Phil Jackson, Thibs, Doc work the players and you will know what i'm talking about. But every time i see Spoelstra talking on the sideline, he sounds like he has even less faith than the players. For the love of... this isn't a **** family picnic, get on your players for not doing their job.


4. Offensive/Defensive scheme

Offensive - This team is too LeBron depended on offense. It would be very interesting if LeBron would sit for a month (please God, NO) and let other players play. I can almost guarantee a significant catastrophic downfall. What is more, Bosh might be the best, most versatile 3rd option in the league and he's getting maybe what... 1,2 plays called for him every game? Everything he does is within the offense, which is 70% jump shots. Everything is too stagnant, the shooters don't move enough, they just space and wait for LeBron/Wade to get them the ball of penetration... Spo's not getting enough out of role players. The Big Three are shooting over 50% each and scoring at will, but others aren't doing much of anything... Spoelstra also needs to find some balls and limit certain guys. I don't want to see Ray Allen create of the dribble, I don't want to see Mario getting too out of hand on offense, I don't want to see Haslem shoot it every time he catches it...

Defensive - The same ol' same ol'... can't stop guard penetration, over helping when not needed, over hedging when not needed, fronting the post when not needed, too many rotations, slow closing out on the shooters... things things are present almost every game. Teams with quick, crisp ball movement and passing always pick the Heat apart...



So yeah... there you have it. Reasons why I am NOT satisfied with Spoelstra's coaching thus far. I still believe the only reason he's still around is because LeBron saved his ass last playoffs vs. Indiana and later on vs. Boston. If Heat lose either of those series Spo is packing his bags immediately. Not to mention LeBron is saving his ass almost every game this season. Think about it, the guy can't have an off-game or Miami gets blown out probably (sometimes they get blown out regardless lol). There were to many close, bail-out games this season, so it seems like Miami is playing well, but the reality is i haven't seen a dominance in the Heat's play this seasons, sans for maybe 4, 5 games...

[HIF]

You'd be a better coach for us.

[Mutnt]

You'd be a better coach for us.

It's hard to be a bad coach (in terms of winning) when your main player is LeBron James (i thought Mike Brown already proved that?). On top of that you add Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and you have one of the best assembled cores in league history. And the rest of the role players aren't as talentless as they too often seem.

Obviously, some may say that never assume anything on paper and point to the struggling All-Star roster of the LA Lakers, but they have different issues as to why they aren't successful (obviously being old/banged-up, this being their 1st year together and having Kobe in there instead of LeBron). Oh and on top of that, they're coached by D'Antoni who is trash. Any good to great coach can take that roster and make it a top 4 (at least) team in the West.

Again for the record, I'm not saying Spo is the undisputed worst coach in this league, and that there aren't any worse coaches (cuz there are plenty imo) just that he isn't particular sharp in the things I pointed out above, and isn't getting the most out of the personnel he has, in my opinion of course... And seeing how a lot of people on this board are raging over most of the same things I mentioned, it's plain to see I'm not the only one.

Or not, Hey, maybe that's just me. From what I've seen (avatar&sig evidence) you may think he's the GOAT/elite/perfect coach with no mistakes.

Also, if you can't bring any objective argument as to why you think Spo is doing a good job for the Heat or vice versa, then don't bring anything at all. Saying ''You'd be a better coach for us'' because I critique Spoelstra is like knocking any other coach or basketball analyst for telling NBA greats how to play basketball. ''omg, stfu Popovich, stop telling Duncan where and how to play, you weren't as good of a basketball player.''

[Zasterror]

You'd be a better coach for us.

Why don't you post more often man?!

[cb1]

Plain and simple. How do you like coach Spo's work with the Heat overall? Do you think he's doing a good job, a great job or conversely, do you think he's been terrible and should be fired pronto?

Oh and let's stick to this season only. Spo has made some good and some wretched decisions in the past, but that's already sealed away.

Note: This is not some sort of knee-jerk thread because of the loss last night. There's gonna be more losses and wins to come, I just want to see an honest evaluation of Spoelstra and his work.

Ok, so I guess I'll start.

I, personally, am unhappy with Spo's coaching methods this season for various reasons. Here are some of those reasons:

1. 'Small-ball' - Seeing as how there already is a hate thread on this subject I assume most of you share a similar opinion. It just simply isn't working. period. I'm not saying it never worked. I'm not saying it will never work. But over a big(ger) game sample size it sure isn't working. The first contra-argument might be: ''BS, how do you explain the fairly successful 22-9 start.'' Most of those wins were purely based on talent (mainly LeBron's) and the Heat got away with a few lucky ones in the process.'' Those wins were definitely not a product of Spo's ingenious 'small-ball'. If anything, small-ball made those games even harder to win that they should've been. Obviously, the main handicap of small-ball is size, which results in a great rebounding disadvantage (in Heat's case this season, historical rebounding deficits and the opposition setting rebounding records ''Hi, Nic Vucevic'') and of course getting beat up down low in the paint by opposing teams (mainly due to off. rebounds/2nd chance points or simply lack of defense which makes other teams big men look like All-Stars ''Again, Hi, Nic Vucevic''). Now before somebody jumps the gun and says the Heat have no adequate, non-sucking bigs, I'm fully aware of that. I'm also aware that Joel, Bosh and Haslem (hard to believe that all three of them, but ok) suck major balls when it comes to rebounding, but that is absolutely no reason to keep playing small with Battier at the 4, because he's even worse. Every time I'm watching the rebounding 'battle' I see Shane getting out-muscled and out-hustled like it's nothing. He's getting tossed to the floor like a rag doll.

Solution (?): Change the front-court rotations. Main adjustments:

- Joel starts at C (His minutes depend on the situation. If there's a bigger need in defense/rebounding he's played more, If we need scoring/floor spacing he's played less. Simple enough I think. Sadly, coach Spo isn't really good in noticing what's needed on the floor).
- Bosh starts at PF
- Battier does NOT play the PF (Maybe, MAYBE some rare games, when we need to stretch the floor, but even then we got Lewis for this job right?)
- Play Lewis some (I doubt he's much worse than Battier at his role)
- Activate Jorts for Pete's sake (I'm not saying he should play 25 minutes, not even 15 minutes... I know this guy is a big question mark, but when the Heat are getting out-rebounded by half as much and have no effort whatsoever you got to pull the trigger. Absolutely got to.)
- If none of this is working, use LeBron at the PF... But use him as a kind of joker (like OKC does Durant) because there's no need he should be busting his balls in meaningless regular season games by rebounding the glass and defending big guys. He can do that in the playoffs more, when it matters...

So, recap:

C: Joel/Bosh/Jorts
PF: Bosh/Haslem/Lewis/LeBron
SF: LeBron/Battier

I think this rotations would give us a more balanced team, that can stretch the floor for LeBron & Wade, can hit threes, but at the same time fortifies the defense and doesn't get raped on the glass by +25... Let's move on.


2. In-game rotations, substitutions, allocating minutes & who plays who doesn't

In here goes everything, from not playing Jorts, giving too much minutes to Haslem & Miller, not enough minutes for Joel, overplaying LeBron, underplaying Wade, sticking to his rotations by the balls (This means taking out Wade/LeBron/Bosh or anybody out there who's tearing up the court at that moment, just because it's his usual rest time... He obviously doesn't understand that basketball is a streaky sport, and once you get in a zone, especially guys like Wade & LeBron, you need to take advantage of that... There's enough time to adjust for them not playing too much later on in the game) etc. etc.

Of course there's also the phenomenon of playing lineups that get severely trashed by the opposition... Lineups like the one usually starting the 2nd quarter, that is: Bosh, Battier/Haslem, Miller, Ray, Cole


3. Bad motivational speeches

This might be nit-picking, but sometimes when things aren't going your way, you as the head coach need to take responsibility and 'get serious'. There's no shame in getting angry, shouting, calling players out... all this simply to instill motivation and hunger into the players. Every great coach in the history has always had this trait. Just look at how masters like Popovich, Phil Jackson, Thibs, Doc work the players and you will know what i'm talking about. But every time i see Spoelstra talking on the sideline, he sounds like he has even less faith than the players. For the love of... this isn't a **** family picnic, get on your players for not doing their job.


4. Offensive/Defensive scheme

Offensive - This team is too LeBron depended on offense. It would be very interesting if LeBron would sit for a month (please God, NO) and let other players play. I can almost guarantee a significant catastrophic downfall. What is more, Bosh might be the best, most versatile 3rd option in the league and he's getting maybe what... 1,2 plays called for him every game? Everything he does is within the offense, which is 70% jump shots. Everything is too stagnant, the shooters don't move enough, they just space and wait for LeBron/Wade to get them the ball of penetration... Spo's not getting enough out of role players. The Big Three are shooting over 50% each and scoring at will, but others aren't doing much of anything... Spoelstra also needs to find some balls and limit certain guys. I don't want to see Ray Allen create of the dribble, I don't want to see Mario getting too out of hand on offense, I don't want to see Haslem shoot it every time he catches it...

Defensive - The same ol' same ol'... can't stop guard penetration, over helping when not needed, over hedging when not needed, fronting the post when not needed, too many rotations, slow closing out on the shooters... things things are present almost every game. Teams with quick, crisp ball movement and passing always pick the Heat apart...



So yeah... there you have it. Reasons why I am NOT satisfied with Spoelstra's coaching thus far. I still believe the only reason he's still around is because LeBron saved his ass last playoffs vs. Indiana and later on vs. Boston. If Heat lose either of those series Spo is packing his bags immediately. Not to mention LeBron is saving his ass almost every game this season. Think about it, the guy can't have an off-game or Miami gets blown out probably (sometimes they get blown out regardless lol). There were to many close, bail-out games this season, so it seems like Miami is playing well, but the reality is i haven't seen a dominance in the Heat's play this seasons, sans for maybe 4, 5 games...

Damn never realized how much this team has to over exert themselves unnecessarily on defense. I think they get worn out sometimes which can make it look like they're coasting. I agree with pretty much everything you said though.

[radikalBaller]

You'd be a better coach for us.

It's hard to be a bad coach (in terms of winning) when your main player is LeBron James (i thought Mike Brown already proved that?). On top of that you add Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh and you have one of the best assembled cores in league history. And the rest of the role players aren't as talentless as they too often seem.

Obviously, some may say that never assume anything on paper and point to the struggling All-Star roster of the LA Lakers, but they have different issues as to why they aren't successful (obviously being old/banged-up, this being their 1st year together and having Kobe in there instead of LeBron). Oh and on top of that, they're coached by D'Antoni who is trash. Any good to great coach can take that roster and make it a top 4 (at least) team in the West.

Again for the record, I'm not saying Spo is the undisputed worst coach in this league, and that there aren't any worse coaches (cuz there are plenty imo) just that he isn't particular sharp in the things I pointed out above, and isn't getting the most out of the personnel he has, in my opinion of course... And seeing how a lot of people on this board are raging over most of the same things I mentioned, it's plain to see I'm not the only one.

Or not, Hey, maybe that's just me. From what I've seen (avatar&sig evidence) you may think he's the GOAT/elite/perfect coach with no mistakes.

Also, if you can't bring any objective argument as to why you think Spo is doing a good job for the Heat or vice versa, then don't bring anything at all. Saying ''You'd be a better coach for us'' because I critique Spoelstra is like knocking any other coach or basketball analyst for telling NBA greats how to play basketball. ''omg, stfu Popovich, stop telling Duncan where and how to play, you weren't as good of a basketball player.''

Owned.

[Smash3]

Mainly two things I would criticize.

(1) Small ball: We all have pretty much discussed "Small ball" ad nauseam, however I would like to point out the main reason we still continue with small ball. I for one think it began last season with the "position less LeBron James" after we lost against Mavericks Spo realized he utilized him incorrectly and fixed that. Fast forward to the nba 12" finals, Spo realized how much success we had with the small ball during our championship run, and over the off season he developed a new game plan. We all read the articles about how it was going to work for the better etc.

Obviously it is good tho think outside of the box, however as we have seen there are many problems with this small ball as the OP has pointed out, and it all boils down to Spo´s stubbornness. We can´t let his stubbornness and inability to realize his faults cost us another championship as it did in 2011. Many will say Bron choked, but equal blame lies on Spo for not utilizing him correctly.

I will say this if we meet Spurs,Grizz, or even LA they will abuse us, and only when it is to late Spo will "try" to adjust.

(2) Defensive schemes: over-helping continues to kill us.

[Pimpwerx]

1. The rotation is one person different. 6'10" Turiaf out and 6'5" Allen in. Is Ronny that big? We replaced him with Jorts, who's the same height, and some 20+lbs heavier. Just that Ray is in the rotation and Jorts isn't. In any case, seeing as a 6'10" center is the only person dropped from our rotation, is that the difference between this season and last season in rebounding? Did the team forget how to rebound over the Summer? That makes about as much sense as the panic attacks over going positionless.

2. Spo is notoriously slow with adjustments. That's about the only complaint I've ever had. I don't mind it though, because it's not like it's losing us games. Fans can think what they want, but as SVG loves pointing out weekly, fans are largely ignorant of the game. This is highlighted by the obsession with the last guy on the bench. Have you been to Heat practice? Tell us, what has Jorts looked like? I ask because I certainly haven't seen enough of him to determine if he should be in the rotation or not. It's not like a game is a place for an unknown like Jorts to learn the system and develop. These guys get far more reps in practice, and if he's not cutting it there, then why should he get on the court?

The answer is simple. He should get out there because you and I don't know enough about him, that's why. Because you don't know, you think you deserve a chance to see what he can do, and the only way for you to do that is in a game. However, coaches have the luxury of practice, and so the notion that anyone on here knows better about Jorts' situation is flat out ludicrous.

3. He is not a great motivational speaker, though he seems to have the postseason carrot figured out. The black trophy was a neat idea last year. He'll probably have something new for this year. As for the regular season, I don't care anymore. The team started taking the long view of the season from last year. When everyone was pushing the panic button, the guys in the locker room were always relaxed and even-keeled about the whole situation. This season should be no different. We've lost to enough teams that were missing their stars, that no one should be taking this **** personal anymore. It's the regular season grind, and the guys are just saving their legs for the playoffs. It is what it is.

4. I've never seen so many people bitch about one of the best offenses in the league. This is just stupid holdover from prior Spo hate. When he first took over the job, he was criticized for being terrible at offense. The last two seasons, he's managed to craft two efficient offenses, with this season's being Top3. Your complaints ring hollow. Spo's not getting enough from role players? What, he needs to get them more open? Gimme a break. At some point, guys need to hit shots. There are only going to be so many shots left over after the Big3 get theirs. This has been the reality since the Big3 signed.

As for defense, it was an elite defense the last two seasons. Again, even with Ray's terrible defense, we should still be a great defensive team. It's just laziness. There hasn't been enough turnover in the rotation to claim that it's some shift in philosophy. That's bull. Some of our best defensive units have Haslem at center. At least, as of the last 82games.com update. Like I asked earlier, was Turiaf that great that people think we've somehow changed as a team?

---

Posts and opinions like these highlight how spoiled and, frankly, undeserving some of you are of the success this team has had. You look a gift horse in the mouth and ask it for more. Really? Is this how shallow our fanbase is? Let's understand why I, a former Spo hater, have become grateful that we have his services.

34. The number of playoff wins Spo has in his career. 30 of those in the 2 playoff runs with the Big3. Most coaches don't get that total in their careers.

12. The number of games he has coached where the Heat have had a record below .500. Not in a season. Not in the Big3 era. I'm talking about his career. I'm pretty sure Pat had coached that many games with a losing record by the all-star break the season before Spo took over.

2. The number of Finals Spo has gotten his team to. It also represents the number of years he's actually had a team capable of making a deep playoff run. That's not a coincidence.

0. The number of postseasons Spo has missed as a coach. It's so easily forgotten that he inherited a 15 win team. You know, most teams that dive into such depths of suck, wallow in misery for years. Spo comes in and gets two tanking teams to make the playoffs. That's no small feat.

There's no such thing as a perfect coach. There are things about Pop that irritate Spurs fans. There were things about Phil that irritated Lakers fans (and maybe Bulls fans, but I was kinda young then). There are things about Spo that irritate me. Do they matter? No. You take the good with the bad, because the bad is largely inconsequential. You don't like him as a coach? I don't know what your expectations are, but maybe you're a billionaire living in a mansion with a supermodel wife. If that's the case, maybe you're used to lavish, highly-unattainable things. The rest of us realize that Pop ain't walking through that door. Spo is as good as we're gonna get. PEACE.

[Run DLC]

Hell No. He's way too stubborn, can't make adjustments, and is way too one-dimensional. He has a tendency to making things harder for the team than they need to be and expect them to clean up the mess that he help created in the first place.

[Run DLC]

I'll never forget that Spurs game this season when Gregg Popovich exposed him for what he really is. A one-dimensional mediocre head coach who happens to be have the best player in the NBA on his team.

[dolphinatik]

Riley and Spo say we need to improve from within. How about playing the bigs we do have and give them time to develop. Im not saying Pittman is great but honestly he is no worse than Perkins was yet the Celtics got use out of him. I prefer Pittman over Jorts. Playing Wade off the ball, letting Lebron post up more, and having a pg actually handle the ball. We also have Lewis rotting away on the bench, 6'11 mix him in there is something he can do out there to help.

With the flexibility of our roster we play small but its funny because we can also play bigger than most teams.

[Mutnt]

1. The rotation is one person different. 6'10" Turiaf out and 6'5" Allen in. Is Ronny that big? We replaced him with Jorts, who's the same height, and some 20+lbs heavier. Just that Ray is in the rotation and Jorts isn't. In any case, seeing as a 6'10" center is the only person dropped from our rotation, is that the difference between this season and last season in rebounding? Did the team forget how to rebound over the Summer? That makes about as much sense as the panic attacks over going positionless.

2. Spo is notoriously slow with adjustments. That's about the only complaint I've ever had. I don't mind it though, because it's not like it's losing us games. Fans can think what they want, but as SVG loves pointing out weekly, fans are largely ignorant of the game. This is highlighted by the obsession with the last guy on the bench. Have you been to Heat practice? Tell us, what has Jorts looked like? I ask because I certainly haven't seen enough of him to determine if he should be in the rotation or not. It's not like a game is a place for an unknown like Jorts to learn the system and develop. These guys get far more reps in practice, and if he's not cutting it there, then why should he get on the court?

The answer is simple. He should get out there because you and I don't know enough about him, that's why. Because you don't know, you think you deserve a chance to see what he can do, and the only way for you to do that is in a game. However, coaches have the luxury of practice, and so the notion that anyone on here knows better about Jorts' situation is flat out ludicrous.

3. He is not a great motivational speaker, though he seems to have the postseason carrot figured out. The black trophy was a neat idea last year. He'll probably have something new for this year. As for the regular season, I don't care anymore. The team started taking the long view of the season from last year. When everyone was pushing the panic button, the guys in the locker room were always relaxed and even-keeled about the whole situation. This season should be no different. We've lost to enough teams that were missing their stars, that no one should be taking this **** personal anymore. It's the regular season grind, and the guys are just saving their legs for the playoffs. It is what it is.

4. I've never seen so many people bitch about one of the best offenses in the league. This is just stupid holdover from prior Spo hate. When he first took over the job, he was criticized for being terrible at offense. The last two seasons, he's managed to craft two efficient offenses, with this season's being Top3. Your complaints ring hollow. Spo's not getting enough from role players? What, he needs to get them more open? Gimme a break. At some point, guys need to hit shots. There are only going to be so many shots left over after the Big3 get theirs. This has been the reality since the Big3 signed.

As for defense, it was an elite defense the last two seasons. Again, even with Ray's terrible defense, we should still be a great defensive team. It's just laziness. There hasn't been enough turnover in the rotation to claim that it's some shift in philosophy. That's bull. Some of our best defensive units have Haslem at center. At least, as of the last 82games.com update. Like I asked earlier, was Turiaf that great that people think we've somehow changed as a team?

---

Posts and opinions like these highlight how spoiled and, frankly, undeserving some of you are of the success this team has had. You look a gift horse in the mouth and ask it for more. Really? Is this how shallow our fanbase is? Let's understand why I, a former Spo hater, have become grateful that we have his services.

34. The number of playoff wins Spo has in his career. 30 of those in the 2 playoff runs with the Big3. Most coaches don't get that total in their careers.

12. The number of games he has coached where the Heat have had a record below .500. Not in a season. Not in the Big3 era. I'm talking about his career. I'm pretty sure Pat had coached that many games with a losing record by the all-star break the season before Spo took over.

2. The number of Finals Spo has gotten his team to. It also represents the number of years he's actually had a team capable of making a deep playoff run. That's not a coincidence.

0. The number of postseasons Spo has missed as a coach. It's so easily forgotten that he inherited a 15 win team. You know, most teams that dive into such depths of suck, wallow in misery for years. Spo comes in and gets two tanking teams to make the playoffs. That's no small feat.

There's no such thing as a perfect coach. There are things about Pop that irritate Spurs fans. There were things about Phil that irritated Lakers fans (and maybe Bulls fans, but I was kinda young then). There are things about Spo that irritate me. Do they matter? No. You take the good with the bad, because the bad is largely inconsequential. You don't like him as a coach? I don't know what your expectations are, but maybe you're a billionaire living in a mansion with a supermodel wife. If that's the case, maybe you're used to lavish, highly-unattainable things. The rest of us realize that Pop ain't walking through that door. Spo is as good as we're gonna get. PEACE.

1. Did the team forget how to rebound? I don't know what happened, but the fact remains... We are getting crushed out there by every good/great rebounding team to the point that it becomes embarrassing to watch.

Otherwise, you are right. We didn't have such problems rebounding the ball last year as we do this year, and the roster is pretty much the same. But the problem isn't the personnel we have (even though, all the bigs are mediocre rebounders), but the way the players are played (or 'small ball' as we already pointed out). The lineups used by Spo aren't effective in rebounding the ball and that's that. The proof is obvious, when we get crushed by every good rebounding team in the league.

2. How are Spo's slow rotations or non adjustments not costing us games? I'm not saying, that this is the only reason why we lose, because obviously, if Battier and other role players hit their open threes every game then we can all go to sleep with smiles on our faces... but they don't. And because they don't, it is Spoelstra's job to see who's playing well and who is not and consequently make the proper adjustments. More often then not, he fails to do so, costing us games. Of course, Spo could still make the proper adjustments and the players could still not show up and we'd still end up losing. But this is highly improbable. It might happen every other game. However, the problem is not that we're playing well but somehow unfortunately lose games, it's that we are playing badly and keep making the same mistakes only to be bailed out by the brilliance of LeBron James.

About Jorts: I agree, I honestly don't know how good he is or what he can do for this team. It's also undeniable that Spo and the Heat coaching staff see him in practices on a daily basis and I or any other fan does not. Therefore logically, they know more about him than me. This is no secret. But what I DO see is the actual games. And in these games I SEE Miami Bigs and Battier who suck ass. I mean, I know Jorts is no franchise savior and I think nobody asks him to be, but if UD and Battier aren't doing anything out there, how much worse can Jorts honestly be? You realize Joel Anthony plays minutes for this team, he can't even CATCH the ball on offense and he plays... you're speaking of Jorts like he's some high school kid that just picked up a ball yesterday. Dude's in the NBA... He should get 10 minutes every now and then to showcase what he can do in an actual game, **** practice, an actual game. Like you said, the Heat's goal isn't to win 72 games, but rather to get the 1st seed and in the process find out what works and what doesn't work in terms of lineups and rotations, to get a better feeling of things come playoff time. I say let Jorts get some burn over multiple games, not just one game that he find out 30 minutes before tip-off that he would play. If he sucks over a couple of games, then you can deactivate his ass for all I care.

3. I know it's the regular season, but i don't see what that has to do with Spoelstra and his motivational skills (or lack therof). Spo's timeout/locker room talk has always been the same. No matter if it's the 1st game of the regular season or Game 7 of the Finals. He always has the same demeanor, tone, attitude and always repeats the same things, which I doubt even mean anything to the players.

4. HE manage to craft two efficient offenses? Gimme a break. Again, when you have LeBron, Wade & Bosh at your disposal, coupled with multiple shooters (we are talking about career 40% shooters from the three point line) I don't see any way you don't have a top 3 offensive team in the league. You just call a few basic sets and picks and let the superstars do their magic.

5. Regarding the defense. I agree, a large part of it being so bad is laziness. You can see it improve the last couple of games, as players took the games more seriously. BUT you can't deny that Spo's 'Small-ball' has a negative impact on the defense. It had an atrocious defensive impact in the beginning of the season. The Heat defense improved because Joel started getting more minutes, as Spo quickly decided to play bigger by giving him more minutes and also starting UD over Battier. This is one of those examples where I can say: ''Good job Spo, you actually adjusted and the D is looking visibly better.''


----

Spoiled of success? We have one of the most talented core of players in league history playing in their prime and we shouldn't expect all time greatness from this team? Spoelstra didn't craft **** prior to LeBron & Bosh's arrival in Miami. He was coaching a mediocre Miami team, that was in the playoffs because of Dwyane Wade's greatness. All these numbers you're pointing out in his favor are because he's had all-time great players on his team. Like I said earlier, Mike Brown has one of the best winning percentages in league history and where is he now? At home, jobless. He was fired after 5 games this season. Vinny Del Negro was crucified most of his coaching career by both Chicago and LA Clippers fans for being a god awful coach. Now he's coaching one of the best teams in the league. Did he suddenly learned how to coach, or is this a matter of getting a more talented roster? Or perhaps having a floor general like CP?

[Pimpwerx]

1. There are only so many permutations of the rotation players you can throw on the floor, and the ones that get the most minutes. You're looking at the results and blaming the implementation, like Spo isn't looking for solutions. The only thing he hasn't done is throw more Jorts into the equation...and that's probably a good thing.

2. Spo is not a coach that swaps guys around in his rotation a lot. He lets guys play through issues. This isn't NBA2K. Spo's build a rapport and respect with the players by showing them equal respect back. Regular season doesn't matter. I'll let him manage his men how he feels. In the postseason, he's showed the ability to adjust given some worst-case scenarios. Losing our best big against a large team like Indy should have spelled doom. Going small against a large frontcourt like OKC should have spelled doom. People on here doubted him endlessly, but then went mute when he won anyway. He's proven himself to me. What more does he have to prove to you?

On Jorts, I look at it really simple. Would you want Spo coming to your job and telling you how to do it? I sure wouldn't.

3. Who cares? Do they win ball games? That's all that matters to me. The playoffs are when it counts, and he's got that carrot thing figured out (thanks to Pat's example).

4. It's not his fault he's got great players, and managed to extract a lot of their potential. .545 eFG%. That's 1st in the league. I think that's pretty efficient. BTW, if running an efficient offense was just down to superstars, then why have other superteams struggled to get their **** together? I thought the myth that the team wins on its own was debunked by D'Antoni, then Woodson, then Brown, then D'Antoni again. A coach helps a lot. Our offense plays to our roster's strengths. In 2010, Spo called tons of plays and sets, and it bogged us down. Do you understand that he put in the space and pace offense specifically because letting our guys read and react is a lot more efficient? There's an adjustment Spo gets no credit for, because his critics have no interest in being fair in the first place.

5. Shard was the problem, not going positionless. Shard has been the primary victim of Joel's increased minutes. Shard isn't small, he's just a terrible defender. It's like the impact Ray has on our defense. I believe he's actually taller than Wade, but he's such a terrible defender, that he brings us down. Size is not the issue.

---

Yes, spoiled. You say the team got to the playoffs because of the greatness of Wade? Okay...whatever. You think teams with .183 winning percentages just up and make the playoffs the following season because...a player in his 5th season has a great year? What about the rest of the roster? In case you weren't paying attention, let me remind you of the Knicks and Lakers. All the talent in the world isn't going anywhere without good leadership.

You think he had it easy? All the media scrutiny, being a no name coach. Working with two teams that should have been tanking for the lottery to the postseason. Only 12 mother-bleeping games while the team had a losing bleeping record. Oh yeah! Coaches like Spo just grow on trees. Let me go to my good coach tree and just pick a ripe replacement, amirite? You know what? You think Spo would get showered with praise, like Pop, when his team finishes tops in the league and then gets destroyed in 5 games in the conference finals? When it happens repeatedly? Oh, but Pop won those titles with coaching genius, not a talented roster. Nevermind the fact that he won exactly dick before getting Old Man Riverwalk. You go right on ahead taking Spo for granted. Fortunately, Pat is a lot smarter than that and has put us in good hands for years to come. Maybe in a handful of years, after he's won the same number of rings as Pop, in less years, we'll start calling Spo a coaching genius too. Until then, he'll just have to keep winning a bunch of games and getting no credit for it. I don't think he cares anyway. PEACE.

[Slot Machine]

1. There are only so many permutations of the rotation players you can throw on the floor, and the ones that get the most minutes. You're looking at the results and blaming the implementation, like Spo isn't looking for solutions. The only thing he hasn't done is throw more Jorts into the equation...and that's probably a good thing.

I gave you what my rotation would look like yesterday. He isn't using the right "permutations" which is the problem. If you think Jorts wouldn't help, that's fine, I still want Spo to alter his rotations so that they're more effective. The Bosh-Ray-Cole and whoever else lineup doesn't work and I want that changed, as do many other fans. Coaching isn't just throwing out random sets of players out there and seeing what works, it's about managing and weighing the strengths and weaknesses of certain players and trying to minimize their flaws while maximizing their strengths. Maybe Spo has done that and he's wrong, if so, then he needs to change it.

2. Spo is not a coach that swaps guys around in his rotation a lot. He lets guys play through issues. This isn't NBA2K. Spo's build a rapport and respect with the players by showing them equal respect back. Regular season doesn't matter. I'll let him manage his men how he feels. In the postseason, he's showed the ability to adjust given some worst-case scenarios. Losing our best big against a large team like Indy should have spelled doom. Going small against a large frontcourt like OKC should have spelled doom. People on here doubted him endlessly, but then went mute when he won anyway. He's proven himself to me. What more does he have to prove to you?

On Jorts, I look at it really simple. Would you want Spo coming to your job and telling you how to do it? I sure wouldn't.

The problem here is that you're attributing LeBron and Wade stepping up in the face of adversity to Spo somehow saving the team. I'll go with Indiana as an example since you brought that up. You remember the game where Pittman started? I'm real glad that Pitt ended up neutralizing Hibbert and holding his own down low. Wait, that's not what happened? Then how'd we win that series? Oh, I'm seeing here that LeBron had 40/18/9, 30/10/8, and 28/6/7 with Wade having 30/9/6, 28/3/2, and 41/10/3 in Games 4, 5, and 6 respectively. But no, we definitely won that series because Spo saved us and not LeBron and Dwyane putting the team on their backs.

What about the Finals where we had no chance against OKC except for a brilliant maneuver by Spo? LeBron averaging 10 rebounds to make up for the small lineup certainly had no effect. That's fine, LeBron can be expected to do that in the playoffs but what was Spo's response? To make a lineup where LeBron essentially has to do that nearly every night for us not to get killed on the boards. Excellent coaching right there. I also think it's funny that you're ignoring Spo not starting Bosh in Game 1 because "we were successful with Bosh off the bench in Game 7 against Boston." Which was the one game of the Finals that we lost? Also, nice revisionist history with people fearing OKC's frontcourt. No one did. Perkins is awful and Ibaka is a jumpshooter who was a worse rebounder last year. How you spin that into a massive coup by Spo is beyond me.

Oh, your last point about not telling Spo how to do it is absurd. By that logic, I would hope you've never criticized an athlete before, because they don't tell you how to do your job. That's also ignoring the fact that sites like these are pretty much built on "armchair coaching" or whatever you want to call it.

3. Who cares? Do they win ball games? That's all that matters to me. The playoffs are when it counts, and he's got that carrot thing figured out (thanks to Pat's example).

Yes, the only reason we won the Finals was because Spo motivated our guys perfectly every night.

4. It's not his fault he's got great players, and managed to extract a lot of their potential. .545 eFG%. That's 1st in the league. I think that's pretty efficient. BTW, if running an efficient offense was just down to superstars, then why have other superteams struggled to get their **** together? I thought the myth that the team wins on its own was debunked by D'Antoni, then Woodson, then Brown, then D'Antoni again. A coach helps a lot. Our offense plays to our roster's strengths. In 2010, Spo called tons of plays and sets, and it bogged us down. Do you understand that he put in the space and pace offense specifically because letting our guys read and react is a lot more efficient? There's an adjustment Spo gets no credit for, because his critics have no interest in being fair in the first place.

I like how you purposely left out Doc Rivers and the 2008 Celtics in terms of superteams especially when you're the one complaining about others being unfair. It's also worth mentioning that the current Lakers have a great offense, their problem is a pitiful defense. I also hope you realize that any coach could increase his team's offensive output by putting a shooter on the floor. The thing is, that it hurts defense which is exactly what happened to us. Now, Spo has backed out of that by putting Haslem back in the starting lineup instead of Battier. That sure was a great coaching move. All LeBron and Wade need to run a good offense is shooters around them to provide spacing. They're also smart enough to find open shooters. Again, I don't see why Spoelstra should be credited for that.

Yes, spoiled. You say the team got to the playoffs because of the greatness of Wade? Okay...whatever. You think teams with .183 winning percentages just up and make the playoffs the following season because...a player in his 5th season has a great year? What about the rest of the roster? In case you weren't paying attention, let me remind you of the Knicks and Lakers. All the talent in the world isn't going anywhere without good leadership.

Did you even watch those seasons? We got better because we weren't throwing out lineups of Ricky Davis, Chris Quinn, and other scrubs who had no place starting. Wade played half the season in '08 and our depth after that was pitiful. The entire roster improved and Wade turned in one of the most phenomenal seasons I've seen in any sport, and you attribute that to Spo coaching? Give me a f*cking break. Wade didn't just have a great year in '09, he had a top 20 season of all time, that's why we got better.

You think he had it easy? All the media scrutiny, being a no name coach. Working with two teams that should have been tanking for the lottery to the postseason. Only 12 mother-bleeping games while the team had a losing bleeping record. Oh yeah! Coaches like Spo just grow on trees. Let me go to my good coach tree and just pick a ripe replacement, amirite? You know what? You think Spo would get showered with praise, like Pop, when his team finishes tops in the league and then gets destroyed in 5 games in the conference finals? When it happens repeatedly? Oh, but Pop won those titles with coaching genius, not a talented roster. Nevermind the fact that he won exactly dick before getting Old Man Riverwalk. You go right on ahead taking Spo for granted. Fortunately, Pat is a lot smarter than that and has put us in good hands for years to come. Maybe in a handful of years, after he's won the same number of rings as Pop, in less years, we'll start calling Spo a coaching genius too. Until then, he'll just have to keep winning a bunch of games and getting no credit for it. I don't think he cares anyway. PEACE.

Why would the 2009 and 2010 teams be tanking? We had a top 3 player in his prime peaking and playing at insanely high levels, Wade willed those teams to the playoffs and was the only reason we won games once we got there. Your next few lines are great too, you're complaining about Pop only winning with Duncan while you give all the credit to Spo for winning these past few years. I'm not even going to point out the massive amount of hypocrisy in that. The funniest part about that entire paragraph is "Spo not having it easy" when it's extremely easy to argue the opposite. You're right, he only had Wade in '09 and '10, a player most coaches would die to have on their roster and since then has only had a combination of Wade, LeBron, and Bosh. Nothing too huge. That's the definition of having it easy.

Your whole post reminds me of how player fans post. They attribute all the success of a team to one player and ignore every other factor. This is why people call you out on being a Spoelstra fan. You're not rational in any way. You attribute every success Spo has had all to him and every flaw Spo has or mistake he has made isn't his fault.

[Vertical Limit]

Sorry can't complain at the moment, two years ago I would have but uh right now we're heading into the third year as championship contenders, and just won a title. Also you have to realize this is the regular season and we'll be a different team in the playoffs.

Spoelstra gets a break from me. No coach is perfect and I'm sure if Phil Jackson or Riley was the coach of this team with the struggles we've had, this thread wouldn't exist.

[Axel]

1. The rotation is one person different. 6'10" Turiaf out and 6'5" Allen in. Is Ronny that big? We replaced him with Jorts, who's the same height, and some 20+lbs heavier. Just that Ray is in the rotation and Jorts isn't. In any case, seeing as a 6'10" center is the only person dropped from our rotation, is that the difference between this season and last season in rebounding? Did the team forget how to rebound over the Summer? That makes about as much sense as the panic attacks over going positionless.

2. Spo is notoriously slow with adjustments. That's about the only complaint I've ever had. I don't mind it though, because it's not like it's losing us games. Fans can think what they want, but as SVG loves pointing out weekly, fans are largely ignorant of the game. This is highlighted by the obsession with the last guy on the bench. Have you been to Heat practice? Tell us, what has Jorts looked like? I ask because I certainly haven't seen enough of him to determine if he should be in the rotation or not. It's not like a game is a place for an unknown like Jorts to learn the system and develop. These guys get far more reps in practice, and if he's not cutting it there, then why should he get on the court?

The answer is simple. He should get out there because you and I don't know enough about him, that's why. Because you don't know, you think you deserve a chance to see what he can do, and the only way for you to do that is in a game. However, coaches have the luxury of practice, and so the notion that anyone on here knows better about Jorts' situation is flat out ludicrous.

3. He is not a great motivational speaker, though he seems to have the postseason carrot figured out. The black trophy was a neat idea last year. He'll probably have something new for this year. As for the regular season, I don't care anymore. The team started taking the long view of the season from last year. When everyone was pushing the panic button, the guys in the locker room were always relaxed and even-keeled about the whole situation. This season should be no different. We've lost to enough teams that were missing their stars, that no one should be taking this **** personal anymore. It's the regular season grind, and the guys are just saving their legs for the playoffs. It is what it is.

4. I've never seen so many people bitch about one of the best offenses in the league. This is just stupid holdover from prior Spo hate. When he first took over the job, he was criticized for being terrible at offense. The last two seasons, he's managed to craft two efficient offenses, with this season's being Top3. Your complaints ring hollow. Spo's not getting enough from role players? What, he needs to get them more open? Gimme a break. At some point, guys need to hit shots. There are only going to be so many shots left over after the Big3 get theirs. This has been the reality since the Big3 signed.

As for defense, it was an elite defense the last two seasons. Again, even with Ray's terrible defense, we should still be a great defensive team. It's just laziness. There hasn't been enough turnover in the rotation to claim that it's some shift in philosophy. That's bull. Some of our best defensive units have Haslem at center. At least, as of the last 82games.com update. Like I asked earlier, was Turiaf that great that people think we've somehow changed as a team?

---

Posts and opinions like these highlight how spoiled and, frankly, undeserving some of you are of the success this team has had. You look a gift horse in the mouth and ask it for more. Really? Is this how shallow our fanbase is? Let's understand why I, a former Spo hater, have become grateful that we have his services.

34. The number of playoff wins Spo has in his career. 30 of those in the 2 playoff runs with the Big3. Most coaches don't get that total in their careers.

12. The number of games he has coached where the Heat have had a record below .500. Not in a season. Not in the Big3 era. I'm talking about his career. I'm pretty sure Pat had coached that many games with a losing record by the all-star break the season before Spo took over.

2. The number of Finals Spo has gotten his team to. It also represents the number of years he's actually had a team capable of making a deep playoff run. That's not a coincidence.

0. The number of postseasons Spo has missed as a coach. It's so easily forgotten that he inherited a 15 win team. You know, most teams that dive into such depths of suck, wallow in misery for years. Spo comes in and gets two tanking teams to make the playoffs. That's no small feat.

There's no such thing as a perfect coach. There are things about Pop that irritate Spurs fans. There were things about Phil that irritated Lakers fans (and maybe Bulls fans, but I was kinda young then). There are things about Spo that irritate me. Do they matter? No. You take the good with the bad, because the bad is largely inconsequential. You don't like him as a coach? I don't know what your expectations are, but maybe you're a billionaire living in a mansion with a supermodel wife. If that's the case, maybe you're used to lavish, highly-unattainable things. The rest of us realize that Pop ain't walking through that door. Spo is as good as we're gonna get. PEACE.

We're spoiled of success and looking a gift horse in the mouth? Really? Never mind that we're paying for this product, maybe we should bow to Micky Arison for providing us the privilege of watching his team? You know, the only reason any of us are criticizing Spo is because we are concerned about the championship aspirations of the team. It must make you feel really special to take a stand for Spoelstra and lambaste everyone else so sanctimoniously. It's no surprise you were in the 9% minority who favored small-ball. You also take a lot of credit from our players and unfairly credit it to Spoelstra. I think our Big 3 has saved Spo's ass on so many occasions its not even funny. They deserve a better coach.

[narmerguy]

i"m fine with him to be honest. It's obviously an effort issue with this team. It's the exact damn team from last year +/- a couple players. No reason they all the sudden forgot how to defend or rebound.

[Zasterror]

I'm not particularly dissatisfied with Spo but I am extremely irritated and annoyed by him and his stubbornness. He's a good coach and he is a student of game. His persistence, inability to panic, and effort on and off camera often goes unnoticed. I trust in Pat Riley more than anyone else and if he appointed Spo to be our coach for years to come then we all should accept that.

Look, we are going through regular season woes right now; we are not winning at a rate that we all believe we can. Some of the problems stems from coaching and some of it stems from the actual personnel. I have 2 major gripes when it comes to this team this season: our players effort (or lack thereof) in most games and Coach Spo's stubbornness, whether it's with rotations, minutes allocated, substitutions, timeouts (remember Spo had a glaring problem with this in the beginning PF the Big 3 Era, he has gotten better though), etc. Like someone said before, no ones perfect and we must take good with the bad.

[Mutnt]

Chalm Down Bro provided more of what I was thinking, so I'm gonna keep this short, well shorter than usual

Again, what most people think of me by starting this thread is that I'm some huge Spo hater that wants his head on a plate or something. It' ain't like that. Spo is not a bad coach, there are a lot of worse coaches out there that I'm thankful are not coaching this roster. It's just that I don't think he's a particularly good/great coach, but just someone who got blessed with an all-time great roster. A mediocre coach if you will. That's not to say managing great players is easy. We're all seeing what the Lakers are going through, and what the Knicks went through until Woodson (who is a better coach then Spo in my book) got the team together after D'Antoni showed he doesn't know what he is doing. So I give him props for that. Although I think it is widely proven that teams who's greatest players are team first players and great leaders (LeBron, CP3, Nash, Duncan...) don't need all that much managing. I wonder how Spo's epic leadership would benefit the Lakers if he'd got the coaching gig there? I bet their record would be pretty much the same.

A lot of people here like to credit much of our success in the last two years (some may go even further than that lol) to Spo, which is down right laughable. As Chalm Down Bro pointed out. We needed all-time great performances by Wade & LeBron to get pass freakin' Indiana... One series later, Spo was 1 loss away from joining Mike Brown on his couch. LeBron pulled through with a historical game, if he didn't, then this thread really wouldn't exist.

And I don't see what your problem with Pop is? Pop to me is the greatest coach of the modern era. Why? It's rather simple. I haven't seen a coach to this day, get so much out of several not really talented and different versions of the Spurs. You can say he's always had Duncan & Parker... yes, but that's not the point. The biggest strength Popovich has is that he's able to implement new role players every year to his system perfectly. Like no one I've ever seen. And that is the biggest reason they have been winning 50+ games every season and getting deep playoff runs (sans for the stinker against Memphis). Every scrub that sucked ass everywhere he's been, once he arrives to San Antonio, he's strengths are immediately amplified by three times. Popovich had no business winning 4 titles with the casts he's had. But he did, and almost won more... Because he knows how to use role players to their strength. Not only that, but he was able to transform the Spurs anytime according to what their advantages were, from a defensive juggernaut, to a full-blown offensive machine. All that, with the same core players who were getting older every year without the team success struggling. That's a great coach. Not one who has LeBron on his team, get's him the ball on the high-post, let's him operate and then takes the credit for a top 3 offensive scheme... please.

[RexBoyWonder]

Very disapointed with Spo's coaching this year.

I was begining to think he could mature and grow to be a top echelon coach, but he showed nothing to make us think he's an above average coach.

1. Terrible rotations -all kinds of **** : from taking out the hot hand, to playing Allen next to Miller, to Overplaying UD and Miller, just overall bad timing and lack of feel for the game.

2. Inability to adjust - whether it's getting killed by 3's, getting killed by rebounds, or by dribble penetration - this guy is simply incapable of identifying a problem, finiding a solution and implementing it in REAL TIME.

3. Arrogance/stubbornness - not giving our young players a chance and force-feeding minutes to washed up vetrens, ignoring all the sighs that CONSTANT small-ball is KILLING US, always over-helping on defense, even if the opponent requires no help at all..etc.

He can still turned it around if he gets his act togther, but if he does'nt he's headed to some deep ****. the latest statments from Bosh and Wade make me think the players are starting to getting tierd of his bull too.

I dont care if you're his mum or his biggest fan, You can't deny these glaring weakness in his coaching if you're a serious basketball fan and watch the games.