How would you rank our bench players?

[420]

1. Norris Cole (the only consistent guy and continues to improve)
2. Chris Anderson (he's #1 if we base it on position of need)
3. Rashard Lewis (the sharpshooting we hoped Ray Allen would provide)
4. Shane Battier (when he's hitting that 3, his whole game elevates)
5. Mike Miller (I doubt he can shoot consistently anymore, but his rebounding and effort are never in question)
6. Ray Allen (he'd be last if not for the hope that he will regain his form some day. should be #1)
7. James Jones (one of our best 3pt shooters, too bad he can't find playing time)
8. Joel Anthony (great in limited minutes, but his production and impact drops off after about 7 minutes of play)
9. Jarvis Varnado (could move up the list if we was given a chance)

[dreamchaser]

1. shane battier - we can always rely on his defense and it's been consistent all season imo and he's become deadly with that corner 3...
2. norris cole - people were questioning whether he would do very good this year and some of his poor decisions but i love how he plays with heart (even tho most of the time i just smh) but hell most of the games that we played so far this season, i felt like he should start over rio. and he's become a jewel for us defensively... i enjoyed his defense on top pg's this season such as d-will, steve nash, westbrook, etc...
3. chris andersen - first and foremost i want to buy his jersey so damn bad. his energy and effort has been flat out amazing. it's almost like i'm in a dream when i am watching him defend the paint. we've finally got a center that can block shots and give us second opportunities. it's only a matter of time before he starts finishing lobs...
4. joel anthony - doesn't play a lot but when he does he plays well in the limited minutes he gets...
5. mike miller - spo is finally limiting his minutes which is great and when he does come in he rebounds very well for us... he's even been a more reliable shooter then ray allen coming off the bench for us in this season...
6. ray allen - i know a lot of people have given up on him which is understandable because his shooting slump has been down right horrible to watch but he's came up clutch for us earlier in the season and has even put up some big games... most of all i love how he brings so many options for us to go to in the clutch now. i remember back when the big 3 first formed it would be a james, wade or bosh iso with no ball movement. now the ball swings and i haven't given up on ray. i have faith that the lebron/ray duo in crunch time is going to come up big for us come playoff time and i expect his stoke to return soon...
7. rashard lewis - i wasn't very fond of getting him from the beginning because as soon as he left orlando he forgot how to play basketball imo... BUT in the limited minutes he plays he's actually become a very decent rebounder and if given the proper lineup his defense can be solid at times too. he's very streaky tho with his shooting which is why i haven't put him over ray... when he's hot this dude can put the ball in the hoop in bunches but when he's cold (which he's been for the beginning of the season when he was starting in the absence of battier) he needs to warm up the bench asap...
8. james jones - ugh why does spo hate this dude so much? when haslem got injured in the 2010-11 season he was leading the heat in charges taken... he's our best 3pt shooter imo but with his very very very limited minutes i haven't seen enough of him to even rank him over ray...
9. jarvis varnado - smh he doesn't get no pt and i don't even notice him on the bench... he's invisible...
10. dexter pittman - keep his fat a$$ in the d-league, what a bust...

[caliban]

1. Shane Battier - A big part of this team. On the floor with most of our more successful lineups. Offense doesn't skip a beat and defense gets better with him on the floor. A pest for the opponents 3s and 4s. Shots 40% from 3 and since the Indiana series last season he's just giving us what we need.

2. Chris Anderson - Too early to tell, but so far it seems that he helps the second unit a lot on defense which was a big need (although a foul magnet). Sets good enough screens on offense and seems to have a knack for getting open after the roll. As pointed out, he could fill a much needed roll.

3. Norris Cole - Still don't know what to make of this guy. Love his on ball defense when we need energy, but his overall defensive impact is minimal. Happy that he got some confidence in his jumper back the last few games. Other then that I don't know, would like to see him more on the floor without Allen. They've been a horrible pairing all season.

4. Mike Miller - It's strange but with all his deficiencies at this stage he's still one of the guys that has the least negative impact on game off the bench. Knows the offense and makes good decisions. A bad defender but not as bad as it looks lol. His hustle and rebounding helps out. Been put on ice lately.

5. Joel Anthony - Still has a roll to play on this team. If we play Indiana in the playoffs again I expect him to shut down West once again. As noted good in short minutes and against high-powered forwards.

6. Rashard Lewis - The offense gets worse when he's on the floor and the defense... Hopefully his best basketball of the season is still to come.
/
6. Ray Allen - The offense gets worse when he's on the floor and the defense... Hopefully his best basketball of the season is still to come.

8. James Jones - Money from 3pt land, can't do much else.

9. Jarvis Varnado - No idea.

10. Dexter Pittman - It hasn't worked out.

[SlowPaced]

1. Shane Battier (Fantastic role player, smart defender and gives his best in Playoffs.)
2. Chris Andersen (Can really be a crucial player for this team, showing great signs.)
3. Ray Allen (Rating him 6th -like the guys above me- is absurd. He's not hitting his shots lately but he will, have you forgotten his game winners ?)
4. Norris Cole (Incredible energy but plays with no control. Would be a nightmare if here were to get Chalmers' minutes right now, but is okay off the bench)
5. Joel Anthony (For some reason I feel like we're better with him on the court)
6. Rashard Lewis (Horrible defender but should get more minutes, great shooter)
7. Mike Miller (This guy gives more than Lewis and Jones do (rebound, hustle), but if his shot isn't there, he won't get minutes)
8. James Jones (Should play more. I'm sure he'd hit his jumpers, given that Ray Ray is off form lately, why this guy doesn't play boggles my mind)
9. Jarvis Varnado (We don't know yet, may never will know, too.)

[dreamchaser]

1. Shane Battier (Fantastic role player, smart defender and gives his best in Playoffs.)
2. Chris Andersen (Can really be a crucial player for this team, showing great signs.)
3. Ray Allen (Rating him 6th -like the guys above me- is absurd. He's not hitting his shots lately but he will, have you forgotten his game winners ?)
4. Norris Cole (Incredible energy but plays with no control. Would be a nightmare if here were to get Chalmers' minutes right now, but is okay off the bench)
5. Joel Anthony (For some reason I feel like we're better with him on the court)
6. Rashard Lewis (Horrible defender but should get more minutes, great shooter)
7. Mike Miller (This guy gives more than Lewis and Jones do (rebound, hustle), but if his shot isn't there, he won't get minutes)
8. James Jones (Should play more. I'm sure he'd hit his jumpers, given that Ray Ray is off form lately, why this guy doesn't play boggles my mind)
9. Jarvis Varnado (We don't know yet, may never will know, too.)

6. ray allen - i know a lot of people have given up on him which is understandable because his shooting slump has been down right horrible to watch but he's came up clutch for us earlier in the season and has even put up some big games... most of all i love how he brings so many options for us to go to in the clutch now. i remember back when the big 3 first formed it would be a james, wade or bosh iso with no ball movement. now the ball swings and i haven't given up on ray. i have faith that the lebron/ray duo in crunch time is going to come up big for us come playoff time and i expect his stoke to return soon...

i already talked about how he's came up clutch for us earlier in the season but that still doesn't change the fact that his defense hurts this team every time he comes in and how his ball handling is downright awful...

[Altered_Beast]

1. battier
2.norris
3.allen (id rather have allen in a terrible shooting slump now than in the post season, the guy is one of the all time greatest shooters hes gonna win us some games in the playoffs, BOOK IT)
4. birdman (when he gets in shape id venture him into the top 3)
5.joel
6.miller (given 15-18 min a game he could be doing a lot more for us)
7. rashard


vaarnado,pittman and jj really havent gotten their opportunities

[FlashFlare]

1. Battier
2. Cole
3. Birdman
4. Allen
5. Joel
6. Miller
7. Rashard

Varnado and JJ haven't gotten much burn so can't really rank them

[RexBoyWonder]

It's really hard to tell at this point, almost all of our role players are either getting back in playing shape and arn't quite there yet (Birdman, Lewis) still finding their role (Allen, Cole) or not getting real consistent playing time (Joel, Varnado, JJ).

If i had to guess right now about who will be our most important role players by playoff time, i'll go with :

1.Birdman
2.Battier
3.Allen
4.Cole
5.Lewis

Birdman provides our biggest need and answer our biggest weakness - He's a real Center.
Battier and Allen are vets that hopefully we can count on.
Cole looks better lately, and would bring some energy, hopefully finds his jumpshot by then.
Lewis is getting his legs back, i believe he can take the Miller role but do it better then MM (as a SF, not as a power player)

[JustAwesome]

That Andersen signing has been overlooked by a lot of fans, but it might be the most important acquisition for the Heat.

[narmerguy]

It's really hard to tell at this point, almost all of our role players are either getting back in playing shape and arn't quite there yet (Birdman, Lewis) still finding their role (Allen, Cole) or not getting real consistent playing time (Joel, Varnado, JJ).

If i had to guess right now about who will be our most important role players by playoff time, i'll go with :

1.Birdman
2.Battier
3.Allen
4.Cole
5.Lewis

Birdman provides our biggest need and answer our biggest weakness - He's a real Center.
Battier and Allen are vets that hopefully we can count on.
Cole looks better lately, and would bring some energy, hopefully finds his jumpshot by then.
Lewis is getting his legs back, i believe he can take the Miller role but do it better then MM (as a SF, not as a power player)

I can get with this. I may switch Cole with Allen, depending on how Rio is playing. Allen's game winning potential isn't that useful if we're a net negative when he plays in the first place.

[fast-break]

1. Battier... Ultimate role player
2. Birdman, I like what I've seen from him...albeit in limited minutes but still his size/energy is refreshing.
3. Ray Allen... well...when he's hitting his shots, man is he good to have. Ray's poor defense continues to bother me and also his decision making on fast breaks (not giving up the ball) or attacking the rim when the paint is packed, it just usually never turns out good (see: Grizzlies game...yikes. Bayless STUFFED him). Even still, I think Ray's a guy who's capable of coming up big in the post season (hopefully), so even in his slump I won't drop him down major spots just yet.
4. Cole... still doesn't have a jumper, but I do enjoy his energy on defense. Decision making has made a bit of a stride which can provide relief on those brutal nights Chalmer's seems to have from time to time.
5. Joel...defense seems to pickup whenever he's in.
6. Miller don't see him much.., but when he catches fire...it's kind of hard for Miami to lose (see GAME 5 of the NBA FINALS). All of those open shots. Miller will also grab some rebounds if he can help it.
7. Lewis