Mutombo traded to heat instead of 76ers

[migya]

Had Mutombo been traded to the Heat after the 1998-99 season and reunited with Mourning, instead of to Philly a season later, for PJ Brown and Weatherspoon, how do the Heat perform in the 1999-2000 season, Mourning's last prime season?

In college they were twin towers but raw but they were still in their prime, at the end of it, at this stage. Would these two together have worked as twin towers with that Heat roster?

[Tim_Hardawayy]

I don't want to rule it out, because that was an NBA where you could still sort of get away with that... but it'd have been awkward for sure. Of note though, this was arguably Zo's best season shooting in Miami since he put on weight/muscle, as evidenced by his FT% which tanked when he bulked up but finally recovered to near Charlotte levels.

Still, even with an ever so slightly improved shooting stroke, he still wasn't going to be taking 3's, and he was never a great passer, so I don't know that this really improves that Miami squad all that much. Just feels like a mediocre fit, since Zo and Dikembe do most of the same things.

Best case, they get by the Knicks, advance to the Finals, and probably get crushed by the Lakers. But I really don't think it changes much of anything, they could still lose to the Knicks with that squad. Bigger issue was Tim Hardaway was cooked by this point, and Jamal Mashburn was just never able to be "that guy" when the moment got big. And you aren't going to either Zo or Dikembe in crunch time.

[migya]

The offense isn't worse but not better but the defense is the best that year. Mourning and Mutombo would arguably be better shotblockers than Robinson and Duncan. In the east that defense would've been huge and likely they could've been serious contenders. Hardaway fell off but they had some pretty reasonable offense and shooting that season. An interesting scenario.

[penbeast0]

Young Mourning would be a better fit with Mutombo because while one (Dikembe) would be hanging back and playing rim protector, the other is going to have to be chasing the more mobile big around the floor and an aging Zo was slowing down. So, no, I'm not sure they would be better defensively than Robinson and Duncan who were significantly more mobile defensively than the two Georgetown bigs at that point in their careers.