2025 Offseason Thread Vol.5

[SA37]

Noticed that Caitlyn Clark is shooting below 40% from the field, below 30% from 3 and averages 6 TOs a game. Shes the leading allstar vote getter and face of the league.

Feels like we have the same in Kaspar.

Forget the G-League, send Kaspar to the WNBA, preferably Indiana to be Clark's understudy.

[unowen85]

My starting lineup that will lead us to 50+ wins and the championship is:

Mitchell
Herro
Jovic
Bam
Ware

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Should we go with a starting lineup of :

PG: Herro
SG: Powell
SF: Wiggins
PF: Bam
C: Ware

OR

PG: Mitchell
SG: Herro
SF: Wiggns
PD: Jovic
C: Bam

I don't think it matters because I think Ware is going to be a 20mpg guy who probably starts for the confidence boost, but get pulled in favor of a small-ball lineup:

Mitchell
Herro
Powell
Wiggins
Bam

This is likely true, I’m not sure we’ll see Ware closing games unless we see major improvements from him

[DayofMourning]

Noticed that Caitlyn Clark is shooting below 40% from the field, below 30% from 3 and averages 6 TOs a game. Shes the leading allstar vote getter and face of the league.

Feels like we have the same in Kaspar.

Forget the G-League, send Kaspar to the WNBA, preferably Indiana to be Clark's understudy.

Sounds good to me.

The media is now trying to generate the narrative that Caitlyn passed on Angel Reese when picking her AS teammates............so petty.

[HeatFan_NC]

Would be nice if we could get Jrue Holiday and Robert Williams from Portland. Williams is on an expiring contract and could provide insurance as a backup center.

[DayofMourning]

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[3ballbomber]

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[greg4012]

Ok, finished watching some Powell film.

Imo, they should be running the Mike Brown defense.
(Simplified)
I would start herro and Powell together.
Powell at poa and hide herro.
Poa defense is overrated, it's more casual speak. Help defense is what makes a defense. Outside of the "hide" , poa is the least impactful role in this set up.

Ware protects rim. But needs to get smarter on reads. Hunting block shots is not defense.
Bam roams to protect mid to paint. Defacto Dray. You want him switching, but most importantly communicating.
Wiggins needs to help top and bottom. (His actual best role and the role he had in 2022). He's a much better help defender than poa, no question. I assume spo will be eventually figure it out, if he has access to tracking.

Powell has the athleticism to stay up front, doesn't have to be good. He lacks switchability and awareness. He can be better if it's simple see man and follow man. No thinking involved. He csn at least needs to funnel the action into Wiggins and bam. Let those 2 do the brunt of the leg work on defense. Ware is there if anything breaks through.

Not meany teams can run the brown defense because it needs a specific personnel. He couldn't in Sacramento, but I bet my house we will see it in NY (less ice and more switch funneling into OG and robinson).

This leaves herro and Powell to keep their energy on offense while bam and wiggins still contribute their 30+ points.

I would be spamming this 5 man group as a whole all preseason and exhibition, they will need reps. Being in sync and communication is key, and that doesn't come from.just watching film.

Offense will be easier to learn.

Jovic should be the 6th man.

I appreciate your breakdown, and agree that defense can work without a tip of the spear POA defender if the other pieces can offer crucial alternative impact and are all in-sync. But, I def disagree with the notion that POA defense is overrated. Without it, you're putting each defender into stressed position in recovery mode from the jump.

[greg4012]

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[Dmcdani6]

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Was Keshad that impressive?! Guess i need to watch the last game

[Crazy-Canuck]

Ok, finished watching some Powell film.

Imo, they should be running the Mike Brown defense.
(Simplified)
I would start herro and Powell together.
Powell at poa and hide herro.
Poa defense is overrated, it's more casual speak. Help defense is what makes a defense. Outside of the "hide" , poa is the least impactful role in this set up.

Ware protects rim. But needs to get smarter on reads. Hunting block shots is not defense.
Bam roams to protect mid to paint. Defacto Dray. You want him switching, but most importantly communicating.
Wiggins needs to help top and bottom. (His actual best role and the role he had in 2022). He's a much better help defender than poa, no question. I assume spo will be eventually figure it out, if he has access to tracking.

Powell has the athleticism to stay up front, doesn't have to be good. He lacks switchability and awareness. He can be better if it's simple see man and follow man. No thinking involved. He csn at least needs to funnel the action into Wiggins and bam. Let those 2 do the brunt of the leg work on defense. Ware is there if anything breaks through.

Not meany teams can run the brown defense because it needs a specific personnel. He couldn't in Sacramento, but I bet my house we will see it in NY (less ice and more switch funneling into OG and robinson).

This leaves herro and Powell to keep their energy on offense while bam and wiggins still contribute their 30+ points.

I would be spamming this 5 man group as a whole all preseason and exhibition, they will need reps. Being in sync and communication is key, and that doesn't come from.just watching film.

Offense will be easier to learn.

Jovic should be the 6th man.

I appreciate your breakdown, and agree that defense can work without a tip of the spear POA defender if the other pieces can offer crucial alternative impact and are all in-sync. But, I def disagree with the notion that POA defense is overrated. Without it, you're putting each defender into stressed position in recovery mode from the jump.

I think most people focus on poa because its easier to see to gage defense. Its aau syndrome mixed in with playground ball. Give me 5 guys on a string over 5 great on ball defenders every day. It excludes schemes which imo most fans don't see. I like to see the why plays get broken down for the for most part. But its almost impossible to see in real time.

Here's a good example.

Read on Twitter

Imo, most will see Wiggins get beat poa and blame him. (And thats what most fans did) But thats actually incorrect. If you understand basic defense, the idea in that situation is to funnel the offensive guy into the help and the baseline (which becomes an extra defender). You can see how wiggins sets his feet and pivots his hip, the play was to force reeves baseline to help which was supposed to be kuminga. But watch what kuminga does, he isnt aware and guards his man while out of bounds. So now there's no help where there was supposed to be help.

I rewatch film from time to time, especially on the defensive side of the ball (its why i love the way bam plays) . I'm not as high on Mitchell as most of the fanbase and it makes sense to me why he got passed around while guys like dort, Caruso, and even gp2 were in demand. Its also why I feel herros defense isnt fixable, not anytime soon anyways.

And apologies, I get most fans arent into the why's, they just tend to blame the players they hate the most.its easier

[Lennyzinho]

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I had predicted a Jdub for Cooper Flagg type trade. Maybe they'll do it next offseason for AJ Dybantsa or some other top pick. Thunder simply cant afford to pay SGA Chet and JDub like 170M a year lmao.

This year the three of them cost 57M.
2026-2027 (Jdub hasn't signed yet but assuming 40-50M) 135M
2027-2028 new sga deal kicks in it'll be 165-170M for those three.

Expect a big trade next offseason. They are at 200M for 2026-2027 and that is with $0 for Jdub as of now. So once he extends they'll be at 240-250M.

[Flash4thewin]

Should we go with a starting lineup of :

PG: Herro
SG: Powell
SF: Wiggins
PF: Bam
C: Ware

OR

PG: Mitchell
SG: Herro
SF: Wiggns
PD: Jovic
C: Bam

I don't think it matters because I think Ware is going to be a 20mpg guy who probably starts for the confidence boost, but get pulled in favor of a small-ball lineup:

Mitchell
Herro
Powell
Wiggins
Bam

Well that’s one way to destroy the value of a player or have a player demand a trade. We say Ware is untouchable yet will only play him 20 mins give or take a game.

[DayofMourning]

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Was Keshad that impressive?! Guess i need to watch the last game

He def stood out last game.

[greg4012]

Ok, finished watching some Powell film.

Imo, they should be running the Mike Brown defense.
(Simplified)
I would start herro and Powell together.
Powell at poa and hide herro.
Poa defense is overrated, it's more casual speak. Help defense is what makes a defense. Outside of the "hide" , poa is the least impactful role in this set up.

Ware protects rim. But needs to get smarter on reads. Hunting block shots is not defense.
Bam roams to protect mid to paint. Defacto Dray. You want him switching, but most importantly communicating.
Wiggins needs to help top and bottom. (His actual best role and the role he had in 2022). He's a much better help defender than poa, no question. I assume spo will be eventually figure it out, if he has access to tracking.

Powell has the athleticism to stay up front, doesn't have to be good. He lacks switchability and awareness. He can be better if it's simple see man and follow man. No thinking involved. He csn at least needs to funnel the action into Wiggins and bam. Let those 2 do the brunt of the leg work on defense. Ware is there if anything breaks through.

Not meany teams can run the brown defense because it needs a specific personnel. He couldn't in Sacramento, but I bet my house we will see it in NY (less ice and more switch funneling into OG and robinson).

This leaves herro and Powell to keep their energy on offense while bam and wiggins still contribute their 30+ points.

I would be spamming this 5 man group as a whole all preseason and exhibition, they will need reps. Being in sync and communication is key, and that doesn't come from.just watching film.

Offense will be easier to learn.

Jovic should be the 6th man.

I appreciate your breakdown, and agree that defense can work without a tip of the spear POA defender if the other pieces can offer crucial alternative impact and are all in-sync. But, I def disagree with the notion that POA defense is overrated. Without it, you're putting each defender into stressed position in recovery mode from the jump.

I think most people focus on poa because its easier to see to gage defense. Its aau syndrome mixed in with playground ball. Give me 5 guys on a string over 5 great on ball defenders every day. It excludes schemes which imo most fans don't see. I like to see the why plays get broken down for the for most part. But its almost impossible to see in real time.

Here's a good example.

Read on Twitter

Imo, most will see Wiggins get beat poa and blame him. (And thats what most fans did) But thats actually incorrect. If you understand basic defense, the idea in that situation is to funnel the offensive guy into the help and the baseline (which becomes an extra defender). You can see how wiggins sets his feet and pivots his hip, the play was to force reeves baseline to help which was supposed to be kuminga. But watch what kuminga does, he isnt aware and guards his man while out of bounds. So now there's no help where there was supposed to be help.

I rewatch film from time to time, especially on the defensive side of the ball (its why i love the way bam plays) . I'm not as high on Mitchell as most of the fanbase and it makes sense to me why he got passed around while guys like dort, Caruso, and even gp2 were in demand. Its also why I feel herros defense isnt fixable, not anytime soon anyways.

And apologies, I get most fans arent into the why's, they just tend to blame the players they hate the most.its easier

Having 5 plus defenders all in-sync is obviously preferred no matter what you want to call what they're doing. That's almost never reality--but is absolutely a huge factor in my orientation towards team building preferences. That's definitely not the reality that this current form of Miami Heat roster is facing or has had for years.

Every well-designed defense has to be crafted to mitigate for weaknesses in defensive skillsets on the floor while aiming to serve greater philosophies (whether that be minimizing 3PAs, not allowing teams to get into the paint, funneling offense into rim protection, etc.). There is no cure all. But, acting like an individual defender being able to keep an offensive initiator from getting where he wants on the court (usually the paint) doesn't add value just because some defensive schemes hedge against the fact that they can't do that well is silly circular logic.

You're not introducing some new concepts to the table here. You seem to be fixated on aiming to defend Wiggins and his defense as your underlying motivation and crafting a perspective for defensive team building from there. I'd argue that's a faulty approach. But, I understand how you came to it.

Let's cool it with the underhanded insinuations and attempted condescension (see bold/italics). It's better when it's just real bball talk.

Edit: Your reference of Davion Mitchell in comparison with the "demand" for players like Caruso and GP2 doesn't really pass the sniff test. Caruso was not in demand and was barely even in NBA rotation (similar to Mitchell) until his age 25 season with LA. He really came into this own that season and got his current version of the Davion Mitchell contract from Chicago the following season. GP2 is turning 33 this season and has yet to play over 15 mpg in a season for his career, and he got the equivalent of Mitchell's current contract with Miami from GS when he was 30. Lu Dort is a whole different thing IMO as he's a wing thru and thru. All this reflects how many other things need to accompany POA defense for a guard to bring value to NBA teams as a rotation piece. When you're the smallest player on the floor in a game of giants you better bring more to the table. The fact that teams with top tier defense prioritize getting these "small" players on the floor to maximize their defense despite limited offensive impact just shows how valuable the POA defense skillset is as an element to contribute to top tier defense. I know the Nuggets would not have won that championship without KCP and Bruce Brown working to keep ballhandlers out of the paint, no matter how much length and funneling their defense did otherwise to mitigate for slower-footedness from Jokic and MPJ.

[Vertical Limit]

that contract Chet Holmgren just got.. good lord.. im sorry but no, **** no… that is an awful contract

[carnageta]

Ok, finished watching some Powell film.

Imo, they should be running the Mike Brown defense.
(Simplified)
I would start herro and Powell together.
Powell at poa and hide herro.
Poa defense is overrated, it's more casual speak. Help defense is what makes a defense. Outside of the "hide" , poa is the least impactful role in this set up.

Ware protects rim. But needs to get smarter on reads. Hunting block shots is not defense.
Bam roams to protect mid to paint. Defacto Dray. You want him switching, but most importantly communicating.
Wiggins needs to help top and bottom. (His actual best role and the role he had in 2022). He's a much better help defender than poa, no question. I assume spo will be eventually figure it out, if he has access to tracking.

Powell has the athleticism to stay up front, doesn't have to be good. He lacks switchability and awareness. He can be better if it's simple see man and follow man. No thinking involved. He csn at least needs to funnel the action into Wiggins and bam. Let those 2 do the brunt of the leg work on defense. Ware is there if anything breaks through.

Not meany teams can run the brown defense because it needs a specific personnel. He couldn't in Sacramento, but I bet my house we will see it in NY (less ice and more switch funneling into OG and robinson).

This leaves herro and Powell to keep their energy on offense while bam and wiggins still contribute their 30+ points.

I would be spamming this 5 man group as a whole all preseason and exhibition, they will need reps. Being in sync and communication is key, and that doesn't come from.just watching film.

Offense will be easier to learn.

Jovic should be the 6th man.

I appreciate your breakdown, and agree that defense can work without a tip of the spear POA defender if the other pieces can offer crucial alternative impact and are all in-sync. But, I def disagree with the notion that POA defense is overrated. Without it, you're putting each defender into stressed position in recovery mode from the jump.

I think most people focus on poa because its easier to see to gage defense. Its aau syndrome mixed in with playground ball. Give me 5 guys on a string over 5 great on ball defenders every day. It excludes schemes which imo most fans don't see. I like to see the why plays get broken down for the for most part. But its almost impossible to see in real time.

Here's a good example.

Read on Twitter

Imo, most will see Wiggins get beat poa and blame him. (And thats what most fans did) But thats actually incorrect. If you understand basic defense, the idea in that situation is to funnel the offensive guy into the help and the baseline (which becomes an extra defender). You can see how wiggins sets his feet and pivots his hip, the play was to force reeves baseline to help which was supposed to be kuminga. But watch what kuminga does, he isnt aware and guards his man while out of bounds. So now there's no help where there was supposed to be help.

I rewatch film from time to time, especially on the defensive side of the ball (its why i love the way bam plays) . I'm not as high on Mitchell as most of the fanbase and it makes sense to me why he got passed around while guys like dort, Caruso, and even gp2 were in demand. Its also why I feel herros defense isnt fixable, not anytime soon anyways.

And apologies, I get most fans arent into the why's, they just tend to blame the players they hate the most.its easier

Lol why TF was Luminga guarding his man (who was out of bounds) like that

[3ballbomber]

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Kas maybe fine. Winslow debut deceived every1. I’ve nvr taken much frm sl outings.

[Daffy]

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/nba-insider-explains-luka-doncics-080412447.html

One of you cap guys help me out here. If Luka walks in FA and signs with us. Wouldn't the same contract be eligible for him as a 10 year vet or would it be a little more in LA for years accumulated with them?

Also wouldn't he make more here with our tax situation in Miami?

[3ballbomber]

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Another level unlocking. It’s going to be a fun season.