Did you notice how badly we screwed up the 2008 2010 drafts?

[RexBoyWonder]

I know theres no use crying over spilled milk, and we do have a great team now..but still, it's kinda mind-boggling.

The funny thing is - im not even talking about Beasley. im over that. a top pick can sometimes bust, it can hapen to any team. but we really **** up regardless of that headcase (although getting Kevin Love would have been epic).

So in 2008 first round - We get Beasley..complete bust in a great draft. **** happens.
Still in 2008, seconed round - we get Mario Chalmers with the #34 pick, which looks decent..Untill u notice that #35 was DeAndre Jordan and #36 was Omer Asik.

So we got a PG that is probably not even top 28, when we had 2 top 5-10 Centers on the board.

Can you imagine us with those Centers? we would demolish teams.

Then in 2010, we could have had Eric Bledsoe, one of the most exciting promising PG's in the leauge, or even Avery Bradley Or Quincy Pondexter - nice role players to have..but we traded that pick away for..Pittman?

We really need these kind of players, not just for this year but also going forward as the big 3 get older...i really hope we start drafting better..with our cap situation and the new CBA, getting better feels like an uphill battle.

[RJM]

Given that Rio has a penchant for hitting big shots and so on, he was a steal. He had a strong rookie campaign, and we got what we needed from that position with Jermaine O'Neal still putting up numbers for us.

[RexBoyWonder]

Given that Rio has a penchant for hitting big shots and so on, he was a steal. He had a strong rookie campaign, and we got what we needed from that position with Jermaine O'Neal still putting up numbers for us.

Im confused..are you saying that getting Mario, an inconsistent bordline starter PG, was better then getting Asik or Jordan?

[Slot Machine]

Wow, looking back 2008 was a hell of a draft. Anyway, you can't complain about a 2nd round pick who actually turned into a serviceable player. Obviously, looking back we should have taken DeAndre Jordan or Asik but that's just hindsight bias speaking. We could have gotten a scrub like Kyle Weaver. Mario turned out better than other guys who were taken ahead of him like Joey Dorsey.

We dumped our pick in 2010 for salary purposes, the Pittman pick was bad but no one good came after him so you can't complain too much, I guess.

[Chosen01]

We couldn't have drafted Eric or the Heat wouldn't have had enough money to sign LeWade Bosh.

[RexBoyWonder]

We couldn't have drafted Eric or the Heat wouldn't have had enough money to sign LeWade Bosh.

wut

We couldn't afford a rookie contract?

[ricochet]

I'm depressed now..


imagine if we had drafted Asik and Bledsoe..

[HeatGuyInChicago]

No, it would have meant less money to LeBron, Wade, and Bosh because of the CBA.

[YounG_A]

we wouldnt have been able to keep Asik or DeAndre..so we would be in the same spot as we are now, expect we would have Bledsoe instead of Chalmers if we went that route.

[Pimpwerx]

Didn't we need a PG to go alongside Wade? We were hoping for Rose, but had to settle for Beas. As a result, we filled our PG need with Rio. We ended up going after JO and Magloire, so I think that was another reason. PEACE.

[RJM]

Here's what I'm tired of--constantly trading away second-round draft picks for stiffs that will never see an NBA court. Do any of you remember who we drafted this year in the second round? Anyone? Exactly. He'll never come back. Many of these picks were made in the second round, but we're so busy wasting them on losers that will never see the court. I'm sick and tired of it.

Aside from obvious lottery picks, the only real gems we've come across were Mario Chalmers. That's about it. I can't think of anyone else in recent history aside from Wayne Simien, and he would have been something special had he not been both Salmonella-prone and stuck behind Haslem and a coach that doesn't care much for rookies. Norris Cole may very well be the next Mario Chalmers, but so many of these teams are loaded with picks in both rounds that turn out so wonderfully.

Why not us?

[orangeparka]

I agree wholeheartedly. Lots of contenders end up getting steals and wildcard x-factors with their picks, and thus continue to improve their teams and infuse some youth into the roster.

Not us though. We only rely on FA.

[TRG]

Although we're in "win now mode" we haven't done squat to improve our future.

Just look at OKC. They're also in "win now mode" but they've made some great moves that will allow them to remain lethal after these next few years.

We still have time but if this franchise is serious about remaining contenders we need to start drafting smarter.

[Heat3]

Miami under Pat Riley sucks at drafting. We got lucky with Wade and Caron. Everyone else sucks. I thought Beas would be good but didn't turn out that way. I fault Spo partially for breaking him lol.

[HeatFanSince87]

In most 2008 drafts re-done... Rio is 13-14. Not bad for a guy taken in the second round. Yes, he's nothing special...however he has shown up in the biggest games. Not just in 2012, but he played very well in 2011 Finals as well. Bease was a bust for sure, but every GM was taking him at 2.

Riley hit on Wade and Caron... that's more then a lot og franchises who miss on lotto picks year after year. Prior to Rose, the Bulls blew tons of lotto picks. Riley has always been better at trades, and signings. Not just big additions..but free agent signings like Battier, Ray, etc.

I would like to have seen some better success with some our late picks...but over all Riley has done a decent job in the draft.

If Philly makes the 8th seed.. we get their pick this draft. What I dont like, is Ive read that if next year Philly misses playoffs again, then the same in 2 years... we lose the pick and it becomes a second rounder?

[Laazard]

I guess there are 2 factors for woes of our rookies:
1) First is the pressure - we are young but successful franchise and you have to be very good to play
2) Second is... the city. Unfrtunately, I've never been to Miami(i'm from europe) but... you know - weather, clubs, booz, chicks etc... Many young players are not really professionals and these things are very... tempting.

So, we have to pick skilled, high character guys. That's why we can't make decent players from prospects.

[ssenbonzakura]

People complain too much. I would pick Mario 10 times out of 10 knowing what I know now if I had to go back to that draft. Do people realize how much Asik and Jordan are making right now. We wouldn't have been able to afford them. And do people forget last years playoffs? Mario was huge in some big games. Give me a big game player any day of the week. Jordan wouldn't even sniff the court in closing minutes because he can't hit free throws. Yes he'll get rebounds, but go back and watch some Clipper tapes and you'll see he looked clueless on defense a lot. Asik you can make an argument for, but we've won with Mario being a legitimate contributor. I'll take that and his contract as well as a championship.

[colonel_von]

Chalmers won us game 4. I wouldn't be crying from picking him over Asik or Jordan

[Chosen01]

We couldn't have drafted Eric or the Heat wouldn't have had enough money to sign LeWade Bosh.

wut

We couldn't afford a rookie contract?

No thats why they traded it and still needed to shave off money by getting Thunder to get cook.

If it were just Bosh and Wade then no doubt that Riley would have kept the pick to have play behind Chalmers.

I always knew Bledsoe would turn out to be a good player, he had all the tools to thrive in this league. Dude referenced as a mini-LeBron, small, strong and explosive


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW2fK5NGxTk[/youtube]

[Voice_of_Reason]

I'm not so sure Bledsoe would be such a great player for Miami. At the moment he isn't a threat at all shooting rom distance, he wouldn't spread floor like Mario.

One thing he and Mario both have is questionable IQ. He has made some great plays, but still continues to make decisions that leave you scratching your head.