Chuck Texas & PMOTT3's Early Off-Season Review: Miami Heat

[Hawk Eye]

Chuck Texas Review

Losses:

nothing of signifigance (Shawne Williams, SuperCoolBeas etc)

Draft:

Justice Winslow
Josh Richardson

I guy I felt like belonged in the top 5 falls to them at 10 in Winslow.   They had to be thrilled that he got to them.   This is just a good basketball player who can help you in a lot of ways at both ends.   May not make any 1st-team All NBA squads but this guy should be a really good player for a long time in this league.

Trades:

N/A unless I am missing something?

Free Agency:

Wade back on a big one-year deal
Dragic back on a huge 5 year deal
Deng opted in
Amare on a minimum
Gerald Green on a minimum

How can you not love this?  You were never getting rid of DWade so why not make him happy by overpaying him for past services?   They kept Dragic which was crucial, Deng opted in which is perfect for them as they don't have a long-term commitment or a hole. And Amare and Green are good signings for the minimum as some guys who can provide some scoring off the bench.

Current Depth Chart: (as usual this is a rough draft)

Hassan Whiteside/Amare/ Chris Anderson
Chris Bosh/Josh McRoberts/Udonis Haslem
Luol Deng/Justice Winslow/James Ennis
Dwayne Wade/Gerald Green/Zoran Dragic
Goran Dragic/Mario Chalmers/Shabazz Napier

Needs:

Health for Bosh/Wade would be number 1.  Whiteside proving last year wasn't a fluke is number 2.   But this is a deep team with 10-11 guys deserving playing time.  I know they wanted to dump some money, but I think Birdman and Chalmers are worth keeping around.   They fill real needs.  If they can find a roste spot, a veteran shooter would be nice.

Additional Thoughts:

They didn't do anything unexpected really, but once again Pat Riley shows why he's one of the best in the business.   Got all his guys back and brought in a couple contributors for nothing.   Got a great guy to fall to them in the draft.   Right now this looks like the 2nd or 3rd best team in the East.   The one year drop into the lottery paid huge dividends.

Projected Win/Loss:  52-30

I think they are a better team than even 52 wins suggests, but I expect Wade and Deng to miss 25-40 combined games again which will hurt the record a bit.   I really like the makeup of this team

Off-Season Grade:  A+

I honestly can't find anything about this off-season I don't like and I can find lots of things I love:  Deng picking up his option, Wade being taken care of, Dragic being kept, Winslow falling to them, the min guys.   Great job again by Riley.   

PMOTT3 Review

Key Losses:

N/A

Other Losses:

Shawne Williams
Michael Beasley?

Draft:

Justise Winslow
Josh Richardson

I felt like there were two major steals in the draft. Mudiay falling to Denver at #7 and Winslow falling to the Heat at #10. Winslow was the best wing in the draft and i suspect in about 2-3 years teams 4-9 from this draft will be saying "And we didn't take Winslow because..?"

Trades:

I hope me and Chuck didn't miss one here but I'm not recalling any trades either.

Free Agency:

Dwayne Wade
Goran Dragic
Gerald Green
Amare Stoudemire

Love it. Absolutely love it. Wade got his big pay day and Miami got to keep their flexibility. Deng opting in fixed the hole on the wing and again its for 1 year so Miami maintains their flexibility for next years FA. They re-signed Dragic which was a must. And getting Amare and Gerald on 1 year vet min deals is just the icing on the cake. Both of those guys should be major contributors off their bench and they look relatively deep now at every single position.

Current Depth Chart: (rough version)

PG: G. Dragic/Napier/Chalmers
SG: Wade/Green/Z. Dragic
SF: Deng/Winslow/Ennis
PF: Bosh/McRoberts/Haslem
C: Whiteside/Stoudemire/Anderson

Needs:

Agree with Chuck here that their biggest need of all is the ability to stay healthy. That alone can be the difference in the 1-3 seed or the 6-8 seed (or worse yet missing the playoffs again). I would also think hard about trading Chalmers & Birdman for a starting caliber SG. I like them as pieces to add to their depth but facts are facts; Wade has missed 20+ games for the last 2 seasons. At age 33-34 i dont expect that to just go away. So adding a SG to fill in for Wade when he misses games would be ideal.

Additional Thoughts:

I dont think Miami could have had a better off-season. They brought the band back together and were able to stay relatively flexible for next years cap spike in doing so. They re-signed their starting PG. Pat Riley brought in Amare and Green to add to their bench depth which i think was huge considering they have a relatively old-aged roster. They now have the deepest roster in the east imo. The best wing in the draft fell right in their laps. Bosh is back and will be ready to start the season. All is well in south Florida for now.

Win/Loss Prediction: 46-36

As much as I liked their off-season, i just cant see them getting in the 50+ range of wins. I think age and health will come back to bite them in the ass. I expect somewhere between a 5-8 seed.

Overall Grade: A+

Chuck is right, how could you not love their off-season? The only thing that is remotely debatable is the money given to Dragic but there were so many other good things that off-set it. Bravo Riley.

[bondom34]

Was between A or A+, but you talked me into it. Riley is fantastic.

[DK-All Day]

Miami was incredibly lucky to select Winslow at #10. Steal of the draft IMO.

They're bringing back the core players from last year so hopefully Wade and Bosh can survive into the playoffs. I like the Amare and Green signing. The only downside If any for Miami is giving Dragic that huge contract although they had no alternatives since they gave up unprotected picks for him. Miami is going to make a run at KD in 2016 and all of their moves were predicated to that.

I think Miami is a top 2 team in the East with a chance to knock off LBJ and co. in the ECF. Great offseason for Pat Riley.

[cammac]

Old core one year older nice signing in Winslow.
B

[Laimbeer]

A-

Winslow was a great get at the spot and Green and Amare were good values. They also resigned who they had to. Won't go higher as I think that requires adding someone with significant impact in the upcoming season.

[Trader_Joe]

I can see Miami getting the #2 seed this year with a little luck.

I think much will depend on health of course, but also their bigs in particular.
Bosh of course is back
McRoberts will be back
Amare could look good in spot minutes
Andersen won't be overly relied on for big minutes
Haslem has always been a hard worker and will be there when needed

But most of all Whiteside.
If last season was not a fluke, they are in excellent shape.

I give them a solid A.

[Cormag001]

Miami did what they need to, resigning their core guys.
They drafted Winslow, a potential all-star, at the #10 spot. Absolute steal.
Signed both Gerald Green (who I think has a lot to offer) and Amare to vet min's.

Overall nothing that absolutely pops off the sheet and makes you say "WOW", but I feel like every move was made right and they will be in contention for a top 4 seed in the East.

GRADE: A.

[HartfordWhalers]

A+.

Really like their 2nd rounder too.

[Hawk Eye]

for once Chuck and I actually agreed on the same overall grade

I really think anywhere from an A- to A+ would be acceptable here and its showing in the polls so far.

[Domejandro]

People stating Justise Winslow is the steal of the draft are a little off in my opinion (I have absolutely beaten to death my position on Stanley Johnson over him, so I would be happy to post if people wonder why), but nonetheless he was a very good pick for Miami. Very solid value for them.

They absolutely killed free-agency though, they have really, really improved their depth; people often forget that Josh McRoberts was out the whole season and Hassan Whiteside now makes him the first big off of the bench. He, if he comes back correctly which he likely will given both his and Miami's patience with his injury, will be a phenomenal piece for them.

I am harsh with my grades, but I will give them an A+. I like their off-season.

[nykballa2k4]

Old core one year older nice signing in Winslow.
B

This isn't "rate the roster" it's "rate the offseason" Riley took every obvious move at his disposal (Winslow), didn't lose anything important(Wade, Deng, Dragic) and added guys who put up big numbers for the bench (Amare, Green) The big problem miami has is the lack of a defensive anchor, that's a lot of trust to have in a 2nd year guy off a breakout season.... However, there was not anything out there to get.

[Austincys21]

They just need to stay healthy and I have them 2 in the east but that's highly unlikely.

[RealityIsDemar]

I gave an A- Because I absolutely love this off-season except 1 move. Winslow is great, Wade is on a win-win deal, Deng is meh but fine at 9 mill for the year, A'mare and GG are tremendous signings. I just really don't like the Dragic contract. I know, it's what he was bound to get and it's just a bit more than someone like Reggie Jackson, but I don't know about that fit with Wade. If I were Miami I'd look to move Dragic for a different PG.

[HartfordWhalers]

I feel the need to add:
1) I argued that Stanley Johnson over Winslow could make sense
2) I'm not sold on Miami being #2 in the East at all.

But given their parameters, I think they nailed this offseason. Ending up with Wade signed for more money (look we don't suck), but for just 1 year (hey '16'ers, we have some space) was amazing. Winslow was great. Richardson was (at least) great. The vet min guys tehy got were better than great. It was a perfect offseason, even if it gets them a 2nd round out in a 7 game series.

[Hawk Eye]

I feel the need to add:
1) I argued that Stanley Johnson over Winslow could make sense
2) I'm not sold on Miami being #2 in the East at all.

But given their parameters, I think they nailed this offseason. Ending up with Wade signed for more money (look we don't suck), but for just 1 year (hey '16'ers, we have some space) was amazing. Winslow was great. Richardson was (at least) great. The vet min guys tehy got were better than great. It was a perfect offseason, even if it gets them a 2nd round out in a 7 game series.

I feel the exact same which is why i gave them a sub-50 win total. Despite having an A+ off-season i still see them as a 4-8 seed team in the east.

[Prospect Dong]

I'm really surprised Green signed for the min. That just seems odd given the money floating around this offseason for 9th/10th men. Was he really awful last year or something?

[NTB]

I'm really surprised Green signed for the min. That just seems odd given the money floating around this offseason for 9th/10th men. Was he really awful last year or something?

He got benched because of his chucking, low IQ, negative play. And also there was Isaiah to get his minutes.

[165bows]

I feel the need to add:
1) I argued that Stanley Johnson over Winslow could make sense
2) I'm not sold on Miami being #2 in the East at all.

I tend to agree. They had a solid off season because of Winslow. But they have the second oldest roster and probably a bottom 3-4 in the league future draft pick situation. They've got a solid history in FA but have left themselves really dependent on it going forward.

Also agree on the Dragic fit mentioned above. Miami was the second slowest team last year, and is really moving into this sort of Brooklyn style of slow pace, not much three point shooting, and really reliant on two point shot execution. Not sure if Dragic fits really well with that.

I'd say B.

[BBallFreak]

I feel the need to add:
1) I argued that Stanley Johnson over Winslow could make sense
2) I'm not sold on Miami being #2 in the East at all.

I tend to agree. They had a solid off season because of Winslow. But they have the second oldest roster and probably a bottom 3-4 in the league future draft pick situation. They've got a solid history in FA but have left themselves really dependent on it going forward.

Also agree on the Dragic fit mentioned above. Miami was the second slowest team last year, and is really moving into this sort of Brooklyn style of slow pace, not much three point shooting, and really reliant on two point shot execution. Not sure if Dragic fits really well with that.

I'd say B.

It is Miami's intention to run this year. That's why they got Winslow, Green, and Richardson to go with Bosh, Wade, and Dragic. They're looking to get up the floor.

I agree, it might not be perfect, but their is clear intent to help him fit. They got two players that they know can fit with Dragic...

[HartfordWhalers]

Downgraded to an A-.

Those salary dumps were not great.