MIAMI \u2014 The drumbeat for change resonates arguably like never before, with the Heat about to make their fourth consecutive trip to the NBA play-in tournament.<\/p>\n
The call for something different is real and logical and something that has to be addressed.<\/p>\n
But, first, a few qualifiers.<\/p>\n
Erik Spoelstra isn\u2019t going anywhere, nor should he be going anywhere. You coach your talent, and in the wake of the Heat not finding a replacement for Jimmy Butler, middling talent has led to a middling result. Further, even if eventually his choice is a Brad Stevens-type move to the front office, it is highly doubtful Spoelstra would leave the bench ahead of his assignment as Team USA 2028 Olympic coach.<\/p>\n
Pat Riley isn\u2019t going anywhere, except by his choice. Although to a degree, he already has gone somewhere, with the Heat handling personnel decisions more by consensus than at any time during his three-plus decades with the team.<\/p>\n
The Arisons aren\u2019t going anywhere, at least not any time soon, with NBA owners facing upwards of a $500 million-per-team payoff in the expected\u00a0 potential next round of expansion.<\/p>\n
But that doesn\u2019t mean that it has to be \u2014 or should be \u2014 same as it ever was with the enduring personnel circle of the Arisons, Riley, Spoelstra, Andy Elisburg, Adam Simon and an elite scouting and executive staff.<\/p>\n
Even amid current frustrations, there have been too many success stories to sweep the accomplishments aside, even amid the current hamster wheel of mediocrity.<\/p>\n
But there is a way to take what is in place and make it better.<\/p>\n
For better or worse, when Spoelstra recognized that the Heat\u2019s offense was stuck in the mud, he thought outside the box, as he often does, and brought in Noah LaRoche as an offensive consultant last summer. The upshot was a Heat offense, at least earlier in the season, that was up-tempo, exciting and effective.<\/p>\n
He brought in a disruptor.<\/p>\n
The Heat would be wise to consider the same with the personnel wing.<\/p>\n
By this stage, we know what Spoelstra wants in a player, what Riley demands in a player, and what Simon prioritizes with his scouting. Amid more than a decade now without a Top 10 lottery pick (Justise Winslow was the last, at No, 10 in 2015), the Heat have found a way to remain competitive, with a few deep playoff runs sprinkled in.<\/p>\n
And, yet, there is a tangible sense of staleness, even with Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro the only remaining players from the Heat\u2019s 2020 run to the NBA Finals and\u00a0 those two plus Dru Smith and Nikola Jovic the lone remaining players from the 2023 run to the NBA Finals.<\/p>\n
To find something different, it could require something different.<\/p>\n
A case could be made for more of the analytics input from Shane Battier, if he this time would be more amenable to an increased role (and workload). A case could be made for Udonis Haslem getting an increased role in decision-making (although that certainly would create conflict with his television stardom).<\/p>\n
But even that would still be thinking inside the Heat box.<\/p>\n
Perhaps the Arisons turn to their Duke connection and get Mike Krzyzewski involved, if that\u2019s something he would want at 79.<\/p>\n
Or perhaps this is the time to turn to the college ranks, which at the moment are starting to more closely resemble the pro ranks, and pluck someone who could add youth and vitality, while no longer having to worry about the recruiting trail.<\/p>\n
Another approach would be someone with experience in tanking, if not exactly rushing out to locate Sam Hinkie, just someone with definitive thoughts, and perhaps previous success, with the approach.<\/p>\n
In this case the \u201cwho\u201d is not as important as the \u201cwhat,\u201d as in fresh ideas, a broader outlook, someone perhaps to succeed Riley, or at least push those in the current succession line to think outside of the box.<\/p>\n
This season certainly has not been fun, which is something that comes off as somewhat remarkable considering it included a 14-7 start, a seven-game winning streak and an 83-point performance from Adebayo.<\/p>\n
The previous approach to such malaise was for Riley to go into Micky Arison\u2019s deep pockets and lure a free agent. But that, now, too, is old school. Free agents don\u2019t leave as much as they either get extended or chose where they want to go, not where they\u2019re lured.<\/p>\n
Enter, a disruptor, bridging the Heat into this brave, new NBA world of the 2020s.<\/p>\n
Yes, the outside clamor is for a shakeup.<\/p>\n
But it doesn\u2019t have to mean housecleaning.<\/p>\n
Just someone to freshen up the thinking, the approach and charting a course beyond mere play-in.<\/p>\n
IN THE LANE<\/p>\n
A BIG FAN: To Erik Spoelstra, the selection of Mark Few was a no-brainer when it came to this weekend\u2019s announcement of the 2026 inductees into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. The Gonzaga coach and NCAA Tournament mainstay has been a long-time friend of Spoelstra, with the two serving as assistants on Steve Kerr\u2018s Team USA coaching staff during the run to gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. \u201cI knew him when he was a young graduate assistant when I was a player at UP (University of Portland) and we worked camps together. We kept in touch all the years. I love him. My kids love him. He\u2019s like a family member almost,\u201d Spoelstra said. \u201cIf you knew him 25 years ago, you would just say he hasn\u2019t changed at all. He loves the game of basketball, he\u2019s going to pour everything into the game, into his family,\u00a0 and into fishing. I always tell him he\u2019s the character or a character out of A River Runs Through It.\u201d<\/p>\n
STATE OF NEVADA: In another college-related turn this past week, former Heat G League coach Nevada Smith was named coach at Siena. Smith coached the Heat\u2019s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, from 2016 to 2019, producing a winning record. \u201cWe\u2019ve kept in touch all the years, and we\u2019re really rooting for this opportunity. He could have been a head coach probably at a different school, different level the last few years,\u201d Spoelstra said, with Smith working in recent years as a Marquette assistant. \u201cHe has a great, innovative coaching mind and I think his experience with Shaka Smart the last several years has really taken his acumen and understanding of everything at that level, big-time level, to even a different level than what he was before. I think it\u2019s a great fit.\u201d<\/p>\n
SECOND THOUGHT: When it came to the NBA trade deadline, among the reasons the Heat reportedly opted out of going all-in on Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant was a concern about his lithe build. Build aside, former Heat guard Joe Johnson said on the podcast co-hosted by Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson that the Heat would be the right fit. \u201cI\u2019m not going to lie,\u201d Johnson said, \u201cI think he would thrive in that Miami situation. One thing about Pat Riley, he\u2019s going to have a real sit down one-on-one with him. He does that with everybody. It\u2019s going to be something in that meeting you\u2019ll be able to take, and run with. All you got to do is apply it. If you apply it, I promise you the sky will be the limit for this kid again.\u201d Johnson added, \u201cI never went to the club when I played for the Heat. We worked so hard I couldn\u2019t wait to go lay down.\u201d<\/p>\n
HOMECOMING TRIP: Last Monday\u2019s game at Kaseya Center was truly unique when it came to Philadelphia\u00a0 rookie VJ Edgecombe playing in front of a large, flag-waving contingent that traveled over from his native Bahamas for the 76ers\u2019 lone visit of the season. \u201cThey\u2019re going to cheer for their own, at all times,\u201d said Edgecombe, who embraced the embrace. \u201cRegardless where you are, who you are, you\u2019re from the Bahamas. They\u2019re going to have your back.\u201d Even in defeat, Edgecombe returned to the court postgame to greet some of those who made the trip. \u201cIt felt like a home game,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s just love. It\u2019s a lot of love.\u201d<\/p>\n
COACHING CANDOR: Ahead of the his team\u2019s Wednesday night blowout of the Heat at Kaseya Center, Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla was asked for his thoughts on Luke Murray, the current UConn assistant and son of actor Bill Murray, being named coach at Boston College. \u201cI\u2019m happy that he gets the opportunity,\u201d Mazzulla said. \u201cThe opportunity to be a head coach is obviously the dream, part of what we all do. So he\u2019s been great for us. He\u2019s been to practices; I\u2019ve been to his practices. He\u2019s smart. I mean, he helps run one of the best offenses in the country at the collegiate level and really has to think the game and how they build a language. I\u2019ve learned a ton from him, so I\u2019m happy he gets the opportunity. He\u2019s made me a better coach, so I\u2019m grateful for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
NUMBER<\/p>\n
45. Combined 3-pointers by the Heat (a franchise-record-tying 24) and Celtics (21) in Wednesday night\u2019s game at Kaseya Center, the highest combined total in a game in the Heat\u2019s 38 seasons. The NBA record for combined 3-pointers is 48 in a Dec. 15, 2024 game, when the Warriors made 27 and the Mavericks 21 in a Dallas victory at Golden State. The 45 in the Celtics\u2019 Wednesday night victory is now the second-highest total, eclipsing a pair of 44 3-pointer games.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MIAMI \u2014 The drumbeat for change resonates arguably like never before, with the Heat about to make their…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":259071,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3778],"tags":[7,144,165,295,189,3881,6,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-697759","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-miami-heat","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-heat","10":"tag-latest-headlines","11":"tag-miami","12":"tag-miami-heat","13":"tag-miamiheat","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116346649754305397","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697759","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=697759"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/697759\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/259071"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=697759"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=697759"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=697759"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}