mike miller hurt for miami

[guava_wrench]

Is Wade even hurt?  I kinda expect him to play opening night.  I've been under the impression they faked his injury to create more hype for opening night.

To be quite honest, your logic is silly.

People have some weird ideas.

How does someone even come up with these ideas unless they have questionable integrity themselves.

Another couple of people have posted elsewhere that it was faked to allow time for his custody case.

Regardless, I have no doubt that he starts on Tuesday as the heat lose by something like 103-90 (that would be a nice omen)...

Miller's defense in the preseason games has been surprisingly good - Stack can't possibly fill his shoes on either side of the ball...

Bizarre. He leaves 3 minutes into a game for a custody case. Travels with the team though the coach will hold him out. I suppose he is working on custody paperwork in a suit on the bench (though game was actually cancelled, but still).

The ideas people come up with.

[hpantazo]

Against Boston it makes sense, against the Orlando it makes sense, against Chicago it makes sense, etc...

It only makes some sense against Boston because of Rondo's shooting woes.  But against Jameer Nelson, Rose and most other PG who can hit a jumper, it's a recipe for disaster.

Mike

Who do you think is a better defender of PGs: Chalmers, Arroyo, or Wade?

Who do you want to spend all their energy chasing around opposing PGs?  Not to mention that if Wade is guarding the 1, who's going to guard the 2?  You think Miller can match up with Ray, Vince Carter, Kobe, Andrew Iguodala, Joe Johnson, etc?

Mike

I don't understand that logic. Should you then just play inferior players so that your stars don't have to play defense? Defense wins championships. I don't remember Phil Jackson ever putting in poor players so that Jordan and Pippen wouldn't have to "get worn out" playing defense. In fact, Jordan and Pippen terrorized teams with their defense as much as their offense. Wade and Lebron should be able to do the same.

I don't understand the logic of treating actual NBA basketball like it was fantasy basketball and just throw a bunch of stat producers on the court and expect it to work.

For example, who was on the court with Jordan and Pippen?  Was it another 2/3 while they won all those titles?  No, it was PGs like BJ Armstrong, Jim Paxson and Steve Kerr.

The point defensively is not that Wade isn't a great defender, it's that there's a difference between between defending a 2 and defending a 1.  I don't know why that's hard to understand.

Mike

I guessed you missed the fact that Riley, the guy who put this team together, was the coach who played 6 ft 9 inch Magic Johnson at the 1, and will do the same with Lebron. It's not fantasy basketball, it's called coaching. The players on the floor with Jordan and Pippen were great shooters, not point guards. btw, it's John Paxson, Jim played for the celtics. Miller would be that shooter for the Heat. House is done, he's been done for a couple of years now. Riley wanted Ray Allen but couldn't get him, so Miller was the next best option. The plan was not to bench Miller or Ray Allen so that Arroyo and Chamlmers can stink it up on the floor with Lebron, Wade, and Bosh. Haslem and Miller will be the other 2 starters when the team is fully healthy.

[kozlodoev]

In the meanwhile, the Heat signed Stackhouse.

[More Banners]

In the meanwhile, the Heat signed Stackhouse.

He should get plenty of minutes and easy looks, right?  Can he screw this up?

[nba is the worst]

In the meanwhile, the Heat signed Stackhouse.

He should get plenty of minutes and easy looks, right?  Can he screw this up?

I thought he played well for the Bucks, but he is about to turn 36.

He's not the difference maker Miller could be, but should be able to contribute.

Any good defensive team will be able to stop the Heat this season, due to the lack of quality at the 5 and 1 spots.

[pearljammer10]

Miller was going to play a nice role for the Heat. He has always been a great role guy and on this Heat team he would have been killin' it with his outside shot with all the open looks he was going to get. Stackhouse is a nice replacement for now but he definitely isn't going to be able to do what Miller would have given this team. Out until January, and when he comes back he might find himself struggling to get back into a chemistry with this team. Too bad, I have always been a Mike Miller fan, however, it doesn't upset me one bit because this will be hurting the Heat and will hopefully ruin some of the hype. I bet everyone at ESPN is hoping for epic Heat failure because it will make their stories that much more exciting and their ratings that much higher.

[Fafnir]

In the meanwhile, the Heat signed Stackhouse.

He should get plenty of minutes and easy looks, right?  Can he screw this up?

I thought he played well for the Bucks, but he is about to turn 36.

He's not the difference maker Miller could be, but should be able to contribute.

I have my doubts about that, Stackhouse is prone to killing plays, holding the ball, and taking too many shots. That sort of worked out in Milwaukee because they were desparate for some offensive play at the 2/3 at times. Miami won't have that sort of problem, meanwhile all of Stackhouse's bad attributes will be in full bloom.

I don't think Miami is a good fit, but given Miller's injury they needed a body to back up the wing so meh.

[MBunge]

I guessed you missed the fact that Riley, the guy who put this team together, was the coach who played 6 ft 9 inch Magic Johnson at the 1, and will do the same with Lebron.

I take it you missed the NBA playoffs the last 2 season where LeBron had the ball in his hands all the time and NEVER played like a point guard?  Oh, he put up some hellacious stats, especially 2 years ago against Orlando, but never played like Magic Johnson.

LeBron averages 7 assists a game for his career.  Larry Bird averaged 6.3, despite never dominating the Celtic offense the way LeBron dominated with Cleveland, yet no one ever thought of Larry as a point guard.  Magic, by the way, averaged 11.2 assists per game.

Mike

[TBreezy]

Magic, by the way, averaged 11.2 assists per game.

That's a lot of dimes, every 5 games a new roll!  Let's stop the lebron magic comparisons, they are not comparable.  Magic didn't ever have the athleticism of lebron, and lebron has a fraction of the games skills and knowledge of magic.  I guess they both had and still have butt ugly shots, so they have that going for them...

[Fafnir]

I guessed you missed the fact that Riley, the guy who put this team together, was the coach who played 6 ft 9 inch Magic Johnson at the 1, and will do the same with Lebron.

I take it you missed the NBA playoffs the last 2 season where LeBron had the ball in his hands all the time and NEVER played like a point guard?  Oh, he put up some hellacious stats, especially 2 years ago against Orlando, but never played like Magic Johnson.

LeBron averages 7 assists a game for his career.  Larry Bird averaged 6.3, despite never dominating the Celtic offense the way LeBron dominated with Cleveland, yet no one ever thought of Larry as a point guard.  Magic, by the way, averaged 11.2 assists per game.

Mike

Magic and Bird also both played at much faster pace than LeBron ever has. When your team has the ball around 10-12 more times a game your stats look better in comparison.

LeBron's Cavs pace factor:
91.4
88.7
90.2
90.8
89.8

Bird's Celtics:
95.8
98.5
98.2
98.1
97.9
98.6
101.2
101.6
99.7
104.0
101.5
100.8
102.6

Magic's Lakers
94.1
96.3
100.1
99.1
101.6
102.7
103.2
103.7
103.8
103.1
102.7
104.1

Now LeBron dominates the offense more than either Magic/Bird did, his usage rate reflects that. But he's still a phenominal passer. His Asst% isn't as good as Magic's but its better than Larry's by a decent margin.

He can play the role of point forward very effectively, the key will be convincing him to do so when it matters.

[hpantazo]

I guessed you missed the fact that Riley, the guy who put this team together, was the coach who played 6 ft 9 inch Magic Johnson at the 1, and will do the same with Lebron.

I take it you missed the NBA playoffs the last 2 season where LeBron had the ball in his hands all the time and NEVER played like a point guard?  Oh, he put up some hellacious stats, especially 2 years ago against Orlando, but never played like Magic Johnson.

LeBron averages 7 assists a game for his career.  Larry Bird averaged 6.3, despite never dominating the Celtic offense the way LeBron dominated with Cleveland, yet no one ever thought of Larry as a point guard.  Magic, by the way, averaged 11.2 assists per game.

Mike

I think it was pretty clear that Lebron needed to do the bulk of the scoring for cleveland, but he enjoys making passes that set up his teammates. We will see a magic johnson type year from lebron this year in Miami, as he has plenty of capable scorers to set up. I just can't understand your resistance to the idea that player roles and styles can change and adapt in the NBA. Great players adapt their play to fit the needs of the team, and this Heat team is very different from the cavs of the last few years. Let me make it clear that I don't like Lebron at all, or the Heat for that matter, but I have to admit the qualities that our opponents have along with the weaknesses. I would love to be convinced that they will trot out Chalmers and Arroyo for huge minutes every night, but I don't see that happening. They are not coached by Mike Brown.

[MBunge]

He can play the role of point forward very effectively, the key will be convincing him to do so when it matters.

Being a great passer as a forward is not the same thing as being able to function as a point guard.  LeBron has never played like a point guard in the NBA and I don't know if ever played that way in high school.

Mike

[Who]

There is more than one way to play the point guard position.

LeBron's style of play will work extremely well. He'll be the best PG in the league.

[MBunge]

I just can't understand your resistance to the idea that player roles and styles can change and adapt in the NBA.

That's not the point I'm trying to make.

What I'm saying is...

1.  When you've already got two of the greatest players in the world on the wing, it's probably not a great idea to spend almost all of your available salary cap room on a back-up wing.  Especially when the best center on your roster is probably Udonis Haslem, a guy listed as an inch shorter and about 60 pounds lighter than Big Baby.

2.  Wade and LeBron are incredible basketball players.  However, they are not magical fairies who can do anything with a wave of their wands.  Even if they play with a point guard, they're going to have to make a big adjustment to having the ball less.  If you put them on the court without a point guard, they're not only going to have to adjust to having the ball less but also to the fact that one or both will have to signficantly change the entire way they've played the game for almost their entire careers.

But maybe I'm wrong.

Mike

[Fafnir]

There is more than one way to play the point guard position.

LeBron's style of play will work extremely well. He'll be the best PG in the league.

Do you still think they'll play him at the PG all that much without Miller?

I'm skeptical about their wings without Miller to hold it together.