Miami Heat Franchise

[MikeO]

Don't come after me for Miami Heat bashing. Just an observation I have here.

For a franchise that hasn't been around all that long (since 1988 I believe), they have had some heartbreaking loses. Legendary loses.

--Being a #1 seed losing to a #8 seed in round 1 of the playoffs vs the Knicks. (Losing Game 5 at home to boot)

--Losing Game 7 at home to the Pistons. With a lead with about only 3 or 4 min left in the game as well.

--From 1996-97' till 2000 they WON their division yet never made it to the NBA Finals once!

For a franchise that has won a lot during the regular season, they have nothing to show for it. Nothing. With Shaq on the downside of his career I don't see it changing all that much in the near future. They gutted their roster to get him, now they have him but only 1 guy to put around him. Cause that is a 2-man team with a bunch of scrubs. Haslem, Butler, and Jones aren't going to win anyone a championship anytime soon!

 

[nyjunc]

It's the curse of the Thief! The one constant in all of those losses is the Thief, Alonzo Mourning. He's not a winner, you guys made a mistake bringing him back. He thought he could hop on Shaq's back to a title but it was he who dragged Shaq and co. down

 

[Ferretsquig]

For a franchise that has won a lot during the regular season, they have nothing to show for it. Nothing. With Shaq on the downside of his career I don't see it changing all that much in the near future. They gutted their roster to get him, now they have him but only 1 guy to put around him. Cause that is a 2-man team with a bunch of scrubs. Haslem, Butler, and Jones aren't going to win anyone a championship anytime soon!

I wont argue with the past history. But I do think the future is a bit brighter than your gloomy forcast. This team as it stands was good enough to win a championship. I know you're down on Eddie and Damon after those performances, but they were solid contirbuters for the majority of the season/playoff.s

There are two routes the Heat can take...it will be interesting to see which they choose. One is the go for broke strategy while Shaq is still around. Sign him at his ridiculous salary for the next two years, and trade Eddie's expiring contract for a better player with a worse contract ie. Jalen Rose.

The other option is just to wait for Eddie's contract to expire, when they will have the opportunity to sign another player at the max to play with Wade and the aging Shaq. The wild card in all this is the developement of Wright. If he is coached properly and has the necessary motivation he could develope into a quality player. Combine Wright with Wade and another star player signed at the max and you have a potent lineup for years to come.

 

[phunwin]

It's the curse of the Thief! The one constant in all of those losses is the Thief, Alonzo Mourning. He's not a winner, you guys made a mistake bringing him back. He thought he could hop on Shaq's back to a title but it was he who dragged Shaq and co. down

I can't stand Mourning. The guy's the biggest fraud south of Vince Carter. And when it comes to fawning media coverage, he's the Brett Favre of the NBA. Nobody calls him on being an ungrateful jerk because they feel bad for him. Hey, I feel bad for him, and I think it's great that he can still play basketball. But pissing and moaning his way out of not one, but *TWO* NBA cities in one season so he could ride Shaq and Wade's coattails was shameful. This, of course, was shortly after he jumped to New Jersey to ride the backs of Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd. Then when Martin got dealt, suddenly Zo wanted out. What a prick. Just retire already.

 

[phunwin]

I wont argue with the past history. But I do think the future is a bit brighter than your gloomy forcast. This team as it stands was good enough to win a championship. I know you're down on Eddie and Damon after those performances, but they were solid contirbuters for the majority of the season/playoff.s

There are two routes the Heat can take...it will be interesting to see which they choose. One is the go for broke strategy while Shaq is still around. Sign him at his ridiculous salary for the next two years, and trade Eddie's expiring contract for a better player with a worse contract ie. Jalen Rose.

The other option is just to wait for Eddie's contract to expire, when they will have the opportunity to sign another player at the max to play with Wade and the aging Shaq. The wild card in all this is the developement of Wright. If he is coached properly and has the necessary motivation he could develope into a quality player. Combine Wright with Wade and another star player signed at the max and you have a potent lineup for years to come.

Miami will win a title during Dwyane Wade's career. I'd bet money on it. I'm not sure it will happen next year, but it will happen at some point.

 

[Section126]

I can't stand Mourning. The guy's the biggest fraud south of Vince Carter. And when it comes to fawning media coverage, he's the Brett Favre of the NBA. Nobody calls him on being an ungrateful jerk because they feel bad for him. Hey, I feel bad for him, and I think it's great that he can still play basketball. But pissing and moaning his way out of not one, but *TWO* NBA cities in one season so he could ride Shaq and Wade's coattails was shameful. This, of course, was shortly after he jumped to New Jersey to ride the backs of Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson and Jason Kidd. Then when Martin got dealt, suddenly Zo wanted out. What a prick. Just retire already.

Come on dude....you are clearly the most level headed Piston fan on this planet.....but saying ZO was "riding coattails." is not very intelligent.

The guy was a defensive FORCE in these playoffs...and was a dominant defensive presence against the Pistons. We would not have beaten the Pistons three times in the finals without him. ZO was a game changer with his physical play.

 

[phunwin]

Come on dude....you are clearly the most level headed Piston fan on this planet.....but saying ZO was "riding coattails." is not very intelligent.

The guy was a defensive FORCE in these playoffs...and was a dominant defensive presence against the Pistons. We would not have beaten the Pistons three times in the finals without him. ZO was a game changer with his physical play.

My bad, that's not what I meant. Zo did play well in the playoffs, I'm not arguing that. His defense in the paint was miles better than Shaq's and was really the only thing that kept Detroit from sending an endless stream of cutters to the hole.

My point was that he sulked his way to Miami with the intention of riding Shaq and Wade's coattails. He's not the first player to turn his back on a loyal organization to ride The Big Whatever; Payton and Malone tried it last year with the Lakers. The way Zo did it, after New Jersey took a HUGE risk on him was particularly embarassing. Malone and Payton, at least, were at the end of their contracts.

 

[MikeO]

Miami will win a title during Dwyane Wade's career. I'd bet money on it. I'm not sure it will happen next year, but it will happen at some point.

Wade might win one. But I would bet he does it without Shaq. The big guy is only getting older and will slow down even more.

 

[phunwin]

Wade might win one. But I would bet he does it without Shaq. The big guy is only getting older and will slow down even more.

I tend to agree. See my post in a similar thread about The Big Injury Risk. http://www.finheaven.com/boardvb2/showpost.php?p=1266611&postcount=502

 

[Den54]

It's the curse of the Thief! The one constant in all of those losses is the Thief, Alonzo Mourning. He's not a winner, you guys made a mistake bringing him back. He thought he could hop on Shaq's back to a title but it was he who dragged Shaq and co. down

Agreed.

 

[ABrownLamp]

It's the curse of the Thief! The one constant in all of those losses is the Thief, Alonzo Mourning. He's not a winner, you guys made a mistake bringing him back. He thought he could hop on Shaq's back to a title but it was he who dragged Shaq and co. down

Ya you're right we never should have brought him in. We should have left Doleac in the lineup instead. Good thinking.

 

[ABrownLamp]

Wade might win one. But I would bet he does it without Shaq. The big guy is only getting older and will slow down even more.

I don't know why you would think that. Even on his downward slope is is still one of the most, if not the most dominating players in the league.

 

[MikeO]

I don't know why you would think that. Even on his downward slope is is still one of the most, if not the most dominating players in the league.

Not anymore! That statement is more myth than reality.

 

[NaboCane]

One thing about the heat is that is has been - since the day of its inception - the unluckiest damn sports franchise in the history of sports.

I'm not talking about things they can affect, like the last three minutes of last night's game; I'm talking about never - EVER - having chosen first overall in the draft, despite sucking canal water for most of its years. Not getting the lucky ping-pong ball bounce cost them opportunities to draft Shaq, Yao, Payton, Motumbo, Stoudemire...and the list goes on.

And what other franchise in history has built a team around a guy - and then had him develop kidney disease and be unable to play again for the rest of his contract - RIGHT AFTER THEIR GM SPENT THE BUCKS TO BRING HIM A SOLID SUPPORTING CAST, WHICH DIDN'T WORK WITHOUT HIM?

Again, the list goes on...

 

[Fresh]

I'm not talking about things they can affect, like the last three minutes of last night's game; I'm talking about never - EVER - having chosen first overall in the draft, despite sucking canal water for most of its years. Not getting the lucky ping-pong ball bounce cost them opportunities to draft Shaq, Yao, Payton, Motumbo, Stoudemire...and the list goes on.

Stoudemire? Sorry, but nobody was gonna take the kid at #1. He was projected 5-13 from day 1, and went #9.

We did get lucky, and in that luck it was beating the Toronto Raptors in the finale of the 2002-2003 season. If they beat us, we probably would've winded up with the #4 pick in the 2003 NBA draft, and everybody knows Chris Bosh was Riley's biggest target. Dwyane Wade most likely would've never put on a Heat jersey if we beat the Raptors in the last game of the season that year.