Ferretsquig
Perennial All-Pro
Miami sports have had a bad decade and most of the teams in the area have been tough to watch. There were brief moments in the Tannehill era that brought some hope but for the most part it was brutally apparent how difficult it would be to build a contending team around a QB of his caliber. The Hurricanes have had a tough go of it and seem to have lost in the arms race that is college football. We are fortunate enough not to have completely dysfunctional organizations like in Washington football or Phoenix basketball and so there will always be some hope of a return to former glories. Still it is tough at times to root for these guys, watching more talented and better coached teams running circles around them on a weekly basis.
The Heat on the other hand have emerged as one of if not the most respected organization in professional basketball, with a president that is revered, a coach gradually being accepted as one of the best in the game, and this single minded organizational focus on finding players who embrace hard work and sacrifice. Almost by accident they've created a team that not only competes on the floor and is fun to watch but also relatable and filled with players that fans want to see succeed.
I can't get enough of Jimmy Butler. In a league where everyone is encouraged to get their own he epitomizes this Miami Heat mindset of putting the team before self. Masked by the team success and all the deserved praise he has received is the fact that he is having one of his worst scoring slumps of his career. His jumper abandoned him this season, and while never a deadly shooter he has gotten to a point where teams have no problem leaving him wide open on the perimeter. With most any other team or player that would have been the death knell of the team's contender status. Take away transition buckets from Giannis and the player and team become mere mortals. Without a three point shot Harden is useless. The Clippers fall apart when Leonard's shot isn't falling. But Butler and the Spoelstra took it all in stride, transitioned Butler from off ball to primarily playing the point, having him operate as the "big" on the floor in smaller lineups, and generally embracing the fact that a star player can still have an enormous impact on the game in this era without ever taking a single jumper. It remains to be seen what Butler's career arc is going to look like as he gets older but rarely has there been a coach/star player partnership appear as seamless as this one.
The Heat on the other hand have emerged as one of if not the most respected organization in professional basketball, with a president that is revered, a coach gradually being accepted as one of the best in the game, and this single minded organizational focus on finding players who embrace hard work and sacrifice. Almost by accident they've created a team that not only competes on the floor and is fun to watch but also relatable and filled with players that fans want to see succeed.
I can't get enough of Jimmy Butler. In a league where everyone is encouraged to get their own he epitomizes this Miami Heat mindset of putting the team before self. Masked by the team success and all the deserved praise he has received is the fact that he is having one of his worst scoring slumps of his career. His jumper abandoned him this season, and while never a deadly shooter he has gotten to a point where teams have no problem leaving him wide open on the perimeter. With most any other team or player that would have been the death knell of the team's contender status. Take away transition buckets from Giannis and the player and team become mere mortals. Without a three point shot Harden is useless. The Clippers fall apart when Leonard's shot isn't falling. But Butler and the Spoelstra took it all in stride, transitioned Butler from off ball to primarily playing the point, having him operate as the "big" on the floor in smaller lineups, and generally embracing the fact that a star player can still have an enormous impact on the game in this era without ever taking a single jumper. It remains to be seen what Butler's career arc is going to look like as he gets older but rarely has there been a coach/star player partnership appear as seamless as this one.