WORLDSPORTS
DECEMBER 2013
LOOKING TO BOUNCE BACK
Bosh under pressure to make up for a
lackluster performance last season.
I
s it time the Miami Heat’s “Big Three”
got a makeover?
Chris Bosh’s lackluster play as a
big man last season was the subject of
hot debate. I can’t stop thinking about
how Miami courted the edge of elimination in the playoffs and NBA Finals last
season.
There’s no question that the Heat
lacked the length of the Indiana Pacers
and San Antonio Spurs. Miraculously,
they got through by the hairs of their
chinny chin-chins.
However, lightning doesn’t usually
strike twice in the same place and Hail
Marys are reserved for football.
Unless the Heat make adjustments
down low in the paint, the likes of Tim
Duncan, Roy Hibbert, Joakim Noah,
Brook Lopez and others could thwart the
Heat’s three-peat plans.
Here’s a question for Pat Riley to consider: Could LeBron James and Dwyane
Wade use a bona fide big man other than
Bosh?
In no way form or fashion is this an
indictment of Bosh, but Erik Spoelstra
and his coaching staff would be making
a blind assumption should they think the
current Big Three are the right combination going forward.
I’d argue that it’s downright reckless
and a half-cocked way of doing business
if one fails to take inventory of a team
vying for a championship.
Think about this for a moment: Isn’t
it wise for a successful grocer to walk his
aisles and take inventory frequently? Perhaps, somewhere in the bread section, a
loaf may have expired or is nearing the
end of its shelf life. And, yes, even the
top-selling brand can go bad at times.
Basketball franchises follow similar
strategies when assembling a team for a
championship run and sometimes a slice
of bread has to get toasted.
Could LeBron
James and Dwyane
Wade use a bona
fide big man other
than Bosh?
– QUESTION FOR PAT RILEY
MIAMI HEAT TEAM PRESIDENT
16
t h e g a m e sports magazine
To assume the Big Three are exempt from getting a once-over is not only halfcocked, but it's also a reckless way of doing business.
Take Lamar Odom, for instance. The former Los Angeles Lakers big man played a
very important role in the team winning back-to-back NBA Finals (2009, 2010).
In both seasons, his production rivaled or exceeded Bosh’s 2012 and 2013 performances in points, steals, blocks, assists and total rebounds, according to BasketballReference. And, by the way, he did all this off the bench, while Bosh was a starter in
the Heat's back-to-back championships (2012, 2013).
And here’s where even being the 2010-2011 NBA Sixth Man of the Year isn’t good
enough when dollars and cents enter the picture: Despite Odom’s banner year, he was
dealt to the Dallas Mavericks, reportedly, over salary cap issues.
Don’t think for a nanosecond that Riley and the Heat’s coaching staff are not looking at the possibility that Oden could be a better fit than Chris Bosh at the big position.