Miami Heat Power Fankings, Week 3: On the Up and Up

Last week in the Miami Heat Power Fankings: Justise Winslow captures our hearts, Tyler Johnson plays in crunch time, Erik Spoelstra is a coaching guru, Goran Dragic gets a little bit better and Heat fans go Trade Machining.

1. Dwyane Wade (last week: 1)

Dwyane Wade missed Miami’s last game against the Utah Jazz after his son fell ill. Hopefully all is better with young Zion, and Wade has returned to practice, according to reports.

Even before that, Wade was having a rough week on the court. After scoring at least 20 points in his first five games, Wade scored nine, 12 and 12 on a combined 13-of-42 (30.9 percent) from the field his his next three.

So how is Wade still No.1? Because this team rose to the challenge while Wade took care of his son. Because fans understand that even if Wade isn’t scoring a lot, he still leads the Heat’s offense. Wade is the man who makes this team tick. It’ll take a lot more than a few bad games to knock him from the top of the Power Fankings.

2. Chris Bosh (last week: 5)

Chris Bosh is back, baby!

*Bosh face*

RAWRRRRR!!!!

Miami’s Most Interesting Man averaged 27.5 points, 9.5 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in two wins in as many games this week for the Heat.

He also went to the free throw line 21 times in those two games, and Heat fans absolutely go crazy when Bosh is aggressive.

3. Hassan Whiteside (last week: 3)

Whiteside’s per game stats this week: 14 points, 14.5 rebounds (five offensive rebounds) and four blocks.

He’s simply dominant, and opponents fear the task of driving to the basket when Whiteside is in the game. He’s simply Shaqtastic, and has that kind of effect right now. He’s made the evolution from box score filler to true impact player.

4. Justise Winslow (last week: 2)

Justise Winslow drops two spots in the Power Fankings, but he’s been nothing but perfect for Heat fans. This is just a “respect your elders” move as Wade and Bosh take the top spots and Whiteside comes off a dominant week.

No need to re-hash what Winslow is so great at… but I’m still waiting for that break out on offense.

5. Erik Spoelstra (last week: 7)

You can just tell Erik Spoelstra is having a blast with this roster. He’s playing with routinely small lineups, rotating just three bigmen and giving Justise Winslow as many minutes as possible. If only this team played a little bit faster, and it would be perfect for Spo. You know he’s doing everything he can to increase the overall pace, even if the starting group plod on until the initial set of rotations.

Pat Riley’s Silent Stories

Pat Riley sits in his seat at AmericanAirlines Arena, poised, stoic, not moving… he remembers back just a few days ago…

Riley taps on Johnson’s door, careful not to knock one of the championship rings on his finger against the cheap motel door. What are motel doors made out of? Plastic?

You can hear Johnson say “come in” between sounds of digital gun shots. Riley looks down at the door knob, removes a handkerchief from his pocket and uses it to open the door.

There is Johnson, sitting Indian Style three-and-a-half feet away from a 42-inch television. His eyes are glued to the television. He’s yet to realize who it is standing in his room. Riley’s eyes move directly to the bowl of Cheetos Puffs by Johnson’s knee.

“I haven’t had a Cheeto since, well… I can’t even remember,” Riley thinks to himself. He fights off the urge to reach for one of those cheesy snacks. He’s no hobo. Only hobos and, apparently, NBA players who look like pre-teens eat Cheetos.

Riley shakes his head as if to knock the train of though of its tracks.

“Now, it’s on,” Riley says to Johnson.

Johnson, having just stuffed two Cheetos into his mouth after killing off some nubes, finally looks over. He reaches for his pants.

6. Tyler Johnson (last week: 6)

Let’s get these series of events straight. Gerald Green punches someone in the face during a fit of hysteria in the lobby of his condominium, Tyler Johnson fills his spot in the rotation and plays so well that the Heat trade veteran Mario Chalmers for an over-gelled haircut and a cheaper luxury tax bill.

Johnson always had more leeway than Chalmers. One tall jump or gritty rebound earned him more fan currency than any big 3-pointer or layup over a 7-footer from Rio. The Heat need Johnson now. He’s not a luxury. Heat fans love him, and he’s played exceptionally well for someone out of the D-League. Is he good enough to be Miami’s backup center for 82 games and (hopefully) a deep playoff run? We’ll see.

7. Josh McRoberts (last week: 8)

“Score.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“I like to pass. I want to be a great teammate.”

“Really? Is that it?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Fine. I’m not confident in my jump shot. I’m not confident that I can score. I would rather have someone else do it and be credited for the assist. I know I can make a good pass, and then I’ll never be at fault.”

“That’s it.”

“Damn you, conscious.”

Josh McRoberts averaged four points per game this week, almost twice his season average.

8. Josh Richardson (last week: not ranked)

Josh Richardson technically made his NBA debut more than 10 days ago in a blowout win against the Minnesota Timberwolves. He made his regular rotation debut this week, after the Chalmers trade.

In two games he played 15 minutes and 21 minutes. He’s a good defender and relies on his 3-point shot (in his best game, he scored eight points on 2-of-3 from beyond the arc).

He’s Miami’s 3-and-D guy, and that’s something they’ve been missing.

Not ranked: Goran Dragic, Gerald Green, Beno Udrih, James Ennis’ ball handling, Amar’e Stoudemire, Chris Andersen, Alonzo Mourning, Udonis Haslem, The Ghost of Mike Miller, Late Arriving Heat Fans, Micky Arison, Pat Riley, Burnie, the White Stripes, The Void Left By Mario Chalmers.