With Goran Dragic recently clarifying comments and insisting he is happy with the Miami Heat, it is now time for fans to stand by him and support the guard moving forward.
In an unexpected turn of events, Miami Heat point guard Goran Dragic got himself in a bit of hot water earlier this week. Although the Slovenian left his former team, the Phoenix Suns, under slightly tumultuous conditions, Dragic has yet to run into any trouble in South Beach.
And luckily, it turns out he was simply misrepresented this time around too.
Via an interview with David Aldridge, Dragic was quoted as implying he did not wish to sign onto a team that was in a rebuilding stage.
"“I want to win games. Of course, I want to win the championship. But, how you say: you need to go one step back to go two steps forward.”"
Which of course, made its way around social media. And did not sit well with Heat fans.
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And now, Dragic himself is set on clearing the air.
"“He asked me that question: Didn’t I sign to be part of a great team, championship team? I said, ‘Yeah, of course.’ Then I said sometimes your career, this is business, you cannot have every decision go the way you want it on your own. This is a team decision. Sometimes you need to do two steps back to go one step forward. I’m happy to be here. This is the team that I want to be here. But I understand this is business.”"
Taking it a step further, the 30-year-old explained:
"“I don’t have any comments about not wanting to be here. That is nonsense… I’m happy here. This is the team that I want to be part of. And I feel great. I feel comfortable. We are building something here that is totally new, but I have a lot of confidence that we’re going to succeed, because we have a lot of young talent that is working hard. I feel awesome.”"
So now, with Dragic making his support in the team crystal clear, is it not time for Heat Nation to return the favor and get behind their point guard too?
For one reason or another, #HeatTwitter has been asking for a Dragic trade all summer.
But it seems now would be the perfect time to let go of that storyline, and instead shed light on just how well Miami’s offense can run under the veteran.
(Personal bias aside, naturally.)
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Dragic may not have played the best ball of his life so far. And yes, his five-year, $90 million contract is a wide load to carry. But in case it is not blatantly obvious already, things have changed in South Beach. And one should certainly expect a shift in Dragic’s performance as well.
As hard as losing Dwyane Wade to the Chicago Bulls was, there is a silver lining: realistically, Dragic never got to play to his true potential alongside the NBA superstar. And no, it had nothing to do with egos clashing, as the media tried to spin it. Simply put, the two guards had vastly different offensive strengths. And despite Dragic playing at point, Wade being Wade, had the final say.
This however, will no longer be a problem moving forward. So Dragic will be able to set the pace of his offense, at as high as a tempo as he wants. He can now run the floor. Make quick drives. Do this entirely his way.
And how fortunate for him, that he has a roster full of youth to keep up.
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Dragic and Heat Nation are on the same page on one thing: this offseason was not what anyone had hoped for. But just as Dragic has full confidence in his squad moving forward, so should fans. Their Dragon, and all.