There is an old saying that goes something like “offense wins games but defense wins championships.”
In other words, knocking down buckets without stopping the opponent from doing so can only get a team so far. But here is the thing: scoring is actually important. And if the Miami Heat do not find a solution to their problem, the playoffs will not even be a blip on the radar.
After a 91-84 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, the Heat had reached a three-game losing streak that was finally broken by their 95-83 win over the Brooklyn Nets Monday. While this is not at all uncommon in a league with so much talent dispersed among a large number of teams, it certainly is not the way you want to start off a season.
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No stranger to injury, having had surgery on his meniscus while still playing college ball, Dwyane Wade has sat out the last three games due to a hamstring problem. The 32-year-old Miami superstar has dealt with a dislocated shoulder and torn labrum in 2007, various knee issues in 2008, and a strained calf, bruised foot and sprained ankle in 2012. He also missed 28 games last season, nine of which were due to hamstring issues similar to those that he is currently facing.
When asked about it before his first missed game of the season, Wade told Ira Winderman for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, “I’ve had worse. I’ll be back out there soon enough.”
But even “soon enough,” will not be soon enough as the Heat failed to bring in reliable depth behind Wade this offseason. With Mario Chalmers ending last year by being inconsistent at best, James Ennis still finding his footing and Shannon Brown’s best years seemingly behind him, when Wade is injured, Miami’s offense takes a hit.
Chris Bosh started the season off strong, performing in a way that mimicked his time with the Toronto Raptors. Not only did he provide a strong defensive presence for the Heat, but put in work on the other end of the court as well. Unfortunately he, too, has hit a rough patch, falling into a so-called shooting slump.
Bosh had one of the worst games of his career on Sunday, scoring only 10 points on 2-for-17 shooting and as of Monday morning, was 12 for 49 over his last three appearances. He did have a better game Monday night against the Nets, totaling 15 points and 9 rebounds, but still did not quite reach his full potential.
Obviously Wade will recover from his injury and Bosh’s slump will not last forever. Even so, Miami cannot count on them alone, offensively.
So what is the solution then?
For starters, head coach Erik Spoelstra may consider giving Ennis a little more room to grow. Things may not look pretty at first, but he has already shown a glimmer of potential.
Napier has been progressing nicely since Week 1, but the development spike of Ennis these past two games is as significant as any results.
— Couper Moorhead (@CoupNBA) November 18, 2014
Along the same lines, Brown was brought in for a reason, and now seems like as good a time as any to let him show off what he still has left in his tank. There is also the possibility that Danny Granger may turn out to be a second Mike Miller: seemingly too injury-prone to count on, but miraculously “reborn” by mid-season.
And while Norris Cole still may not have the attention of many, I stand behind the belief that he was one heck of a pickup, and will eventually blossom into a name worth knowing by all, rather than only Heat fans.
Miami needs to rework their offensive strategies and fast, before too much of the season has slipped away from them. Wade may not always be healthy, and just like the rest of us Bosh will have his bad days. The Heat must find who else they can rely on for scoring.