The Curious Case of Mario Chalmers

We are all Mario Chalmers.

We all try too hard. We all get yelled at. We all occasionally do something well enough, but screw up enough that it can overshadow the good.

But for Chalmers and the Miami Heat, all of those things get looked at under a different microscope than ours.

After seven seasons, the Heat know what Chalmers is and isn’t. Now the question is how do they deal with him going into the upcoming season?

With the Heat looking at a hefty repeater-tax bill if they keep the same roster through the end of the upcoming season, Chalmers has been singled out as the odd-man that Heat fans look to plug a into the ESPN Trade Machine. At $4.3 million, sending Chalmers off to Portland, Europe, or Mars is something that has crossed many fans’ minds. When Utah Jazz guard Dante Exum tore his ACL in an international friendly for his native Australia, it didn’t take long for “Chalmers-to-Utah” to become a thing.

But dealing Chalmers leaves a hole at both guard spots off the bench, unless the Heat feel Tyler Johnson and/or Josh Richardson are ready to step in. If they’re not, then what? Do the Heat reach out to someone like JR Smith, hoping he would take a minimum deal? Is that even an upgrade?

Last season’s Heat team was not the team to showcase Chalmers’ strengths. It’s one thing for him to decide “OK, I got this” at random moments, it’s another to have that mindset because you have to do more of the heavy lifting because guys like Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are hurt, not to mention losing out on the focal point of the Heat’s offense the previous four seasons – LeBron James. Chalmers ended up playing the most games in a Heat uniform, which meant multiple chances for him to be “The Guy”. Which isn’t something you want.

Even though he was relegated to a bench role, his shots per game (8.3) and usage rate (18.9 – an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by the player while he’s on the floor) increased from the 2013-14 season (7.7 shots; 17.4 USG%), yet his shooting percentages plummeted – 45% from the field, and 38.5% from three, to 40% – 28%, respectively.

The glaring stat that comes into focus is the drop off in Chalmers’ catch-and-shoot statistics, as playing alongside a player like LeBron that can draw so much attention can make life easier for anyone. His overall percentage dropped from 40% to 36% on catch-and-shoots, while his three-point percentage dropped from 41% to 38%. Not as much airspace when the defenses can hone in on you. It also didn’t help that the Heat’s best player from three – Luol Deng (min. 60 games) – isn’t necessarily a threat from downtown. The losses of Ray Allen and Shane Battier, not to mention Bosh’s ability to extend a defense becoming a non-factor because of his health, made Chalmers the de-facto three-point shooter.

Would things have been different had Heat coach Erik Spoelstra left Chalmers as the starting point guard coming out of camp, as opposed to miscasting him as a backup shooting guard? That’s hard to say, but it’s something to think about. His mindset probably changed to one of a shooter, since he wouldn’t have to deal with setting up an offense. It doesn’t help that he probably thought he was better than either point guard option the Heat had to start the season – Norris Cole and Shabazz Napier – and he wouldn’t have been wrong.

So is it fair to say the Heat have gotten the most out of Chalmers that they could possibly get? Has the roller-coaster ride that Heat fans have had watching him come to an end? Doesn’t he realize that he’s hurting the team more than helping?

Thing is, he’s a gamer. He’s the smallest dog in the fight, yet also packs the loudest bark. You can go into big games with him. This was the same guy that buried the tying three in Derrick Rose’s face to send the 2008 National Championship game to overtime, which Kansas later won. All guts.

Or how can we forget Game 4 of the 2012 NBA Finals, the night LeBron forgot how to properly hydrate and came down with cramps? That was Chalmers’ finest hour. It was mega-peak Chalmers. All the planets in the entire known universe were in perfect alignment as Chalmers entered a different plane of existence. It was like when Will Farrell blacked out during the debate scene in the movie Old School and out-debated James Carville. That was Chalmers. His 25 points, on 9 of 15 shooting, was the unexpected boost the Heat needed to help them take a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Russell Westbrook stared into the abyss on that night, and what glared back was Chalmers.

But that’s what Chalmers does – he lives for the moment, when you least expect him to. Of course, the moment doesn’t exactly expect it, either. He can exist on a roster that doesn’t have to rely on him to do more than he has to. Surrounding him with a healthy Wade, Bosh, Deng, and Hassan Whiteside will take a ton of the workload off his shoulders.

And most importantly, it’ll be great for him to play with Goran Dragic for a full season, as Chalmers play improved after Dragic came to Miami. While his field goal percentage increase is minimal, it’s Chalmers’ three-point percentage that took a jump once Dragic came on board, going from 28.6% to 31.1%. The improvement was also evident on his catch-and-shoot numbers, going from 35.2 % from the field, and 36.9% from three, to 38.5% and 40%, respectively. The idea of Chalmers allowing himself to step back when a better player is controlling the offense and just fitting into the system comes into play. If this Chalmers is the one the Heat see more often than not, then Spoelstra will have another weapon at his disposal.

Say what you want about him. He makes terrible decisions. He’s streaky. He’s the epitome of the Sam Cassell Dance.

He’s someone that wants to earn his place, and will fight tooth and nail to get there. He knows he’s looked at in the wrong light, but he uses that as motivation.

Just like we all try to do in life.

Because we are all Mario Chalmers.