Apr 13, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Luol Deng (9) is pressured by Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon (00) during the second half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
The Miami Heat have had an impressive array of talent step into their locker room in their 27 seasons of existence. Their crop of small forwards are a “Who’s Who” of former All-Stars, at one time or another, which have helped the Heat reach championship levels.
As we gear up for what expects to be a very intriguing season, let’s look back at some of those small forwards that have made their presence felt over the years.
What I found interesting about the Heat’s history with small forwards is that outside of certain players, they’ve rotated guys in and out over the years. It’s made this list kind of interesting. So I’ve had to find a way to narrow the crop of players down.
Some disclaimers:
– This list is based on time with the Heat, so whatever a player did before or after their time in Miami is irrelevant.
– Longevity helps. Guys like Luol Deng (one season), Antoine Walker (two seasons), and Lamar Odom (one season) won’t get special treatment. This includes Caron Butler, who only played two seasons with the Heat, and was injured and slumping his second season. Let’s face it: we liked him because he was good enough to help the Heat get Shaquille O’Neal.
– Intangibles are important. Some guys might not score 30 points a night, but they might help in their own ways to help the Heat win. What did they mean to the Heat? We like the guys that do the little things.
With that out of the way, let’s go to number five.
Next: The Original Heat Lifer
Keith Askins
Kind of went off the board with this one, as Keith Askins wasn’t exactly an All-Star caliber player, nor a well-rounded accomplished one.
But if Heat fans talk lovingly about Udonis Haslem being that hard-working guy that does all the little things, as well as be the epitome of a “Heat Lifer”, then the mold he was cut from would be that of Askins.
Undrafted out of Alabama, nothing about Askins’ game screamed “Wow!” at you. He wasn’t a scorer (career 3.8 ppg) or rebounder (2.9 rpg). He wasn’t necessarily someone you’d rely on in big moments. He was just a lunch pail guy, doing the dirty work, guarding multiple positions and occasionally hitting threes (35.5% for his career). Maybe Askins would have been better suited in today’s NBA, where his versatility and shooting could have helped him find a bigger niche.
Yet of all the players in Heat history, Askins has the fourth longest tenure in franchise history (nine seasons) and appeared in the fifth most games (486), and was the one player that bridged the gap from Ron Rothstein’s expansion era teams, to Pat Riley’s championship contenders. He would find his way to the Heat bench as a coach, and now is the director of college scouting for the team.
No, Keith Askins wasn’t a great player. He was just the original “Heat Lifer”. Just something that doesn’t appear in a box score.
Next: The No-Name All-Star
Shane Battier
Maybe in today’s NBA, Keith Askins could have been Shane Battier. And maybe Shane Battier could have been Keith Askins in the 90’s.
Once dubbed the “No-Stats All-Star”, Battier was the definition of that in his three seasons with the Heat, as he was the guy that annoyed Kevin Durant and Carmelo Anthony in playoff games, while draining tippy-toe threes in critical moments. As opposed to his time at Duke where he was the center of attention, Battier wasn’t going to be the guy Heat opponents game-planned for, but he was the guy that would make them pay if they lost sight of him.
Battier brought something in 2011-12 that the Heat lacked in their Finals loss to the Mavericks the year before: a shooter that could guard multiple positions. While they envisioned Mike Miller to be that shooter, his health was enough of a question mark that the Heat had to look for an alternative. Battier was as great as they could have hoped.
Much like Askins, Battier’s contributions go past the box score, but when he did stuff the stat-sheet, he did it in the big moments. His performance in the 2012 Finals played a big part in the Heat beating the Thunder, as he finished the series 11.6 points per game, and shooting 57.7% from three. His 34 points in the first two games in Oklahoma City helped steal home court advantage in that series.
Then after a sub-par performance against the Spurs in the 2013 Finals, Battier unleashed the dragon in the deciding Game 7, scoring 18 points, including 6 of 8 from three, to help the Heat win their second consecutive championship.
The “No-Stats All-Star”, in my eyes, is a Heat All-Timer.
Next: Monster Mash
Jamal Mashburn
There’s a fake award I like bringing up, which I call the “Chris Bosh Third Wheel That’s Disliked By Fans” award, which goes to the Heat’s third most important player that apparently isn’t scoring as many points or grabbing as many rebounds as Heat fans would have liked. It’s named for Bosh because he’s the most high-profiled player to have claimed the award, as his time with the Big Three was a roller-coaster of emotions for a segment of Heat fans. The current winner is Luol Deng.
And Jamal Mashburn was the inaugural winner.
Mashburn’s time with the Heat can be looked at in a far different context now that we saw Bosh’s role get redefined in the Big Three Era. An All-American at Kentucky, Mashburn was one of the young cornerstones (along with Jason Kidd and Jim Jackson) that were supposed to help turn things around for the Dallas Mavericks. And while things didn’t go according to plan, it certainly was no fault of Mashburn’s. He finished the 1994-95 season sixth in points per game (24.1), before having an injury derail his progress the following year.
As things fell apart in Dallas, Pat Riley swopped in and traded for Mashburn and placed him alongside Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway. Looked upon as the missing piece to the Heat’s championship hopes, Mashburn helped the Heat win 61 games in route to the franchise’s first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 1997.
However, Mashburn’s production dipped from his 19.9 points per game he averaged his first three and half seasons with the Mavericks, to 15.8 ppg in his three and a half seasons in Miami, as touches and shots weren’t the same as they were in Dallas. In 2000, his time in Miami ended when he was traded to the Hornets in a package for Eddie Jones. Mashburn got the last laugh when his Hornets swept the Heat in the first round of the 2001 playoffs.
Even though expectations for Mashburn may not have been lived up to with the Heat, he still finished his time with the team 13th in points per game, and 18th in points (2,835). Maybe our perception of him would have been different if we had the hindsight of the way Bosh and Deng had to adjust their games to supports two bigger personalities. Mashburn was a truly under-appreciated talent on some very talented Heat teams.
But he still shouldn’t have passed that ball to Clarence Weatherspoon.
Next: G-Money
Glen Rice
How awesomely 80’s is that video? I might have to adjust the rankings.
The fourth pick in the 1989 NBA Draft, Glen Rice had just led the University of Michigan to a national championship, while winning the Most Outstanding Player award of the NCAA Tournament. He was tasked as being the scoring punch for a Heat team that had finished last in scoring in its inaugural season and was trying to take another baby step to respectability. Teaming with center Rony Seikaly and point guard Sherman Douglas, Rice finished third on a Heat squad that raised its scoring average three points more per game, finishing 24th (out of 27 teams) in the NBA.
Rice was a major piece in the Heat’s early years, leading the Heat in scoring in four of his six seasons with the team, as they would reach their first two playoffs appearances in franchise history. A talented sharpshooter, Rice was a 38.6% shooter from three while in Miami, even winning the 1995 Three-Point Shootout.
Surrounding Rice with talent in the early going proved to be an issue, as he had to deal with a revolving door of complementary parts, as well as playing under three coaches while with the Heat.
So after six seasons of helping the Heat find its way in the early years, why is Rice second on this list? One reason is that even with two playoff appearances, the Heat only had one winning season in his time in Miami (1994), and it wasn’t like he was an All-Star in Heat colors. Rice found his best individual success once he left Miami, becoming a three time All-Star with the Charlotte Hornets, winning the 1997 All-Star MVP. He would also be a member of the 1999-2000 Los Angeles Lakers team that won the NBA Championship.
And as great as Rice was in Heat jersey, you could argue his biggest contribution to the franchise was being traded for Alonzo Mourning.
His 19.5 points per game is fourth in scoring average, while ranking third in points in Heat history. One of the key figures in their early years, there’s no denying Rice’s place in Miami Heat history.
Next: Hail to the King
LeBron James
I’m sure this will generate some positive discussion.
Let’s put to the side the way things ended and all the nonsense over the fallout: LeBron James was the Heat’s best player during its greatest stretch in franchise history. Period.
The Heat became the second franchise in NBA history to make it to four consecutive Finals, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, a season in which they won 27-games in row – second most in NBA history. LeBron won two MVP awards, made it to four All-Star games, won an Olympic Gold Medal, and was the face of the greatest show on Earth. The Heat were on a different level of relevance because of LeBron’s involvement.
He’s the franchise’s leader in points per game (26.9), fourth in points scored (7,919), fourth in assists (1,980), and tenth in rebounds (2,225), LeBron was the total package for the Heat. And while he helped make them great, you can argue that LeBron’s best seasons of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career were his four in Miami. LeBron evolved into an eater of worlds while with the Heat, maximizing his immense talents into an incredible two-way threat, finishing three times on the All-Defensive First Team, and Second Team in his last season with Miami. He also was an efficient killing machine, shooting 54.3% from the field, and 36.9 from downtown.
Yes, he left and may have disrespected Pat Riley and Micky Arison on the way out the door, and Heat fans might still hold a bitter taste in their mouths over the fallout over LeBron’s departure. But there certainly won’t be a debate about his place as the franchise’s best small forward,.
Maybe time will heal all wounds, with his jersey being retired, and cement his legacy as one of the greatest players in Heat history.
*All stats via basketball-reference.com unless otherwise noted.