Miami Heat Mailbag: Who’s the better prospect, Markelle Fultz or Lonzo Ball?
By Wes Goldberg
In this week’s Miami Heat mailbag: Comparing Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball, trading for the Brooklyn pick, parting with Hassan Whiteside and looking at the stars.
The Miami Heat are on a three-game winning streak. Wait, don’t pinch yourself! You’re not dreaming. This is real life. The Heat beat James Harden’s Houston Rockets, Rick Carlisle’s Dallas Mavericks (yes, we’ve entered the portion of Dirk’s career where this is now Carlisle’s team) and Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Milwaukee Bucks.
And the best part of all of it? The Heat STILL have the second-worst record in the NBA, and a date with the Golden State Warriors is sure to knock Miami off track before they throw themselves in front of the tank. So, take one last look at the winning streak, click on some of the box scores and enjoy it. You deserved a nice break from the tank, but don’t get too cozy. The Heat know what this season is all about.
Miami pushed for the playoffs in 2014 and ended up tanking at the very end. Sure, they got Justise Winslow, but what if they had embraced the tank from the beginning? We could be talking about how Karl-Anthony Towns, D’Angelo Russell or Kristaps Porzingis are the future of basketball in South Beach. Pat Riley doesn’t need another Winslow. He needs at Dwyane Wade. He needs a face of the franchise. And he needs it now. Speaking of…
Q: I’m really excited for this upcoming draft because Miami should have a very nice pick. But I’ve been listening to you guys talk for a while about who they should take and Markelle Fultz seems to be your guy. He’s young and puts up great numbers but I’m still leaning towards Lonzo Ball because of how great a passer he is. I like teams that work together, not sink or swim with a super star. So sell me on Fultz, why does he improve the team more than Ball? – Taisean Flatts
Q: I think there is a big difference between Fultz and Ball. I hate to see the Heat win games. We’re four games ahead of Brooklyn. – @smartguy1001
I know it’s hard for people in South Florida to tune in to Washington college basketball, but grab an evening coffee, make a late-night snack and do it. It’s worth it. You’ve probably seen the highlights…
Stanford's lead is now 3 at 58-55 w/7:25 left ... Dickerson will shoot 2FT out of the TO... Fultz leads with 26https://t.co/BFYkuW2MrP
— Washington Men's Basketball (@UW_MBB) January 15, 2017
Fultz can go coast-to-coast like Russell Westbrook. He’s got a diversified portfolio of offensive moves like James Harden. But watch a game. I was lucky enough to see Fultz in person, when he played Cal in Berkeley, and I’m smitten. SMITTEN. Maybe you’ve heard me compare him to LeBron James on the podcast (like this one, or this one that I recorded from the game). Is it hyperbole? Sure. But hear me out. Fultz on Washington reminds me of LeBron when he was at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s. Surrounded by inferior teammates, but rather than say “get out of my way” like, say, Kobe Bryant, Fultz embraces them and says “I’m going to use my own skills to make you better.” I love that. I love that so much.
Does Lonzo Ball do the same thing? Sure, he’s a great passer and, as Sports Illustrated’s Lee Jenkins wrote, he actually preferred to play with the worst kids at pick-up games. But I question Ball’s ability to score at the NBA level.
Fultz can. No doubt. Against Cal, I saw him split a double team with a spin move, use a crispy step back to make space for himself to take a three-pointer and block a shot… in the first half. Fultz is the complete package. He’s the Star Pat Riley is looking for, and it’s worth losing a few extra games to get in position to take him.
Q: Could Lonzo Ball work alongside Dragic due to his size? Thus making Dragic the leader helping the team develop next year a la your “keeping them in their lanes” example? – Chris Leach
Look, I like Ball. A lot. Just not as much as Fultz. Having said that, it’s very possible the Heat end up with Ball because the Brooklyn Nets are very bad. Ball could work alongside Dragic just like Dwyane Wade (sort of) did and Dion Waiters (sort of) does now.
Dragic’s veteran presence aside, both he and Ball are terrific off-the-ball shooters who can space the offense. Both, obviously, can handle the ball and set up teammates. Offensively, it works. It works really well.
Defense is where the issue is. Ball has the size, he’s 6-foot-6 and long, but he’s embarrassingly bad as a defender. He lets guys go by him, gets beat on backdoor cuts and doesn’t seem to understand how to use his length to disrupt passing lanes. Is that because UCLA wants to win every game 104-89? Maybe.
I’ll wait and see with Ball, but Fultz isn’t a stud defender either. The good news is that the Heat are coached by Erik Spoelstra, who makes every player 10-20% better defensively the moment they walk into AmericanAirlines Arena.
Q: If Boston would offer the Brooklyn pick for Whiteside alone I would do it. Seriously. Then Miami also has enough cap space to sign two max-level players. Pat needs to work with Danny Ainge for that Brooklyn pick. – Sam
There is two major problems with your proposal, Sam. No. 1 being Pat Riley and Danny Ainge working together. Both of them fancy themselves the best negotiators in the league. Neither of them yield any ground, and they are probably both vain enough to make not losing the trade their top priority. The meeting would be just Riley and Ainge, both wearing power ties, staring at each other without blinking or saying anything.
The other problem is that there is no way in hell Ainge gives up the Brooklyn pick for Hassan Whiteside. Zero. Whiteside is a good player, but he’s not worth the top pick in a loaded draft class where the Celtics can get a star player on a rookie contract. Maybe this works in NBA 2K, but not in real life. Sorry, Sam.
Q: With Bosh’s money coming off the books what star do you add with the money? I’d like Gordon Hayward or Blake Griffin. – Kanzaz Sweet
Those both sound great (even if Blake Griffin’s injury history screams The Next Amar’e Stoudemire On The Knicks).
But the new CBA makes it highly unlikely that Gordon Haydward leaves Utah and the only way Griffin leaves Los Angeles for Miami is if the Clippers decide to break up the Chris Paul-Griffin-DeAndre Jordan trio (not impossible). Then Griffin could be deciding between Miami, Boston and possibly Toronto.
Riley hasn’t landed a big fish in a long time, and the circumstances this summer don’t lay out in his favor.
To answer your question, though: Look, if I’m building a team to win three or four years from now, give me Hayward. His best basketball is in front of him, and even if he maxes out as a No. 2 scorer, maybe the Heat draft its future No. 1 scorer this summer.
Griffin, meanwhile, is the ultimate swing-for-the-fences move. His injury history is scary, but if the Heat could get two good seasons out of him, a Dragic-Fultz/Ball-Winslow-Griffin-Whiteside starting five with Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson and maybe James Johnson off the bench is Miami’s best shot to knock off the Cavs.
Q: (i) The Heat rank near the bottom in pace. Would a more up-tempo offense be more beneficial? (ii) What would happen if James Johnson started and we brought Luke Babbitt or Derrick Williams off the bench? – Douglas Philip Yee
(i) Probably, but playing at a fast pace requires chemistry and not posting up Whiteside 8-10 times per game. Miami has had too many injuries to develop the chemistry it takes to play like the Warriors or Rockets, and Whiteside needs his touches or else he gets cranky. The Heat would be better playing faster, but it’s easier said than done.
(ii) Nothing. They would still suck.
All mailbag questions are also answered on the Locked On Heat podcast. You can send questions to LockedOnHeat@gmail.com.