Miami Heat Roundtable: Discussing the team’s rough start and more

Head coach Erik Spoelstra has gotten an unusual amount of flack lately, in regards to how he’s handled the team’s struggles on the court. How do you think Spo is doing, and what would you change?

Tachauer: Much like I’d never question president Pat Riley, I try to blindly trust Spo as much as possible. He’s never really let me down. But I will say, I haven’t entirely agreed with parts of his coaching strategy so far this season. First, he was preaching “letting guys play through their issues,” which is fine in theory… but not when the game is on the line. If someone is better suited to step up in the moment, then a rotation adjustment should be made. Also, I wish he’d play Bam Adebayo more. He’s already shown flashes of greatness, so why not give him more chances to prove himself? Still, in Spo I trust.

Mora: I actually enjoyed his post-game interview Sunday night.  He was frustrated and you could see his anger. I think he needs to be more vocal and strict. Get after these players. Something is not working and I honestly feel it’s the lack of motivation and hustle.  It seems our defense is always a step behind. I hope this Indiana Pacers game is a rude awakening for this Heat team and Spoelstra. He needs to correct his rotation mistakes but at the same time hold the players accountable. This team needs a firm hand.

Keaton: In the offseason, I questioned some of the decisions of the management, primarily tying up so much money in guys with a limited upside. After assessing what was done, I felt like this team was much more of the 11-30 team in the first half of last season, as opposed to the 30-11 that finished the second half. Because of that, it’s hard for me to hold Spoelstra accountable for the teams struggles, outside of the questionable rotations I mentioned earlier.

Eyrich: In his early days with the Heat, I was not the biggest Spoelstra fan. But, it didn’t take long for him to grow on me. While I’ve question some play-calling, the biggest question I have with Spo right now is on this rotation. I understand this is not an ideal situation with Rodney McGruder and Okaro White both out, but you have to work through that. The idea of bringing in Kelly Olynk was that he is a versatile player. He could move to the four and play alongside Hassan Whiteside or he could run with the second unit as the five. It seems like were still struggling to figure out where he fits. Same with Bam Adebyo. Spo has mentioned many times that they have to find ways to get the rookie minutes. Now 16 games into the season it still seems to be a mystery. Spoelstra is a smart coach and I am confident that he will figure this out. Right now I think we need to cut him some slack. No one quite understands whats wrong with the Heat. This is a tough issue and he deserves time to piece this together.

Johnson: Spo has his hands full. He’s looking for guys who can commit to his defense first plan, while not forcing the offensive issue by throwing up threes. Arguably, Josh Richardson should be moved to the bench in favor of James Johnson or even giving Kelly Olynyk a chance along side Hassan Whiteside. Miami has the capabilities of dominating inside with Whiteside and Olynyk in the post and Johnson, Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow driving. Spo should try and capitalize on that, instead of the 3-point state of mind currently residing on South Beach.