Miami Heat Weekly Roundup: The 2018-19 season is coming

It’s time to take a look at all that’s gone on in Miami Heat land this past week, through the eyes of an AllUCanHeat contributor.

With the Miami Heat’s 2018-19 campaign right around the corner, the organization has been keeping busy; between Media Day and Training Camp, there hasn’t been a dull moment yet in September.

Of course, there are also those pesky Jimmy Butler trade rumors, keeping fans glued to their Trade Machines late into the night.

So what did this past week look like for the organization?

Let’s take a closer look.

What was your favorite so-called Spoism from the Miami Heat’s Media Day?

For me, it has to be ”the Noise.” This is actually one of my favorite Spoisms of all time. Noise can mean so many things when you’re trying to run a world-class organization like the Miami Heat. In the NBA, noise is encouraged with Twitter threads and hashtags, as well as Instagram Stories and comments (that’s right, I’m looking at you Lonzo Ball and Andrew Wiggins). I mean, the Heat have even hired a DJ to spin records during Training Camp. Now I’m sure they would’ve had this anyway, since it’s nice to listen to tunes when putting work in, but head coach Erik Spoelstra took the opportunity to let the media know that the DJ is there to block out the noise. Could it be the Jimmy Butler noise, or something else? Nobody knows.

What do you think the team should focus on in Training Camp?

Free throws. For the love of God, free throws. Last season, the Heat shot 75.5 percent from the charity stripe as a unit. That’s just not good enough for a playoff team. In fact, a rating that low was good for 22nd in the league. The Heat were surrounded by the Orlando Magic (yawn) and the Philadelphia 76ers (who shouldn’t even be ranked this low). Even the Washington Wizards and the Brooklyn Nets shot better from the stripe, and those teams missed the playoffs. The team had seven players shoot less than 70 percent from the line, and two of them were slashing guards. I will be looking for improvement in that area from specifically Dion Waiters and Dwyane Wade this season.

How are you feeling about Dwyane Wade’s last year?

I am feeling nostalgic. I find myself yelling “one last dance” to whoever will listen at work and on Twitter. I honestly believe that this farewell tour will be the greatest for any player in recent history. Yes, even Kobe Bryant. Sure, Bryant sold out arenas that typically booed him, but the Los Angeles Lakers were taking losses left and right for a grand total of 65. There’s no way the Heat let Wade go out like that. As Jalen Rose likes to say, “I’m not gon’ be able to do it.”

Give me your thoughts on these Jimmy Butler rumors…

Man oh, man. I don’t know that I’ve paid this much attention to NBA Twitter looking for Heat news, ever. While I’ve been on the record as anti-Butler, I have to take a step back and think critically. If the season were to start tomorrow (please hurry), the Heat would own the sixth highest salary cap in the league. With your only top-20 player (according to PER) in Hassan Whiteside appearing in just 54 games at 25 minutes a contest, it’s not acceptable that the Heat have such a high team salary ($131,165,356).

Here’s where Butler comes, in. I understand the Heat won’t be able to pull off a deal where they keep Josh Richardson, acquire Butler, and get salary cap relief. In that instance, there will be multiple teams involved. I wouldn’t be surprised if there were more three teams at the table. The deal I see floating around that I like the most is Butler to Miami, with Gorgui Dieng coming as well to provide the Minnesota Timberwolves the cap relief it seeks, while sending Whiteside somewhere else; somewhere else will both give the Phoenix Suns the point guard they’re looking for, as well as provide cap relief for Miami.

I’m sure Tyler Johnson is readily available in the right package. I really hope this trade gets sorted out, because I want Miami to be relevant again. I’m tired of all my friends and acquaintances going, “Miami? Who’s that? Who do they have again?” With the two-way star Butler on the roster, we can really shock some teams and get even more wins than last season. Last year, the Heat were 44-38. I’m wagering at this moment that Butler is worth six games, which would push their record to 50-32.

For the Heat and for The Culture, I vote Butler for Team Star.

Let preseason begin.