Miami Heat Roundtable: Is the organization moving in the right direction?

And lastly, is the so-called youth movement working?

Banker: The record isn’t pretty, but the youth movement is still progressing towards being a success. Richardson has emerged as a go-to scorer offensively, and a top of the line defender. Bam Adebayo in limited time has shown that he can be just as dominant as Whiteside, but he is even more athletic than him. Justise Winslow is a tough player to figure out, but he is still just 22-years-old and has plenty of time to refine his game, and has shown that he is a great defender and a good ball handler. The Heat don’t have a star player that puts those guys into roles where they would be able to come in waves and be even more efficient, but over time, these guys will only pan out to be even more of a success.

Nurse: The youth movement is sort of working. Richardson is coming into his own, averaging 19.7 points per game, McGruder is making a push for the most improved top 10 and Adebayo has shown flashes. On the flip side, Whiteside and head coach Erik Spoelstra still do not seem to get along, and Winslow still cannot finish. The youth movement is just as confusing as the front office.

Campbell: It sure looks like it. 25-year-old Richardson is excelling at being the man. 21-year-old Adebayo is out hustling his opposition. 22-year-old Winslow just had a season high 20 points, on 7-for-8 shooting from the field. 27-year-old McGruder has proven that he isn’t just a shooter. There’s not a reason for guys like Johnson and Whiteside (yeah, I said it) to play more than the young bucks. Let’s hope this continues and maybe some trades will go down?

Rahming: Working to what effect? They’re getting minutes and fighting the battles, but they’re still only on a rental. With Waiters and Dragic waiting in the wings, the true youth of the team has only been borrowing the car. Everyone drives a lot more carefully when they don’t own the car. Same here on this Heat team. The youth have been driving the car almost exclusively, and have gotten off to a poor start, but the organization says they want to compete. Given what team officials say in public, I’d have to say the youth movement is not working, because they’re losing and falling in the standings almost every day. But from an analytical standpoint, it’s going great. The team is in contention for a top 5 pick, while waiting for the cap sheet to clear up. What else could you ask for?

Carry on.