If it’s not broke, don’t fix it. And that’s exactly what the Heat has to decide. Does their roster, rotation, depth need to be fixed?
This season began to look eerily bleak for the Miami Heat as they constantly struggled to find a way to win early on, questions began to pour in about if it was time to blow this roster up or what trade options were available. We all remember the Jimmy Butler fiasco. Fans are still just as split on that trade now as they were when it all began.
But December brought more hope as the Heat found ways to win. After stringing together a couple of winning streaks it became clear; Miami simply would not be anywhere near bad enough to tank, so they might as well find a way to compete.
Going back and forth fighting to stay at the .500 mark we still have to ask, should the Heat make any moves?
In simple terms, it seems like an easy answer.
Trade a few guys out for better individual talent while shrinking your rotation. It would allow Head Coach Erik Spoelstra to focus on a more direct game plan and you wouldn’t have the issue of players complaining about minutes as we have seen from the unfiltered Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters.
At this point of the season, it’s not too late to make changes, but they have to be the right ones. When the Heat take a deep long look at themselves, they’ll realize that without their depth, this team no longer has their edge.
It would be Heat Nation’s dream to have three all-stars and an impactful sixth man. But that’s not possible with their situation. There is no trading a few players and picking up an all-star, there are no dumping certain contracts. What you have is what you have.
But that’s not all bad. The Heat’s depth isn’t ideal, yet it’s a blessing in disguise.
If Josh Richardson has an off night, it’s okay, because Justise Winslow steps up in his place; or Dwyane Wade does, Tyler Johnson, Whiteside, the list goes on. It’s a revolving door of the next man stepping up when the team needs them too.
You look at the bench the Heat have and it’s hard to say another team in the association has a bench that can produce the way they do. The majority of the Heat’s offensive production against the Bulls came from the bench (64 of 117 points).
If the Heat find a way to make a meaningful trade work, great; if not, run with what you have. Because the Heat’s identity in 2019 is its depth.