The Good, Bad and Miami Heat Culture is a bi-weekly column discussing what has gone on with the team in the last few weeks, including the two-course options post-All-Star break.
The Good
First, let’s take a moment to remember what happened before the Miami Heat trade deadline: Tyler Johnson’s large contract was traded to the Phoenix Suns and Wayne Ellington is gone. While Heat Twitter debated about what more could have been done, at least the Heat did something to bring down the payroll. That being said, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before the Heat are a contender again.
With All-Star break ending soon, fans will see what this team is made of in the last few months of the season. Before the break, we began to see some more glimpses of hope regarding the young players on this team and that should be a priority given that this season will reflect on the future.
Heat fans have to get real at this point in the season: this team is No. 9 in the East at 26-30 and is not one that is going to make a deep run in the playoffs (if they even make the playoffs, that is.)
However, that does not mean that they are not worth watching. There is a lot of good on this team and a lot to look forward to in the coming years. This season is just one of a lot of learning.
Post-All Star break, it is about getting the youth as much experience as possible and enjoying Dwyane Wade’s #OneLastDance, playoffs or not. Let’s save the arguments about Pat Riley for the offseason.