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Miami Heat: Should they tank or compete?

By Imran Ebrahim

SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 8: Josh Richardson #0, Justise Winslow #20 and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat face the Sacramento Kings on February 8, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
SACRAMENTO, CA - FEBRUARY 8: Josh Richardson #0, Justise Winslow #20 and Hassan Whiteside #21 of the Miami Heat face the Sacramento Kings on February 8, 2019 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2019 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Cassy Athena/Getty Images)
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The Miami Heat are at a crossroads. The All U Can Heat team discusses whether or not the team should call it a year and start tanking.

For years now, the Miami Heat fanbase has been spoiled with mostly successful teams with wildly intriguing storylines, but after some questionable decision making by the front office, the team finds itself in the NBA wasteland — somewhere in the middle.

After a relatively quiet trade deadline, the Heat are looking to scrap their way back into the playoffs, however, coming off a 3-game winning streak and two valiant efforts against Western Conference powerhouses (Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets), the team’s present and future seems murkier than ever.

With the team sitting at 30-34 and in 8th place in the Eastern Conference, a once spoiled fanbase is now tearing itself to bits in a constant debate: Tank or Compete?

Which side of the debate are you on? How strongly do you feel about your stance? Would a 3-game win streak (or another 3-game losing streak) flip your opinion?

Imran Ebrahim (@iebrahim81): As LeBron James always said: I’d rather not make the playoffs than lose in the Finals. And the same applies for losing at any point during the playoffs, especially when you have no reasonable hope in actually winning a playoff series.

Why pick 14 when you can slide into the top-7? Why not possibly get a top-5 prospect to fall into your laps instead of being the first team name called out at the lottery? I’m all in for tanking and would gladly lead the applause for an Adebayo-heavy rotation and lots and lots of Ls. It’s gotten so bad that as much as I loved that Dwyane Wade buzzer-beater against the Warriors, I found myself lamenting the fact that the Heat won the game.

Rich Nurse (@followthepen): I sit firmly on the side of the Miami Heat tanking, regardless of if a winning streak takes place. In all honesty, I did not feel like the Heat were good enough to make the playoffs two months ago, so why not throw the rest of the season away and enjoy Dwyane Wade’s nightly jersey exchange.

Rahmeaun Rahming (@Boneman9000): I have been against tanking since the beginning of the season, and I plan to remain that way regardless. I’ve been quoted saying the Heat fanbase can’t afford a true tank like the storied franchises in New York, Philadelphia, or Los Angeles.

More from All U Can Heat

I lived in Philadelphia through the entirety of  ‘The Process’ and let me tell you, as a basketball fan, I hated it.

The Heat just won a thriller in Miami against Golden State to bring them within a half-game of 8th place Charlotte and tied with Orlando (hopefully a tiebreaker doesn’t come in to play). The next three Heat games are against Houston, Brooklyn, and Atlanta. If they were to go on a three-game losing streak, I’d only be upset if they lost to Atlanta. That’d be a season sweep by the Hawks. There is a glimmer of hope if that does happen since Orlando’s next three feature the Warriors at home, and two road games against the “red hot” Knicks and 3rd place pacers. The Nets on the other hand travel to Brooklyn for their next game, followed by homestands against Portland AND Miami. If the Heat go on a three-game losing streak, they’ll be fine.

Ivan Mora (@moraivan):  I have always been against tanking. I’m firm in that stance with no doubt or question about it.

Now I am starting to see the other side and its benefits, especially with a team that has completely lost its identity.  Rotation issues continue to haunt them and this late in the season, it seems they are in the midst of a complete shakeup if it doesn’t get resolved.

When coach Erik Spoelstra still isn’t 100 percent sure who his future starting point guard is going to be or who is the better option at center between Bam Adebayo and Hassan Whiteside, problems begin to arise.

Even then, with the added headache of having a chaotic bundle of forwards not fit to take the starting position, you realize you have a team that has completely lost its identity and can very well be back to the rebuilding phase.

The Heat have 22 games left, 14 against current playoff contenders, and are 1-6 at home in their last 7 games. It just doesn’t suit them to make a deep run especially when an obvious first-round playoff loss is inevitable, if they even make the playoffs.

If it wasn’t Dwyane Wade’s last season, more people would abide by tanking, but I understand the need to see Wade go out with a bang.  But at this point, to better prepare Miami for the future and a better chance at Zion Williamson than advancing to the conference semifinals, I feel tanking is the short term solution that they desperately need at the moment.

Rohan Campbell (@theboyro): Is there really clear proof that a team is “tanking?” It’s quite hard to prove a team is trying to lose, especially a team like the Miami Heat, who pride themselves as a world-class organization.

Having said that, fans need to realize that this team is going nowhere. This whole season is about the farewell of Dwyane Wade. There has been progress with Bam Adebayo. Josh Richardson has had good games. That’s been it for the positive outlook of the younger players 25 and younger. If this team makes the playoffs, a sweep would be the result. The only good thing about missing the postseason is we’ll know exactly when Wade’s last game is so we can all cry together as the G.O.A.T. ends his illustrious career.

I’m all about improving the team and thinking about the future so if Duncan Robinson can get more playing time over James Johnson, I’m all for it. Get the much younger guys out there to get more experience and get ready for the next season.

Kenneth Wilson (@ksaidwhat): When it comes to the Miami Heat and tanking, I am extremely against. I feel very strong about this. There are a few reasons here.

First off, I believe the essence of “tanking” is to try to suck. If you weave that into the fabric of a team, it becomes hard to shake. The last thing we want for the Heat is to go through an off-brand version of “The Process”.

This team and this organization are simply better than that, and they always have been. Not to disparage any organization that does it, however, that means that for an organization whose mantra has always been something to the tune of “hard work over everything”, it’s just not very Heat-like.

Furthermore, they are only 2.5 games out of 7th place in the Eastern Conference. Although the Heat do own the 10th toughest remaining schedule, these last two games versus some of the league’s best show that they can compete with anyone when healthy. If they were to go on a 3-game losing streak at this point, it would not shake my opinion. They still have to play the Milwaukee Bucks and the Toronto Raptors twice so that is very likely, but with remaining games versus teams like the New York Knicks, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Atlanta Hawks to name a few, there are ample opportunities to collect quite a few wins as well.

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