The Miami Heat were as close to salary cap purgatory as any team to start the offseason. Now, they’ve landed a star and may be in the market to do more.
The Miami Heat are an anomaly. Not only do they seemingly always try to be as competitive as possible, but they are willing to risk the future and past reputations to do so. While other teams are trying to find the most efficient or politically correct way to tank it, the Miami Heat are always in win-now mode.
To contrast this way of maneuvering to other franchises, the Cleveland Cavaliers seemingly stay in tank mode, unless there is a guy named LeBron James on the roster. The Phoenix Suns are another organization that often finds themselves in this scenario, as they haven’t won 25 or more games in a season since the 2014-2015 season, and have only crossed the 45 win threshold once in the last nine seasons.
To dive a bit deeper into the abyss of this example, in the 2012-2013 season the Cavaliers finished with a record of 24-58, which would eventually give them the right to take UNLV forward Anthony Bennett with the number one overall pick in the NBA Draft. Bennett has since played only 151 career NBA games, averaging 12.6 minutes and 4.4 points per game, playing last season for the Agua Caliente Clippers of the NBA G League.
The 2016-17 Phoenix Suns finished that season with a record of 24-58, which afforded them the opportunity to draft high, as they eventually landed the fourth overall pick. They used that pick to take guard/forward Josh Jackson out of Kansas. The All-Rookie performer was traded by the Suns earlier this week.
These examples weren’t used explicitly to shine a light on these particular players or franchises, as they could all go on to experience tremendous success in the future. What it was meant to highlight however, is the fact that tanking is not certain, and often times adds to a cycle of losing more often than it breaks one.
The Miami Heat don’t tank. Team President Pat Riley has made it known that he has absolutely no interest in doing so. That goes double for Miami Heat Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, and is elegantly articulated in this quote from a 2018 piece from Sports Illustrated’s The Crossover:
"This is what pro sports is supposed to be about,” Spoelstra told The Crossover. “Competing every night. To try to win. Not the opposite. Obviously not every year you are going to have a realistic chance to compete for a title. Since I have been here, working for Pat, from day 1, that has always been the directive. For me, that brings great clarity. Keep the main thing the main thing. And everything else is just b —- t."
Not only do they say that they aren’t the tanking types as a franchise, but the Miami Heat actually walks the talk. For the last couple of seasons, amongst calls from fans and others that they should consider tearing it all down and tanking, they have continued to compete. Whether it meant barely slipping into the playoffs with an eighth seed or even barely missing out on the playoffs, which inevitably affects(lowers) their potential draft positioning, they have consistently played to win the games.
While their cap situation and pre-offseason roster looked dire, lacking cap space and being loaded with seemingly average players on hefty contracts, the Miami Heat pulled a rabbit out of their hats. With that rabbit being in the form of procuring the services of Jimmy Butler via a sign and trade agreement, Pat Riley and the Heat front office have managed to begin to retool without needing to tear it all down.
These factors beg of a question of the rest of the league and the way they go about handling their business though. Are the Miami Heat the model to follow when it comes to rebuilding a team without having to tank?
This is a loaded question and loaded questions often require loaded answers. For this one in particular, the answers are yes and no. Here is the explanation.
There aren’t many teams that have somebody at the helm of Pat Riley’s ilk. Not only is he the true definition of an NBA Lifer, which means he knows the ins and outs of the NBA better than almost anybody, but he is also a risktaker that has shown a willingness to do whatever it takes to give his team the best chance to win. That is the “no” part of the answer because there aren’t many teams with a Pat Riley type leading them.
The “yes” part of the equation is much simpler. This should be a model that teams look to follow because it’s better for all parties involved.
It’s better for the players and the organization because it doesn’t condition them losing, which can be a hard culture to break if and when a team gets ready to try winning. It’s better for the fans because it shows them that the organization cares, while even if they aren’t the most competitive, it gives them hope and vision for the future. It is better for the NBA as a whole because the best version of any sports league is one where everyone is trying to win, even if there are clearcut better teams on the scene.
To readdress the topic, are the Miami Heat the model to follow for teams looking to tank. Possibly, if they are capable amd under the right leadership. What isn’t a loaded answer at all is that they are probably the model that the people in the NBA League office wish teams would follow, as tanking teams and markets aren’t the best representations for one of the most powerful and popular sports leagues in the world.