Miami Heat: Why Erik Spoelstra is still one of the top coaches in the NBA

Egos and superstars

Everyone thinks that the coach’s job is easy if he has talent around him. True, it does make a life a lot easier for the coach but at the same time, it can be a ticking time bomb ready to explode. Having too many superstars can be great if everyone is on the same page. If not, the locker room will be quite entertaining.

When the Miami Heat had formed the famous “big three”, it had three top players in the league joining forces together.

James was coming off his second most valuable player in a row and a tough loss to the Boston Celtics in six games. Dwyane Wade was coming off the best seasons in his career as he made All-NBA first team, All-NBA defensive second team and earned his All-Star MVP. Bosh was coming off yet another All-Star seasons.

Both Wade and James ended the 2010 season as top-five players and having a lot to prove especially due to the outcome in the playoffs.

That is what Spoelstra had to deal with. Yet it worked out. It is true that a lot is due to Wade taking a seat back and letting James take control.

But superstars aren’t the only aspect he had to control. All of the minutes, lineups and rotations are the coaches responsibility. He had multiple pieces such as Ray Allen, Norris Cole, and Shane Battier to integrate into the system.

We just saw how a team with great talent fell apart in only two seasons when their expectations were as contenders.