The Miami Heat aren't close to contending in the Eastern Conference. That much has become abundantly clear now that the first round of the NBA Playoffs is over.
The fact that the Heat went a combined 0-13 against the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic this season, considering they were just both bounced in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, tells us all we need to know about where this team is. In many ways, the Heat was hit with this brutal reality that not many in the organization seem to want to admit.
Miami doesn't just need a slight upgrade this season to change the narrative; they need a huge one, and possibly more. In short, the Heat's front office will surely have its work cut out for it heading into the offseason.
The Heat may need to completely revamp the roster
This is not one of those offseasons where the Heat need to be picking and choosing their spots to rework the roster. No, there's a strong argument to be made that big changes are desperately needed.
And it's not just about the Heat's lack of star power. Sure, that's been the Heat's biggest issue for the past two seasons (and it was upstaged after Jimmy Butler left). That's almost certainly where it will all start for the Heat, as it has time and time again in the past.
But even if the Heat aren't able to land their star target this summer, they desperately need to be open to more changes beyond that. Even without a star, this Heat team would benefit from some change just for the sake of change.
Even though the Heat has historically been against that, if there's been any moment where the franchise has needed some flexibility on their "commandments," this is probably one of them.
It may be time for the Heat to rewrite some of their commandments
From the fan base to the bench, this franchise feels like it needs an injection of excitement. And even if the Heat misses out on a star player this summer, there are still paths toward getting some of the joy and enthusiasm back in the organization.
Unfortunately, much of that would revolve around not just small changes to the roster, but big ones.
There are moments when organizations need to change with the times. This offseason could be one of those forks in the road for the Heat. Whether or not the front office sees it that way is one thing, but the fan base would probably agree with that assessment.
In a perfect world, the Heat will get their superstar player this summer and begin to build another championship roster around him. However, if that doesn't happen, it will be interesting to see if this is the summer where things begin to change organizationally (and philosophically) for the Heat.
After watching what transpired in the first round of the NBA Playoffs, it may be time for that to finally happen.
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