This has been one of the toughest seasons for the Miami Heat that I can remember. The front office really messed up with the Jimmy Butler situation. Butler has a history of not being happy when he feels underpaid, and that’s happened in Minnesota, Philadelphia, and now Miami. They thought their culture would keep Butler in line, but they were way off.
At the start of the season, Butler was doing his thing, and things felt good. But everything changed after December 16, which was his last great game with Miami—he dropped 35 points, pulled down 19 rebounds, and had 10 assists. After that, he rolled his ankle against the Oklahoma City Thunder, got a stomach virus, lost weight, and missed almost two weeks. By Christmas Day, reports came out that Butler wanted to play for the Phoenix Suns. Since then, this season has turned into a mess.
Pat Riley, the Heat’s president, initially said Miami wouldn’t trade Butler. Just a week later, though, he changed his tune and said they’d consider offers after Butler mentioned that he’d lost his joy in Miami. Butler even got suspended a few times. Eventually, he was traded to the Golden State Warriors. It was clear that his actions on and off the court were impacting the rest of the team, who had to constantly answer questions about him, which isn’t fair to them.
The front office really hasn’t talked to the media all season. The only times they spoke up were to address rumors about Butler leaving and after he mentioned his loss of joy.
This situation could’ve been dealt with over the summer when Butler had more trade value. They could have gotten so much more in return.
Andrew Wiggins is a decent player, but he doesn’t bring the same level of impact that Butler does, and that first-round pick they got will probably be a middle-of-the-pack selection.
Miami knew they wouldn’t pay Butler, so why keep him around in the offseason? They seemed to think he’d stay quiet about his contract, but that clearly didn’t happen.
On top of all that, Miami has blown 17 double-digit leads this season. It’s become almost predictable watching their games and knowing what’s going to happen in the third or fourth quarter. They can build a lead against anyone but struggle to finish games. Do they have the most talented roster? Not really. They just get too predictable in close matchups.
With a roster that struggles to create its own shots, it’s tough to generate offense when the plays become obvious, and they don’t have the talent to win in clutch moments. A couple of years ago, when they made it to the Finals, Miami was one of the best teams in crunch time, but now it seems like they can’t figure out how to win those close games.
Then there’s the issue with Terry Rozier. He seems to get along with his teammates and is probably a great guy, but honestly, he’s been underwhelming this season. He can’t shoot threes, misses easy layups, and isn’t effective with the ball. He’s not really contributing defensively either, and he’s been playing way too many minutes in the fourth quarter. Rozier’s struggles have cost them games, putting Miami in situations where they’re playing catch-up. Kel'el Ware should be getting more minutes in those crucial moments because he’s part of the team’s future, while Rozier is not.
I’m not saying Miami needs a new coach. Spoelstra has been one of the best coaches in the league, but this year has been really rough for him. He’s been late to make adjustments and seems to be a step behind. Spoelstra used to be known for quick thinking and making great adjustments, but that spark hasn’t been there this season.
Is this the most talented roster Miami has ever had? Nope. But there’s enough talent to have a better record than what they currently have.
The most frustrating thing for me this season is that Pat Riley hasn’t said much to the media about the Butler situation and why they didn’t trade him in the offseason when anyone who follows this team could see it was time for a change.
Spoelstra’s press conferences have also been pretty disappointing. If you’ve watched him over the years, you know he doesn’t share much information, often talking about the process and focusing on the main goals. This season, his press conferences have been some of the most frustrating sound bites I can remember.
As I mentioned earlier, Miami has blown several double-digit leads this year. Spoelstra has made comments like, “This is an opportunity for all of us to face our demons and get past this. This is not comfortable for any of us. But I see something amazing on the other side.”
While that’s nice to hear early in the season, I don’t want to hear it anymore when they keep making the same mistakes. I think that’s pretty much the definition of insanity. I don’t want to be a downer, but it’s hard not to feel frustrated with how the season is going.