By waiting to act on Jimmy Butler, the Miami Heat sabotaged this season before it ever began.
Despite the Heat's awful year, they still made the playoffs but suffered two of the worst postseason losses in franchise history on their home court, losing by 37 points in Game 3 and by 55 in Game 4 to the Cavaliers.
It was just a disaster of a season for the Heat. Everyone from the front office to the players must take some blame for this past season. It's time to hand out some blame pie.
š„§ Front office blame pie = 70%
The front office needs to answer questions and take some accountability for the disastrous season they caused. I blame this season on the front office for not reading the room and thinking that "Heat Culture" would make Butler stay in line.
As someone who roots for the Heat, this was truly one of the worst seasons I can remember. Jimmy Butler's situation cast a cloud over everything and the Heat's 10-game losing streak should have been avoided if the Heat's front office had removed their blinders and addressed the elephant in the room with Butler's contract situation.
We have seen this movie with Butler in other places. Butler will play the hits when he is on a new team. "They let me be me," "They value me," etc. The Heat's front office thought Butler was all for the Heat. Butler is all about his money (not knocking him for wanting his money).
That's on the front office for not being proactive in trade discussions once they knew they wouldn't extend him.
From then on, the Heat's season was just a ticking time bomb. Even though Butler wasn't an issue at the start of the season, once it got to mid-December, Butler acted out until he got traded to Golden State. The season was just a drag.
š„§ Coaching staff blame pie = 20%
There were too many mistakes this season from the Heat's coaching staff. From Erik Spoelstra calling a timeout when he didn't have one, to playing Terry Rozier as long as they did. This coaching staff needs a new voice.
I'm not saying that Erik Spoelstra needs to be let go of his head coaching duties, but he needs a new voice on staff. The Heat tried to run a new five-out offense, but Rozier struggled, and Butler did not feel included in the offense.
The Heat let Tyler Herro run the offense, leading him to make his first All-Star Game. Bam Adebayo took a step back offensively. Adebayo isn't known as a scorer but has a skill set to provide Heat points. It would be nice if the Heat had a guard who could set him up for easier looks.
This coaching staff has gone stale. After this past season, everything should be on the table. Adding another coach to the staff for new ideas would be ideal.
š„§ Players blame pie=10%
I feel for what the players went through this season, but they also have a job to do. Adebayo and Herro stepped up and showed leadership throughout Butlerās drama.
Keeping the locker room together during that time was a challenge, and hearing quotes from the players at the end of the season proved that both Herro and Adebayo showed they can be leaders.
Beyond that, too many players struggled. Nikola Jovic was hurt down the stretch, Jaime Jaquez Jr. regressed and Andrew Wiggins, after being acquired in the Butler deal, disappointed during his first stint.
Terry Rozier had the roughest season of all. The Heat acquired Rozier to be a tough shot-maker, but he struggled to make anything, shooting career lows across the board. The acquisition hasn't worked out, and the Heat's front office needs to learn from it.
This organization has usually been progressive when it comes to making decisions. This past season, the Heat showed they were a step slow in reacting to potential problems, making this season feel like it wasn't importantāthe Heat needs to return with a new mindset next season and choose a direction. We should get more answers when Pat Riley speaks on Friday afternoon.