Lost in the pomp and circumstance of Pat Riley's season-ending press conference last week was the fact that he quietly made a promise that he (or the front office) has failed to deliver on in the past. It's the idea of the Heat adding depth to their frontcourt.
Highlighted by Barry Jackson in a recent article, Riley made it seem as if he was heading into the offseason with a priority to address the Heat's lack of size on the roster.
“Overall length, we will address that,” Riley said. “I’ve always been somebody who has believed in that.”
But even the most optimistic Heat fans need to take an "I'll believe it when I see it " approach with these comments. That's because the Heat has consistently entered an offseason with the intention of adding size to their roster without actually coming through with it.
Will the Heat finally bolster their frontcourt this summer?
In fact, just last year, there was an expectation that the Heat were going to add another power forward or center to help bolster their frontcourt depth. The move just never came. In fairness, they did extend Precious Achiuwa a training camp invite. However, in the end, the Heat decided to move on from the experiment.
Miami never added another big to the roster when many in the fan base were expecting it.
Even with the chance to do so for the final stretch run, the Heat decided to keep the status quo. And that's one of the bigger reasons why some fans may be bullish on this "quiet promise" made by Riley at his end-of-the-season press conference.
The Heat must operate on several fronts this summer
While adding more size to the frontcourt may not in fact be the Heat's No. 1 priority heading into the offseason, I'd argue that it should be near the top. Landing a superstar player is certainly the goal this summer for the Heat, but regardless of what happens on that front, they'll still need to add more depth next to Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware.
It will only increase in importance if the Heat has to use Ware in a trade for a star player.
That's why there's reason to believe that the Heat will be operating on several fronts heading into the offseason. Not only do they need to be scouring the trade market for disgruntled stars, but they also have to explore ways to upgrade the roster, whether a star player comes or not.
That will be the ultimate test for this front office.
In the end, the Heat needs to beef up their frontcourt regardless this offseason. But, in the past, that's often been a lot easier said than done. Can Riley finally come through on this promise?
Add us as a preferred source on Google