2008-2009 Finish: 31-51

What went bad

After years of bad luck and poor management, longtime GM Chewy stepped down as GM of the Miami Heat during the summer of 2007, clearing the path for new GM TMac. Somehow, TMac turned a sub-par team into a 5th seed contender. Would his streak continue into his sophomore season?

Fortunately, TMac was able to lure many of the team's big names back to Miami. Baron Davis, Hedo Turkoglu and Mario West (well...not so much him) re-upped for another tour of duty in Florida. TMac then handed Luke Walton and Desmond Mason their walking papers, a smart move in retrospect as both spent the entire season on and off the IR. The Heat then shipped off reserves West, Rodney Carney and and Sean Singletary for DeShawn Stevenson, adding another potent piece to the roster. So far so good!

The Heat a little extra money and some roster space, so the next task was to go after free agents. They grabbed DeSagana Diop, Dee Brown, James Singleton and Anthony Roberson. Okay, nothing too great here. But the Heat were ready to kick some butt and they went into the season with heads held high.


What went worse

The first sign of trouble came when Cuttino Mobley was forced into retirement because of a heart ailment. Then TMac sent Turkoglu, who was talking about hitting the market after the season and rookie Marc Gasol to the Thunder for David West and Chris Mihm. West is really good, but shipping off two quality starters for him began to diminish the Heat's potency. Then the Heat just started to lose. Davis began to miss games again, probably comfortable with his new contract. Stevenson also only played in 16 games. Finally, TMac got caught doing something not so legal and the league stripped him of his GM points. He went dark after that, not even attending games. The season began to slip away and the Heat finished one of the worst teams in the game.

Stars

- David West, F-

Despite the fact his team crashed and burned around him, West played the quality ball TMac had expected when he sent Turkoglu and Gasol west for him. He averaged 17.1 points and brought in 8.6 rebounds, though he played a good part of his time in Miami coming in off the bench once TMac decided to tank.


- John Salmons, GF –
Salmons has been bounced around a lot in his time with the NLL, but it seems he may have found a home in Miami, completing his first full season. Like West, he was moved to the bench once TMac decided to tank it, but he did average a respectable 14.6 points per game. Though not a star in the traditional sense, Salmons is a quietly dangerous guy who can really shoot the lights out if you let him.


Goat

- Baron Davis, G–

Looking at Davis' stats, the only full NLL season he played with last one, a contract year. Despite signing a lucrative deal, Davis played in only 55 games, starting in only 43 of those. His shooting % dropped from 51 to 42% this season and his points and assists dropped off as well. Meanwhile, he enjoys being the highest paid player on the team.

Looking to the future

For the Miami Heat to be successful, TMac will have to start showing up to work, participating in league-wide activities like in his first season. A neglected team never does well. There are a lot of questions that need answering and a dedicated GM is needed here. The team enters the season with enough cash to grab a decent player on the free agent market.

In the draft, Miami picked Davidson junior Stephen Curry at #6. The jury is really out on this player. While some think he will turn into an NLL bust, other suspect the guard could turn into a really good point guard. Unfortunately, Davis is blocking the way here. Playing him at shooting guard is an option, but Curry is woefully undersized. Miami picked Kentucky junior Jodie Meeks at 41st. He has a nice shot, but won't be anything more than a role player in the NLL.

So what can the Heat do make it into the playoffs again next season? Davis, West and Salmons SHOULD make a good starting point, if Davis keeps healthy. Diop is better suited for the bench, so upgrading at center may be a good idea. Curry probably cannot start right away, leaving the starting 2 spot to Stevenson. Then things get dicey. The bench is made up of overpaid vets like Damien Wilkins and Antonio Daniels and unproven rookies. It might be better for TMac to totally scrap the team, trade Davis, West and Salmons for young projects and start over. It's really hard to tell right now, but something is broken and needs to be fixed.