2011-2012 Finish: 37-29

Season Highlight

The Heat went from worst to nearly first in 2010-11, so they had a lot to prove in 2011-12. With GM Tmac still at the helm, the team performed respectably, even if the end of the season wasn’t as good as the strong start. Two playoff appearances in two seasons proves that the team is riding strong and Tmac needs a third postseason appearance to cement the Heat as a perennial contender.

Season Lowlight

The Raptors ran all over the Heat in the first round, chomping then four games to one. The Heat just couldn’t contain Kevin Durant and starter Tyson Chandler only scored 6.4 ppg. Not too impressive there.

Best Trade

The Utah Jazz send Jarrett Jack to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send a 2nd-Rounder (Mia) to the Utah Jazz. The Miami Heat trade -5 GM points.The Utah Jazz receive 5 GM point.

2011-12 will forever be known as the Rape of Utah (and I’m not trying to be funny. Look up Nanking for the reference). In this boneheaded move, the Jazz send a strong, starting-caliber PG (the position they direly needed all season) to the Heat for 5 points. Damn, that’s just one Game of the Week. Nice one, Tmac.

Worst Trade

The Golden State Warriors send Lamar Odom and Jarrett Jack to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send Maurice Williams to the Golden State Warriors. The Miami Heat send a 2nd-Rounder (Tor) to the Golden State Warriors. The Golden State Warriors receive 11 GM points. The Miami Heat trade -11 GM points.


Your eyes don’t deceive you, because this happened five months earlier (The Golden State Warriors send Anthony Carter and Maurice Williams to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send Jarrett Jack, Greg Oden and Jordan Hill to the Golden State Warriors). I’m don’t even know what to say, except maybe these two GMs are messing with us. Bottom line: Miami is stuck with Odom this season.
Other Notable Trades

The LA Lakers send Tyson Chandler to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send David Lee to the LA Lakers. The LA Lakers trade -5 GM points.The Miami Heat receive 5 GM points- Miami made the most of his sign-and-trade situation with Lee and brought in a marquee center (one who didn’t help against the Raptors).

The Charlotte Bobcats send Marco Belinelli and James Johnson to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send Trevor Ariza to the Charlotte Bobcats- Another good deal for Miami as Ariza’s star has faded some and they get up-and-comer James Johnson, along with the strong Belinelli.

The Miami Heat send Reggie Williams to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Jason Thompson to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat trade -3 GM points.The Oklahoma City Thunder receive 3 GM points- Another team pulls one over on Boyd. I don’t care how good Williams is, Thompson was a beast off the bench for Miami.

The Miami Heat send Reggie Williams to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Oklahoma City Thunder send Jason Thompson to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat trade -3 GM points.The Oklahoma City Thunder receive 3 GM points- Another team pulls one over on Boyd. I don’t care how good Williams is, Thompson was a beast off the bench for Miami.

The Miami Heat send Joe Johnson to the Portland Trail Blazers. The Portland Trail Blazers send Andre Iguodala and Linas Kleiza to the Miami Heat. The Portland Trail Blazers send a 2nd-Rounder (Tor) to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat receive 15 GM points. The Portland Trail Blazers trade -15 GM points- This one is tough. They save some money, but Portland got really good when JJ arrived and the Heat faltered. Could this be the one that grounds Miami’s ascent to the league elite? It’s very possible.


Best FA Signing

Anthony Parker- The Heat convinced Parker to come back one more season before retiring. Losing to the Raptors wasn’t the way he wanted to go out though.

Worst FA Signing

Jeff Foster- More to rankle DaveD than anything else. But he did retire partway through the season, robbing Miami fans of J-Mania for one last year.

Star

Andre Iguodala- Iggy gets shuffled again, sent to Miami after a short stint in Portland. Iggy responded well to the move, scoring 21.5 ppg in 20 appearances for Miami. However, we all know that this spot should belong to Joe Johnson.

Surprise

Jason Thompson- Thompson was quite fearsome off the bench, nailing 6.6 ppg and 5.5 rpg in just over 20 minutes of play. Efficient play like that is hard to come by, especially for such a cheap price.

Goat

Stephen Curry- Just what is going on with Curry’s ankle? He appeared in 25 games for the Heat before calling it quits. Tmac must know something that we don’t, because he tried to shop the PG, hoping the other GMs didn’t follow NBA news. Luckily, his outrageous prices weren’t ever met.

Draft Report Card

With pick #19, the Heat grabbed Royce White, who made headlines just as much for his anxiety disorder that prevents him from flying as his play. However, the Iowa State forward is a decent pick-up. He’s basketball smart and can even slide to the four, if need be.

Looking to the Future

Ominous tickers warn that Miami is going “all in” this season, even though Tmac has made similar promises in the past. It’s not secret that’s he’s shopping Tyson Chandler. Could he be getting Tim Duncan from Indiana? Does Duncan even constitute “all-in” nowadays? Miami does have a few strong players but with Curry being a question mark and Thabo Sefolosha slated to start at SG, the future isn’t as bright for the Heat right now. Some radical moves will definitely be needed.

Upcoming Free Agents
Marco Belinelli- Belinelli, who provides points off the bench, will likely be gone.

Dan Gadzuric, Hamed Haddadi, Lester Hudson, James Singleton- All but Haddadi will be gone, but is the big man even worth his small salary?