2013-2014 Finish: 44-38
Season Highlight
After dropping from an Eastern Conference powerhouse to merely a decent team,
the Miami Heat replaced its longtime embattled (and embittered) GM Tmac with
NLL coaching legend Proid. After flaming out mid-year as coach of the Brooklyn
Nets, Proid got the call to take the show to South Beach after Tmac quit the
league. Although he has yet to pilot a team out of the first round, Proid is
definitely a step up here in Miami and will profess his love for the game
almost immediately, even if it means ruffling feathers by trading away stars.
Season Lowlight
Despite great coaching in the past, GM Tmac flamed out big time this season.
Following a disastrous off-season campaign that brought no free agent of note
to South Beach, despite a league-leading record and a ton of GM points, Tmac
took his ball and went home. What we mean by that is he benched all his stars
and pouted until the league stepped in. That said, the Heat did finish in the
seventh seed and nearly beat the Pacers in the first round.
Best Trade
The Memphis Grizzlies send Zach
Randolph to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send Brook Lopez to the Memphis
Grizzlies. The Miami Heat send a 1st-Rounder (Dal) and 2nd-Rounder
(Mia) to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Another season, another Brook Lopez injury. Rather than sit on his star center,
Tmac took a risk and shipped him out for Zach Randolph. Z-bo is a tough player
and helped revitalize a Heat franchise that was still struggling under an apathetic
GM on his way out. Z-bo likes Miami so much, that he committed to an extension.
Worst Trade
The Dallas Mavericks send Arnett
Moultrie to the Miami Heat. The Dallas Mavericks send Wesley Matthews
to the San Antonio Spurs. The Miami Heat send Tim Duncan to the Dallas
Mavericks. The San Antonio Spurs send Lance Thomas to the Dallas
Mavericks. The Dallas Mavericks send a 1st-Rounder
(Dal) to the Miami Heat. The Dallas Mavericks trade -35 GM points.The Miami
Heat receive 35 GM points.
Touting a top record, GM Tmac thought he clean up in free
agency. Unfortunately, many of the best potential FAs either stayed with their
teams or were involved in sign-and-trade deals. Dealing Tim Duncan, one of the
game’s best, for a late first and 35 GM points is a move of major hubris. It
didn’t work and help kick off the Great Pout of ’13.
Other Notable Trades
The Atlanta Hawks send Jerryd Bayless
to the Brooklyn Nets. The Atlanta Hawks send Amir Johnson to the Miami
Heat. The Brooklyn Nets send Kyle Lowry to the Atlanta Hawks. The Miami
Heat send Maurice Williams to the Atlanta Hawks. The Miami Heat send Chris
Kaman to the Brooklyn Nets.
Not a bad deal for the Heat here, moving Maurice Williams and Chris Kaman for
Amir Johnson. Williams and Kaman are consummate role players, while Johnson can
actually start games on a regular basis.
The Minnesota Timberwolves send Tayshaun
Prince to the Miami Heat. The Miami
Heat send a 2nd-Rounder (Atl) to the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Miami Heat use their trade exception over
$ 7,235,955. The Miami Heat trade -3 GM points.The Minnesota Timberwolves
receive 3 GM points.
Tmac gets a crafty veteran for peanuts. Prince helped the push for the playoffs
and he gave up next to nothing to get him.
The Brooklyn Nets send
Paul Pierce and Jannero Pargo to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat
send Mike Dunleavy, Ryan Anderson and Jimmer Fredette to
the Brooklyn Nets. The Brooklyn Nets trade -8 GM points.The Miami Heat receive
8 GM points.
This deal is significant for two reasons. The Heat traded
injured Ryan Anderson and change for
Paul Pierce and it’s the last deals Tmac and Boyd will ever make
together in the NLL.
The Chicago Bulls send
Carlos Delfino and Rudy Gay to the Miami Heat. The Chicago Bulls
send Michael Carter-Williams to the Toronto Raptors. The Miami Heat send
Tayshaun Prince and Stephen Curry to the Chicago Bulls. The Miami
Heat send a 2nd-Rounder (Bkn) to the Chicago Bulls. The Toronto Raptors
send a 1st-Rounder (Min) to the Miami Heat. The Chicago Bulls trade -10
GM points.The Miami Heat receive 10 GM points.
AND
The Miami Heat send Arnett
Moultrie to the Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send Kemba Walker
to the Miami Heat. The Miami Heat send a 1st-Rounder (Min) to the
Orlando Magic. The Orlando Magic send a 1st-Rounder (Chi) to the Miami Heat.
The Miami Heat trade -10 GM points.The Orlando Magic receive 10 GM points.
The jury is out on the first deal of the Proid era. Folks
freaked when he moved star Stephen Curry and got back the overpaid Rudy Gay,
but people who have been in the league long enough know that Proid has his
group of favorite players. Let’s hope he doesn’t try to bring back Gerald
Wallace and Kevin Garnett next. Ron Artest moved to China to avoid him. Kemba
Walker is good, if unexciting, replacement for Curry.
Best FA Signing
Mike Dunleavy- Pretty sad when Dunleavy is the best you can do with the top
record in the league and a pocketful of 99 GM points.
Worst FA Signing
A.J. Price- Digging the bottom of the crate, using his record to snag anyone,
Tmac grabbed this point guard and then released him the very next day.
Star
Stephen Curry- Curry managed to stay
healthy and play in all 82 games, averaging 20.8 ppg and 9.1 apg. Steph didn’t
start during the Pout, but then quickly got back into the lineup. Although he
has been the face of the Heat for five years, Curry will be turning up in a
Bulls jersey in the fall.
Surprise
P.J.
Tucker- Left for dead by the Los Angeles Lakers, Tucker signed a 2-year,
minimum deal with the Heat and turned in a surprisingly solid campaign in South
Beach. Though his stats don’t jump out at you, he managed to raise his shooting
percentage from 29% to 50%, averaging 2.8 points in 15 mpg. Tucker has
expressed interest in returning to the Heat and may see an expanded role in the
fall.
Goat
Tmac- Any surprise here? The league let out a collective sigh of relief when
this guy left. Now let’s see what Proid can do!
Draft Report Card
Julius Randle- Great pick-up by the Heat at number 8. Although the team has a
log-jam at the PF position, Randle was just too good to pass on. Randle is a
strong player that knows how to get to the glass. A big man that already possesses
an NBA-ready skill set, the only thing stopping Randle is finding space to play
on this PF-crowded roster.
Looking to the Future
The Heat already look completely different since Proid took over, a matter of
weeks all that was needed to blow-up this squad. He already has a nice core,
but the center position needs some work. Amir Johnson is the likely guy to go
with the drafting of Randle. Perhaps the best move would be trading him for a
starting center. The bench is also a major work in progress. If Paul Pierce
skips town, there is very little to speak of on the bench if one of the
starters goes down, minus Amir Johnson.
Upcoming Free Agents
Paul Pierce- This is a pretty big deal for the Heat. Pierce is the perfect
back-up but has indicated that he is looking to play elsewhere. We do know the
forward is one of Proid’s favorite players, so expect a GM point dump to keep
him in town.
P.J. Tucker- Tucker is restricted and it would be a wise idea for the Heat to
retain him. He could be looking at big minutes off the bench.
Jannero
Pargo- Another Proid favorite. Expect him to be around in the fall.
Jermaine O’Neal- Although aging, he
could help with the center issues the team has. That said, it is unclear if he
wants to stick around or not.
Francisco Garcia- A sharpshooter that makes value of his minimum contract. He
wants to stay in South Beach and is better than most options Proid has for his
bench.