A few thoughts as the playoffs approach by Thomas Johnson

Originally published with Playerspress Sportscaster Network: http://playerpress.com/articles/a-few-heat-thoughts-as-the-playoffs-approach



With the playoffs rapidly approaching, and the focus now squarely on whether the Heat will grab the fifth or sixth seed, it seems like a good a time to reflect on the season thus far and look forward to the climax of the basketball season.

As anyone who follows the game will tell you, pretty much every team in the East would rather play Atlanta than Orlando. Of course the only way Miami (41-37) will be playing the Hawks is if they finish fifth, ahead of Philadelphia (40-37), the team that the Heat shares an almost identical record with to this point.

At the moment, all signs point to the race for fifth place coming down to the final game of the season. Miami will face Detroit at home while Philadelphia has to travel to Cleveland. While at first glance it may seem that Miami has a great scheduling advantage here, keep in mind that there is still a chance that Philadelphia will be facing a Cavs team whose fate has already been sealed and in which case will likely be resting their starters, while Miami could be facing a Detroit team still battling to avoid finishing eighth.

Considering that Cleveland (63-15) has a four game lead in the East, their only remaining concern is in regards to securing home court throughout the playoffs by finishing with a better record than the Lakers (62-16). So from a Miami perspective, besides hoping that the Heat more or less win-out, you should also keep an eye on the Cavs and Lakers remaining games, and hope that the two teams remain in a battle for the best record all the way till the last game of the season, making the Cavs-Sixers contest a significant game for both teams. Should that fail to happen, there’s always the chance that Dwyane Wade will give his buddy Lebron a phone call and ask for a favor:

“Come on man. We were in China together for six weeks. China!”
“I’ll put you in a T-mobile commercial. Charles? Charles who? Come on Bron I need this!”
“Just go out there, score 50, grab the scoring title *cough* and a win *cough*, and you can have yourself the perfect ending to the regular season.”

In order for the Heat to finish strong, they will have to play the guys that give them the best to chance of winning. It’s a simple enough concept. Probably not even worth mentioning, right? Well it is when the coach has kept the second best player on the team on the bench for the grand majority of the season in favor of Udonis Haslem and now Yakhouba Diawara (Who? Exactly.)

Now if you look back at some of my older articles, it’s pretty clear that I’ve been saying all along that Michael Beasley should be the team’s starting power forward. There are various arguments echoed by everyone from Pat Riley to Erik Spoelstra as well as some beat writers that defend his role as sixth man. The main reason given to justify him coming off the bench usually centers on the belief that Beasley is a defensive liability and cannot defend the opposing teams’ best power forward without getting into early foul trouble. I have also heard the justification that the team needs Beasley as a spark off the bench, and that he does not grab enough rebounds.

While I still maintain my belief that Miami would be in a better position record wise had they stayed with Beasley as a starter for the majority of the season, or simply played him at least 30 minutes off the bench, I am aware that his defensive lapses have been an issue. However, it is also clear to any objective fan that he has improved in leaps and bounds in this area of his game, and if he is ever going to be more than a career sixth man, he is going to have to learn how to avoid foul trouble while defending quality players. The main way this is accomplished is by gaining experience through playing time as practice can only simulate so much. Besides, what forward on the Heat is he really going to have trouble defending in practice?

Sure he is going to get scored on and give up some big nights offensively to whoever he is defending, but guess what, so does everyone else on this team at some point. Wade, our best defender, has been torched by the likes of Jamal Crawford and even rookie
O.J. Mayo. Mario Chalmers, the rookie leader in steals, has been burnt numerous times by various speedy point guards. Even Sebastian Telfair scored a career-high 30 points against Mario.

(On a side note: When you’re defending a player that’s been in the league for a few years and he happens to set a new career high against you, that’s one thing. But when said career high is a whopping 30 points, well that tells you a little something about the caliber of the player who just owned you. From a personal standpoint, I’d rather give up 50 points to Kobe as that’s something that is almost expected, rather than be the one guy who’s going to play the role of supporting actor for at least half of Telfair’s season highlight tape. That’s like being the one guy Paris Hilton says “No” to.)

I mention all this not to chastise Wade and Chalmers for getting lit up occasionally (well maybe Chalmers just a little. We are talking about Telfair.), but to make the broader point that getting scored on in this league does happen, and it seems inconsistent for a coach to come down so much harder on one player while being far more lenient with others. That aside, I believe that the Heat’s offense needs just as much improvement as Beasley’s defense. On too many occasions this season, it has been Wade or bust. When he is playing at a ridiculously high level that can sometimes work. But when he isn’t, well let’s just say that the results have been far from pretty.

Too often at the end of games, while Beasley is reclining on the bench, the opposing team sends Udonis Haslem’s defender to double team Wade, and the Heat’s offense sputters and stalls out. The best example of this was the Heat-Cavs game a little while back when Mike Brown executed this perfectly by sending Varejo at Wade, basically daring anyone else on the team to shoot, and ended up winning a game that Miami had a significant late lead in. As a fan it’s infuriating.

This same anemic offense is the reason the Heat still tends to find itself facing significant first quarter deposits, and in need of Beasley’s “spark” off the bench in the first place. Crazy concept, but there would be less of a need for said “spark,” if the first unit had enough offensive firepower to get off to better starts. Hmm, I wonder how that could be accomplished.

That considered, it’s shocking how long it has taken Spoelstra to work on developing chemistry between Beasley and Wade. It’s only recently that we’re starting to see a somewhat consistent dose of pick and rolls between the two. And this is with four games left in the season. Instead, for the majority of the season that has been a play centered on Haslem and Wade.

Of course Haslem is the better screener and has six seasons of chemistry with Wade, but that is exactly why it should be Beasley involved in that play as he needs to get used to playing off of Wade. We already know what Haslem is as a player: a solid leader and supporting player, but at best a 12-point and 10-rebound type of player. Instead Beasley, the player with the much higher ceiling, is only recently showing what he’s truly capable of because he has the chance to now play significant minutes with Haslem injured.

The fundamental problem comes down to perception. The way Spoelstra has managed Beasley would make more sense if Miami were legitimate championship contenders, but considering that this is at best a couple-rounds-and-done team, this season should be used as a building block for next year. That’s not to say that wins and losses go out the window, but as long as the Heat still made the playoffs I think it would have made sense to focus on developing chemistry even at the expense of a win or two.

You can only imagine how much more dangerous this team would be right now with an offense built around a cohesive Beasley-Wade pick and roll that would have had a whole season to work out any kinks. Then imagine how much better they would be in a year’s time with another season of playing together on an every game basis. That chemistry can be the difference between going deep into the playoffs next season and going home early.

The thing that I cannot get my head around is how even with Haslem out and on the heels of Beasley’s 25-point, 9-rebound performance against the Hornets, Spoelstra still hasn’t committed to giving Beasley the starting nod for the Heat’s next game against the Celtics. Instead Coach Spoelstra is sticking to his mantra that Beasley must improve his defense, even though it was Diawara who picked up two early fouls last game. I’m not buying it. At this stage in the season, I think the decision to keep Beasley on the bench comes down to the fact that it makes life easier for Spoelstra personnel-wise.

Hypothetically, if Beasley were to finish out the rest of the regular season as a starter while putting up numbers on par with what he did against the Hornets, then Spoelstra would have a tough (at least in his eyes) decision to make. He would have to decide between starting a hot Beasley or a rusty Haslem in the first round series; a move that would no doubt be highly scrutinized by many (besides just me), assuming the likely scenario that he would stick with Haslem regardless.

Beasley’s success as a starter would also only intensify the second-guessing by the media and fans as to whether the move should have been made far earlier in the season. By playing it safe and staying with the same rotation, Spoelstra avoids the same level of questioning and scrutiny, so on an personal level it makes a lot of sense for him. Does it make basketball sense? I didn’t think so before, and I still don’t now.






One final note: Check back here soon after the playoff seeding has been determined as I will be breaking down each series and picking the winners.

Dwyane Wade: A Case Study on the Effects of Superstardom by Thomas Johnson

Originally published with Playerspress Sportscaster Network: http://playerpress.com/articles/dwyane-wade-and-the-high-price-of-superstardom



They say that power corrupts and that absolute power corrupts absolutely, but can the same be said about fame and success?

Considering the fact that Dwyane Wade seems to be continually out doing himself recently, you’re probably expecting this to be an article advocating his MVP candidacy.

To the surprise of most, I’ll have to leave that piece for another writer. I’m not going to mention his stat-stuffing performances that include a 50-point game against Orlando, 31-point, 16-assist game against Detroit, followed by his 46- point domination of New York (including a fourth quarter in which he outscored the entire Knicks team), or the 41 he just dropped against the Cavs’ top-three defense. No, no. I’m not going to mention any of that. (I couldn’t resist.)

For as amazing as his performances have been this year, one subplot that has really stood out to me is just how much his personality has evolved over time; from a shy Marquette rookie to the international superstar we see today. You see, living in Miami, I watched Wade closely from day one. Like many, I saw the potential for something special early on.

In that first year, there was no Shaq-given nickname, no huge endorsements and ad campaigns, and unfortunately no jump shot either. At that point, Wade’s marketability was yet to be realized.

Dwyane Wade was simply a shy kid from the Chi, trying to fit in on a veteran team. Looking back at that 2003 draft night, Wade’s personality and life experiences were so vastly different to Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony, two players selected ahead of him.

Wade, a few years older than both, was already a married father, while the other two were more or less fresh out of high school. As crazy as it sounds now, Wade received next to no hype. There’s an interview he did with Slam magazine when he was still at Marquette, in which the interviewer notes how shy and out of his element Wade appeared to be when he was recognized by other students on campus.

In comparison, Lebron was already a pretty big blip on the basketball radar by the time he was 16, and two years later signed a huge contract with Nike before he had even played his first NBA minute. Carmelo also received a large amount of national attention after leading Syracuse to a national championship during his one year in college. Even Darko had the intrigue of being a completely unknown variable, combined with the potential bust-factor.

The fact that Wade was in the shadow of two of his fellow rookies suited him (and Miami fans) well. He often mentioned how he was free to operate without the same national media scrutiny that Lebron and Carmelo were constantly under.

As strange as it seems today considering his widespread popularity, that year I went to a mall and walked into literally every sports store looking for a Wade replica jersey to nearly no avail. I finally found one at a specialty store after shifting through countless Eddie Jones and Brian Grant castoffs. It took me so long to find one, not because they were sold out, but because none of these chain stores carried his number ‘3’ jersey yet.

In that first year he was our guy; a player that was loved in Miami, but hardly known nationally. His exciting style of play and humble demeanor made it impossible not to like the guy.
His demeanor and personality are worth mentioning because basketball is one of those sports where fans tend to feel more directly connected to players. Whereas in football, a league where teams have always been marketed over players, and the helmets and pads create a buffer; in basketball any emotion is instantly noticeable to the fans.
It’s a sport where fans tend to study players’ body language just as they would examine a box score. (Just look at how many NBA analysts where down on Beasley because of his pre-draft workout body language.)

That digression aside, I remember speaking to friends at the time about how atypical a player Wade was. In this Cribs-era of sports, where posses and groupies are the norm, Dwyane seemed to be cut from a different cloth. As corny as it may sound, I remember watching interviews and thinking that he seemed like a genuine guy, the type of guy you’d let your sister date.

In games, he had that killer instinct, but it was offset with a humble undertone, which meant he rarely ever displayed outward emotion that could be seen as showing an opponent up. In a sense he was more Tim Duncan than Kobe Bryant.

I mention all of this to make one thing clear; as far as judging personal characteristics, Wade seemed to have as strong a foundation as anyone I have seen. While it’s hard to make these assertions from afar, from all accounts he appeared to be a good-natured, down to earth, human being.

Fast-forward six years to present day. With Shaq having come and gone, and this now truly being Wade’s team, it’s amazing how times have changed.

I remember joking around with a couple friends how after signing a deal to model with Sean John, Diddy probably tried talking Wade into upgrading from his high school sweetheart and start dating actresses now that he was ‘big time.’ The fact that at the time he appeared to be a happily married man that had just built his mom a church, only made the premise more unlikely and funnier. Now that he is divorced and allegedly dating Gabrielle Union, the same joke seems somewhat prophetic.

The man went from someone who was uncomfortable in the off-court spotlight at Marquette, to the guy we see on countless commercials, mingling with A-listers, and wearing a band-aid bearing his own name. To put it mildly, Wade is not exactly camera shy anymore.

Some would say that it’s just a case of his personality developing over time and having the confidence to be himself.

While I can see this to an extent, I highly doubt that Wade would have developed in such a way, had he never been in the spotlight, surrounded by people acquiescing his ego. Based on what I observed when he first entered the league, had he never made the NBA and instead lived the life of an average person, it’s easy to imagine him going through life as an everyday, softly spoken, family man. Of course it’s anyone’s guess.

You have to understand, the point of all this is not to cast judgment and imply that Wade has changed for the worse, but rather to ask the question of whether it is even possible for anyone to stay grounded when fans and media alike, as well as the core group of people around you (many of whom tend to have a vested interest in your success) are constantly telling you how wonderful you are.

We see it all the time in Hollywood and the music industry. Kanye West is a prime example. A large part of his initial popularity was due to his average Joe perspective in his first album that made him easier to relate to than a gangster rapper. However, over time his ego grew and image evolved to the point that while he is still putting out quality music, his entourage now resembles Prince’s Revolution and he is debating changing his name to something more Louis Vuitton-related. Now is this a bad thing? It depends on how attached you are to first impressions. Kanye’s ever-changing persona is generally entertaining to the public, just as Wade wearing boxing gloves and a robe to address the media is.

As an entertainer, Wade has developed as much as he has in basketball. And in a way this is a good thing. From a marketing standpoint, the more outgoing you are, the better. There’s a reason that Kevin Garnet has more commercials out there than Tim Duncan. Quiet doesn’t sell.

On the flip side, neither does arrogance (for the most part). The smart athletes and public figures are able to control their perception by saying the right things so that people simply see them as confident, yet still modest. To put it cynically, almost every athlete is arrogant, the popular ones are just better at hiding it. Wade has this skill. In interviews he’ll never say where he thinks he ranks in terms of the best players in the league, even though I’m sure that on the inside he’s not putting anyone ahead of himself. On the other hand, going back to Kanye, he seems to almost take pride in arrogance and outlandish statements; something that does not sit well with the majority of people.

Now I know this article might lead you to believe that I feel a bit negative towards this ‘changed’ Wade, but overall I don’t. Granted, when he first joined the Heat, the humble attitude was a refreshing change, but at the same time, for Wade to be the phenomenal player he is now, supreme confidence is a necessity. If the same confidence that enables him to score 24 points in a fourth quarter also means that his ego sometimes shows up in other situations, then so be it.

Would the younger, quieter Wade scream out “THIS IS MY HOUSE!” to the crowd during that same 24-point fourth quarter? Definitely not. And you know what, that was probably my favorite moment of the season thus far.

I think everyone privately thinks that they are different and that their personality would be immune to money, fame, and praise. I see it the other way. If I were in the same position I don’t doubt for a second that all of it would go to my head. (‘Johnson’ Band-Aids here I come!) I’m sure I’m nowhere near as humble now as Wade was when he was in college, so if this guy ever makes it big, look out.

The bottom line is that as long as the effect of stardom and everything that comes with it is limited to simply inflating an athlete’s ego, but not to the point of creating an alienating arrogance, then all things considered, there are far worse things that can happen to a player. Like getting drafted by the Clippers.