‘Embarrassing’ was word used by Heat after loss to Bulls. Where does Miami go from here?
A day after Wednesday’s 16-point home loss to the struggling Bulls, there was one word that kept coming up during interviews following Thursday’s Heat practice.
Embarrassing.
“It would be tough if I was five years removed from it to watch anyone that plays with the Miami Heat jersey to have an effort like we had last night,” said guard Dwyane Wade, who missed Wednesday’s defeat because of right knee soreness but is hopeful he’ll play in Friday’s home game against the Thunder. “Everybody in the locker room knows it’s embarrassing.”
Wayne Ellington used the word, too.
“It was embarrassing,” Ellington said. “It was embarrassing for our team and for our group because we know we’re better than that. No disrespect to the Bulls, but we’re a better team than them.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra added, “All of us are embarrassed by our performance last night in front of our home fans. There’s no excuse for it, and we’re disappointed that we didn’t play a better game and today was about owning that and working to be better.”
Now 49 games into this season, the Heat finds itself pretty much in the same spot it’s been in since the core of this roster was put together in the summer of 2016 — hovering around the .500 mark. Miami stands at seventh in the Eastern Conference with a 24-25 record.
The Heat has posted a record of 110-108 (including its one playoff appearance during this span) with this current core over this three-season stretch.
“If you like to be average, then that’s what we were last year and that’s what we’ve been for the last three years,” Heat president Pat Riley said in November. “I think this team has a chance to go above that.”
But average is what Miami continues to be for now, and its inconsistent play is a big reason why. It’s that up-and-down play that’s led the Heat to a 0-3 record against the rebuilding Hawks and a blowout loss to the Bulls at home, but wins over top teams like the Bucks, Celtics and Rockets this season.
What’s the reason for this consistent theme of inconsistency?
“I don’t know. I think the rotations are constantly changing,” Heat center Kelly Olynyk said when asked the question. “Guys are in and out of the lineup, the starters are playing and not playing. It’s tough to be consistent there. Obviously, you preach for it and hope for it and work as hard as you can to be consistent. But it’s not easy.”
With 13 rotation-worthy players on the Heat’s roster vying for minutes, it’s led to 18 different starting lineups. Also, just four five-man Heat lineups have played more than 50 minutes together this season.
One way for the Heat to alleviate these issues is to make a trade — a trade to make rotation decisions easier, a trade to acquire an All-Star it believes it can keep long term or a trade to help its salary cap situation.
With the Feb. 7 trade deadline looming, there haven’t been many rumors involving the Heat. But ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski did report Thursday afternoon the Heat was one of the teams expected to pursue disgruntled Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis shortly before Porzingis was traded to the Mavericks.
“I didn’t sense anything about that,” Spoelstra said Thursday when asked if trade rumors can affect players with the deadline approaching. “This is more about feeling an embarrassment about last night.”
An embarrassment that didn’t require film study.
“We didn’t even watch film. We didn’t need to,” Wade said. “We didn’t need to watch film. Everyone knew. This wasn’t a film day. Everyone knows when you lose by 20 to one of the worst teams in the league, no disrespect, record-wise, film ain’t going to help you. You got to look within. It’s inner.”
