NBA general managers are fans of Miami Heat’s offseason moves and Erik Spoelstra
Executives around the NBA approve of the Miami Heat’s offseason transformation.
The results of this year’s NBA preseason survey of general managers were released Tuesday, with more than three quarters of them voting the Kyle Lowry addition as the most impactful transaction of the offseason.
The Lowry move received 77 percent of the vote as the one player acquisition who will make the biggest impact, and the Los Angeles Lakers’ trade for Russell Westbrook finished second with 17 percent of the vote.
The Heat was also voted as the team that made the best moves this offseason (47 percent of vote).
Along with acquiring Lowry through a sign-and-trade with the Toronto Raptors, the Heat also added veteran forwards P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris in free agency.
Signing Tucker away from the Milwaukee Bucks was among the moves that received votes for the most surprising of the offseason.
Although general managers seem to believe in the new-look Heat, Miami did not finish in the top five for the team that will be most improved this season. That list is made up of the Chicago Bulls (27 percent), Golden State Warriors (13 percent), Los Angeles Lakers (13 percent), Charlotte Hornets (10 percent), New Orleans Pelicans (7 percent) and Toronto Raptors (7 percent), with the Heat among the teams that received votes in this category.
The general managers responded to 48 different questions about the best teams, players, coaches and offseason moves. General managers were not permitted to vote for their own team or personnel, with percentages based on the pool of respondents to the question rather than all 30 general managers.
Along with recognition for the Heat’s work this offseason, the survey of general managers predicted the Heat to finish third in the Eastern Conference behind the No. 1 Brooklyn Nets and No. 2 Bucks. The Nets received 83 percent of the first-place vote and the Bucks received the other 17 percent of the first-place vote, while the Heat accounted for 7 percent of the second-place vote and 50 percent of the third-place vote.
Brooklyn is also the favorite to win the NBA championship, according to general managers. The Nets finished with 72 percent of the vote, the Lakers came in second with 17 percent, and the Heat did not receive a vote in this category.
On top of all that, the Heat received at least one vote from an opposing general manager in 15 different categories. Here’s a rundown ..
▪ Heat wing Jimmy Butler was among those who received votes for the best defensive player in the NBA. Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (47 percent) was the winner in this category.
▪ Butler finished tied with Los Angeles’ Kawhi Leonard for the third-most votes (10 percent) for the best perimeter defender in the league. Only Milwaukee’s Jrue Holiday (50 percent) and Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons (17 percent) finished ahead.
▪ Heat center Bam Adebayo and Butler received votes for the most versatile defender in the NBA, but did not finish in the top five. Antetokounmpo also was the winner in this category with 40 percent of the vote.
▪ The Heat finished with the fourth-most votes (7 percent) for the best defensive team in the NBA behind the Bucks (40 percent), Utah Jazz (33 percent) and Lakers (10 percent).
▪ For the second consecutive season, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was voted the best head coach in the NBA (55 percent). Spoelstra also tied for second for the head coach who is the best manager/motivator of people with 10 percent of the vote behind Phoenix’s Monty Williams (50 percent), and third for the head coach who makes the best in-game adjustments with 10 percent of the vote behind Los Angeles’ Tyronn Lue (37 percent) and Indiana’s Rick Carlisle (27 percent).
In addition, Spoelstra received the fifth-most votes for the head coach who runs the best offense and the head coach who runs the best defensive schemes.
▪ Heat veteran forward Udonis Haslem tied with Utah’s Mike Conley and New Orleans’ Garrett Temple for the fourth-most votes (7 percent) for the active player who will make the best head coach someday. Phoenix’s Chris Paul (34 percent), Los Angeles’ Rajon Rondo (14 percent) and Indiana’s T.J. McConnell (10 percent) finished ahead of Haslem, who has made it clear he has no interest in coaching down the road.
▪ The Heat was among the teams that received votes for the team with the best home-court advantage. The Jazz was the winner in this category with 47 percent of the vote.
▪ Heat forward Duncan Robinson was among those who received votes for the best pure shooter. Golden State’s Stephen Curry was the overwhelming winner in this category with 90 percent of the vote.
▪ Robinson finished with the second-most votes (20 percent) for the player who’s best at moving without the ball behind only Curry (50 percent).
▪ Butler was among those who received votes for the player who’s the best leader. Paul finished first with 43 percent of the vote.
▪ No Heat players received votes for being the best at their respective positions. That includes Lowry not getting a vote for the best point guard in the NBA and Adebayo not getting a vote for the best center in the NBA.
