Mailbag: In the end, did the Heat simply not have enough? Also, why the blown leads?
The Miami Herald’s Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions. If you weren’t able to ask this time, send your questions for future mailbags via X (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email them to achiang@miamiherald.com.
Narayanan: Is it time to call a TKO for Joe Cronin, and he evaluated the Heat roster parts better than Pat Riley? I hope the Heat realize it is better to build the Spurs way than the Heat way, considering the current CBA restrictions. Your thoughts?
Anthony Chiang: Things change fast. Last season, we would have had a different view of the situation when Jaime Jaquez Jr. played well enough to make the NBA’s All-Rookie First Team. Just a few months ago, we might have even looked at this differently when Tyler Herro was putting up Steph Curry-like shooting numbers and on his way to his first All-Star Game appearance.
But sure, at the moment, most of the Heat’s perceived player assets don’t seem as great as they did back then. Jaquez is in the middle of a rough sophomore slump, Jovic is sidelined after breaking his shooting hand, Herro’s shooting numbers have come down and his late-game production has been shaky lately and Duncan Robinson still goes through his ups and downs. Oh, and the Heat enters Friday’s matchup against the Houston Rockets at Kaseya Center on a nine-game skid.
Let’s not act like the Trail Blazers accepted a great offer for Damian Lillard either. While the Trail Blazers did get multiple first-round picks and pick swaps, it’s not like the Trail Blazers received an All-Star player in return for Lillard.
But the rebuilding Trail Blazers enter Friday with a better record than the Heat, so there’s that. Just remember, things change fast.
@MiamiAmbassador: It seems that since the Dwyane Wade debacle after the Big 3 era, the Heat has had a hard time landing big free agents. Trading for talent has also been tough. Any reporting that suggests we’re being boycotted as a result of that?
Anthony: There’s no boycott, just not enough assets to get those types of deals done. Damian Lillard and Kevin Durant both had interest in being dealt to the Heat in recent years, but Miami didn’t have enough to trade for those players (since Bam Adebayo has been off the table). Some of this comes down to asset management.
Also, let’s not forget that the Heat did land Jimmy Butler without cap space during the 2019 offseason.
Bobby: Why does the Heat continue to blow leads?
Anthony: The Heat simply can’t score in the clutch, leading to more losses in close games than wins. The Heat has the NBA’s worst offensive rating in clutch situations (one that has a margin of five points or fewer inside the final five minutes of the fourth quarter) this season. The Heat is also shooting just 25 percent on threes in the clutch.
The bottom line: The Heat’s offense just hasn’t been good enough to hold on to leads this season, especially late in close games. The loss of Butler hasn’t helped.
