NBA: Bibby will not make a difference for the Heat

Mike Bibby’s integration to the Miami Heat team in substitution of Carlos Arroyo adds a deluxe point guard to this South Florida NBA basketball franchise. Bibby has playoffs experience and was a key component of the talented Sacramento Kings team from the last decade. He played for the Kings from 2001 until 2008. He was later traded to the Atlanta Hawks, team that also participated on several playoffs series while Bibby was a member of the organization.

Mike Bibby is considered by many as the piece that was necessary to make the Heat a contender team for the NBA championship. However, and despite the motivations that moved Pat Riley (Heat President) and his group to release Carlos Arroyo and bring Bibby, the Miami Heat was already seen by some as a team with real possibilities to represent the Eastern Conference on the 2011 NBA Finals. This brings me to the question that basketball fans have been asking since the official announcement that publicized the hiring of the veteran point guard from New Jersey: Will Mike Bibby make a difference for the Miami Heat? Right now, I doubt it.

Miami’s problems and inability to beat the best teams in the league did not have to do with the quality of its point guard. Both Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers did a good job on a team that does not need an explosive point guard, but just a man who can control the tempo of the game and feed the many offensive options that include two of the best basketball players of this era. Most offensive flaws that characterize this season’s edition of the Miami Heat are related to their poor use of the point guard position. Many of those fans who have been following their 2010-2011 performance know that talented players like Arroyo and Chalmers were constantly limited to being mere “decorations” that just observed how Lebron or Dwayne improvise half-court offensive schemes on the court.

The faith of the Heat will not change if their coach does not start to value more the key point guard position. Both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are two of the best offensive and all-around players in the league. However, arming the game is not their strength. Franchises with superstars always need a person capable of controlling the production of points for teams in which more than one player claims the “right” as the first “offensive voice.”

Miami can hire the best point guard in the world, but its performance will not change if Coach Erik Spoelstra continues to rely most of the time on his two superstars as the persons responsible for arming the half court offensive scheme. If this “guerilla basketball” mentality does not change, we should not be surprised if Miami is out of the playoffs right after the second round of these series. Mike Bibby will make a positive difference on the team only if Spoelstra, James and Wade give him the opportunity to do his job as the “director” of a “great orchestra.” Point guards are key pieces that can make the difference between having a contender TEAM as opposed to just a group of “superstars.”

As for Carlos Arroyo, we wish him the best. He has worked hard and deserves to stay in the NBA. If no team hires him before the end of this season, there is always the possibility of returning to Europe or playing on the exciting Puerto Rican National Basketball League (BSN). A great summer is ahead of him and his island’s national team needs Carlos for the difficult, but not impossible task of qualifying to the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. He might not get a NBA championship ring this year, but a FIBA-Americas medal around his neck is still a likely and honorable scenario.

(Read my mid-season analysis of the Miami Heat team: http://deportes-puertorico.blogspot.com/2011/01/nba-miami-still-lacks-chemistry-needed.html.)

NBA: Miami still lacks the chemistry needed to win a championship

As the NBA enters into its mid part of the season, basketball fans and analysts have their eyes on the team that represents South Beach, the Miami Heat. A 2010 summer media spectacle introduced audiences all over the world to the new and improved edition of the Miami Heat. On a summer that was dominated by public rumors regarding Lebron James’ free agency and his possible destinations, the President of the Miami Heat organization, Pat Riley, seemed to have won the battle on one of the most competitive free agents markets in the history of the NBA. Miami’s captain Dwayne Wade was joined by the mega star from Ohio, Lebron James, and the talented power forward, Chris Bosh.
The word “championship” started to be heard in South Beach after the big announcement made on a glamorous ceremony held at the American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL during a warm Friday night on July 9, 2010. After signing these three former Team USA members, Riley completed the remaining pieces of the team by bringing back other players who were active for the organization during the 2009-2010 season. Guards Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo were joined by the veteran power forward, Udonis Haslem. To that impressive roster, other known names in the league such as Mike Miller, Juwan Howard, Eddie House, Zydrunas Illgauskas, and other were added to Pat Riley’s South Beach championship project. Eric Spoelstra was named head coach of the team for third consecutive season.
After 41 games played by the most commented team of the current NBA season, for basketball fans, the question remains the same: Does the Miami Heat have the tools and necessary chemistry to defeat the powerful teams from the East, beat the Lakers, and become the 2011 NBA champions? The short and premature answer is “no.” Despite a wonderful month of December (2010) and significant victories against the competitive Utah Jazz, as well as the reigning national champions, the L.A. Lakers, Miami still presents a weak offensive scheme that relies too much on explosiveness and speed. Lebron James and Dwayne Wade are probably the most difficult guard/forward duo to defend in the NBA. Their athletic ability is unique among basketball players. A system mostly based on a fast-break offensive system led by these two gifted athletes represents a big headache for any rival coach. On the defensive side, James is doing an extraordinary job as well.
These pieces have contributed to make the Miami Heat one of the top teams on the Eastern Conference and the league. A record of 30-11 is always an honorable mid season distribution of victories and defeats. Without a doubt, Eric Spoelstra’s team will make it to the playoffs without too much difficulties. However, we need to keep in mind that “guerilla” basketball does not win championships in this current era of globalized basketball. While offensive schemes based on speed and explosiveness help to win games, they do not conquer championships in a league that is still trying to successfully overcome the individually-oriented Michael Jordan era and enter into a more organized collective system of game distribution.
The recent championships won by the L.A. Lakers (2009 and 2010) and the Boston Celtics (2008) show the importance of producing offensive based on knowing how to play the game without the ball in hand. As gifted and impressive as they are on the court, both Lebron James and Dwayne Wade still lack the ability to create plays and contribute with an offensive based on an organized half-court scheme where they are not always in charge of leading, holding the ball, and having the license to decide most of the time. The establishment of such an offensive scheme becomes more difficult when your team is led by two superstars who have always been the first shooting options on their teams. The impressive numbers shown by James and Wade for both the "points per game" and "assists per game" departments should not be underestimated. However, those statistics should also be understood in the context of players who are part of a “get the rebound and decide” offensive reward system.
Eric Spoelstra has failed with the way the point-guard position has been managed on the offensive side of the court. The Heat needs a point guard who can create plays on the half-court game scheme and feed the offensive machinery of the “all-star” trio composed by James, Wade and Bosh. Giving the ball more time to the point guard can stabilize the disorganized offensive scheme often presented by the Miami team. The Heat does not need a star point guard with explosive offensive, but a smart player who can organize their weak half-court system. Carlos Arroyo can certainly be that person, but so far, he has not received the opportunity to play as the leader that is expected to arm and organize the important and indispensable half-court offensive game. Part of the success accomplished by many teams (e.g. Lakers, Celtics, Magic, and others) has been based on the importance given to the point-guard position by their respective coaches. The Lakers present a case where their star Kobe Bryant has license to arm offensive only during clutch and key moments of the games. For the remaining part of the game, Phil Jackson (Lakers’ head coach) demands that responsibility from those players who share the point-guard position in the team.
All being said, we cannot question the Heat’s quality to potentially win the Eastern Conference and dispute the national title. The talent is there and the desire to win a championship is latent among the players and fans. Significant adjustments to their offensive scheme need to be done before becoming challengers with real possibilities to beat the powerful Celtics and improved Magic in the Eastern Conference. As the “All-Star Weekend” approaches, the Lakers are back on track and seem to be the “team to beat” once again. Significant mid-season trades are expected and interesting playoffs series should bring a combination of excitement and surprises to the remaining part of the 2010-2011 NBA season.

(The photo is from Associated Press - AP)