Enough already
Shandel Richardson
Sun Sentinel
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been asked this question all season. When responding, he always gives the same answer: "I think we have enough."
Spoelstra should quit thinking and just say the Heat has enough. The question has resurfaced because Miami has lost four straight games. Never mind the Heat won 21 of the previous 22. This is the Heat, where every stretch of the season is analyzed like college football by fans and media. A few midseason losses won't keep the Heat from playing in a major bowl.
So Miami has hit a few bumps recently. It happens. Just ask the Mavericks, Celtics and Lakers, yet no one seems to question if those teams need more.
The Heat have plenty. They have dealt with chemistry issues since the team was formed. Adding to the roster would only destroy the progress they already have made.
srichardson@tribune.com
Stuck with this team
K.C. Johnson
Chicago Tribune
News flash: No team is going to help the Heat. So making a trade, particularly with limited assets, will prove difficult.
Just look how much former No. 2 pick Michael Beasley fetched last summer. Granted, the Heat were in clear-the-cap mode. But the point is: When you pull off the unprecedented landing of Chris Bosh, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in one summer, that's your team for the next season.
Frankly, adding the parts Pat Riley did — Mike Miller and the re-signing of Udonis Haslem — was remarkable. Riley knew, at least for this season, he'd sink or swim with this group. It still says here he'll sink — in a thrilling playoff loss to the Celtics. Then, some more maneuvering can follow.
kcjohnson@tribune.com
Give them time
Zach McCann
Orlando Sentinel
The Heat adjoined three of the league's biggest under-30 stars, several solid role players and a couple of proven veterans this past summer — and they need MORE talent?
It's going to take time for the Heat to blossom into the powerhouse they'll become, especially given the injuries that limited LeBron James and Dwyane Wade through the first half of this season. It's not easy to win in the NBA, even with an obnoxious amount of talent, and it's harder for Miami because every team gets amped up to play them every night.
The Heat's recent struggles — they've lost their last four games — are not because a lack of talent. The Heat don't need any new players. Instead, they need their current players to build chemistry and become more acquainted.
When the Heat finally get it together, they'll be a team no one wants to play — with their current group of players.
zmccann@tribune.com
Need a 7-footer
Mark Heisler
Los Angeles Times
The Heat definitely need a 7-foot, shot-blocking center who hits the occasional shot and takes the occasional rebound, as opposed to Joel Anthony, who blocks shots but doesn't do much else, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who makes shots but doesn't do much else.
Now, if they can just find someone to donate one.
With three superstars and nine role players, the Heat have no other players anyone wants, so Pat Riley won't be able to make big moves via trades.
We already have seen how good this team can be, not because of its offensive prowess, but because it's so good in its defensive scheme.
Add one big guy and everyone really will be in trouble. Happily for the rest of the league, that might take a while.
mheisler@tribune.com