Miami Heat
Pat Riley is and always will be — for as long as he remains a front office executive — a star chaser.
Riles and the Heat have long had their eyes set on Jimmy Butler and this sunny summer, they finally got their man.
Thanks to buyer’s remorse decisions made in the summer of 2017, Riley had to pay a price to obtain Butler via a sign-and-trade that sent Josh Richardson to Philly and Hassan Whiteside to Portland. Richardson was a prime two-way player really coming into his own. Whiteside had his successes but was also known to be a headcase.
Jimmy (Not James) Butler arrives in South Beach having left Philly on much better terms than he did in Minnesota and Chicago, where he absolutely did not go silent into the night. Despite saying that he would never wear a Heat jersey back in 2013 (the Vice jerseys weren’t around back then!), Butler should be an unequivocally great fit in Miami. Butler is Heat Culture. He plays with grit and relentless determination, especially in the fourth quarter. Butler’s best attribute is his crunch-time scoring dynamo alter ego, Jimmy Buckets.
Butler has always preferred to be The Man and the Heat have needed a star who can provide scoring in the clutch.
The Heat defense is going to be stout and swarm you from every direction. Miami finished 6th in defensive rating last year and now adds in Butler’s four All-NBA Defensive teams resume to the mix. We don’t know how often we’ll get to see it, but there might not be a tougher 5-man defensive lineup than Justise Winslow, Derrick Jones Jr., Jimmy Butler, James Johnson and Bam Adebayo.
Point Winslow was an unexpected surprise and success last year. Erik Spoelstra’s bold-not-afraid-to-try-anything coaching outlook translates onto the court.
Bruisin’ Bam Adebayo led the Heat in Win Shares last year while playing just 23 minutes a game. Bam Bam should see the court more this season with Hasaan Whiteside 3,259 miles away in Portland.
We have never taken up residence on Waiters Island, however, we have visited a few times, and we always enjoy our stay. That one game-winning 3 over Klay and pose against the Warriors back in January of 2017 was a really great time.
Goran Dragic is still here, but we wonder for how long. We thought he was a Mav there for a second which made total sense. The Dragon has lost a step but was an All-Star just two years ago.
From the moment we saw it, we knew that Tyler Herro’s draft night suit belonged in Miami. Herro looked the part in Summer League and has a great opportunity to contribute as a rookie on a contender.
League Pass Notes
Derrick “Airplane Mode” Jones Jr. — noted power dunker.
A Heat front court lineup that we enjoy if only for the contrast in looks: Kelly Olynyk at the 5 and James Johnson at the 4. (Bloodsport apparently showed up to training camp so out of shape that he was asked to leave.)
The Vice jerseys and court are irrevocably our favorite.
We will never ever get tired of hearing: “Twooooo minutes! DOS!!”
The Final Question / The Final Take
Can Spo find and unlock El Heat: Lineup de el Diablo?
Knowing that Riles still has stars in his eyes, Chris Paul should be in South Beach by Christmas.
Dancing in the club to OVER 42.5 wins.