Author: John Paulsen (Page 904 of 937)

After ESPN analyst Mark Stein wrote an article blasting the Miami Heat for their offseason trades, and questioning the team’s passion and chemistry so far this season, the Heat promptly defeated the Pistons, 100-98, behind some phenomenal play by Dwayne Wade.

(from the Sun-Sentinel article):

Wade scored all 17 points in the final 4:27. This wasn’t about the Heat proving it is better equipped to beat Detroit in the playoffs than it was last May. This was about the Heat stealing a game because its two stars were healthy, properly utilized and at their signature best: Shaquille O’Neal scoring 21 in the first half and Wade scoring 29 in the second. The guard’s final 17 came on two layups, one short jumper, three free throws and four long jumpers, including the winner from 18 feet with 2.3 seconds left.

He did not miss a shot in that stretch. He was unguardable. Supernatural.

According to the article, Pat Riley alleviated the tension before the game by dancing for ten minutes in Miami’s locker room.

If indeed that’s what Pat Riley was doing for a tension-relieving 10 minutes, after cranking up the Doobie Brothers’ “Listen to the Music” before Sunday’s 100-98 victory against the Pistons.

“I don’t know what it was,” Dwyane Wade said of the hapless hoofing and accompanying soundtrack.

“Not even Zo knew what it was,” Udonis Haslem said.

It was Riley’s way of saying “sometimes you have to listen to your own music.”

Sometimes you need to go back to dancing simply, and with the guy who brings you the most hope.

I’d love to have tape of that.

But back to the Heat, who did make a statement Sunday. I still don’t like the offseason trade that (basically) brought Antoine Walker, Jason Williams and James Posey to the team in exchange for Eddie Jones, Rasual Butler and Qyntel Woods. The Heat took the Pistons to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals and, in my estimation, only needed to be tweaked. Bringing in Walker, Williams and Gary Payton (via free agency) constitutes more than a tweak. This team is about Wade and O’Neal and there isn’t any room for any more players that think they’re stars.

The main concern going in was Williams’ and Walker’s ability to adjust their games to incorporate a more conservative shot selection. Williams seems to be doing a better job than Walker in that respect. The guard is shooting at a .449 clip, which is a career best and well ahead of his career shooting percentage of .394. Walker, meanwhile, is shooting .423, which is way too low for a player of his size and effectiveness inside.

I still say that giving up Eddie Jones was too steep a price for these two players. He is a good shooter and a tough defender, and I can’t help but think that the Heat would be much better off if he were still on the roster. They still could have signed Payton to move Wade to off guard, which was the main reason for the trade for Williams. Of course, had Riley taken Jameer Nelson, Delonte West or Chris Duhon (instead of high school shooting guard Dorell Wright) in the 2004 draft, they might already have a point guard to run the show. Why Riley would draft a high school project who plays the same position as his franchise player is beyond me. Throw in the fact that O’Neal isn’t exactly in his prime and one would think that Riley would draft some more immediate help.

Only time will tell if Miami is better off with the current roster. Either way, the answer will be clear. Miami simply has to make it to the Finals to justify the trade.

The All-Star rosters are complete and there are a few notable snubs:

East
Starters: Allen Iverson, Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Jermaine O’Neal, Shaquille O’Neal
Bench: Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Chris Bosh, Vince Carter, Paul Pierce, Rasheed Wallace, Ben Wallace

West
Starters: Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Tracy McGrady, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming
Bench: Ray Allen, Tony Parker, Elton Brand, Kevin Garnett, Pau Gasol, Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki

The fans vote the starters into the game and the coaches around the league decide on the reserves. According to Tim Legler, the biggest snubs are Gilbert Arenas and Michael Redd in the East and Marcus Camby, Carmelo Anthony and Chris Paul in the West.

In the East, four Pistons were voted on by the coaches, with Billups, both Wallaces and Richard Hamilton all making the reserve list. It’s hard to argue with those four selections, though I’ve never been a big fan of Rasheed’s game. If I had my way, I’d replace Rasheed and Pierce with Arenas and Redd. Gilbert Arenas is having a monster year, averaging over 28 points per game. Everyone wants to say that the Wizards suck, but the team is one game over .500. (Boston is 18-31 at press time.) Michael Redd is also having a great year, leading the Bucks to a 25-23 record while averaging over 25 points per game. I don’t see how you can put all those Pistons on the roster (saying that winning is the most important thing) and then leave Arenas or Redd off in favor of Paul Pierce.

In the West, it would make more sense if Anthony had made it over Allen. They have put up similar numbers, yet the Sonics are trailing the Nuggets by six games in the Northwest Division. Camby has missed a lot of time due to injury, so I think Pau Gasol is a good choice – his steady play is one of the biggest reasons the Grizzlies are having such a surprising season.

That leaves Chris Paul. Should he make the roster over Tony Parker? San Antonio is 13 games ahead of New Orleans/Oklahoma City, but who expected the Hornets to be above .500 at this point in the season? Paul is the driving force behind their solid play, and doesn’t have Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili to play with. Still, in close calls like this, it’s understandable that the coaches will go with a vet over a rookie, no matter how good the rookie is. Barring something outrageous, Paul will win ROY honors, and I guess the coaches feel that it is enough.

Commissioner David Stern can right one of these wrongs. He gets to pick a player to replace the injured Jermaine O’Neal on the East squad. I hope he picks either Arenas or Redd instead of shoehorning another power forward in there.

**Friday afternoon update: Stern picked Arenas to replace the injured O’Neal.**