A great team? The Heat mightn’t be better than the Hawks
LeBron James’ new motto: If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
And here’s the funny part: He still might not be able to beat the Orlando Magic. Or the Boston Celtics. Or, believe it or not, the Atlanta Hawks.
The Miami Heat aren’t yet a team and might never be. It’s tempting to call them a collection, but it’s more a mismatched set. There’s a power forward (Chris Bosh) who’s less power than finesse, and there are the two All-Stars whose styles most mirror each other.
Put LeBron alongside Kobe Bryant and Ray Allen or even Joe Johnson (when not in Iso mode) and you’ve got a working partnership. One drives and dishes and the other shoots and finishes. Station Lebron next to Dwyane Wade and you’ve got Miami Twice.
What does LeBron do? He dribbles and drives. Sometimes he shoots a jump shot, but shooting is the least part of his game. What does D-Wade do? He dribbles and drives and dishes. Sometimes he shoots a jump shot — he’s a better shooter than LeBron, but he’s still not Kobe.
How will this work? Will they take turns? (”This is your possession, ‘Bron; I’ll just stand over here in the corner.”) Will they go rock-paper-scissors to see who gets the ball when?
We saw it — admittedly on a different level — at Georgia Tech this past season: It’s never ideal when your two best players do the same thing. They don’t complement one another; they get in each other’s way. And for all the happy talk emanating from the purported Big Three today, wait and hear how it changes when the Heat lose three in a row.
Yeah, they got along when they were playing in the Olympics, but the NBA isn’t made up of players looking just to get the Dream Teamers’ autographs. Every player on every other NBA club now has a target, and there are a handful of teams in the NBA East capable of beating the Heat without it being an upset.
Bosh is accustomed to being the focal point on his team. LeBron and D-Wade are accustomed to being, more or less, the entire team. As much as they might insist, “I’ll do whatever it takes to win,” we cannot deny the presence of ego. It broke up the Beatles. It will get to the Heat.
Even now, Orlando is a better team: It has a center and shooters to surround him. Boston is a better team: It has a Big Three — actually a Big Four, given the ascendancy of Rajon Rondo — who have proved they can work with one another. The Hawks — yes, the Hawks — are a better team: They’re deeper and their three best players play different positions.
If LeBron thought the pressure to win in Cleveland was oppressive … well, he ain’t seen nothing yet. D-Wade has his title. If the Heat fail, it won’t be Wade who takes the hit. It will be the man who couldn’t get Cleveland past Round 2 despite the addition of Shaquille O’Neal, Antawn Jamison, Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, not to mention the re-acquisition of Zydrunas Ilgauskas.
Loading ...Had LeBron held up his end, those Cavs wouldn’t have crashed against Boston. But he didn’t, and they did. And what did owner Dan Gilbert say about his former employee’s playoff performance after the alleged King had abdicated his Ohio throne? Quoth Gilbert: “He quit.”
More from Gilbert: “He has gotten a free pass. People have covered up for him for way too long.”
Yes, this is harsh. But the reality of LeBron choosing to join Team Wade as opposed to leading a team of his own has thrown everything about James the player into question. There was a time when Michael Jordan couldn’t get past the Pistons, but he didn’t demand a trade to Detroit.
The man whom some have decided is the greatest since Jordan has just told us he can’t do it alone and no longer wanted to try. Where will he go if he can’t take a title with the Heat?
Well, there’s always the Yankees. Maybe they could use a pinch-runner.
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297 comments Add your comment
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
1:59 pm
Thanks, Scott W. Glad you got the joke (he said sarcastically).
Ted Striker
July 9th, 2010
1:59 pm
Great column! Five Stars!
1) Your technical description and dissection of the Heat was dead on. They have more weapons than they did at the end of last season however this might be a situation where the sum of the parts is less than well, the sum of the parts.
2) Great expressiveness in your column. I especially liked the line about Rock/Paper/Scissors. (Although I will tell you that those contests lead to someone challenging best 2 out of 3).
p.s. Did you ever see the Beatles perform live? (Like when you were 3 years old or something).
The Bullhorn
July 9th, 2010
2:00 pm
Stern will have to change the NBA rules to allow two balls in play with LeBron and Wade on the court at the same time.
Timmy
July 9th, 2010
2:01 pm
Uhh they would still have signed him in that scenario, Mike. They would suck for two years, pick up valuable draft picks which they could use to add young talent or trade for veteran all-stars (a la the ‘08 Celtics) and then wait for LeJoke’s return. Bad example you gave.
Anti-Homer
July 9th, 2010
2:01 pm
Can the Hawks be any more irrelevant????? Pitiful sports team with pitiful sports fans (exactly like the other piss-poor Atlanta sports teams and sports fans). Time will tell but you can kiss the championship good-bye for many years to come. Good Luck Losers
RareAir
July 9th, 2010
2:02 pm
@Vinnie I watched the game, and I still can’t believe that people are saying that he quit. This man is a pro athlete, think of what it took for him to get there. He didn’t just wake up one day with those skills, there is no way that he quit. I used to be a big Michael Jordan fan, he had some of the worse playoff shooting performances that I have ever seen. Do you think that he quit too? Did you watch Kobe in game 7? He was awful, if the team had lost, would you say that he quit? Players, even the greatest players have bad days (or even bad weeks, months or seasons…see baseball), that’s because they’re human, just like us.
@Ken Amen brother!!! I could not have said it better. Although I’m not sure Cleveland was cheap, as they’re into the luxury tax, but the fact is they couldn’t surround Lebron with the right players, kind of a similar situation with my team…the Raptors.
MCLOVIN
July 9th, 2010
2:02 pm
When the hawks sign Shaq it will be Hack-a-Hawk
Shaq can bring a title to atlanta even if he is 78 years old
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:04 pm
@Anti-homer: Hey, I really like your crisp new LeBron James Miami Heat jersey!
Trade Nate for a Bag of Balls
July 9th, 2010
2:06 pm
@rareair: You must not have seen the game. He QUIT on his team. He stopped playing defense, he walked and did not seem interested in the game. look at his body language
Timmy
July 9th, 2010
2:06 pm
Anti-Homer,
Do us all a favor: Collect daily urine samples of LeJoke and D-Wade from now until next spring. Fill up a tank with said samples. Whenever they get eliminated from the playoffs next year and the rest of us are popping bottles of Dom Perignon, jump in the tank and hold your breath. The rest will take care of itself.
Pat
July 9th, 2010
2:07 pm
:::::::::yawn:::::::::::
RareAir
July 9th, 2010
2:07 pm
I’m not sure what you folks in the ATL are smoking, but there is no way that the Hawks will beat the Heat (with the 3 amigos) in more than a single meaningless regular season game. The Hawks will not beat the Heat in a playoff series. You’re right Bosh is not a max player, but neither is Joe Johnson…he reminds me of Vinnie (Microwave) Johnson.
Timmy
July 9th, 2010
2:09 pm
RareAir, see my last post to Anti-Homer and carefully follow the instructions.
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:09 pm
@Rareair – it’s not so much that he quit, choked, stopped trying, had a bad game or whatever, it’s that by going to Miami, he’s ensured he’ll never be in that situation again (or at least for as long as he’s there), where an entire franchises hopes rest on him regardless of the supporting cast and he has to rise to the occasion.
Scott W.
July 9th, 2010
2:12 pm
Anti-Homer is probably a Laker fan from College Park.
Adam
July 9th, 2010
2:15 pm
Didn’t we learn anything from the Boston “Big 3″? Miami will probably win a few championships- Bottom Line. Miami did it right and Atlanta wasted $124M.We (ATL fans) should all probably get prepared to see Dwight Howard vs. Zaza Pachulia again next year. Brutal…
jojo sunshine
July 9th, 2010
2:15 pm
Good Luck Lebron. Now let’s focus on gettin more help for the hawks. Trade Bibby and Marvin to Memphis and get OJ Mayo. He can run the point and get Hasheem Thabeet a 7′2″ center that will take up a lot of space and block a lot of shots. Starting 5 would be Teague at point, Mayo at the 2, JJ at 3, Smith at 4 and Horford at 5. Throw Thabeet in there and take out teague and move everybody up a position and you go big. Get Shaq and let him use all the fouls every night to get back at all those hack-a-shaq teams. He could be very useful in the playoffs vs. the Magic and the Lakers. Use him for spot minutes and fouls. Go get JJ Reddick and now you have a dangerous shooter. Man I should be the GM or Owner ofthe Hawks – quick someone give me 100 million and I will buy the team and give you a championship within 3 years.
BlackMoses
July 9th, 2010
2:17 pm
Terrible article Mark. The Heat will dominate the East. They are about to sign Mike Miller and other free agents are lining up. The Hawks don’t have a chance against them next season . They can sign Tim Hardaway out of retirement and make the finals.
Eisendawg
July 9th, 2010
2:17 pm
Dang! ESPN’s rating were extremely high for this ridiculous fiasco. We’re like sheep. Herd us up, take our money, and laugh all the way to the bank!
RareAir
July 9th, 2010
2:18 pm
@Timmy, it’s just sports man!!
@The Real JC…I hear you man and in some ways I agree, but in a team game with 4 other guys on the court, it’s difficult to always (365 days a year) be the man. He needed more help, I blame the teams failure more on Shaq or Antawn Jamieson than Lebron, he truly played his heart out, he just sucked in the last few games and everyone else on that team did too. Remember the year that Michael went back to the Bulls from Baseball and got beat by Orlando in the playoffs? Michael wanted to rise to the occasion, but it wasn’t in him, at the time.
harry
July 9th, 2010
2:18 pm
Saying the Hawks COULD beat the Heat is the most stupidest thing i’ve ever read on this website, and I read alot of comments too, so congratulations Mark Bradley.
Mark
July 9th, 2010
2:20 pm
The Hawks are better…funny stuff
Scott W.
July 9th, 2010
2:22 pm
@The Real JC You’re so funny! (Sarcasm)
Antawn and Shaq are 176 years old!
newkid
July 9th, 2010
2:22 pm
If I lost more than $250 million in equity in less than 30 seconds (as did Dan Gilbert last night), would my reaction be much different? Probably not. Would I continue to keep my thoughts to myself, and retain the $250 million in added equity, if the circumstance causing the loss would have remained in my favor? Probably yes. Yet another case of ‘follow the money’ if you wish to understand Gilbert’s reaction. Forget Gilbert. The reaction of the Cleveland fans: that’s real. And for their sake, I hope Gilbert’s right about the Cavs winning the O’Brien trophy before the Heat (snowball’s chance…).
The solution to Gilbert’s mess (but not the Cleveland fans) would have been to have sold the franchise the day after LeBron announced he would change his number from #23 to #6 for the upcoming season. Why? Only two arenas in the NBA have retired jersey #23; Chicago and Miami. Didn’t take this kid seven years in the league to develop enough respect for what Jordan did to ‘elect’ to respect his #23 with retirement. Go figure.
RareAir
July 9th, 2010
2:23 pm
@Trade Nate I did see the game. I don’t remember him playing a ton of defense before that (in previous games/seasons). Yes he gets steals and spectacular looking blocks, but he is definitely not a shutdown type defender…..like MJ, or even Kobe. I do agree that it looked like something was wrong with him during the game, but why is everyone jumping to the conclusion that he quit?
JaeEveryday
July 9th, 2010
2:23 pm
Most of these comments are ridiculous! 1. If Lebron wanted to play for the Hawks then all the negativity would magically turn into “the Hawks will win a ‘chip now.” 2. Cleveland never gave him a #2, one player alone cannot win a ‘chip in any league. King James never had a good supporting cast. 3. Who thought of making the most ridiculous statement this year so far in saying “the hawks are better than the heat.” Have you hawks fans forgot already how badly yall got spanked and sent home from the playoffs the last 2 years? Guess so, but what an asinine statement to make!!! The Hawks nor the Cavaliers will win a title before the Heat win @ least 3 with a “true big 3″ not the “old big 3″ who were all 30+ when they came together with declining skills. I dont blame ‘bron, my man wants to win a championship! Is that not why any athlete in any sport plays the game???
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:23 pm
@Adam, apparently you didn’t learn anything from the Big 3 either. They complemented each other – Garnett can score inside, Pierce has a good mid-range game and can get to the rim and the foul line and Ray Allen is the dead-eye outside shooter. Dwyane Wade can slash to the basket and score and LeBron James can… slash to the basket and score. Replace either Wade or LeBron with a pure shooter like Joe Johnson, Ray Allen or even Kyle friggin Korver and you have a better overall team.
Also, the Big 3 won one championship, not a few.
MAP
July 9th, 2010
2:25 pm
Mark,
To infer that you agree with Gilbet saying that Lebron quit is ludicrous! Look at Lebron’s stats for the Boston series and then ask if he quit. He avg 27 pts, 7 ast, and 9 rebs for the series, with 27 pts, 10 ast, and 19!!!!! rebs in game 6 the final game of that series. How on earth is that quitting??? Is that Lebron holding up his end??? 19 rebounds for any player in the NBA is max effort!!! The truth is that Lebron is the only player on that team that showed for the whole series…….Shaq had one good a game and the rest did nothing! Show us where the other players rest their games during that series…..dont waste your time trying to find it! LOL
James
July 9th, 2010
2:27 pm
The Hawks will never win a championship with Joe Johnson being the best player on the team and the highest paid.
tbake
July 9th, 2010
2:27 pm
You really have to hand it to James – the primetime special allowed him to hog the spotlight, but the fact that he donated the proceeds to charity helps deflect the charges of hogging the spotlight.
Pretty canny move by team LeBron, all in all — “Look at me! Look at me!! (and look what a great guy I am, too)”
Of course, someone a little less self-aggrandizing would’ve been low-key about it and THEN made the charity donation quietly, but hey.
But Mark…really…to call the gutless, pride-free team that got thoroughly punked by Orlando better than the Heat at this point…really, that “performance” by the Hawks in Round 2 this year was one of the all-time dogs in NBA history. They played like a collection traffic cones.
There’s no guarantee that this superstar Frankenstein Riley has put together will gel into a champion, but c’mon. Show me, and I’ll believe it. Until then, it’s just sour grapes.
#21=Top50,1stBallot
July 9th, 2010
2:30 pm
It’s not a lock, people. On paper it works, but injuries, chemistry all happen to derail things. Teams win due to star AND DEPTH. The Heat have none right now. I’ll still rock with the Hawks right now, at least til there’s a roster to compare it to.
and a lot of this ‘Bron stuff sounds like McNabb- criticize after the fact.
JaeEveryday
July 9th, 2010
2:30 pm
Hawks better than the Heat…..such an ASININE statement especially coming from a city/team who recently VASTLY overpaid for Joe Johnson who chokes every year in the playoffs. Do ya research and look at the numbers!!!!!!
DC Braves Fan
July 9th, 2010
2:31 pm
Dan Gilbert’s tirade was probably a bit over-the-top in its angry and manic tone–there’s a thousand more dignified and clever ways to belittle someone who is as unabashedly narcissistic and self-indulgent as is ole-whats-his-face.
That said, I think he was spot on at leas about the quiting during the playoffs and I suspect the player who just left Cleveland for Miami was not held to much account and exploited that.
I just wish I knew what Stuart Scott, Michael Wilbon, Chris Broussard, Jon Barry, Rick Bucher and Tim Legler thought about all this.
MightyQuinn
July 9th, 2010
2:32 pm
Didn’t read all the comments but I would reiterate what MB brought up another time, that buying up talent doesn’t guarantee titles, like when the Hawks brought in Moses Malone and Reggie Theus. We were lining up for finals tix before the season started, but the clash of ego and wills sunk the team and the experiment failed miserably. There is at least a reasonable chance this will happen in Miami. And Lebron has apparently already given himself a pass by stating he didn’t want to be the main man, so when they lose he can say, “Not my fault!”
MAP
July 9th, 2010
2:34 pm
Mark,
Lebron gave Cleveland 7 years and tried to get Wade and Bosh to come to the Cavs, but they didn’t. LIke Lebron said, the ultimate goal of any NBA player is to win a ring…..period! So was he supposed to stay in Cleveland to make the owner and fans happy, but play with the same team next year and not have a shot at a title?? Play out his career there and not win a title, but say he made everyone else happy but him? Thats crazy! And never truly be considered in the class of Jordan and Kobe because he never won a ring? Come on Mark…………..
kd
July 9th, 2010
2:35 pm
Enter your comments here
kd
July 9th, 2010
2:36 pm
you people are crazy…this team even if they don’t add another player will kill the hawks.
antman
July 9th, 2010
2:36 pm
I love my hawks! But let’s be real! We can’t even check salmons, delfino, and kurt thomas! Lebron kills us, d-wade kills us! And bosh kills us! They got three players that r better than our best player! I’m still love the home team!
Adam
July 9th, 2010
2:37 pm
@JC, Boston won only one mostly because of age. They put together 3 30 somethings on the back nine of their career (with the possible exception of Pierce). My point about Boston was simply that they learned how to co-exist; if this Miami team does that, watch out.
blord
July 9th, 2010
2:39 pm
Good job MB! The funny thing about Gilbert is that his accusations are true for the most part about Lebron; however, 48 hrs ago the guy was doing everything possible to bring this guy back. It kind of has the feel of a high school breakup for him to make statements like he has. It is like when the prom queen dumps a dude for a more attractive guy and then the dumped claim that she wasn’t that great anyway.
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:39 pm
@MAP… what?!?!?! Absolutely LeBron will not be mentioned in the same breath as Jordan or Kobe if he never wins a ring! He’ll also never get mentioned in the same breath if he doesn’t win a Finals MVP either – that’s why Kobe’s legacy wasn’t solidified until he won a title without Shaq and was voted MVP.
Art Vandalay
July 9th, 2010
2:39 pm
I for one am not worried about the Heat we all now in Basketball you are only as good as your supporting cast which right now in Miami includes only one other player currently on the roster, they don’t even have a starting lineup. ATL is at worst fielding the exact same 53 win team and you know Teague will have a bigger role and now with a new philosophy regarding rookies Jordan Crawford may contribute, also you’d have to imagine ZaZa will have to be better. hopefully we add a big body in the middle but even stay pat we are more solid and FAR superior off the bench than the Heat will be this season.
Also I have to say it was lackluster and the cheap hire but LD’s comments about offense have me pretty excited, the ball movement, fast tempo, taking it to the basket, with some pick and roll elements sounds a lot like what Billy Donovan used to win back 2 back championships at UF, should be exciting to watch if the players buy in.
MAP
July 9th, 2010
2:39 pm
And you hint that the Heat with these moves may not be any better than the Hawks………..C’MON SON!!!!!!! Thats the joke of the year so far…..lol!
Ken
July 9th, 2010
2:40 pm
It may not guarantee a NBA title but finish behind the Atlanta Hawks!? LMAO. The same Hawks who needed SEVEN games to beat the depleted Milwaukee Bucks (without starting center Bogut and starting guard Mike Redd). The Hawks have two good/very good scorers in Johnson and Jamal Crawford. But what great defenders have the Hawks? Coaching great?
BehindEnemyLines
July 9th, 2010
2:43 pm
{Checks date} Nope, it’s not April 1st, which means I can find no rational explanation for this column, its title, or even its basic premise. At least not one that doesn’t involve substance abuse or a serious head injury.
MAP
July 9th, 2010
2:46 pm
@ the Real JC………we agree, maybe my point didn’t come across right. I’m saying I understand why he left to have a shot a winning a title. Jordan has 6 and Kobe has 5……..Lebron may never get to be as good as Jordan was, but I feel he is a better all around player than Kobe is right now and especially when you compare both their career numbers at the age of 25. But if he doesn’t win a ring, he won’t be considered in their class historically, no matter what he does. LIke Marino, as great as he was, is not in the class of Elway, Favre, Montana, etc since he never won a superbowl…………If Lebron wins a title, I think he will get the Finals MVP as well……..
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:50 pm
back @Adam – you’re still ignoring the fundamental difference between 2008 Boston and the Heat. Garnett, Pierce and Allen didn’t just find a way to play together and win, their specific skill sets complemented one another. If it had been Garnett, Pierce and a shorter version of Pierce, it wouldn’t have worked.
That’s what you’ve got in Miami: Bosh, Wade and taller version of Wade.
funny
July 9th, 2010
2:53 pm
Hawks?…now that’s funny, I don’t care who you are!
The Real JC
July 9th, 2010
2:54 pm
@Map – agree with all points except the last one, as long as he is in Miami with Wade. Wade has already proven himself in the Finals, while LeBron could be the next Marino for all we know.
Joe
July 9th, 2010
2:54 pm
if Lebron was such a cancer/quitter then why did Gilbert want him back?
he sounds like the one that was dumped in a relationship but swears they were the one that actually broke up with the other!