Friday, September 2, 2011

Heat Check: August 2011


August 2011 at the Miami Heat Index was all about appreciation and hatred; lockouts and lineups; the Philadelphia Eagles and Mob Week; Kings, Princes, Paupers and Chalmers; Greatness, ‘The U’; role players and no trade clauses; coaching and contracts; and a search for the best in the world from Baltimore in 2011 to London in 2012.

Big Shot Bob Ain’t No Hall-of-Famer
The NBA History Twitter account asked if Robert Horry was a hall-of-famer. He comes up short based on criteria established in The Art of Greatness. He didn’t have enough performance or presence outside of a few clutch moments.

University of Miami Football Scandal: Guns and Butter
A great follow-up to the article NCAA and ‘The U’ = Guns and Butter is Matt Taibbi’s excellent blog post at rollingstone.com that called out the media leeches reporting the University of Miami’s problems with Nevin Shapiro.

The Empire Will Strike Back
Mark Cuban said the Dallas Mavericks defeated the “Evil Empire” in the NBA Finals because Rick Carlisle out-coached Erik Spoelstra. If sending Brian Cardinal to injure Dwyane Wade is coaching, then Cuban’s right. The article Erik Spoelstra Earned an Extension, Not a Pink Slip explains.

Wade and LeBron: 99 Problems But Chemistry Ain’t One
The Dead Basketball Poets Society loves to say that Wade and LeBron James’ games don’t mesh and this caused problems for the third-best offense in the NBA last season. Danny Martinez from Hot Hot Hoops wrote a great article debunking this myth with some lineup stats from the Heat Produced Page that show they've come along way since the Wall Street Journal tackled the same topic last winter.

Tim Hardaway: Crossover King
In honor of Tim Hardaway’s 45th birthday, the NBA History twitter account asked fans for their three favorite crossover kings. This Miami Heat Index podcast provided the answer: Hardaway, Allen Iverson and Wade.

The Replacement Killer and the King
The Sun-Sentinel reviewed the pros and cons of signing free agent point guard T.J. Ford as part of their Free Agent Focus series. The article Point Guard Competition is None explained why Ford and seven other potential replacements are no threat to Mario Chalmers.

Shane Battier was also reviewed, but the article Miami Has A King, They Don’t Need A Prince explained why the Heat don’t need any free agent small forwards. The Free Agent Focus series started with Samuel Dalembert. The podcast Will Norris Cole and a Few Free Agents Give the Heat ‘More Than Enough’ explains why the Heat should focus on Dalembert.

Bleacher Report asked if LeBron should start at point guard next season. Analysis from the article What Position Should Be Addressed In the Draft shows Wade was much more productive at point guard than LeBron.

Dead Basketball Poets Society Loves LaMarcus
Hoopsworld reported ESPN’s Tom Haberstroh called LaMarcus Aldridge the heir to Tim Duncan’s throne. Yes, it’s ludicrous to equate a player that has never made an all-star game to a two-time NBA MVP and three-time Finals MVP. This article explains why: Best NBA Players, Coaches and Wives.

Heat Are Big Obstacle to Artest’s Title Hopes For Lakers
Ron Artest guaranteed the Lakers will win the 2012 NBA title. Three Kings problems with his prediction explained in four articles:

NBA Players Going Overseas Will Not End the Lockout
NBA bloggers and reporters continue to believe that playing overseas is the only way for the National Basketball Players Association to gain leverage in the collective bargaining with the NBA. The big problems with that belief are 1) FIBA enforcement of NBA contracts, 2) too many stars with NBA contracts, and 3) limited jobs and money in foreign leagues.

Two articles provide in-depth explanations of those issues: China Is No Red Menace For Miami Heat and NBA Lockout: Foreign Invasion Is A Phantom Menace. Believe it or not, sneakers just might be the solution to those problems. See the article Where Will Wade Play If There’s A Lockout for more details.

Fatherhood Brings Out Best in Wade and LeBron
Wade and LeBron both tweeted about their kids as they went back to school. Wade was up early taking his sons to school and then setup a tutoring station for them when they got home. LeBron got his son ready for his first day of school with plenty of swag to go around.

As this Father’s Day article and podcast showed, fatherhood brought out some of the best basketball the Heat played this season. Basketball never stops in the off-season and daddies don’t either.

Who Is the Greatest Center in Miami Heat History?
That was the question posed by the Miami Heat’s twitter account on Thursday. The answer was posted in three articles:

Miami Heat Index Articles of the Month
The top three articles on the Miami Heat Index in August:
  1. Miami Has a King, They Don’t Need a Prince - Analysis of the free agent small forwards the Heat do and don’t need.
  2. NBA’s 50 Greatest Players (2011 Remix) - Update of the 50 greatest players in NBA history.
  3. LeBron vs. Dwight: The No Trade Clause - Analysis of why it doesn’t make sense to trade LeBron for Dwight Howard.

The top three Miami Heat Index articles on Bleacher Report in August:
  1. Kobe and Amare Are Most Overrated Players By Fans and Media - Analysis of which players receive more all-star and all-NBA votes than their production demands.
  2. NBA Lockout: Owners Want Players Endorsements - Analysis of how some owners’ demands could result in the end of the NBA.
  3. Miami Heat Will Still Fan Up After NBA Lockout - Discussion of how lockouts impact NBA attendance.

The three most underrated articles on the Miami Heat Index in August:
  1. NBA Lockout: A Thin Line Between Hoops and Hip-Hop - Analysis of similarities between the lockout and the decline of the recording industry.
  2. Miami Heat Won’t Lose Fans After NBA Lockout - Explanation of how South Florida fans responded to 1999 lockout and why they will still pack the American Airlines Arena after the 2011 lockout.
  3. Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia Eagles: The Difference Is Not Collusion - Analysis of the Philadelphia Eagles quarterbacks and personnel moves.

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