Miami's offense has looked virtually unguardable with K.O
39 wins and 33 losses and their offense if unguardable? That is pure hyperbole and you lost a lot of credibility with that statement.
So you take my sentence that only referred to Miami's offense post All Star break (specifically with K.O. on the floor), cut it in half and then go on to talk about Miami's season record.....and my credibility is shot?
Off. Rat. Net Rat. AST/TO TOV% EFG% TS%
Miami's offense 123.4 +19.1 2.62 10.7 59.2 62.1
Post All Star with
K.O. on floor
302 minutes
For comparison the 113.2 +9.6 1.90 12.3 57.6 61.0
team with the best
number in the
league this year
Miami is doing this in the half court and playing at a super slow pace of 96.14, they are not turning the ball over and they are shooting the eyes out of it as nearly every shot is a layup or a wide open 3. They still are struggling mightily as they have all year to score when K.O. is not on the floor.
I would expect them to be less successful the next couple games against OKC and Indiana as Adams and Turner should be more successful defending them than Jokic, Plumlee, Kanter and O'Quinn were the last couple games. They may very well destroy OKC's and Indiana's benches though.
Well played, sir.
Good to see you back here. Not many have both your feel for the game and at the same time a grasp of meaningful stats. And I really enjoy your provocations, like this one.
If I were the Heat, I’d trade Whiteside. Their best lineups have Olynyk with either Adebayo or James Johnson. They’ve probably got as much ball- and man-movement per possession as any team in the league, and Whiteside is a poor fit for that, while Olynyk, Johnson, (and it looks like) Adebayo, are beautifully suited to it.
Not to mention his salary - 22 million this year. Something has to give if they’re going to take the next step.
Miami are not trading Whiteside. Unless there are personal problems, that is just not happening
He is fairly reasonable at 22mill, given what he brings
I made two points about Whiteside: 1) that their overall effectiveness is (much) higher when his less-well-paid teammates are on the floor; and 2) that he doesn’t fit the way they play offense, with their high-velocity movement and everyone touching the ball. You haven’t really answered those points.
I made the further point that they are stuck in a salary-cap bind, and if they’re going to take the next step they’ll have to move some contracts.
So something has to give, and it makes sense that Hassan is the one to give.
You’re right to point to his assets; he’s an amazing rebounder on both boards, and an outstanding shotblocker. Maybe he’d have a more positive impact on his team’s success if his coach re-designed the offense and the defense to accommodate his weaknesses. But in fact Spoelstra has made the offense, at least, less well suited to Whiteside’s game this season (and, not incidentally, better suited to Olynyk’s).
Most problematic, he’s only gotten the seventh-most minutes, per game, on the team, even as he’s being paid like a star.
Why does it make sense that Whiteside is the one to give? He is the team's 3rd leading scorer, leading rebounder, leading shot blocker and best defensive player. He has the team's lowest defensive rating by far. Of the rotation players, he has the highest differential between Ortg and Drtg. He has by far the most WS/48 on the team. By far the best PER on the team. By far the highest Simple Rating on 82games.com.
You’re pointing to some undeniable talents. I’d as soon throw out Ortg and Drtg, since they’re so corrupted by the productivity of other players on the floor - but you make a good case for his value.
I have two responses: 1) Of course he has value - that is why he can be traded, despite his salary. As I pointed out above, he’s only getting the seventh-most minutes on his team. Despite the eye-popping numbers, his coach still won’t give him consistent starter-level minutes.
2) It’s still a team game, and the team’s results are not so impressive with him on the floor. See below. I’d also go back to the point about their offense that I’ve been making above - he’s not suited to the ball-movement offense they’re running.
Teams need defense and rebounding too. Miami needs what Whiteside provides.
I agree, of course. The question is, can they get it without him? Yes. Again, see below.
The Heat are in a bad shape financially because of contracts like those given to Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Dion Waiters and James Johnson. Not sure any of those guys are worth over the MLE but they will be making close to $57 million between them next year. That's where things need to be addressed.
I’d certainly agree about Dion Waiters, but maybe not Richardson and James Johnson. Regarding Tyler: he is a key rotation player - but I would agree with you, because his contract is way out of proportion, at least starting next year.
2 Ellington-Richardson-Winslow-Olynyk-Adebayo 125.7 1.14 0.96
8 Dragic-Ellington-Richardson-J.Johnson-Olynyk 71.9 1.34 1.08
12 T.Johnson-Ellington-Waiters-J.Johnson-Olynyk 53.5 1.19 0.99
14 T.Johnson-Ellington-Richardson-Olynyk-Adebayo 47.2 1.31 1.00
18 Ellington-Richardson-JonesJr.-J.Johnson-Whiteside 35.9 1.18 0.99
20 Dragic-T.Johnson-Richardson-J.Johnson-Olynyk 35.6 1.30 1.03
Of Miami‘s top 20 most often-used lineups, these are the ones that have a plus difference between offense and defense of at least .15 points. Richardson, Ellington, and Olynyk are each in five of the six; James Johnson is in four; while Whiteside and Waiters are in one each.
The left-hand number is the rank of each lineup by minutes played on the season; followed by the five man lineup; followed by the total of minutes; followed by the offensive effectiveness; followed by the defensive effectiveness, per possession.
They’ve had better defensive lineups - including one with Whiteside - but the defense that those lineups generate does not make up for the weaker offense.