Riley Needs to Make Changes

Offseason is going poorly

Now, it is not time to panic - that would be July 12th when all the free agents have been snatched up. Still, this offseason for us Heat fans has not been going well at all.

First we have regressed. No matter how you slice it, losing Jason Kapono is subtraction to a team with very little to bring to the equation to begin with. The Heat were not going to be able to re-sign him, but getting their plans of sign-and-trade snatched out from under them hurt.

Then there is the pace at which negotiations with James Posey are going. There was talk of pulling off a sign-and-trade with him, and Posey's agent has admitted as much. Yet, it doesn't look like anything s developing on that front as Riley, addressing the media yesterday at the start of Summer League practices, suggested that the Heat are not in a position to move Posey as planned. Also, Riley told the media that the Heat's need for a point guard is getting blown out of proportion.

I would agree with that if the plan was to make Wade the starting point guard and plug in a shooting guard who could defend and play off of Wade. Yet, that option doesn't seem to be being explored.

It could be the reason why the Heat opted to draft Daequan Cook, as we have suggested here before, or even why a guy like Trey Johnson was brought into camp (2nd leading scorer in NCAA this season).

Despite all of this, it is simply trying to formulate reason out of the chaos; Heat fans right now are left trying to attach meaning to the actions of the front office and it is like grabbing at straws.

There are options in place the Heat should be exploring - namely trying to sign a SF that can be affordable and could start, like Ime Udoka, Jumaine Jones or even Travis Outlaw. After all, the Blazers can't have a 20 man roster, at least last I checked.

The Heat don't have to make an impact the way teams like Orlando or the Lakers do, they just have to shore up their roster and fit it with guys who can complement Wade and Shaq. Riley talked about not paying too much for a player, not using the entire MLE and trying to stay within the strict boundaries dictated by the "value" label and Riley also talked about acquiring a player that could create his own shot.

Well, something has to give. Or rather, someone.

The Heat are not going to find a guy who can create his own shot and be an effective third scoring option unless they get extremely lucky. They could take a shot at landing Juan Carlos Navarro, one of the best point guards in the world and a guy who can shoot and run the point. All that would take is convincing the Wizards to give up his rights to a division rival. Or they could work out a deal for Mo Williams, which would require both the Heat and the Bucks to work out a sign-and-trade.

In other words, there are options, but most of them are long shots. What Riley has to do is build a team with players that fit a particular identity. It doesn't seem evident, however, that Riley has figured out that identity short of saying it needs to be able to beat the Bulls and not shoot so many threes. Well, it shouldn't shoot so many bad three point attempts; not shooting threes would be a bit of a mistake considering the amount of space given to shooters by Shaq and Wade. Just ask Jason Kapono (and ask him again in three months how effective his game is).

This could all change on July 12th, too. The Heat may have already made a deal and are playing dumb so that they can line up something else. We all hope so, because right now it is looking like this team is going to have the challenge of trying to get out of the East for another championship with a team that is older and losing players like Posey and Kapono. And if that is the case, they will most definetly lose Zo, too.