The Debut of Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks

Well, I missed the debut of the two new Heatsters, Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, on ABC today because I was at the game.



And hey, what can I say but WELCOME!

The way this Heat team is shaping up in the rebuild here is actually more exciting than any Heat team since...the 2003-2004 team.

Pat Riley has noted that he did coach a team, if anyone can recall, for 9 years that didn't grind it out from the halfcourt. They were known as the "Showtime" Lakers, and practically refined the run-and-gun offense to an art form. Some might say, it hasn't been duplicated since.

Well, Pat, you have a chance to revisit those days again. And it does start with Marion and Banks.

All Marion did in his debut was drop 15 on the Lakers on 6/13 shooting, grabbed 14 rebounds, had three blocks and 3 steals. Two of those 15 points came on this transaction from Dwyane Wade:



Notice the nice foul Kobe put on Wade. Wow, look at that, another high sticking from the poster child for passive aggressive NBA players.

But Marion provides that spring, that electricity that until now only Wade could provide. And what makes Marion such a God-send is that he can actually play defense, can help defend and - get THIS - can rebound! When was the last time Shaq had 14 rebounds? Heck, when was the last time he had three blocks? How about putting those numbers together in a game!

Now, the Heat will miss Shaq's interior presence on the offensive side of the ball, but considering that this team does not have shooters (yet, I still contend that Cook will be an assassin from outside...), adding Marion's unorthodox shot and defense will help in two areas of weakness for Miami.

Even more interesting is to watch Dorell Wright. He seemed to be playing more power forward today, and really pushing the matchup in the Heat's favor. His length and ability to move with the ball in his hands are tangible assets, but his money will be made once he can figure out how to consistently stick that outside jumper and get a little more physical defensively. He is progressing and watching him today work with Marion and Wade can make for a potentially exciting game to watch.

The defense has gotten so bad in Miami over the course of this season, that when the PA yells for the fans to scream DE-FENSE, even the fans have forgotten how. Today, however, against a tough Lakers team, the Heat did not looked outmatched on either end of the floor. Well, except for forgetting about Sasha Vujacic. Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks both looked comfortable pushing the offense into a higher gear and playing strong, man defense.

Banks, by the way, had 7 points on 3/6 shooting and 4 assists in 14 minutes. I expect we'll see those minutes increase as he gains familiarity with Riley's (new?) system. Banks' long arms, by the way, give him more upside defensively as he is strong enough to guard taller players on the wings as well.

The Heat looked better today and seemed to have fresh legs. I still don't know why Riley is averse to playing Cook, Daequan cannot be any worse than Ricky Davis and in playing him now, he gets valuable experience.