Heat Fan Shutting it Down for the Season

Due to retinal scarring from watching too many games this season, I am afraid I will have to announce I am shutting it down for the rest of the NBA season.

Yes, my eyes have been literally burned with horrible images of turnovers, bad defense and missed shots. Yesterday's game against the Celtics damn near made my eyes bleed.

17 field goals made in their 88-62 loss. Well, a loss would indicate they showed up, but Miami never even seemed to make the flight. Blake Ahearn had 12 points. Need I say more?

Besides, if Dwyane Wade, Marcus Banks, Shawn Marion, Udonis Haslem, Shaq and Jason Williams are all out with injuries, then why should I watch and risk further damage to my eyes anyway? Oh, did I say Shaq? Whatever happened to that guy? He seemed to have disappeared after the 2006 championship - maybe Riley and Arison should put out a APB for him.

Oh, that's right, we traded him for Marion and Banks. Whom are both injured now...wow.

Well, I have to cut this short as I am using my eyes to aid myself in my meager typing anyway. I would say that this column will be missed but considering how badly this season has gone I am probably the only left, outside of Joel Anthony, Chris Quinn and Ricky Davis, that is putting anything into this season anyway.

Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn Are Miami

Shaq's stupid comments have lead to much discussion. I have been putting off commenting on his comments for a reason - others have been doing it while scrambling for a spotlight on the situation.

This is how it is with Shaq. He transcends the sport so much that even a little mumbling on his part can lead to a big "to-do". Well, it really is much ado about nothing.

Of course Shaq is going to bash the Heat. He, believe it or not, has a right to do so. And no, I am not talking about his constitutional right but rather his personal right. As a professional, he definitely overstepped his bounds by singling out Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn. Yet his frustration is nothing unusual here - most Heat fans would agree in a sense that some bad roster decisions were made.

The discussion calls for us to consider Shaq's perspective - what about his promise from Pat Riley and Mickey Arison about making a consistent championship run each year with the roster? The Heat had invested heavily in Shaq in that 2004 offseason by dealing away Lamar Odom, Caron Butler, Brian Grant and a draft pick and Shaq actually could have opted out and not returned to Miami if he so desired.

Miami took a risk. They saw it payoff in 2006. So did Shaq. It was argued that he was too old and fat and lazy and that he was incapable of helping a team win another championship. That is why the Lakers opted for Kobe over Shaq. They were mistaken at the time, but they are winning the war these days with the Lakers rising again and Miami falling back in the pack with Shaq's departure.

It didn't have to end this way. Riley made some bad decisions this past offseason but it was also Arison's fault in not letting Riley spend the money he needed to keep the championship caliber team stitched together for a few more seasons while Shaq's massive contract was on the books.

Maybe that is what Shaq is whining about. Maybe he had a gentlemanly promise with Riley that he thought meant he would be contending every year while in Miami - not trying to skate by on fill-ins.

Yet make no mistake - there is no one more Miami Heat these days than Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn. Both have been playing their hearts out in a season where the rest of the team has found numerous ways to quit - including Shaq. I think Ira Windeman said that best.

Shaq never gave this season a chance. He basically shut it down from the get-go. Wade did his best to try and put a face of effort on this season but you can't blame him for wanting to shut it down with the pain he endures both physically and mentally. His efforts are not adding up to wins which made it worse. And Shaq, meanwhile, was out in LA getting his "alternative treatments".

Shaq may have had an argument and professionally, he may not wish to disclose the entire matter but his criticism is well-noted. Still, when you are past your prime and relying on a young talent like Dwyane Wade to look good, you don't have as much credibility as you think you should to call out players like Davis and Quinn.

Both of them have something Shaq doesn't have anymore - heart, humility and desire. They don't need a giant chip on their shoulder to come out and play motivated each night. They do it because they just do. Shaq needs an adversary to get his big ass moving - he needs a Kobe, a Phil Jackson, a Pat Riley and now a Chris Quinn or Ricky Davis?

It is said that a man is defined by who his adversaries are. If that be the case, let all of mankind oppose Shaq as he has melted into a spoiled, whiny, egotistical has-been.

Too bad, too. Because I really liked the Suns and their style of basketball. I was rooting for the good guys like Nash and Stoudamire. And now I find myself in the same position that Lakers fans were in back in 2004 - they hate on Shaq for being Shaq. Still, to dis players like Quinn and Davis is low and reveals what kind of person Shaq has now become.

DLeaguers Auditioning Strong

In Kasib Powell and Stephane Lasme, the Heat have two strong defenders that can rebound and hustle. In Lasme, they also have one of the best shot blockers in UMass history - even more impressive considering that Marcus Camby is an alumnus.

The Heat aren't going anywhere these days, and with Jason Williams joining the MASH unit as recently as today, it just seems like this team is going to get younger and younger.

Consider it auditions for next season.

What Miami is doing is essentially this, looking for young players that can contribute next season. And they must be able to do so at a fraction of the cost. The Heat are shopping for value - after all they have Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion under contract eating up over $30 million of the $58M in salary cap.

What the Heat are finding out is that Riley hasn't lost his touch in unearthing solid, young contributing talent. Joel Anthony is showing that he can block shots like a Zo, but his game at center is more favorably compared to a Ben Wallace. He is a tenacious defender and his ability to help defend with his shot blocking will help shore up the Heat's perimeter defense as guards will be less apt to slash inside with "Doc" ready to serve them a block party.

In Lasme and Powell, both 10 day contracts, the Heat get two more strong perimeter defenders that could help shore up the defensive lapses as well as help the Heat rebound better.

The departed Bobby Jones was a nice fit for the Heat and should get a summer invite, but Miami may have wanted someone with a bit more athleticism and an ability to make game-altering plays on defense. Lasme had 3 blocks tonight and has 8 in three games with the Heat.

The auditions are starting to work out. It should be an interesting summer.

Heat Signs Bobby Jones

Today the Heat signed swingman Bobby Jones to shore up their depth. The Heat waived Smush Parker and lost Dwyane Wade to injury to finish out their season and have an opportunity to look at a player they are interested in for the stretch. Jones, however, is signed to a 10 day contract (NBA rules permit two such stints before a team must decide to keep the player or let him go).

Devil May Care; Heat Don't

There is something very appalling about losing to a team by 20+ points. Then again, there is something even more sickening about losing to a team by 20+ points when you previously were beating them by 20+ points - in their own building.

And then, there is something just down-right disturbing about a team that goes through that, in the same game, and then doesn't seem to care about it.

Sure, Udonis Haslem, Shawn Marion, and others may care. But the rest of this team seems immune to it. Desensitized. Just another loss on the season - pile it on. Ho hum.

This might be the biggest challenge for Pat Riley to overcome as he pushes forward with the reclamation project.

Heat teams of the past had, what Riley refers to, as a culture of winning. Guys who knew how to win, expected to win, and would settle for nothing less than perfection. The biggest asset in this regard? Alonzo Mourning, who alone has exemplified the Riley era here in Miami. He was lost this season early on to knee injuries. Some suspected he was done, but in all honesty, because of the way he went out, he might actually want to come back.

Count that as a big blessing for Miami if he does. Because this team lacks a leader. Sure, Dwyane Wade is the star, the franchise. He has the commercials and the notability. And he no longer has to live under Shaq's shadow - which is quickly diminishing under the sun out in Phoenix. But Wade has to learn how to lead now. He has to go through the same maturation process most star players, on the verge of becoming great, must do. Kobe is showing you what that transition looks like on the other side coming out of the selfish, self-centered opposite end he once resided on. It split up Shaq and his tenure. Here in Miami, it is a much different circumstance.

Riley, as the architect, has to find a way to surround players that will compliment Wade's game. That process in underway. But another consideration must be to surround him with like-minded players; players who won't back away from a challenge but will fight and rise through it. Marion definitely is one. So is Haslem, although I still question his height. Who else on this roster would fit?

After this latest loss, it is disturbing to contemplate.

Yell at us.