Sho: Heat's two headed beast at center

Shaq was named to the East's starting squad for the all-star game in Houston, but early on in the season, when Shaq was out, Alonzo Mourning could have made a case to start.

In fact, you could make a case to start both centers - after all, that is how the Heat are envisioning their big men in the paint being utilized.

Shaq is the offensive juggernaut. He is averaging 19.3 points per game in just 29.4 minutes. He is shooting 56.4 from the field, which leads the NBA, and it looks like even that number will rise (last season, Shaq shot 60% from the field). As Shaq gets healthy, and regains that agility and that scoring touch, his minutes will increase as his fouls decrease.

And then there is Zo, the fiery defensive presence who changes games. In limited minutes, averaging 21.3 per game on the year - but closer to 14 with Shaq back and healthy. A modern day Bill Russell, Zo is in prime form and proves his worth by altering an opposing team's offensive approach. This may also be the best situation for him, after coming back from a rare kidney disease. His defense is only matched by his intensity, rejecting 3 shots a game and leading the NBA in blocks with 134. Oh, and he had 5 tonight, putting him up to 139 on the year.

Shaq is the offense. Zo is the defense. Together, they make "Sho" - the ultimate center in the NBA.

Let's look at an example. In 35 minutes tonight against the Cavaliers, they grabbed 14 rebounds, had 7 blocks, scored 27 points on 11-16 from the field combined. This is the kind of production that Pat Riley envisioned with Shaq and Zo, and finally, with both healthy, the rewards are starting to present themselves.

Potentially, this is the kind of production you can expect on a normal night from "Sho": 48 minutes of pure hell. The Heat have an anchor in the paint, a post-forward position to attack their opponents which will afford them many options: a strong half court game, a post presence on both offense and defense.

This two-headed monster will allow the Heat to slow the game down to grind down their opponents, crucial in the fourth quarter and for creating more opportunities for the Heat to shoot free throws as opposing teams begin to foul "Sho" and become plagued by foul trouble themselves.

It is like blood in the water. Coupled with the Heat's backcourt, consisting of Wade, Williams and Payton, they have the ability to penetrate and draw fouls which will also create more free throw attempts for these perimeter players. The breakdown of an opposing team begins to fracture inside and becomes total once the Heat's perimeter players attack the weakened defense.

And it all starts with "Sho", the beast of a center which will be the foundation for this Heat team's run.

Shaq abducted by aliens

What the hell is going on with Shaq?

I mean, it isn't just the Kobe Bryant handshake, hug, and make out session BEFORE the game. It isn't even the voices in his head that he claims to be responding to - such voices as Pat Riley and Bill Russell. What is bothering me is the apathetic style of his game.

Sure, he dunked pretty nasty off a rebound rim-shattering put-back on Bynum. And with one look, it is priceless. But what happens next? Bynum spins off of Shaq in the post to get a wide open dunk - and thunderous applause from the Laker faithful. Dr. Buss, meanwhile, is yelling 'I told you so' from his seat.

It isn't his stats, either. Shaq continues to be efficient from the field, shooting 54% and grabbing 9.8 rebounds in 28.3 minutes. The latter two stats are down versus his career, but seeing as the Big Fella is at the tail end of his career, and has probably the best backup of all time behind him in Zo, that is to be expected.

What it is that does bother me, and lead me on this investigative path, is his lack of ferocity. Shaq just doesn't get the great positioning he used to get. Some will cite the recent NBA rule changes that allow for a 'pre-doubling', as Riley calls it - where post players can be doubled before the entrance pass is made by loitering defenders. Shaq isn't getting the spacing to work.

That isn't it though either. Shaq is just not getting deep into the post and is letting the likes of Danny Fortson, Robert Swift, Chris Mihm and even Greg Ostertag give him fits. You could see it on his face tonight: getting pushed - the audacity! - by a jumpy Andrew Bynum. Frustration set in and he tossed a mighty elbow into Bynum. Double techs ensued, and the dust settled.

There can only be one conclusion, since Shaq has gotten the team he wants, the players he wants, and the coach he wants: the real Shaq has been abducted by aliens. It must have happened sometime before the playoffs last season. Sure, he supposedly had a bruised thigh that never healed fully for him going into the playoffs. I think, maybe, it was the clone inserted in his place by the aliens that wanted to see a Pistons/Spurs finals. That Ben Wallace is quite a sex symbol on Mars, believe it or not. Or so Bill Russell has told me.

But seriously, the pundits will start second guessing things now and the path must get ever tougher for Riley and Co. The old Shaq is not here, but replaced with, well, an old Shaq. Maybe it wasn't aliens after all. Maybe Shaq is done? Maybe it is like when the Berlin Wall fell (and soon after the Soviet Union), the U.S. as the lone superpower and hegemon, had no equal to counter. Or like when Carthage fell (Cartago delenda est!) leaving Rome alone in the Mediterranean. So, Shaq is somewhat bored, with no one to counter him and drive him; no one to push him but himself because he is in a league by himself.

Nah, must be the aliens.

Dont Panic

The Heat lose to the Suns, convincingly, and all of the sudden, the sky is falling.

Why?

I guess amnesia is running rampant among the Heat nation these days. People seem to have forgotten, what we just witnessed last night was a re-run. Almost identical to last season's matchup with the Suns in Phoenix. Only, that game was played on the 11th of January, as opposed to the 6th. And the Suns tallied 40 points in the first quarter instead of 47.

The first quarter blowout in both games was achieved almost identically though - on hot shooting. The Suns were 9-11 from three point range in that first quarter last night. You could almost say that God didn't want the Heat to win last night, faced with those kind of odds. But the same thing happened last year, as the Suns blistered the Heat with a first quarter that saw a very high percentage of shots go in the basket (1-4 from 3 point range, but 16-26 from the field).

So, all the apologists and hordes of fans filled with hindsight about last year's team being better, well, better lay off.

The fact is, the Heat didn't have Wade and Williams for this round, and managed to only lose by 18 (111-93) while last year they lost by 15 (122-107) at full strength. And you might as well pretend Shaq didn't show up last night, too, seeing as he only played 23 minutes in a disappearing act.

Funny how a 7'1" 330lb man can disappear on center court. But, that is another story.

So, what is all this panic about? The Heat would go on to struggle last season as they probably will during this road trip as well. They would even venture on to an OT loss to the Clips last season on that same road trip. It was tough, but that team was growing - as this team is, too. They are in the midst of a slump, and still trying to bang out with healthy bodies and adjust to Riley's coaching presence and substitutions. They will most likely struggle on this trip, too.

Just keep in mind, that we have seen this before. This is the forge from which champions are created. The tempers will flare, the inconsistencies will rear their ugly heads. The team will unravel. But then something marvelous happens - they start to get it.

The team will adjust. They have been built to win and with the talent and the coaching they have, they will get the opportunity. It wont come straight away, it will come with growing pains, with struggle, with adversity.

So let Detroit flex its muscle. Let San Antonio continue to sharpen. But keep your eyes on your own test. This team must focus on itself and tune out the rest of the world, the rest of the the NBA.

Panic is not the call for the day. Let the dust settle. I am reminded, how does muddy water become clear again? By letting itself settle.

Let the muddy water lay still. Be patient. This is a work in progress.

It's All in the Family: Why Stan Van Gundy stepped down

I have been reserving this write up for a couple of reasons - I wanted to see how things played out and what the consequences would be. Having done that, I think it is fair to say that the press conference announcing why Stan Van Gundy stepped down was legit. The reasons why Stan Van Gundy stepped down, that his personal life was calling to him, are definetly true. And strangely, this is not without precedent - even with the Van Gundy family.

But the question remains, why now? Why would a man who has worked tirelessly and endlessly to reach the pinnacle of his profession just decide to call it quits?

Stan Van Gundy has been an assistant to Pat Riley for 11 years - but that only begins to tell the story. His brother, Jeff, another long time Riley assistant was able to parlay his assistantship into a head coaching gig once Riley left and even matched up against his mentor in those famous Knick/Heat rivalries. With all the success that Jeff Van Gundy was able to achieve as a coaches' coach, it seems the reason why he left may have also been foreshadowing what his brother would eventually face.

Jeff Van Gundy quit as head coach very abruptly. His reasons? As coach, he claimed, he was losing his focus. "I didn't feel my focus was at its best. I didn't want to hurt our team. I certainly don't regret the effort I put forth. I just think it's time to step back and let the team move on."

But what is even more telling is this, what Jeff Van Gundy said next, "I'm going to step back and exhale for the first time in 13 years. When I told my daughter today, she said: 'Does this mean you get to have lunch with me?' So that's cool."

Sound familiar?

Just like when his brother Jeff stepped down in NY, Stan has been mulling this decision since the offseason. Even Stan himself said that in the offseason, everything is fine since he got to see his family more regularly. Remarkably, the sound bite Stan Van Gundy gave was eerily similar to what his brother said just a few years before, "I mean, it's been like that for my kids' entire lives. I've got a 14-year-old daughter and it started to hit me when I started thinking about her birthday, which was last month. I've got four more years left with her. Four. And then she'll be off to college and I'm just not willing to sacrifice any more of those four more years."

Is family simply the reason? It seems improbable that two brothers, raised by a basketball coaching father, would be unaware of the impact their chosen profession would have on their lives. Perhaps they weren't totally conscious of the impact, but nonetheless, they had an idea. Their amibitions pushed them onwards towards their rewards of a head coaching position for a professional basketball franchise. And the brothers Van Gundy were damned good at what they did.

The problem wasn't with themselves or their personal lives, it was with the people they were working worth. Most specifically, the players.

When Jeff Van Gundy stepped down, he tried to take all the blame - that the team underperforming was his fault. That somehow, he was getting frantic and losing his focus. He was trying to save face for the Knicks, who had a lousy team put together with a generally lousy attitude. Perhaps the players started to tune Jeff Van Gundy out.

Dr. Jack Ramsay, one time Heat commentator and Hall of Fame coach, had this to say about Jeff Van Gundy's sudden resignation:

"The players hold Van Gundy in high regard. In fact, I've never heard one of his players criticize him -- they've always spoken very highly of him. I'm not sure there isn't more to this than just the day-to-day toll that affects every coach. Jeff is a perfectionist and I don't think he'd resign unless there was some additional pressure. He may have felt he wasn't getting the support or cooperation from management."

It was the pressure of the people he was working with that forced Jeff Van Gundy out. Perhaps he felt his methods were not being taken seriously enough and that he was being tuned out somehow. Seeing as Jeff Van Gundy is a perfectionist, it is not surprising that something like that would take a toll personally on him and force him into his ultimate decision.

There is evidence that supports a similar scenario for Stan, too. Although, it wouldn't be management but the players themselves that may have been putting the pressure on Stan Van Gundy. All this added pressure, the feeling of not being respected or listened to, made him think about the apparent sacrifice he was making at the expense of his family - for the sake of his career, which was starting to turn more and more sour for him.

The evidence is as plain as that trademark Shaq sheepish grin. It was the Diesel who has been quoted as saying this in a recent article:

"The only adjustment that the guys are going to make is they're going to really, really listen now, because of his resume. I've been in this situation before, where you do a lot of stuff and then they bring (in) somebody who knows what he's talking about and everybody listens. It's a different locker room. Guys are listening. Nobody really..."

Guys are going to listen now. Now? I guess it is no coincendence that as soon as Riley took over, Gary Payton's production has stepped up. The same Gary Payton who was only 'professionally' disagreeing with Stan Van Gundy a month back about offensive philosophy.

That Stan Van Gundy decided to step down due to personal reasons should not be in doubt. As always, Van Gundy kept his views honest and made them public without any fear whatsoever. As a coach, he was no different. But the blame must be cast on the veteran leadership of this team. If in fact they had tuned Stan Van Gundy out to the point that it forced him to retire (since Stan saw that he wasn't reaching the players and it was his duty to do so) then shame on them. They certainly weren't endorsing him with their silence.

But they should also know, that you get what you wish for. And the vengeance of Pat Riley will not be mild. This team has many problems that need to be cleared up and Van Gundy is absolved of any and all blame. In fact, Riley has made it clear that no quarter will be taken for players who denounce or speak out in any way against Stan.

And for the first time in a long time, it seems Pat Riley is truly incensed. If these players and this team are truly desiring a championship, there will be hell to pay. Riley will play the devil himself.

Meanwhile, quietly in the background, Stan Van Gundy will sit and watch. Ever loyal to his family. Ever loyal to his mentor. Ever loyal to this organization. It truly was Riley's wish to have Stan steward this ship onto land and down Biscayne in the form of a victory parade.

But this time, he will have to do it himself. The players know not what has befallen them.

The Unthinkable: Pat Riley is back

Pat Riley is returning as Heat head coach. That's is right, the team president is demoting himself because Stan Van Gundy is stepping down - voluntarily. Well, that is the official word from SVG, citing "family" as his reason for giving the reigns back to Riley. No official word yet as to whether or not Stan considers the Heat family.

But this demonstrates the unthinkable. I guess I have seen it all. I never expected Pat Riley to return to this team and chalked it up to media speculation - and aything less than that is not warranted. Sure, Riley is a lifer and loves to coach and has always fought the itch to get back into it. He was recently interviewed for the Lakers head coaching spot this past summer. And for any writer or member of any media to say 'I told you so' is a bunch of bologna. Everyone thought about the possibility, but no one knew it was going to happen. No one.

Now, the question remains, will Riley be able to get this team to perform to its full capacity? There is no doubting Pat Riley's credibility or track record, just whether or not he is the right coach for this team. It seems it is time to find out.

Stan Van Gundy has done an excellent job managing the ship while Riley was away. Taking two very different teams deep into the playoffs in his first two seasons as head coach is not something that should be overlooked. The official reasons as to why SVG is stepping down will be made known today around 11:00 pm at a press conference. The media frenzy will shortly resume from that point on. We will all lay witness to what follows - and although many will claim to know what is going on, no one will truly know what is about to happen.