Heat not only surviving without Chris Bosh, but somehow thriving
The Heat are doing more than surviving without Chris Bosh. A faster-paced smallball attack is one reason why Miami is surprisingly thriving and looking like a tough out in the playoffs.
By
Ken Berger
•
5 min read
Before we examine why the Heat are playing so surprisingly well since the All-Star break without Chris Bosh, and before we delve into the significant implications if he were to miss the rest of the season or even be forced to retire due to recurring blood-clot issues, something else needs to be said.
And understood.
Chris Bosh is 31 years old. He has already made more money than he and his descendants could ever need or spend. He has three children, and twins on the way with his wife, Adrienne, to whom he was married in 2011 during the NBA lockout.
Life is good for Bosh and his growing family. According to Basketball Reference, Bosh has already made more than $144 million in salary alone during his 13-year career, with the balance of this season's $22 million and another $75 million guaranteed still on the way.
If Bosh has to retire from basketball in order to ensure he's on the planet as long as possible as a husband, father and whatever else he wants to be outside the confines of sport, that is OK.
Actually, that is more than OK. Depending on the outcome of ongoing medical tests to determine the precise nature and severity of Bosh's condition, that could very well be what is best for the people who matter most.
Now, with that established, we move into the realm of what basketball fans habitually find to be of the utmost importance -- the viability of the Miami Heat in the 2016 NBA playoffs and beyond if they must move forward without arguably their best and most productive player.
I'm not saying those things aren't important; much time, money and effort are devoted to creating winning basketball teams, especially in Miami, where Pat Riley's itchy fingers grow more uncomfortable by the day without another jewel to adorn them.
Bosh last played on February 9 in a 119-101 loss to San Antonio. He had 18 points, five rebounds and seven turnovers. He then flew to Toronto for All-Star Weekend, but word quickly spread that he would have to withdraw from the 3-point contest and the All-Star Game itself due to a calf injury. I remember seeing him arrive in the cramped back-of-the-house confines of Air Canada Centre on All-Star Saturday night, moseying toward an elevator and looking content and at ease.
Last season, a calf injury is exactly how Bosh's blood clot issue came about at the 2015 All-Star break, when the clot ultimately move to his lungs and caused him to miss the rest of the season.
Little has been divulged about the specifics of Bosh's current condition, or about his prognosis. On Saturday, Bosh cryptically revealed on Twitter that he's "feeling great" and working out with Miami's training staff. He's yet to reappear in a game, and it stands to reason that he may not for the rest of the season.
Or, if the issue proves to be a long-term health threat, ever again. We just don't know.
What we do know is that the Heat have somehow managed to not just survive, but thrive in Bosh's absence. They're 8-2 without Bosh since the break, propelled by a faster-paced, more varied and productive offensive attack. The stretch includes a 5-0 record since the Heat signed Joe Johnson off the buyout scrap heap and inserted him into the starting lineup.
If Bosh is out for the year, there's no way his defensive impact won't be missed in the postseason. But on the offensive side, Miami's smaller lineup with Luol Deng at power forward and Amar'e Stoudemire/Hassan Whiteside at center has produced eight 100-point performances since the break. Johnson is shooting 60 percent from the field in his five starts. Point guard Goran Dragic is thriving in the faster-paced attack with five 20-point games during this stretch. Before that, he'd logged two since Christmas.
After missing the first two games after the All-Star break with a knee injury (and struggling with a 4-for-21 night against the Pacers in his return), the ageless Dwyane Wade is shooting 46 percent from the field in the past seven games.
How are the Heat doing this? A couple of reasons.
One, Dragic prefers to attack with a smaller lineup and has developed a connection with Deng, Stoudemire and Whiteside in their new roles. The enigmatic Whiteside also has adopted what can reasonably be construed as a more mature approach, not complaining about coming off the bench in Bosh's absence even though this is a contract year for him. In his last nine games, Whiteside has produced eight double-doubles, including a 25-point, 23-rebound performance against Washington.
Two, let's be honest ... part of it is the schedule. Since the break, the Heat are 3-2 against teams that currently have a .500-plus record and 5-0 against sub-.500 teams. The same holds true for the defensive ratings of their opponents; they're 3-2 against teams that are ranked in the top 10 in defensive efficiency, and 5-0 against teams that are not. Three of the victories have come against Phoenix (29th) and Philadelphia (24th), which Miami has beaten twice.
However the schedule has broken, the Heat (37-26) find themselves two games ahead of Atlanta for the fourth playoff spot in the East and tied in the loss column with the Celtics for third. Bosh or no Bosh, Miami is proving that it will be no easy out come playoff time.
As for the future -- the basketball future in Miami, that is -- Bosh's predicament weighs heavily on the Heat's ability to sustain success in the post-LeBron James era. Due to the timing of Bosh's injury, there was no disabled player exception or cap relief available to the Heat for the balance of this season. Should he be forced to retire, the Heat wouldn't receive cap relief for one calendar year after such an announcement -- meaning they'd have to carry his $23.7 million salary through the 2016 free-agent period and 2017 trade deadline.
Either way, Bosh will receive all $75 million that he is guaranteed over the next three seasons. Not that he needs it -- and not that money is what really matters here, anyway.
There are some things that are more important than basketball, and we should all be able to agree that life is one of them. Look at it this way: What if it were yours?
