30Oct

Miami Heat Open Season with a Win Over Charlotte

October 30, 2015 by

The Miami Heat opened the 2015-2016 season with a win at home against the Charlotte Hortets 104-94. The Heat started Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic in the backcourt, Luol Deng and Chris Bosh in the frontcourt, and Hassan Whiteside at center. The Hornets send out Kemba Walker and P.J. Hairston in the backcourt, Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams in the frontcourt, and Al Jefferson at center.

The Heat had stellar play from their top 2 stars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Bosh finished the night with 21 points and 10 rebounds while Wade had 20 points and 5 assists. Off the bench, Gerald Green gave the Heat 30 quality minutes scoring 19 points. Jeremy Lin, a new guard with the Hornet came off the bench to score 17 points on 5-10 shooting. Walker added 19 points while Jefferson chipped in with 17. Justise Winslow had a great slam over three Hornets. Check it out below.

The Heat looked good together. Ideally, they’ll want to see more from Hassan Whiteside, the 7 foot center who came on big last year. Whiteside had just 4 points and 6 rebounds after averaging 11.8 points and 10.0 rebounds last year. Another player they’ll want to step up is Goran Dragic. Dragic signed a max deal this summer but contributed just 8 points and 6 assists.

25Feb

Miami Heat Trade Updates

February 25, 2015 by

With just about 15 games left to play in the NBA regular season, the Miami Heat are holing onto a #7 slot in the eastern conference. The Heat hope to hang onto their playoff position, especially with the addition of the Dragic brothers, Goran and Zoran for Danny Granger, Justin Hamilton and two first round draft picks: one in 2017 and another in 2021. The Heat also Traded Norris Cole, Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton to the New Orleans Hornets for guard John Salmons. The team also signed another guard in Tyler Johnson earlier this month. Below is a slide show of the Miami Heat players before the trade.

Raanan Katz and the Miami Heat Roster:

09Dec

Miami Heat’s Road Woes

December 9, 2014 by

Raanan Katz Miami Heat WadeThe Miami Heat are on quite the skid as of recent losing five of their last six games. Throughout their first 18 games, the Heat have struggled with continuity. They have used six different starting lineups in their first 18 games. Dwyane Wade has recently missed seven games due to a hamstring injury, and Luol Deng injured his right hand, leaving him questionable for a couple of recent games.

They started off their losing skid against the Golden State Warriors. Stephen Curry scored 40 points, 24 of which came from 3-ponters. Chris Bosh was the Heat’s leading scorer, raking up 26 points, but that was not enough as they lost 114-97.

The Miami Heat then traveled to New York City and beat the Knicks 86-97. Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade both returned to their teams starting lineup. Wade scored an impressive 27 points, leading his team to a comfortable victory.

The Heat moved their way South to play the Washington Wizards at the Verizon Center. The Heat could not contain John Wall as he scored 18 points and 13 assists. Chris Bosh lead the head with 21 points and 8 rebounds, but that was not enough as the Heat ended up losing 86-107.

The Heat then played the red-hot Atlanta Hawks and put up a good fight at home. Luol Deng injured his right hand in the middle of the game and was taken out. Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh lead the team by scoring 28 and 27 respectively. The Heat were shooting 56% from the field, which normally would result in a win. Unfortunately, they were playing the Atlanta Hawks, who have won 6 of their last 7. The Heat lost 102-112.

Dwyane Wade continued to play well on the road, scoring 28 points against the Bucks, but that did not help the team turn out a victory as the Heat still lost 85-109.

Sunday night was a similar turnout. The Heat traveled to Memphis and lost to the Grizzlies 87-103. Dwyane Wade scored 25 points.

The Heat continue their road streak tonight against Phoenix. They then travel to Denver and Utah.

11Sep

Miami Heat’s Last Off-Season Acquisition Prospects

September 11, 2014 by

Raanan-Katz-Chris-Bosh-Miami-Heat-compressorThis off-season the Miami Heat have spent the most money out of any other team in the NBA as the team still has holes in their lineup that need addressing. The absence of LeBron James along with potential injury issues for Dwyane Wade and Josh McRoberts show a depth concern for the reigning eastern conference champions. The team might look to add a player with potential that is not yet proven to add to their bench. Right now, the Miami Heat have 11 player on their roster with guaranteed salaries. During this time of the season, they are basically looking for a player to fill their last roster spot and possibly act as a team mentor during practice.  This player could also be one of the last players off the bench to add energy during a team mental break in a pivotal moment of a game.

Ryan Hollins is a great example of this. He has the energy-filling capabilities as the would-be Heat third center, and he has veteran leadership that could be used throughout practice. Another option is Jordan Crawford. Crawford can be an excellent playmaker off the bench, which is something that the Miami Heat are looking for. Emeka Okafor is also attracting a lot of attention. Though his injury past worries many people, Emeka Okafor could be a great investment for the Heat bench. Miami experienced some bad results with Greg Oden, but Okafor’s injury should be easier to handle. Do the Miami Heat need another Udonis Haslem? Dante Cunningham could fill that void and possibly beat Haslem for the spot as the mid-range big-man with great athleticism. Miami can only offer whoever they pick up minimum salary at this point, so since the Clippers just waved Miroslav Raduljica, the Heat could definitely use his size and rebounding abilities off the bench.