This was really predictable right from the start. When the Miami Heat signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwayne Wade and form a “superteam” , they held a big event to introduce all their new stars, and the trio promised multiple championships – not 2 or 3, but 7 or 8. Unfortunately, the NBA isn’t a fantasy league, they have real teams that play real games. Now with the Heat barely over the .500 mark so far, and having been soundly beaten twice by the Boston Celtics, there already are rumors that Heat players are beginning to blame coach Eric Spoelstra for the poor start – saying that his schemes are too simplistic and aren’t taking advantage of the players’ skills. It was also reported that Spoelstra called out LeBron for not taking practice seriously enough. I feel sorry for the coach. He’s probably a great young coach, but he’s in a no-win situation. Obviously, his new superstars aren’t willing to do what it takes to win, the dirty work – like practicing for instance – and instead feel they just need to show up on game night and the wins will just come. Spoelstra had scapegoat written all over him as soon as the new stars were signed. The presence of Pat Riley, who coached the Laker “Showtime” teams in the Magic Johnson era, in the front office doesn’t help either. There were reports right from the start that Riley would wind up coaching the team, although he insists that Spoelstra is his man. We’ll see how long that lasts if the losses pile up. The Heat have a 10-8 record at this point, and LeBron’s old Cleveland Cavalier teammates aren’t far behind them, with a 7-10 record, not bad when you consider that the team is in an adjustment period dealing with the loss of James. Yes, you could argue that Miami needs to go through the same type of adjustment, but that’s not what the players themselves were hyping before the actual games were played. They were already planning multiple championship parades. Of course, when reality sets in and the whole thing comes crashing down, make no mistake – it’ll be Eric Spoelstra’s fault.
NBA – The Heat Is On
01
Dec