Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Heart of the Heat
Hassan Whiteside’s rise to MVP leaves little room to doubt him.
It never quite was 15 Strong, not with Chris Bosh again out of commission and with Derrick Williams subbed out for Okaro White at midseason. But along the way, the Miami Heat found their winning formula, going 30-11 over the second half of the season.
With Wednesday’s final buzzer comes time to assess going forward, because even during the Heat’s Big Three era, the roster constantly evolved. That means prioritizing. Because in a salary-cap league, success comes only with a well-defined hierarchy.
So rather than postseason grades, we offer a Heat ladder, the list starting at the top, of those who mean the most from the season-ending roster:
1. Hassan Whiteside: This is exactly what you want, the player at the top your payroll also being your most influential player. If there were any doubts on July 1 when the four-year, $98 million agreement was reached, there shouldn’t be now. The defense was funneled toward Whiteside’s unique rim protection. The next step has to be maximizing the point-blank offense in crunch time.
2. Chris Bosh: This is the golden ticket, albeit for all the wrong reasons. What the Heat do with Bosh’s $23.5 million in cap space will define the franchise into the next decade. And if the cap space is not gained (and maintained), the devastation will be as significant as these past three seasons in the absence of the player whose skill set is almost exactly what this franchise now most needs.
3. James Johnson: Ahead of Goran Dragic? Yes, ahead of Dragic. Because when the Heat absolutely had to have baskets at the end of the Pistons and Wizards games, the ball was placed in James Johnson’s hands. No player on the roster proved more versatile. It reached the point where the entire rotation was based on where and how James Johnson was being utilized. No, not LeBron James. Just LeBron-like versatility.
4. Goran Dragic: This is in no way a slight to Goran Dragic. And with his $17 million salary he remains a value player for the Heat. Because he is willing to play off the ball, defer to James Johnson or Dion Waiters when necessary, he has become more of a
complementary player. And if James Johnson and Dion Waiters are retained, that could prove to be Dragic’s most valuable trait.
5. Dion Waiters: There was a point where he stood above James Johnson in this hierarchy. But durability matters. It just does. James Johnson was there for 76 games, Dion for 46. The Heat need Dion Waiters back. But they needed James Johnson back more.
6. Tyler Johnson: The contract will no doubt become onerous when the annual cap hits stands at $19 million in the 2018 and ’19 offseasons. But at a $12.5 million average salary, Tyler Johnson earned his keep in the first year of his four-year deal. The biggest question is whether he truly can be a combo guard, with the ball-handling issues, or whether undersized shooting guard it will be.
7. Justise Winslow: Out of sight, but not out of mind, especially on all those nights the Heat lacked a perimeter stopper. The end game might be as sixth man, to slow the opposing hot hand. But he also might stand as the most valuable trade commodity. And there is worth in that, as well.
8. Josh Richardson: The flashes again were there over the final games of the season, Sustain that level and he could zoom on this list ahead of Waiters and Tyler Johnson, perhaps making one or both expendable. Richardson remains perhaps the most intriguing prospect on this roster with his two-way presence.
9. Willie Reed: Reed provided the Heat with the luxury of a back-up
center, a perfect complement to Whiteside. But there also are questions about whether he could fill in as a replacement starter for extended stretches. Price point likely will determine his Heat future.
10. Wayne Ellington: For once, unlike those years with James Jones, Erik Spoelstra trusted a pure shooter to compensate shortcomings with points. Ellington at times was a game changer. But money matters, with his $6.3 million team option.
11. Rodney McGruder: A starter this low? No fault of McGruder’s. But with Winslow back (if he stays), the equation changes, especially if Josh Richardson and Dion Waiters are in place and in a healthy place.
12. Luke Babbitt: Again, if not a starter, then what? That’s what the end of the season showed, when James Johnson was the choice at power forward.
13. Okaro White: A nice prospect going forward, but not as likely to see the minutes that had to be force-fed amid the Heat’s 2016-17 injuries.
14. Udonis Haslem: Will the Heat again decide to commit a roster spot to a player coach? We’re about to find out. 15. Josh McRoberts: The style is so unique one has to wonder if the effort even will be made to reintegrate. Trade or stretch-payment waiver is the most likely outcome.