More Juwan Howard?
If this were 1988, that might be a good call for a team, but we’ve all moved on from that year, something evidenced by the fact we no longer consider “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” good music. In 2010 both Howard and Bobby McFerrin should be used only in moderation.
But right now, the Miami Heat don’t have a choice.
The Heat are not a deep team, a truth born of the salary cap and the way the team was assembled. After a few core players Pat Riley could only offer minimum salaries, and while he may have gotten the best of that group we’re still talking about guys willing to play for the minimum.
So the news that Udonis Haslem will be out until the All-Star break or longer really cuts into the Heat depth and rotation. Haslem was the best rebounder the Heat have and was a steadying, physical presence inside on their defense. Both of those things will be missed.
So now what?
In the short term, it means more Juwan Howard, the 16-year veteran who has so far played just mop-up duty at the end of a couple games. He is the guy on the depth chart behind Haslem.
He doesn’t bring a lot, as Tom Haberstroh noted in a detailed look at ESPN. The good news is he still has a midrange game so you can run some pick-and-pop with him on offense. He can still score the rock a little.
But he does not bring much if any real rebounding. He is not a defensive presence in the paint. He doesn’t bring the things the Heat really counted on out of Haslem.
That means Miami could try to sign a free agent, something Riley admitted to ESPN.
“There’s a possibility we might need more rebounding,” Riley said. “We need more rebounding, and we need obviously somebody that is going to have a big body in the paint that can make a difference and have an impact. We will consider something like that.”
There are not a lot of free agent bigs out there right now. Erick Dampier remains the biggest name, he flirted with a number of teams including the Heat but has had a couple deals fall through. There have been rumblings of health concerns, but for whatever reason a guy who started in Dallas last season but can’t get a job may be the Heat’s best option.
Shavlik Randolph also was in the Heat’s training camp and they could bring him in.
However, the Heat have a full 15 guys on the roster, to bring anyone in means to buy out someone already in the locker room. Which is not something owners like to do.
Basically, there are no good options, just some that may be less bad than others. But after Haslem went down against Memphis the Grizzlies dominated the glass on their way to upsetting the Heat. If that remains the case, choosing the less bad may be Miami’s only option.