Before Butler fled Miami, the expectations for the Heat to run deep into the playoffs were not very strong. In fact, very little was expected of them. Once the dust settled behind Butler’s departure, “very little” became “nothing.”
The talent the team received in exchange for Jimmy is good but not consistently great, and every team needs one or two “go-to” players. Players like Bam and Herro are exceptional but are not always going to get open for the winning basket.
Injuries have also resulted in reduced minutes for good players like Jovic and Jaquez, but they are not yet at levels that replace the consistency of a Butler. And, yes, Ware has proven that he belongs, but all of the absent teammates together cannot replace a player of Butler’s talent.
Then there’s the issue of how frequently the Heat starts games slowly, warms up in the second and third periods, and then deflates as the game comes to its conclusion. In all that’s been written about the team, I have not read one logical analysis of why this is occurring and how to deal with it.
As of this writing, the Heat is still eligible for the “play-in,” but there is little reason to anticipate them going very far in the post-season. Perhaps the best approach to the balance of the season is for Spo to utilize this time to put certain players to the test to determine their long-term future with the club. There is probably nothing better to do as the season wears down.