Who is the REAL barometer to Heat success?

by sherman r on Mar 23, 2010 3:19 PM EDT

The picture of Jermaine O'Neal throwing down on Kris Humphries and O'Neal's play in general of late got me to thinking. For the most part we (me as much as anybody) has staked the success of the Heat on Beasley's performance in tandem with Dwyane Wade. Now, I also look at Coach Spoelstra's mismanagement of minutes for shooters, but the year JO has been having made me think: Is he, and should he be, the Heat's most celebrated player behind Dwyane Wade?

Of course Wade has to be effective for us to be successful as a team, but who's the next most important guy? Arroyo's emergence as the best fit at starting PG, Q's timely shooting (especially early in games since he's a forgotten man late in games), erratic contributions from Beasley are great, but I contend that JO is the guy that makes or breaks this team behind Wade. Here's my reasoning:

In 25 games in which JO has scored at least 16 points, the Heat are 14-11 (a 0.560 winning %).

In the 37 games in which he has had at least 18 points, the record improves to 13-8 (a 0.619 %).

In the 46 games in which JO has scored less than 16, the record is a dismal 19-21 (0.475).

Strangely enough though, the Heat are 4-2 (0.667) in the 6 games he has not suited up, so go figure!

JO has, at worst, shown that he has a bit left in the tank. At best, he has shown that he is more valuable than you might think at first glance.

ADDENDUM

As good as JO was for us during the season, his Miami Heat tombstone will likely only make mention of how he fell apart during the 2010 Playoffs.

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Jermaine has well exceeded expectations this season. He’s been shooting over 50% all year, and to be honest I don’t know why he hasn’t gotten more praise.

Nice job looking up the #’s Sherm, I think he could very well be the team MVP if not for D-Wade, but Wade will always be our best player so I think they should have an award for non-Wade MVP. :o)

Peninsula Is Mightier:Your SB Nation Miami Heat Blog Community

"My parents would always say, `It doesn't matter if it`s a guy picking up the garbage or the President of the United States, treat everybody as you would want to be treated.'"- Dan Marino

by David Dwork on Mar 23, 2010 5:05 PM EDT reply actions

The SMVP

Second Most Valuable Player

Go big or go home

by Keebler on Mar 23, 2010 5:20 PM EDT up reply actions

JO is the only player on this team that can consistently get his own shot

and is the only player that can finish in the paint

of course im talkin about other than wade

Im tryin to right my wrongs, but its funny how these same wrongs helped me write this song. - Mr. West

by Davone_Is_BessT on Mar 23, 2010 6:42 PM EDT reply actions

The man has been ballin this season

I’m really proud of and for him. With the right kind of training and conditioning, I think has has at least another two seasons in him of sustaining his current level of play. I hope they can work it out where he’s here for those years.

I also think his team neeeds to realize he’s helping as much as he is. If the guys focus on him more consistently as the second option, it might take some of the pressure off Michael Beasley’s apparently fragile psyche and allow him to just play ball. It might significantly lift the load on Wade. Lastly, it could also create more space for the shooters to operate.

Playing, coaching, and watching basketball.

by sherman r on Mar 23, 2010 9:45 PM EDT reply actions

Could you maybe pass that message along to this guy….

Peninsula Is Mightier:Your SB Nation Miami Heat Blog Community

"My parents would always say, `It doesn't matter if it`s a guy picking up the garbage or the President of the United States, treat everybody as you would want to be treated.'"- Dan Marino

by David Dwork on Mar 23, 2010 11:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Sure!

Dave, that’s hilarious. Maybe I can move to town, get in Spo’s ear, and what I tell him would resonate. Hey, stranger things have happened. After all, Spoelstra did become the head coach of this team with virtually no coaching experience and starting off as a game film guy. Now I just have to convince my with that we can move to South Beach on this whim. _

Playing, coaching, and watching basketball.

by sherman r on Mar 23, 2010 11:29 PM EDT up reply actions

He is the Unsung Hero of this team

2009 NY Phin PhansFantasy League Champion
2009 Best Regular Season Record in NYPPL.
2010 The Jim Mandich NewsFlash Award Winner.

by Patssuck456 on Mar 24, 2010 8:39 PM EDT reply actions

His efficiency has been understated

I guess people overlook him because his numbers exactly mirror (and I mean exactly) his Toronto numbers but we know he’s been playing better

by kazam92 on Mar 24, 2010 8:58 PM EDT reply actions

The numbers are pretty much the same

Good find. I (like many) just kind of assumed his stint in Canada was something more like 9 points and 6 rebounds. The one difference this season is that he been much more healthy this season, missing only six games due to injury thus far, and at least one of those (maybe two) was due to illness, so the knees are holding up, which is a great sign.

Playing, coaching, and watching basketball.

by sherman r on Mar 25, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions