Daily Poll: Who should start at PG for the Heat?
by David Dwork on Aug 2, 2010 5:00 AM EDT
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PrintToday we take a look at the point guard position. Forgive me if in the last couple days the Heat have signed someone new that should be part of this poll, and for that variable I'm adding an ‘other' that can be voted on. As of when I am writing this, the two guys in contention for the starting job are Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo.
Both of these guys started a good amount of games for the Heat last season so we know they are capable of handling the job. Rio is the young talent whose career has been a lot of peaks and valleys. He is very quick in different ways, showing an ability to get to the rim on offense and racking up the steals with his quick hands on D. The downside on defense was that his feet didn't often keep up with his hands, causing him to get beat off the dribble which lead to bad fouls.
The other big knock on Chalmers is turnovers, and that is probably the area he most has to improve on. He averaged 2.0 a game in his rookie season and didn't do much better last year, giving it away 1.7 times. While that looks like a small improvement, it isn't. He played 32 minutes/game in his 1st season and just under 24 last year.
Arroyo is stable but not a playmaker. He can handle the ball and runs the offense efficiently, and he is also a pretty good shooter from the 15-18 foot range. He is a career 43.8% shooter from the field but hit 47.5% last year with the Heat.
What gave him the advantage over Chalmers last season was his ability to take care of the ball. Arroyo turned the ball over 0.8 times/game last year, his lowest total since becoming a regular rotation player back in 2003. Back then he wasn't getting in more then 12 minutes a game, but since the 03-04 season Arroyo has been averaging at least 17 min a game.
Last year with Miami he averaged more minutes then he had since 03-04, which is why his turnover numbers are so impressive and why they got so much attention.
While offense is something that should certainly be taken into consideration when casting your vote, you have to consider what the Heat is going to need from the point guard position this season. Taking care of the ball should be priority #1; the majority of the offense will be coming from the 2-3-4 positions, and odds are that LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will handle a portion of the ball carrying duties.
The 2nd team point guard will be relied on a bit more, and for obvious reasons. That's when there will be a little more emphasis on the offense and keeping things stable while our big guys rest. We'll be able to speculate a lot more when we have an idea of what the Heat's rotations will look like, but for now I'm just keeping things as basic as possible.
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Mario for me – 2 turnovers a game isn’t that bad comparatively – he is young and I think will improve a great deal this season with a more defined role in the offense.
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remember Rajon Rondo from 2007
Boston signed the big 3 2007 with a young unexperienced Point Guard like Chalmers is. Rondo raised his game to another level, knowing the importance of his position. I like Chalmers aggressiveness and also he has a much better shot than Rondo – I would count on him, also because he learned in the last season, that he has to earn this position and work for it. I guess he will become more a three point shooter instead of a playmaker, because of Lebrons point-forward abilities that Paul Pierce don’t have.
Its not like we are starved for offense
Im picking Carlos here. With 3 of five starters being all-NBA at their positions, what we need is more of a caretaker than a play maker. Thats what Arroyo is, he makes good plays and takes care of the ball. I think Rio should come in for a change of pace or against some of the more athletic/troublesome PG’s to tire them out a bit when they defend the quicker more athletic Chalmers. Either way though, I think we should be fine.
Please not Carlos.
He doesn’t fit with the starters. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective and he cant shoot from more than 18 feet. I don’t see why this is even a question. Maybe I am a bit higher on Chalmers than most, but I think he is younger, a better defender, and a better shooter. The only thing Arroyo has is the assist to turnover ratio. But it isn’t even because he is a better ball handler. Arroyo only makes very simple passes, usually he only gets an assist when someone hits a jumper, he hardly ever sets someone up for a layup. He is like a QB with a good completion %, because he checks down to the RB all the time. However, I don’t want to sound to down on him because he will be a very good backup.
I think Carlos Arroyo
Not really very high on Carlos Arroyo. But since he’s more of a caretaker PG, he’s better suited to run the offense with LeBron, Dwyane, and Chris in the starting 5.
Chalmers can run the point off the bench with Mike Miller, Zydrunas, and Udonis as the main scoring men of the 2nd 5. A 3rd lineup combining Miller, Eddie House, and Chalmers will be a nice shooting lineup.
If we just signed someone like Keyon Dooling or Luke Ridnour....
Then the starting PG wouldn’t be much of a problem.
does it really matter?
both of these guys have their moments (especially rio during his rookie campaign) but given what they’ll be asked to do i see no discernible difference. arroyo is a no-nonsense point guard and takes care of the ball. that is why i voted for him. rio scared me last year. he lost much of the sparkle he demonstrated two years ago. he will NEVER be rondo, people. this is unrealistic and unfair to a young player with enough to worry about going into the most watched (and critiqued, criticized, commented uopn) season any NBA team has ever had to endure. let the vet run the show and bring rio in with the second team. if he’s ready for prime-time it’ll show soon enough!!! or not.
1+3+6=how many rings???
Job Requirements for Miami Heat Point Guard:
A — Walk ball up the court and give it to Wade or LeBron with a minimum of turnovers.
B — Be able to hit an open 3.
C — Play defense.
Arroyo is definitely better at A.
Chalmers is slightly better at B, though neither is particularly good at 3 pointers.
Chalmers is a lot better at C, which is probably the most important one, because we can work around A and B.
My answer: Chalmers.
I agree, the starting squad...
does not need a bring it up the court and then run the offense true point guard. Being able to hit an open 3 will be critical because the shots will be wide open—90’s Bulls (Paxson, Ker, Craig, ect.). Defense also: any steals with this squad will lead to a fast break dunk. Arroyo can help manage a lead and come in to spell Chalmers.
Honestly, the way I think of it is this: we have max guys at 2, 3, and 4. And 5 is 5 on any team. But who is the defensive/3 point specialist? Who is the energy guy to shut down the other team’s max guy? Who’s our Keith Askins / Bruce Bowen? If you want LeBron and Wade to be able to rest on D, it’s gotta be the 1 guard. And because of LeBron and Wade’s ball handling skills, we can afford to do that.
We don’t need a Chris Paul / Steve Nash creator point guard. We do need a great defender. Chalmers can be that guy.
(Oh, I forgot to mention before. Obviously, the key thing about 3pt% isn’t the points themselves. It’s forcing the defense to be honest and cover you, thus spreading the floor so the other guys can score.)
Chalmers...
his ability to get steals is gonna get the team a crap load of fast breaks points with Wade and Bron streaking down the court.
Plus Chalmers is a better 3 point shooter (some times) and has upside.
Arroyo will be a great veteran presence for garbage time minutes after we rack up 30+ point leads on a consistent basis.
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Vomit
Sorry about that. It’s gotta be Chalmers in a Rajon Rondo sort of way. Now I have to go blow some more chunks real quick…
I'm liking the idea of Chalmers playing the point
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edge to chalmers
While I believe the real winner to the position will be the player that has the best chemistry with the other starters (like it would be really hard :), for now I give the edge to Chalmers for his shooting, defensive potential, and youth. However, the biggest question for him is not his skill but actually his consistency on both sides of the court, where at least Arroyo is a model of consistency.
Tough
Chalmers’ quick hands is a huge factor. Between him, Dwyane and LeBron the team is almost guaranteed to lead the league in steals this year, and that will do wonders for their fastbreak opportunities. But on the other hand, Arroyo was way more steady and consistent last season. He’s more of a pure PG and a better decision maker. Spoelstra can switch either depending on matchups, really… both can get steady minutes unless he decides to continue playing Wade at point.
I would go with Carlos
better defender
can handle the ball and run offense
doesn’t make big mistakes
consistent
can make shots
I really like Mario with the second team. The second team needs a guy who can come in and score. He would be great off the bench. Mike Miller can be the main facilitater and Chalmers comes in scorers points, puts pressure on the defense with his scoring, shooting, also can get steals and fast break points.
i don't understand that
everyone says the biggest plus with Arroyo is handling and running the offense. So let me get this straight, You want to take the ball out of Wade’s and Lebron’s hands and put it in Arroyo’s? Whoever starts at pg will not be handling and running the offense. They will be defending and spotting up from three. And while Chalmers isn’t great from 3, he is much better than Arroyo from long range. I know you think Arroyo is a better defender, but I respectfully disagree. Plus he is younger and still has a bit of potential left. I really think he will thrive on this team.
Also, we are not going to have a 1st and 2nd team. I think that the goal will be to always be to have either Wade or Lebron on the court. So, I am not worried about adding scoring to the 2nd team because I don’t think there will be one.
Other--EDDIE HOUSE!
The Arroyo signing is a bit of a conundrum for me.
On the one hand
I like Arroyo a lot. He helped us a lot last season. He does have a very steady hand with the basketball.
On the other hand
He’s not much of a shooter from distance. LeBron James and D-Wade will be handling most of the ballhandling and playmaking. I thought a shooter was much more needed.
Since Eddie House has been brought in, he is the best choice to man the position. Without House, I like starting Dwyane Wade, Mike Miller, and LeBron James in a 3-guard alignment. They all can handle the ball well enough to take pressure off each other.
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