Preseason Game 1: Beyond the Box Score

Welcome to the first installment of Beyond the Box Score, where we attempt to take you past the final score of Heat games this season to look at some of the issues that stood out.

The Heat showed both rust and promise in Sunday's 95-91 overtime loss to the Detroit Pistons at AmericanAirlines Arena. Here is our game breakdown in snapshots.

Player of the Game: Michael Beasley - 16 points, 6 rebounds, in 21 minutes. Beasley performed well in his rookie preseason debut after shaking off some first-half rust. The game came a lot easier for Beasley when he was inserted into the starting lineup with Dwyane Wade and Shawn Marion after coming off the bench early.

Surprise, Surprise: David Padgett - 11 points, 6 rebounds in 17 minutes. Padgett was practically a forgotten man after a bad week of play during summer league. He apparently fell farther on the depth chart after the Heat acquired Jamaal Magloire just weeks before training camp. But it was Padgett who came off the bench late in the game and performed well in the fourth quarter and overtime. He was 4 of 5 from the field and showed hustle and grit down the stretch.

Tough Night: Daequan Cook - 4 of 15 FG, 1 of 6 3pt. range. Cook certainly doesn't lack confidence with his shot. He attempted four more field goals than any other Heat player, with his 15 shots matching the number taken by Pistons leading scorer Rodney Stuckey. But Stuckey had a game-high 23 points. Cook, who is in a desperate battle for playing time this season, missed what would have been the game-winning shot in regulation. But Cook is fearless, if nothing else, and should bounce back.

Wade's World - Dwyane Wade played 22 minutes, but had 11 points and game-high seven assists. Wade squeezed plenty of action into those limited minutes. He spent some time at small forward when the Heat went to a smaller lineup when Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn played in the backcourt. Of the different look, Wade said: "I've done it a couple of times in my career. It's kind of a quick lineup with Chalmers and Quinny in there, who can shoot the ball. I can play bigger guys because of my quickness."

Coach Speak: Erik Spoelstra on the point guard battle, where Quinn, Chalmers and Banks each played. Shaun Livingston sat out. "Chris is rock solid. He gets us into our offense mistake-free. We're pretty efficient when he's running it. He shot poorly today. Mario plays very well and can make plays and make other people better. Other times, he can turn the ball over."

Quinn started and was 1 of 7 from the field, 0 of 2 from long distance. He had 2 points, 5 assists, 2 steals and 1 turnover in 22 minutes. Banks came in second and finished 3 points, 4 fouls and 2 turnovers in 15 minutes. Chalmers started the second half and had 4 points, 4 turnovers, 5 fouls and 3 assists in 24 minutes.

Next Up: Heat plays New Jersey on Thursday in Paris

Comments

[thejuandiggler]

Send marcus banks packing. Tell him to take Mark " fat-crypto" Blount with him !

[Danny]

Talk about a rough night for our young Point Guards. Quinn seems to have an edge because of his 5 assists and because he can take care of the ball pretty well. He needs to improve his shot because other than having to faciliate the ball well as a Miami Heat PG, you also must be able to knock down the open jumper.
Grade: C+

Marcus Banks probably had the worst night out of the three PGs. He shot poorly, made a few bad decisions, and couldn't set up the teams offense properly. I see Banks as our 4th PG on the depth chart.
Grade: D-

Mario Chalmers was indeed inconsistent, but there was a good flow to the Heats offense when he was running the floor. He needs to cut down his turnovers and make better decisions from now on but we have to remember that he is still a rookie. I would put Mario Chalmers ahead of Banks and Quinn at this point because of his play but because he is inexperienced I would place Quinn as the starter for now.
Grade: C+

Lets hope Shaun Livingston can become our starting Point Guard within at least a few weeks or else our PG position will have a lot of ups and even more downs.

[black the trucker]

i think charlmers is a very good pg who has to be given a chance to learn how to be an nba point witch will take at the least one season. now banks becomes exspandable, look for a trade with him in it. lets just say guys, livingston gets back in playing shape and pans out how much does that change things at point. at least til charlmers gets time to be comfortable, and learns to be aggressive, and take care of the ball witch takes some time. but be clear this guy is a nba point. but now there's still a trade or two to be made. how about marion for harrington,jackson. or banks,cook,diawara,anthony for curry,lee. leys just say everyone comes in in shape at least 8th seed.

[HeatFan]

I was able to attend the game and these are my thoughts on how we looked:

1) Beasley - He is going to be very, very good. The natural ability to score the basketball that everyone has been talking about for some time now was evidenced even against Detroit's starting frontline. He started off the game very tentative, but in the 3rd quarter came out much more aggresive. I also loved his demeanor; you could really tell he was working hard, especially on defense (even though at times he seemed lost on that end). All the "talk" surrounding his demeanor and work ethic seem to be, at least for now, nonsense as he definitely had the look of a guy who really cares and wants to be great.

2) Point Guards - The point guard play was horrible at best. Quinn is slow, we all know that, and when he's shooting 1-7, he is much more of a liability than an asset. Banks just looks lost and gets tunnel vision when he attacks the basket, which most of the time is out of control. Chalmers at least looked like he belonged athletically, but he was very tentative leading to lazy turnovers. Hopefully Livingston can provide some stability and help groom Chalmers because as much as I love Chalmer's potential, he is a season away from getting accustomed to the NBA game (which is fine by me - remember Deron Williams was being proclaimed a bust after his rookie season).

3) Defense - The team was very active on defense, leading to a few steals and easy baskets. I liked what I saw, with the communication and pressure on the ball. We are going to get killed by good 3 point shooting teams due to the weak side corner being left open all day for the swing pass; but I'll take that over a post-up or drive to the basket, the percentages don't lie.

4) Trade - I don't think it's as inevitable as everyone is making it seem, at least not of the blockbuster variety. If a trade were to happen, as of now, I think the odd-man out is Marion for a few reasons: A) He's going on 30 years old and wants a 5 yr deal at least starting at $10 mil p year, which we will not give, B) his expiring contract will look attractive to a team looking to shed payroll as a result of a poor first half, C)he will net us the greatest possible return in the market because of reason B, and D) because Udonis is a steal at $6-7 mil per year; even coming off the bench he'd average 25-30 min a game and get you 8 points and 8 rebounds. The other option, is to make a smaller deal and try to rid ourselves of Banks/Blount's contracts, let Marion come off the books, and go into the offseason with very nice cap room and sign a premier free agent.

I'm anxious and excited for this year. I think with a healthy Wade, a developing Beasley and the rest of the young core, we will shock some people. I'd predict a 45 win season and a 5-6 seed is very attainable, barring injuries.

[mannyfresco]

Wow. I'm very pleased with the kind of reaction and critique some of you have left here. I'm always used to reading garbage from some of the so called "fans".

Anyways, I was also at the game and saw some of the same things. I don't think we should be grading them based off of one game though. Especially preseason. Remember, these guys are still trying to feel each other out and get a vibe going. It'll take a little time but not too long.

Also, give these PGs some time to develop. Right now I believe its Quinn, Chalmers, Banks. Hopefully Livingston recovers and catches up to speed soon because he would make this team that much more dynamic. But these guys need to get comfortable soon.

Did you guys know that Miami was picked by NBA Live '09 simulator to win the championship this year? Look it up.

http://www.nba.com/preview2008/easim.html

Others Beware...
THE MIAMI HEAT ARE DANGEROUS

And by the way... people need to start filling that arena up when they come back from Europe to see them play. The HEAT are destined for the playoffs. Don't be a bandwagon fan.