In need of a closer

This would be the third game of five that the Heat has had a winnable game down the stretch and watched it slip away. This time it was Steve Nash putting the Suns on his back and scoring 11 straight to give Phoenix a late lead.
The Heat, meanwhile, had its franchise player missing five straight shots down the stretch (in case you're unsure who that franchise player is because he hasn't exactly been playing like one until Friday, his name is Shaquille O'Neal).
We all know who the closer is, and we all are waiting impatiently for his return.
I'm guessing Sunday in New York might have to be the day he comes back. But that could just be an eager basketball fan hoping to watch on the best players in the league play basketball again.
The Heat actually played well without him, Friday, against a Suns team that had Amare Stoudemire back for most of the game (he was ejected after a weak second technical foul in the third quarter).
Jason Williams was brilliant for most of the game. He was running the offense flawlessly, hitting mid-range shots, getting to the basket and finding the right guy at the right time.
It's too bad for J-Will, though, that Steve Nash decided to steal the spotlight in the last few minutes with his personal 11-0 run.
By the end, Jason was limping (possibly cramps, but it could have been an ankle tweak), which just goes to show he can't do it all for the entire game. He played 45 minutes, and I know he's healthy and all, but he's not physically built to do everything he tried to do Friday for that long a period. Guarding Nash and Leandro Barbosa in the frantic Phoenix and carrying his own offense (21 points, 10 assists) is pretty tough to do for 45 minutes when you're 6-1, 180.
But if he keeps playing at this level with Dwyane on the floor, he's going to have his best year, easily, in his three seasons here. He looks quick and is playing smart. The only thing that's missing is his three-point shot (3 of 15 for the year), and you figure he'll get more open looks with Dwyane in the game.
Penny Hardaway started for the first time since 2004 (that meant Dorell was given all of four games to prove his worth) and played 21 minutes. Penny didn't offer much but some stability in the halfcourt game. If there's anything that man can do it's find Shaq in the paint. He did it better than anyone Friday, and that could prove to be helpful down the road -- especially if he can hit some open shots, too.
Back to Shaq for a second. He did put up strong numbers -- 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks -- but there were too many times where looking for him took almost all the time off the shot clock. Down the stretch, that left him with a couple of rushed shots and one that he just lobbed at the rim hoping for a foul.
Those are the spots you miss Dwyane the most, because the defense can't just key in on Shaq and take the Heat offense out of sync.
Overall, though, I wouldn't be surprised if this team, Dwyane or not, puts it together in these next three games (at New York, at Charlotte, vs Seattle). Phoenix doesn't offer much in the form of defense, but UD was 9 of 17 for 20 points, J-Will and Ricky both scored 21 and Shaq had his first big night. So if nothing else, there might finally be a confidence to go along with that sense of urgency that will grow exponentially with every loss now.

Upon his return

When Dwyane Wade gets back, and I've already heard rumblings that Friday against the Suns is a definite possibility (although I actually believe it is a day-to-day process), one of the best things that could come out of it is keeping Smush Parker off the floor.
I know that sounds harsh, but it is hard watching him try to run the offense. It sometimes looks like he has never run a high screen-and-roll. I know the Spurs are a good defensive team, but every play should not result in a complete scramble when he's running the point. Maybe that was just in the second half, but it still was enough to prove he needs either a lot more time in practice or just a totally different, more triangular, system to play well.
As for Dwyane, I wouldn't consider him playing against the Suns or Knicks this weekend as "rushing him back." If his knee is going to be sore and require a day off, wouldn't it make sense that the day off come after a game that he contributes instead of a practice? You would assume he's putting the same stress on his knee in practice that he is in games. So wouldn't it be more beneficial to the team that he play in a game? Now, that's assuming he's in game shape and able to contribute, which it seems he is based on Riley's comments and the reactions of those who have seen him play.
It has definitely been painful watching the Heat put up 80, 85, 88 and 78 points in the first four games. That offense is atrocious.

So close

Well, there was a point where it looked like the Heat was playing with absolutely no interest. That short stretch at the end of the third quarter, and the cold shooting from Jason Williams, was probably what did it for the Heat in the loss to the 'Cats.
The bad part is the team is 0-3 and it's obvious that it can't afford an off shooting night if it's going to win without Dwyane (2 of 12 from three-point range won't cut it). And without Dwyane, there is no obvious offensive choice to close out the game.
That said, it was encouraging to see Shaquille play for a long stretch without fouling and scoring more than a couple buckets.
It was also nice to see Dorell play a big part in the comeback (though I am still bewildered by his unwillingness to take it strong to the rim sometimes).
Miami did hang in there on the boards (40-40) against a good rebounding team, and only committed 12 turnovers after giving up 17 in the previous two games. The Heat also got to the free throw line more than Charlotte. Basically, Miami lost Jason Richardson there for a stretch, and that was enough to cost them a win.
Dwyane gets back to practice Monday, and I'm sure the team doesn't want to be 0-fer when he comes back. But it'll take huge efforts to win either of the next two games against the Spurs and Suns.

Heat-Pacers

How many times have the Heat played the SAME EXACT GAME in Indianapolis?!?!
Must be frustrating for them.
But there were some encouraging things coming out of it. First, there was obviously Daequan's performance. The kid had a nice game, and he did what everyone knew he could do, which is shoot. And he has a pretty strong NBA body, so he can hold his own out there.
The other thing I loved was Riley going to Chris Quinn to back up J-Will. After watching Smush in the opener, I said to myself that Chris would be the better option to set up the offense, be a spot-up shooter and, honestly, to defend. I've seen enough out of Quinn to know that he'll  be in good position defensively and has some surprising quickness and length. He's also very good in a zone, if Riley ever goes to that option. Smush seemed lost, didn't look comfortable running the point and frankly isn't as good defensively as he should be.
It's like a few of us media types have been saying since last year... You wanna win, play Chris Quinn!
Ricky Davis had 14 rebounds to go with his 13 points, which is encouraging for a team that has always needed its perimeter players to help Udonis on the boards.
And then there were the three three-pointers from Mark Blount. I don't know if he'll take a ton of threes this year, but if he turns out to be a better percentage three-pointer shooter than Antoine Walker, not only would that be freakin' hilarious, but it would make the trade look like even more of a steal.
Now, all was not great against the Pacers. Obviously, the L says something went wrong.
First, there seems to be an issue guarding small forwards. Not only did Tayshaun Prince drop a career high, but Danny Granger has 25 and nine the very next night.
The other disconcerting aspect is Shaq's struggles. Six turnovers, 4-of-13 shooting, six fouls, one assist.
Wow, that's a bad night. Make that two bad nights in a row.
And once again, the Heat scores in the 80s, turns the ball over 17 times and loses to a team that shoots less than 40 percent from the field (4-of-13 shooting from the FT stripe doesn't help, either).
I would say Riley is going to be pretty damn pissed if the Heat don't win Sunday against the Bobcats.

Now to the real news: Dwyane being cleared to practice is probably the best news this team has gotten since Shaq got here in 2004. If he can come back within a week to 10 days, it'll be earlier than expected and give this team such a boost. I'm guessing Riley can't wait to get on the practice floor to see how this team operates with Dwyane back. I'm guessing three or four -- five at most -- practices would be enough for him to get on the floor, unless he has some kind of setback. That could put him on the floor either against the Knicks on Nov. 11, the Bobcats on Nov. 13, or if he's being really cautious, the Sonics on Nov. 14.
I'm not saying anyone will pressure him to return, but if he has a few good practices, and the team continues to struggle offensively, I'm guessing he'll return sooner rather than later.

Game one, not pretty

OK, I just read a comment from the previous entry that said I was being too optimistic about the season.
If that's true, then you probably won't agree much with this one, either, because I didn't think Thursday's loss to the Pistons should be considered much of a big deal.
To me, there were two areas of concern: First, I think Dorell looked bad again. He was indecisive offensively and just didn't look comfortable making any kind of decisions. Second, the defense was pretty darn bad, giving up waaaay too many layups to the Pistons, who have been running the same stuff since 1982.
That said, those two areas are fixable. If Dorell keeps struggling, Riles will either ease him out of the rotation for the second straight year, or he'll find another small forward via trade. And if that doesn't work, it'll just be a matter of time before Dwyane comes back, which means Ricky can scoot to the small forward and Dorell's minutes will be chopped considerably.
The defense, meanwhile, is going to be a work in progress considering the team has four rotation players who weren't with this team last year, and two of them who weren't even with this team last week. That will definitely be the first area Riley addresses, I'm sure.
The rest of the problem areas -- the 17 turnovers, the poor shooting, the sloppy offense and the inability to play off Shaq when he gets double-teamed -- I think that all comes with time because of the new players. Plus, not every defense the Heat plays will be as good as Detroit's, and not every offense will be as polished as Detroit's.
I expect teams to look at this game and figure doubling Shaq will be the way to go until Dwyane gets back, and the more than happens, the more these guys will get used to playing off him.
Or I could be wrong and this team will be a train wreck until Dwyane comes back. But based on the short-term success last year's team had when Dwyane first hurt his shoulder, I'm thinking the train-wreck scenario has a small chance of happening.