Heat's Weak Bench Is Becoming Increasingly Obvious

I have been discussing the bench play for a few games now, but I will discuss it again. A weak bench is killing Miami, and James and Wade can not play every second of every game. There is little intensity on the bench, NO leadership, and a lot of guys that just want to sit around and watch someone else shoot. This is unacceptable.

We may not be that far away from a team where all 3 of the big 3 are not starting anymore. I mean, these guys score about 75 percent of the points every game, while the rest of the team does next to nothing. Maybe if Bosh came in with the second set of guys, there would be a little more functionality. However, having a star in there with the bench will just lead to more standing around and waiting. I really not know how to fix this problem, but I have a few ideas.

How about we give Mario Chalmers a chance? Carlos Arroyo has not been cutting it and really can not handle being on the court with the big 3. He is a solid player, but is not fitting into the starting line up they way he should by now. I think we need to see Chalmers get some more minutes, and eventually work his way into the starting rotation. He was played good basketball for the Heat before, and may have an easier time gelling with the big 3 than Arroyo. I think this guy needs the opportunity to prove himself.


Z was definitely a change for the better, but improvements cans till be made. I hope Dampier gets into better shape as the season goes on so we can see him moved into the starting slot. Z is good, but there are already 4 other guys on the court that like to shoot from the perimeter. Z is effective because he provides a change of pace from your typical center. However, when he is the only center, people learn to account for him. Having Dampier's physical presence on the inside could the Heat with boards and defense. Then, Z could come in off the bench and help put up some points.

I am not a professional coach, and I do not know what is going on behind closed doors in Miami. I do, however, know that there is something wrong and a change needs to be made sooner rather than later. I have the utmost confidence in the big 3, but the rest of the team is scaring me a little bit. The coaching staff needs to switch the rotations around, or maybe even waive some guys and bring some new faces in. In the next few games, I expect to see a lot of different looks in Miami.

The Heat take on Washington tomorrow night. With a young guard like Wall playing, maybe Chalmers will see a little more time. But for now, all we can do is wait and see what the Heat bring to the table.