khandor’s sports blog

The fact is …

Champions simply work a whole lot harder … and longer, and smarter, and together … than everybody else.

They just make it look like they really don’t because of the fluidity, ease and confidence developed from hundreds [or, sometimes, thousands] of hours of additional – diligent, well coordinated, high level – practice, over a period of years.

PS. Current Odds, To Win the 2011-2012 NBA Championship

Could it possibly be the case that … after completing his 8th season in the NBA … Chris Bosh has finally developed an accurate understanding of what his “best” position actually is:

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Bulked-up Chris Bosh: I’ll play center if needed

After shying from the assignment for much of his career, Bosh said he has resigned himself to the reality that he might be the Heat’s best option in the middle at times.

“You know, as much as every time I try to run from it, it just comes and pulls me back in,” he said during the start of informal team workouts Thursday at AmericanAirlines Arena. “So I accept it. If I’m a five, put me down there, have me guarding the biggest guy, I accept the challenge. It is what it is. Every year that I’ve said ‘Oh, no, I’m not doing it,’ I’m in there anyway. So, I accept it.”

Bosh arrived bulkier than last season.

“Leaps and bounds better in my opinion,” he said of his revised physique. “But that was one of the things, not only did I want to get better on the court, but I really wanted to get in there in the weight room and really put a lot of work in and improve my body and improve my endurance and be in the best shape possible coming into this season, because it is physical down there and there shouldn’t be a season where I don’t average 10 rebounds.

“I feel like I let my team down, so that’s not going to happen again. And the only way I can do that is to get stronger, get more physical and be more of a presence on the boards.”

That emphasis, he said, was a constant during the lockout.

“Just weight room every day and just work,” he said. “That’s one thing I kind of didn’t do. I don’t think I worked hard enough last year. I was in a position where I didn’t know what to expect, and everything, I was kind of caught in the headlights a little bit and I couldn’t catch up.

“But now I know what to expect. I played in a championship series. I came up short. And I feel I know what it takes to get over that hump.”

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as an integral player for a championship calibre team?

If so, then, this corner says, “Amen.”

FYI …

According to what was written by David Friedman, on Thu-Jul-07-2011, in an article about the Cavaliers:

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Analyzing the collapse of the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers

“ … it will likely only become more difficult for Miami to win a championship, particularly if the lockout wipes out an entire season of James/Wade/Bosh in the prime of their careers.”

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According to what was written by yours truly, on Sun-Jul-10-2011 [published by the host at 11:56 PM], in a comment on David’s blog:

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Comments for “Analyzing the collapse of the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers”

David:

If someone was inclined to make you the following wager:

=================================

During the course of the next 10 seasons, I say that the Miami Heat will, in fact, win at least 1 NBA Championship with Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James on their team.

In contrast, you say that this will not happen.

=================================

might you be inclined to accept it?

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According to what was written by David Friedman, on Mon-Jul-11-2011 [published by the host at 11:56 PM], in a reply comment on David’s blog:

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Comments for “Analyzing the collapse of the 2010-2011 Cleveland Cavaliers”

Khandor:

I said exactly what I intended to say on the subject and I am not foolish enough to wager about hypothetical happenings 10 years from now. We don’t even know if there will be a 2012 season, let alone what the salary cap/financial structure will look like when the NBA lockout eventually ends: there could even be a scenario in which the Heat have to break up the “Big Three” to get under the salary cap, so it is possible that the Heat may never win a championship with the nucleus that they had last season.

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According to what was then written by yours truly, on Mon-Jul-11-2011 [sometime after 5:05 AM], in a 2nd reply comment submitted to David’s blog:

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David:

re: “I said exactly what I intended to say on the subject and I am not foolish enough to wager about hypothetical happenings 10 years from now. We don’t even know if there will be a 2012 season, let alone what the salary cap/financial structure will look like when the NBA lockout eventually ends: there could even be a scenario in which the Heat have to break up the “Big Three” to get under the salary cap, so it is possible that the Heat may never win a championship with the nucleus that they had last season.”

1. Which is all the more reason someone who holds the opinion that you do – re: the supposedly increased difficulty Miami will have winning the NBA Championship during the next several seasons, with a core of Wade, Bosh and James, than they had this year – might actually be inclined to accept the wagering opportunity I outlined for you in my original comment, that was a follow-up question to the quote from your original article.

2. I asked you a simple question based on the quote from your original article. “What you’ve said” in the original article leads in the direction of the question I asked you and some might consider it disingenuous on your part not to answer it with a straight-forward, A. “Yes,” or, B. “No.”

3. Personally, I think your answer to the question asked might actually be, B. “No” … in which case, the extent to which you actually believe the original observation made in this quotation might be called into question by a thoughtful reader concerned with your own motivation for making it in the first place.

4. The British bookmakers who accepted the wager made by Gerry McIlroy and friends several years ago … i.e. that his young son Rory would actually win the British Open by a specified age, years in the future [somewhere in his mid-20s, IIRC] … were, in fact, MORE committed to their belief than you seem to be to your own observation about the difficulty Miami is likely to have winning the NBA championship with a core of Wade, Bosh and James.

PS. FWIW, at this point, I would not be prepared to bet my own hard-earned money on the threesome of Wade, Bosh and James winning the NBA title together, either, even though I believe that this will actually become EASIER for them to accomplish as each year goes by prior to them moving beyond their prime.

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which – interestingly enough – has not yet been published by the host … even though other, more recently submitted comments from other contributors do seem to have been published on his blog.

As each day goes by, it will certainly be intriguing to note, if and when David actually chooses to publish this comment on his blog … with a suitable reply, or not.

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PS. FWIW, please be aware that yours truly also happens to believe David Friedman is, in fact, one of the best and most accomplished NBA writers working in the business today.

Ten months ago …

This is how things started for the team that Pat Riley built:

PART 1: Winner Within understands DNA of a Champion [July 9 2010]

PART 2: Chief reason Bosh fits well, as an authentic Leader, with James, Wade and Riley [July 10 2010]

PART 3: The DNA of a NBA champion [July 11 2010]

PART 4: Los conquistadores en la playa al sur están casi terminados [July 21 2010]

Now, on the day the 2010-2011 NBA Finals are set to tip-off …

This is how things stand for the Miami Heat:

PART 5: Championships change everything [May 31 2011]

Enjoy the read.

#1. The following 5-man unit:

is the best in the league.

#2. If their opponent chooses to go “small,” Miami does not need to make adjustments to their best 5-man unit, in order to be able to cope successfully.

#3. If their opponent chooses to go “big,” Miami does not need to make adjustments to their best 5-man unit, in order to be able to cope successfully.

#4. That said …

Miami’s bench now includes a mix of players with diverse skill-sets that capably support their best 5-man unit, including:

i. Mike Bibby, PG [veteran 3PT-shooter with good size, relative to his position]

ii. James Jones, OG [veteran 3PT-shooter with good size, relative to his position]

iii. Joel Anthony, PF [veteran shot-blocker, solid rebounder and interior defensive specialist]

iv. Mario Chalmers, PG [perimeter defender with good size and quickness, relative to his position, and a spot-up jump-shooter]

v. Zydrunas Ilgauskas, C [veteran high percentage mid-range jump-shooter with good size]

vi. Eddie House, OG/PG [veteran perimeter shooter with a championship ring and large size cajones]

vii. Juwon Howard, PF/C [one ‘tough hombre’; veteran ‘Leader’ on the bench]

viii. Jamaal Magloire, C [veteran non-disruptive ‘tough guy’, along to ride ‘shot-gun’, if necessary]

ix. Erick Dampier, C [veteran non-disruptive ‘nice guy’, along for the ride]

x. Dexter Pittman, PF/C [typical Pat Riley ‘project’ – with a terrific ‘background story’ - who is eventually going to be a solid player in the NBA]

#5. Regardless of their opponent’s style of play on offense, Miami has a profound commitment to Team Defense and Rebounding, as The Foundation of their Collective Identity, which is a Cohesive Unit that refuses to be broken apart.

#6. This Collective Identity includes having 4 individual players who are each capable of defending in an adequate way against the Mavericks’ best and most important player, Dirk Nowitzki, in a 1-on-1 match-up:

I. Udonis Haslem;

II. Chris Bosh;

III. Joel Anthony; and,

IV. Juwon Howard.

This provides the Heat with tremendous versatility at their Big positions.

#7. Erik Spoelstra [Head Coach] really does know what he’s doing, as a strategist and tactician, after being mentored for 16 years by – the one and only – Pat Riley.

#8. Pat Riley [President & GM] really does know what he’s doing, as a strategist and tactician, after being a dominant head coach in the NBA for a period of 20 years and winning 6 NBA Championships [i.e. as a former player, head coach and GM].

#9. Micky Arison [Owner] has been willing to do what’s necessary, over an extended period of years, in order to build a championship-winning franchise in South Beach … which includes:

A. Being patience [when needed];

B. Being quiet and remaining in the background;

C. The will to pay-the-toll-required on, “The Championship Highway.”

#10.  Unfortunately … Life does not always provide a happy, story-book ending, even for a “great teammate” and “tremendous individual player” like Dirk Nowitzki [PC/C].

Hopefully, Raptors fans who doubted Chris Bosh’s ability and willingness to play the Center position for a high end team in the NBA have been paying close attention, now that Udonis Haslem [PF] and Mike Miller [SF] have resumed their rightful places in the regular rotation of the Miami Heat:

STARTERS
PG, Mike Bibby
OG, Dwyane Wade
SF, LeBron James
PF, Udonis Haslem
C, Chris Bosh

KEY SUBS
PG, Mario Chalmers
OG, James Jones
SF, Mike Miller
PF, Joel Anthony
C, Zydrunas Ilgauskas

RESERVES
OG-PG, Eddie House
PF-C, Juwon Howard

EXTRAS/OUTS
PF-C, Dexter Pittman
C, Jamaal Magloire
C, Erick Dampier

When Coach Spoelstra uses their personnel like he did in Game 2 and 3 against Chicago [i.e. with all hands now on-deck], then:

* Chris Bosh has the opportunity to play the game in a way which best reflects his true nature, as a person and a player, at the Center position, where he can effectively take advantage of [I] his relative quickness [i.e. offensively, defensively, and in terms of rebounding] and [II] his psycho-emotional stability, on a consistent basis … without having to be a dominant scorer, each and every night, which is actually incongruent with his personality/character;

and,

* Miami becomes a truly formidable contender to win this year’s League Championship, led by their “Big 7″:

i. Micky Arison [Owner];

ii. Pat Riley [GM];

iii. Erik Spoelstra [Head Coach];

iv. Udonis Haslem [Foundation Player #1];

v. Dwyane Wade [Foundation Player #2];

vi. Chris Bosh [Foundation Player #3];

and,

vii. LeBron James [Foundation Player #4].

As was mentioned in this space on Monday …

The adjustments which Miami needed to make in order to win their series with Chicago included:

1. Giving increased playing time to [A] Mike Miller/SF, [B] Zydrunas Ilgauskas/C, [C] Eddie House/OG and [D] Udonis Haslem/PF];

2. Reducing the playing time of [A] Mike Bibby [PG] and [B] Jamaal Magloire [C]; and,

3. Having Dwayne Wade [OG] check Derrick Rose [PG].

Given the result of last night’s Game 2, it is now fair to say that a main reason this series is tied, 1-1, is because Erik Spoelstra [Head Coach] actually implemented several of the “strategic” adjustments which were recommend, in advance, right here.

For example:

#3) For significant stretches of the 4th quarter, Miami used the following 5-man unit with the associated Individual Match-ups:

PG, Dwayne Wade [vs D-Rose]
OG, Mike Miller [vs Keith Bogans or Kyle Korver]
SF, LeBron James [vs Luol Deng or Ronnie Brewer]
PF, Udonis Haslem [vs Carlos Boozer or Taj Gibson] 
C, Chris Bosh [vs Joakim Noah or Omer Asik]

#2.B) Jamaal Magloire was used for only 5 minutes.

#1.A) Mike Miller was used for 18 minutes.

#1.D) Udonis Haslem was used for 23 minutes.

If Coach Spoelstra wants to ensure that the Heat will win this series … by an ever-widening margin, then … all he really needs to do is implement the remaining “strategic” adjustments which were listed here on Monday that he chose to disregard in Game 2, i.e. 2.A, 1.B, and 1.C.

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PS. Last night, actually Coach Spoestra did a solid job of earning his salary. Unfortunately, the same thing cannot be said for Coach Thibodeau … especially, when he fell asleep at the switch, and was much too slow in substituting Ronnie Brewer back into the game, in the latter stages of the 4th quarter, after Coach Spoelstra showed that he was going to milk the “3-1 Pick-and-Pop” – with LeBron James as Miami’s primary ball-handler, since Kyle Korver/OG was still in the game and being used to check Mike Bibby/PG

PPS. BTW … For those who still believe that Chris Bosh is incapable of playing Center for a title-winning team in the NBA, last night’s game serves as Exhibit A for how exactly this young man can best be used by an organization that is being run by a GM who really does know what he is doing when it comes to being able to win it all.

At the end of the 2008-2009 regular season, the main pieces for the Raptors and the Bulls, respectively, looked like this:

Toronto at Chicago [April 15, 2009]

When you then look at the main pieces for these same two teams when they played each other at the end of the 2009-2010 regular season, what you see is the following:

Chicago at Toronto [April 11, 2010]

When you then look at the main pieces for these same two teams when they played each other at the end of the just completed regular season, what you see is the following:

Toronto at Chicago [April 2, 2011]

Key differences and similarities?

1. Lead Executives, at the time:

2008-2009
CHICAGO, John Paxson
TORONTO, Bryan Colangelo and Maurizio Gherardini

2009-2010
CHICAGO, John Paxson and Gar Forman
TORONTO, Bryan Colangelo and Maurizio Gherardini

2010-2011
CHICAGO, John Paxson and Gar Forman
TORONTO, Bryan Colangelo and Maurizio Gherardini

2. Head Coaches, at the time:

2008-2009
CHICAGO, Vinnie Del Negro
TORONTO, Jay Triano

2009-2010
CHICAGO, Vinnie Del Negro
TORONTO, Jay Triano

2010-2011
CHICAGO, Tom Thibodeau
TORONTO, Jay Triano

3. Key Players, at the time:

2008-2009
CHICAGO
Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng [DNP-injury], Ben Gordon, John Salmons, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller and Tim Thomas

TORONTO
Chris Bosh, Shawn Marion, Jose Calderon, Anthony Parker and Andrea Bargnani [DNP-injury]

2009-2010
CHICAGO
Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller

TORONTO
Chris Bosh [DNP-injury], Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, Hedo Turkoglu, Amir Johnson, Sonny Weems, DeMar DeRozan and Reggie Evans

2010-2011
CHICAGO
Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Taj Gibson, Carlos Boozer, CJ Watson, Kyle Korver, Ronnie Brewer, Kurt Thomas, Omir Asik and Rasual Butler

TORONTO
Jose Calderon, Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, Jerryd Bayless, James Johnson, Leandro Barbosa, Sonny Weems, Linas Kleiza and Reggie Evans

4. Won-Loss Records, at the time

2008-2009
CHICAGO, 41-41
TORONTO, 33-49

2009-2010
CHICAGO, 39-41 [similar]
TORONTO, 38-42 [slightly better]

2010-2011
CHICAGO, 56-20 [significantly better]
TORONTO, 20-55 [significantly worse]

Since their introduction to the NBA, 16 years ago, what the Toronto Raptors have displayed is: [1] A remarkable inability to hold onto their “best” players from previous seasons who have solid upside and were actually selected by the team in the annual Draft; and, [2] A disturbing penchant for selecting the “wrong” players in the annual Draft who have limited upside and then remain fixtures with the team for far too many years without becoming very productive overall … unlike the Chicago Bulls.

Until the Raptors properly address the deficiencies which exist for their franchise at the Executive level, the Head Coach level, and the Marquee Player level, what position they select in any given NBA Draft Lottery is quite immaterial … if the long term goal is eventually being able to win a League Championship.

On June 23 2009, prior to that year’s NBA Draft, this corner said that the Raptors should trade down from the No. 9 position, in order to secure the services of more than just one good-to-very good young player, to go along with Toronto’s best player, Chris Bosh [C/PF].

With the 9th Pick of the 2009 NBA Draft, the Toronto Raptors …

If the Raptors would have followed this simple prescription, at that specific point in time, instead of acquiring the services of DeMar DeRozan [OG/SF], in all likelihood, the last 2 seasons would have played out very differently for [1] Toronto, [2] Chicago and [3] Miami:

For example …

i. The Raptors might not have made the trade for Hedo Turkoglu [SF] at all;
ii. The Raptors [40-42, 9th/EC] might actually have made the playoffs in 2009-2010;
iii. The Raptors might then have been able to retain the services of Chris Bosh last summer;
iv. The Bulls [41-41, 8th/EC] might not have made the playoffs in 2009-2010;
v. The Bulls might then not have been able to obtain the services of Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans, Kurt Thomas and Omir Asik and Rasual Butler during the last 12 months; and,
vi. The Heat might then not have been able to obtain the services of LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwon Howard last summer.

Those Raptors fans who still believe that Bryan Colangelo is something other than “just an average GM” in the NBA:

are, quite simply, delusional.

LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, CJ Watson, Ronnie Brewer, Keith Bogans, Kurt Thomas, Omir Asik, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Juwon Howard did not leave their respective teams and sign with Miami and Chicago because they did not enjoy playing in Cleveland, Toronto, Utah, Orlando, Milwaukee, Turkey, Washington and Portland.

The chief reason they each chose to seek employment with their current team is because they each believed the GM for that franchise is someone who actually knows what he is doing, when it comes to being able to build a legitimate contender for the NBA championship.

What you should have noticed, thus far, this season is the gradual evolution of the Miami Heat around Chris Bosh, at the Center position:

5-Man Units for the Heat which include Chris Bosh

since this is actually the position he plays best, in the NBA, given his specific set of individual strengths and weaknesses [i.e. Exhibit A & B].

As Erik Spoelstra gradually begins to learn this about Chris Bosh, relative to the other players on Miami’s current roster, it will be very interesting to see if the Heat will increase the minutes Bosh plays at this position coming down-the-closing-stretch of the regular season, and into the playoffs … especially, if they can ever get 100% healthy and go to a regular rotation that looks like this:

STARTERS
PG, Mario Chalmers [i.e. best defensive PG, who should be starting]
OG, Dwyane Wade
SF, LeBron James
PF, Udonis Haslem [currently injured]
C, Chris Bosh

KEY SUBS
PG, Mike Bibby [i.e. best offensive PG, who should be coming off the bench]
OG/SF, James Jones
OG/SF, Mike Miller
PF/C, Joel Anthony

RESERVES
PG/OG, Eddie House
PF/C, Juwon Howard
C, Erick Dampier [or Jamaal Magloire] 
C, Zydrunas Ilgauskas [currently injured]

EXTRAS/OUTS
C, Jamaal Magloire [or Erick Dampier]
C, Dexter Pittman

If/when the time comes that Miami is able to firmly establish the following “pecking order” on their team:

#1. Dwyane Wade [i.e. their Co-Captain and most important player]
#2. Udonis Haslem [i.e. their Co-Captain and best defensive player]
#3. Chris Bosh [i.e. their Starting "Center"]
#4. LeBron James [i.e. their "Global icon" ... and 4th most important player]
#5. Mario Chalmers [i.e. their most important "role" player]
#6. Mike Miller [i.e. their most versatile "wing" player off the bench]
#7. Mike Bibby [i.e. their best "spot-up perimeter shooter" off the bench]
#8. Joel Anthony [i.e. their best shot-blocker/rebounder/defensive-Big]
#9. James Jones [i.e. their 2nd best "spot-up perimeter shooter" off the bench]
#10. Eddie House [i.e. their 3rd best PG, who is unafraid to take "big" shots]
#11. Zydrunas Ilgauskas [i.e. their best "perimeter shooting Big"]
#12. Juwon Howard [i.e. their 2nd best defensive/rebounding Big off the bench]
#13. Jamaal Magloire [i.e. their most physical "enforcer" off the bench]
#14. Erick Dampier [i.e. their least effective Big off the bench]
#15. Dexter Pittman [i.e. their future Big who is rehabbing and getting in "Heat-shape" this season] 

then, they will most likely become the “wagering favourite” to go all the way and win the NBA Championship that specific season.

The only question remaining is …

Will it happen this season, or sometime down-the-road?

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PS. Hat-tip to Tom Liston [re: basketballvalue.com].