Offseason Moves Series: Guard

With a banged up Wade and an aging roster, the Heat could not make it past the youthful Chicago Bulls. In my estimation, it was a lack of scoring ability that killed the Heat; especially at the guard position. This is the position that Heat need some major improvement. They feature one incredibly bright star along with… well, there is nothing but Dwayne Wade. So should this be a place to pick up a young player? Should we trade for someone with ability now? Let’s analyze this situation…

Current Situation

If there is any bright spot on this team, it is Dwayne Wade. He has proven time and again that he is capable of not only making the players around him better, but he can also carry the team in clutch moments. This past season he averaged 27 points and 7.5 assists. He is an incredible player and as long as he fully recovers from his surgery, he will continue to get better. I think that his defense is still lacking slightly, but perhaps he just seemed slow because of his injury. Either way, I look for more great things to come for King Wade.

Wade’s fellow starter, Jason Williams, is getting up there in age, but he still makes mistakes like an inexperienced player. Random 3 pointers and errant passes are not what the team needs right now. The only other guard option that the Heat currently have on their roster is Chris Quinn. Now he is not a terrible player, but he certainly is not far enough along yet to play for Riley.

The Draft

Israel Gutierrez likes three guards that he feels would be good, solid picks if they are available: Rodney Stuckey, Javaris Crittendon, and Petteri Kopponen. Out of those players, I really am a fan of Crittendon. At 6″5 he has great size and athleticism. Plus, he can shoot the three, but hopefully won’t fall in love with it.

However, it is hard to tell what the Heat will actually do on the day of the draft. There is an obvious need for a strong point guard, but if Kapono and Posey are let go, there will also be a strong need for a forward. Here is what Jonnylons from MiamiHeatwave.com has to say on the matter:

Much of it will depend on what kind of mood Pat Riley wakes up in that day, but for the most part the Heat have to focus on winning now and they will have to do that by getting younger and more athletic. Of great importance is the Heat’s need for perimeter players and in today’s NBA, the game favors perimeter players much more than they arguably ever had.

I agree with this. Even if the Heat don’t take a point guard, I would definitely want them to take a faster and more versatile forward.

Trades

The Heat are not likely to trade for a point guard. They may move Jason Williams or Quinn, but not in exchange for a point guard. It seems to me that if the Heat are going to snag a point guard, it will be in the draft. It is possible, but not likely that the Heat will acquire a point guard via free agency. How great would it be to have Billups running the point for the Miami Heat?

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