Defiance: The Odyssey of Ronald Bazemore

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by studbucket

Glad to have your storytelling back, this is going to be fun. I'm excited to see how the characters start to interact and what kind of moves the league makes. I get the feeling that Mr. Bazemore may be looking to trade for some sort of veteran leader to change the culture in Miami. Maybe not the Pat Riley route (tons of cash and assets for Hardaway, Mourning, and almost Juwan Howard), but get 1-2 solid vets to build around, to improve the culture. But maybe I'm wrong.

You're not incorrect -- Coach Bazemore is indeed going to be eyeing some impact veterans to lead a Miami Heat renaissance. How he gets these vets -- and who they are -- will be revealed in the coming story posts.

[Stout]

Nice update. My reading-loving mind will spend the next seven and a half minutes pondering the symbolism behind Ronald's limp...

On another note, was there any female journalist - or female sports person, for that matter - that inspired Helena's character and behavior? Back in the day (and I'm talking 2008, 09ish) when female journalists were introduced, it seemed like everyone was trying to make an Erin Andrews carbon copy...but I see some Katie Nolan and some Rachel Nichols in Helena.

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stout

Nice update. My reading-loving mind will spend the next seven and a half minutes pondering the symbolism behind Ronald's limp... On another note, was there any female journalist - or female sports person, for that matter - that inspired Helena's character and behavior? Back in the day (and I'm talking 2008, 09ish) when female journalists were introduced, it seemed like everyone was trying to make an Erin Andrews carbon copy...but I see some Katie Nolan and some Rachel Nichols in Helena.

Helena isn't so much inspired by NBA pros as she's inspired by a few friends of mine I went to school with who were in the print journalism side of things; I've picked bits and pieces of them, added in some flair, and Helena is what became of it. If you were to compare her to any pro journalist, Nichols is definitely a good comp -- tough, intelligent, unafraid to speak her mind or challenge conventional wisdom.

As for Ron and his limp ... yeah, maybe there's something symbolic there. Maybe it represents a wound never quite healed from being denied a chance to play in the NBA as a younger man. Then again, maybe it's just what it is -- a limp brought on by injury.

It's up to the reader to interpret the meaning ultimately, which is the beauty of writing.

[Kumode]

I understand that Ronald might be interested to answer more of Helena's questions with a glass of wine in some nice dining place. I feel that we will be seeing a lot of her in the future stories.

[Stout]

Quote: Originally Posted by Kumode

I understand that Ronald might be interested to answer more of Helena's questions with a glass of wine in some nice dining place. I feel that we will be seeing a lot of her in the future stories.

I think I have an idea on what one of their first real interactions would be given the time period...and no, it's not seeing the most overrated movie of all time (though Jordan probably would have had more time to film it).

[trekfan]

Miami turns up heat on offseason
By Helena Ramirez
May 30th, 1996

One week after gaining the 4th overall pick in this year’s draft, the Miami Heat have pulled off two big trades with that pick serving as the glue. Here are the details:

Trade 1

Heat Trade: C Kevin Willis, 1996 4th overall pick
Heat Receive: 1996 1st overall pick (MIN), PG Terry Porter

Warriors Trade: PG Tim Hardaway
Warriors Receive: C Kevin Willis

Timberwolves Trade: PG Terry Porter, 1996 1st overall pick
Timberwolves Receive: PG Tim Hardaway, 1996 4th overall pick (MIA)

Analysis:

Miami — specifically Coach Bazemore — has made the first big move in his tenure by acquiring the top pick in this draft. All it required was trading Kevin Willis, the center that Miami traded Steve Smith for two games into the 1994-95 NBA season. Willis averaged 17. 1 points and 10.7 rebounds in that season, a not-insignificant part of the Heat’s offense, which itself struggled (ranking only 14th in the league). Willis — 32 — was having one of the best seasons of his career, a trend that started four years previously.

The Heat traded him anyway. Bazemore and the front office for Miami sold high on a player that, in all likelihood, wouldn’t have continued producing at that level for much longer. The Warriors wanted a big man to bang with the likes of Hakeem and David Robinson out West and they got him. They gave up Tim Hardaway for that right, but Hardaway had fallen out of favor with the Warriors coaches — particularly head coach Rick Adelman — and was deemed expendable. Turning 30 this September, Hardaway’s best years may be behind him.

Minnesota gets exactly what it wanted when it signed Terry Porter right before the lockout — a veteran guard who can help lead the team into the playoffs for the foreseeable future; rather than stick with Porter (reportedly dissatisfied with life in Minnesota), the T’Wolves upgraded that position in a major way. Hardaway’s scoring ability, creativity, and propensity to involve teammates will do nothing but help young Kevin Garnett. Minnesota is also able to trade back a small bit in the lottery without losing too much draft capital, allowing them to further bolster their team with young talent.

For the Heat, this trade alone tipped the scales, putting them in the driver’s seat for the offseason. But then Miami struck again …

Trade 2

Heat trade to Clippers: SF Glen Rice, 1996 2nd round pick
Heat Receive from Clippers: SF Malik Sealy, 1996 8th overall pick

Analysis:

The Heat sent franchise star — and what was assumed a Heat lifer — Glen Rice away to Los Angeles, but for the other LA team. The Clippers grabbed a big star and scorer in the league with Rice, but had to give up a top pick to do it; with the depth of this draft, the Clippers should be able to find quality role players with their pair of second round picks.

But for the Heat, the message is clear: this draft will be used to form the foundation of the next Heat team. Armed with the 1st and 8th overall picks, Coach Bazemore has positioned the franchise to set its own destiny and set the tone of the offseason. What Bazemore does in this draft will determine his legacy and the legacy of his time with the Heat, however long that may be.

Trading Rice away, a fan favorite, will not be received well by the people who fill the seats. But nabbing, potentially, two future stars to build the franchise around? That will certainly get ticket sales moving. From a fan perspective, these trades will likely work out better than if the Heat had retained Willis and Rice.

For the team, however, these trades create even more uncertainty than already existed. Bazemore’s proven that no one is safe on this roster and that won’t ease the fears of certain players, who feel the team wasn’t that far away from playoff contention after a down year in the 1994-95 season. With the Heat missing its biggest star and one of its most reliable big men, Miami finds itself with holes in the roster that the draft might not fill.

Might there be more trades in the future? Will the Heat be players in the free agency derby? Only Bazemore knows. Right now, this much is clear: whomever Miami drafts on June 26th will carry a heavy responsibility in determining the course of this franchise.

Let’s hope Coach Bazemore knows whose shoulders can bear that weight without collapse — if the Heat misfire, it could set the team back for the rest of this decade and into the new century.

[Stout]

I'm thinking KG first and a trade with the second pick...but for what? Who?

As for why KG over Kobe, I'd be wanting to build a team in the Heat in this era - the time of Shaq (still on Magic, right?), Ewing, Mutumbo, Alonzo, and Webber in the East, not to mention Malone, Barkley, and Hakeem out West - with a dominant power forward. I'm a huge Kobe fan and not one of the people who still lives on the 'he can't do it solo' boat, but 1997 has T-Mac and Billups. The need for a franchise guard I think can wait.

Nice update, though. Even with that closing, it's nice to see Helena is trying to keep some level of optimism and neutrality with Bazemore.

[janmagn]

Quote: Originally Posted by Stout

I'm thinking KG first and a trade with the second pick...but for what? Who? As for why KG over Kobe, I'd be wanting to build a team in the Heat in this era - the time of Shaq (still on Magic, right?), Ewing, Mutumbo, Alonzo, and Webber in the East, not to mention Malone, Barkley, and Hakeem out West - with a dominant power forward. I'm a huge Kobe fan and not one of the people who still lives on the 'he can't do it solo' boat, but 1997 has T-Mac and Billups. The need for a franchise guard I think can wait. Nice update, though. Even with that closing, it's nice to see Helena is trying to keep some level of optimism and neutrality with Bazemore.

KG was drafted in '95 though

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