Official NBA 2k18 MyLeague/MyGm Thread

[Queannn]

2k released another patch without adding custom rosters to MyGm. It’s truly pathetic how they think MyGm is entertaining at all. A bogus 1 year story (same story for every team. Why would the Lakers even consider Moving to Seattle? The mode is so bland, it’s actually amazing how terrible MyGm is this year. Even Little things like adjusting ticket prices... since when are nosebleed seats and floor seats the same price ? Or big issues like having 3 game breaking prospects.. who thought that was a good idea. Or the fact that FA & Draft decisions STILL haven’t been fixed. Nothing about MyGm makes sense.

[Number999]

2018/2019 Miami Heat Conference Finals Summary

2018/2019 NBA Playoff Picture:
#5. Miami Heat vs #6. Cleveland Cavaliers

#1. Houston Rockets vs #3. Golden State Warriors

Summary: The Miami Heat are just one of four organizations still in contention for the ultimate prize this NBA season. At the start of the season, that would have seemed ridiculous. But now, it was reality. With playoff experience they surged past the inexperienced Orlando Magic and then went head-to-head with the Boston Celtics and managed to outlast them at the end in an extremely intense 7-game series. Now they got the series they all wanted. A re-match with the man that left them following an embarrassing NBA Finals rematch against the San Antonio Spurs. LeBron James. The Cavaliers were far more human than they've ever been. Last year just like Miami they were ousted in the 1st Round. This year they've beaten the Raptors and Pistons to try and get LeBron one last shot at the NBA Finals. No one knows whether he'll be back or try to bounce. His supporting cast consists of Kevin Love, Mike Conley, and Zach Randolph among others. Though there is some belief that cast is breaking. Miami needs to play to their strengths, know LeBron will be great, and count on the shortcomings of others to get past Cleveland. If K-Love or Conley go off though? It's going to be a seriously difficult task for the Heat to pull off.

Let's get on with these Eastern Conference Finals!

#5. Miami Heat vs #6. Cleveland Cavaliers

Game #1: To think that it would finally happen… Miami vs Cleveland, D-Wade vs LeBron, and yet this rivalry is only a fragment of what it could have really been if Wade was still at the peak of his powers. The Cavaliers simply proved too much for the Heat by the way they consistently got to the line and abused the Heat’s inability to stop them. The Cavaliers won 115-100. The Cavs shot 41 free throws while the Heat shot only 18. Hassan Whiteside fouled out in 33 minutes, and produced 20 points and 6 rebounds. Miami actually got decent depth scoring with 7 players in double digits, but Cleveland did so much more offensively it didn’t matter. Jae Crowder had 21 points, Conley had 20, TT had 14, and of course LeBron dominated as per usual with 32/9/9 on fantastic shooting percentages. The worst? Miami never led for a single moment of this game. A 15-point victory for the Cavs, it’s truly not an ideal way for the Heat to start considering they’re at home but they lost the opener to Boston this past round. Sure up your weaknesses and get prepared for Game #2.

Game #2: It’s fitting that after receiving criticism for his performance all throughout these playoffs, it would be an unusual star who comes out and propels the Heat to a 93-88 victory in a pivotal Game #2 over the Cavaliers. James. Johnson. While he hasn’t been the scoring star or x-factor that so many marked him as thus far, JJ came out in huge fashion to set a tone of physicality that the Cavaliers did not have a response for. 19 points collecting 10 free throws total. Hassan Whiteside also had 17 points and 12 assist with a +12 to further cement that tone. The Heat got after the Cavs and out-shot them at the line 36 free throws to 11. LeBron still got his with 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists but he had just 1 free throw. Mike Conley who had 12 in Game #1 had none tonight. The worst performance of all from Cleveland? Kevin Love, who shot 0/12 and picked up his only 3 points at the line. The defense against him can be contributed back to James Johnson. Split 1-1 headed to Cleveland, it isn’t the worst spot for Miami to find themselves in.

Game #3: Philly… Cheese… Steak. Unconscious. 41 points. Down 77-87 with just north of 5 minutes remaining, it was fair to say that the Heat were likely staring down a 1-2 series deficit. That was when Dion Waiters took his gear from impressive to unconscious. A 3-pointer off a rebound by Kelly Olynyk, then a few jumpers, layups, and dunks later the Heat were only down 86-91 following a Jae Crowder layup. 2:30 or so remaining. Waiters abused his matchup with Kyle Korver on the pick-and-roll to consistently attack the rim. Jumper, dunk, and short mid-range 2 once again to put the Heat in front 92-91! 1:35 remaining in the game. Waiters was also getting it done on the defensive end since a key steal on a pass by Conley allowed Miami to get back-to-back possessions. Kevin Love got called for a traveling violation on the ensuing possession as the Cavs hopeful started to have their faith waiver. Miscommunication on the defensive end with Tristan Thompson contributed to another Waiters bucket, and now the Heat led 94-91. LeBron did his best to respond with big buckets to match Waiters output, and they only trailed by 3 by a score of 95-98 with around 33 seconds left. That’s when the Cavs biggest mistake of the game occurred. TT passes to LeBron, passed is tipped by Olynyk, LeBron fumbles it, scooped up by Winslow! Enormous turnover, Cavs are playing for the stop but once again, Waiters makes it happen getting to the rim only this time to get fouled by Kevin Love. He hits both free throws. Miami go on to win 102-95 and take a 2-1 series lead in stunning fashion. Waiters out-performed LeBron. 41 points vs 34/4/5 from LeBron. It didn’t even matter that Whiteside had fouled out again. Conley/Love each shot 4/12 from the field. This series wasn’t going to be the breeze many expected after Game #1, and the Heat had retained home court advantage.

Game #4: LeBron James finds himself in the same place he has at just about every stop in his career… running out of help despite his excellence. Many were expecting the Cavaliers and LeBron to respond and stomp out any threat or notion of a potential Heat upset. Going down 1-3 isn’t insurmountable considering his history, but that surely isn’t the spot he’d like to be in. What happened? The Miami Heat across the board thoroughly obliterated Cleveland. Heat win 113-88. In a demolishing blowout, the Heat crushed the Cavs in every phase with the exception of 3-pointers(8 to 5), fast break points, and offensive rebounds. Evert other category Miami won. Dion Waiters didn’t have 41 again, but he did have 33 points on 10/12 shooting as well as going 11/12 from the free throw line. Justise Winslow was also brilliant with a mini-LeBron stat line of 21 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Whiteside with 14/9, Mushidi with 13, Dragic with 11/5, and JJ with 11/4/6 all avalanched on the Cavaliers. Cleveland’s piss poor defensive ways made themselves evident with the Heat as a whole shooting 61% from the field. They now trail 1-3 as the Miami Heat are one game away from advancing back to the NBA Finals!

Game #5: The Miami Heat are headed BACK TO THE NBA FINALS! You read correctly. The Heat obliterated the Cavs, 110-85! In a series that proved to not even be a contest looking back on it all said and done. The biggest game-shifter was Game #3, when the Heat led by Dion Waiters rallied back on the road and effectively crippled Cleveland and any shot they would have had based on their performances in the following two games. The Heat shot 58% as a team, while the Cavs shot 38%. Heat made 64% of their 3's and had 42 points in the paint. They across the board smashed the Cavaliers in this finale at home. Waiters with 20/5/5, Winslow with 19/9, Whiteside with 18/6, JJ with 15/5/5, Dragic with 11/7 it was everybody chipping in while Cleveland had a mortal LeBron tonight. 20 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists on 7/19 shooting and a -22 plus/minus. Kevin Love flamed out in what could be his final game as a Cavalier shooting 4/18, and honestly it's not confusing as to why. Miami were far more sound defensively and Cleveland with so many old bodies simply ran out of steam at the end. Where that leaves them moving forward? Who knows.

Final Series Breakdown: It's tough to say that one team wanted it more than the other. In fact, it's stupid to say. But I believe it's genuinely fair to wonder if this Cavaliers team just sort of gave out on the end. LeBron James still averaged 29.6PPG, 7.4RPG, 5.0APG, on 57/27/90 percent shooting. But Kevin Love? My goodness man. He has one year left on his deal but he has become the punching bag for this Cavaliers flameout in the Eastern Conference Finals. 9.4PPG and 5.6RPG on 26/14/86 shooting splits. That's horrific. Mike Conley wasn't that much better though he did average 12.6PPG and shot 38% from 3-point range. Z-Bo was alright, Jae had one decent game, but that's honestly about it. Perhaps age played a factor in this series as well? LeBron is 34, K-Love is 30, Conley is 31, Z-Bo is 37, JR is 33, and Korver is 38. The Heat aren't ridiculously young either but certainly have the likes of Whiteside, Waiters, and Winslow who all have far fewer miles on their bodies.

2018/2019 Miami Heat Playoff Stats

Miami Heat Stats - 18/19
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Dion Waiters	5	33.0	24.8	3.0	4.0	1.4	0.2	1.4	2.2
Hassan Whiteside	5	30.4	17.0	8.0	1.8	0.8	2.6	1.6	4.8
James Johnson	5	28.8	11.4	4.4	4.4	1.4	1.2	1.0	1.8
Goran Dragic	5	32.8	11.2	1.8	5.8	1.4	0.0	1.4	2.8
Justise Winslow	5	36.4	11.2	7.2	2.4	1.4	0.0	2.4	3.4
Kostja Mushidi	5	17.2	8.4	1.8	1.8	0.2	0.6	0.6	0.4
Dwyane Wade	5	20.2	7.4	2.6	2.4	0.6	0.6	0.6	0.8
Kelly Olynyk	5	24.0	6.2	5.6	4.2	0.4	0.6	1.0	3.0
Bam Adebayo	5	9.0	5.6	2.2	0.2	0.0	0.2	0.0	0.6
Rodney McGruder	3	10.3	0.7	1.3	1.0	0.3	0.0	1.0	1.0

Analysis: After a rough 1st Round, Dion Waiters has soared to new heights with the Miami Heat. He was utterly incredible against Cleveland, and his shooting splits further cemented that with 62/48/94 splits across the board. Who is this man, and how has he elevated his game to this sort of level? Hassan Whiteside was marred by foul trouble all series against Cleveland, and thankfully it didn't matter. Consistently having to deal with a driving LeBron James, it limited how much time he could be on the floor with that trouble. How he performs on the NBA's biggest stage will massively dictate how the series goes against either Houston or Golden State. James Johnson was fantastic, though not the biggest numbers his contributions were felt and needed. Goran Dragic had to deal with Mike Conley defensively which hurt him a fair bit, but thankfully Waiters has carried the scoring burden for this team otherwise. Justise Winslow is coming into his own at the best possible time, and his scoring uptick validates that. Kostja Mushidi in limited playing time was also lowkey very solid for Miami which allowed them to pad such big leads when the bench came on to perform.

2018/2019 NBA Playoffs (CF):
#5. Heat (4) - #6. Cavaliers (1)

#1. Rockets (2) - #3. Warriors (4)

Summary: Heat dominate Cavaliers. 'Nuff said. Through 4 games, these Western Conference Finals were a high-scoring thriller tied up at 2-2. In Game #2, Stephen Curry went off for 41 points, 7 rebounds, and 13 assists. James Harden had 47 points of his own, but the Warriors won 130-118. In Game #3, Steph Curry went off AGAIN with 49 points and 13 assists, and the Warriors won 143-123. In Game #4, Steph took a backseat as Klay Thompson scored 42 points and 9 assists but the Warriors ended up losing due to Clint Capela, Eric Gordon, and Thabo Sefolosha all scoring 21+ points at minimum combined with scoring from CP3 and Harden. When was this series decided? Game #5 in Houston. As opposed to all other games this one was a low-scoring affair. Houston did their best to rally in the 4th but fell short by just a hash, losing 94-96. That was the ball-busting loss they couldn't afford to have on their home floor set next for an elimination game. In Game #6 on their floor, the Warriors slaughtered the Rockets. 39 from KD, Klay with 35, and a triple double from Draymond saw them smash Houston into another millenium and make it back to the NBA Finals for the 4th time in the last 5 years, 131-97!

There would be no 4th fight between GSW and Cleveland... it would be Miami trying to do the impossible!

[Number999]

2018/2019 Miami Heat NBA Finals Summary

2018/2019 NBA Playoff Picture:
#3. Golden State Warriors vs #5. Miami Heat

Summary: What an improbable place the Miami Heat find themselves to be. Just 2 years ago, despite a 30-11 run at the 2nd half of the season they lost out on a tie-breaker and failed to make the NBA Playoffs. Last year, they lost in 5 games to the Boston Celtics as a #7 seed. Now this year, they have surpassed all expectations and find themselves going head-to-head with the mighty Golden State Warriors. A team that has now been to the Finals 4 of the last 5 years with their appearance this year. Their nucleus is ridiculous. Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green. On top of that they also have some youth in the likes of Jordan Bell and veterans in the form of Aron Baynes, Jonas Jerebko, Shaun Livingston, and Andre Iguodala rounding out their lineup. Last year they were stunned in 6 games by the revenge-led Russell Westbrook OKC Thunder in the 2nd Round. That same Thunder team would go on win the NBA Championship, and the Warriors would be met with an enormous amount of humiliation from it. Yet now, it appears they've bounced back. They've beaten the Timberwolves and Rockets to find themselves here, and now they face the Miami Heat. Game strategy for the Heat? Slow it down and... uhh... hope? Yeah, that's about it.

Let's kickoff the 2019 NBA Finals!

#3. Golden State Warriors vs #5. Miami Heat

Game #1: Do you believe in miracles? Because we may just be in the middle of witnessing one right now. The Warriors were a monster favorite entering this series against Miami. 2007 Patriots vs 2007 Giants sort of favorites. Yet in this opener, the Heat on the road managed to set their tone of play. Bring this game into the mud. Don’t try to out-score one of the greatest prolific offenses in NBA History. In Game #1, they accomplished that. The Heat won 90-82! Why? The Warriors didn’t get to the free throw line(26 to 8) and made just 5 of their 25 3-point attempts. The Heat made 6 comparatively. In terms of individual efforts, Goran Dragic had 21 points and 7 assists while Whiteside had 18/14. Waiters had 16/4/4 and D-Wade had 14/5/4 off the bench. Nothing spectacular naturally. But what of the Warriors? Their leading scorer had 18 points. That was Klay shooting 8/12 from the field. But KD? 18 points on 9/17 shooting but 0/4 from 3, and Steph Curry after being so insane against Houston had 17 points and 8 assists but ALSO had 8 turnovers to go with 7/22 shooting and 3/12 shooting from 3. Iguodala also shot 0/3 from deep. This game was defined by Miami’s ability to play defense on Steph on a night where he didn’t have it, and the Warriors didn’t keep feeding Klay Thompson. Is this medium of playing sustainable? Who the hell knows, the the Heat will damn sure try.

Game #2: Okay… that performance is a bit more like it from the Warriors. Miami still managed to keep the Warriors from being absolutely crazy scoring wise allowing just 104 points, but Steph Curry went OFF! 39 points and 8 assists on 13/22 shooting. He wasn’t going to have back-to-back off games. Hassan Whiteside led the way with Miami scooping up 20 points and 12 rebounds, but the assistance across the board wasn’t strong enough. Olynyk had 15, Tragic 16, Waiters 11, but Kostja Mushidi shooting 3/13 from the field certainly didn’t help. Honestly, this was the sort of game the Heat can live with. KD didn’t play well, Klay was a bit off, Draymond filled the stat sheet with 16 points, 14 rebounds, 7 assists, 2 steals and 1 block but it’s not like their bench gave them major contributions. Warriors win 104-88 is a manageable scoreline, and hey let’s be formal the odds of Miami going back to their home floor up 2-0 in the series was damn near zero percent. When Golden State is at their best, they’re unbeatable. They haven’t been that through 2 games thus far, and that’s a good sign if you’re looking for one.

Game #3: That feeling of the avalanche caving in on you? That’s what it felt like for the Heat as in the 2nd and 3rd quarters the Warriors just ran them out of their own building. Miami made just 1 3 pointer all night. Just one. While the Warriors went 16/31 from deep, and shot 50% as a team as a whole. Warriors win, 111-83. KD with 26, Steph with 22/5/9, Jonas Jerebko of all people with 17 and 8, Klay with 15, and Draymond with 10/11/6/4 while Miami tried to play through Hassan Whiteside who had 26 points and 12 rebounds, but little help anywhere else. Olynyk was really bad, Winslow had just 1 point, Tragic had just 9, and the only other two guys who scored in double digits with the Heat were Waiters with 15 and D-Wade with 12. This was the game that the Heat couldn’t afford to have happen. Have just one guy in Whiteside dominate while everyone else crumbled. Game #4 isn’t a guarantee must win on paper… but let’s be completely honest. If the Heat lose Game #4 on their home floor, this series is likely a wrap. No pressure, of course.

Game #4: The Miami Heat took a game they simply needed to have at home. With their backs against the wall down 1-2 with Game #4 on their floor, they managed to attack early and often and got contributions from everybody to thoroughly defeat the Warriors, 116-96! Performances by Miami? How about Dwyane Wade turning back the clock. In just 25 minutes off the bench, he managed to score 23 points on 8/13 shooting while also going a perfect 7/7 at the line. Hassan Whiteside after being the only one to show up in Game #3 followed it up with a 21 point and 11 rebound performance. Dragic and Waiters each had 14, Winslow and 12, Winslow had 11! Everybody chipped in to a collective dominant Heat effort. As for the Warriors, it honestly hasn’t been anything more than the Steph Curry show. He was great again today with 33 points and 11 assists while knocking down 7 3’s, but once again KD fell silent and Klay didn’t shoot enough. This goes back to the whole premise of slowing the game down and having Miami’s more precise possessions while also giving the Warriors foul trouble has helped them greatly. A series people thought would already be over now is tied 2-2 headed back to GSW!

Game #5: After such a good effort in Game #4, it was fair for Heat fans and those rooting for the Warriors demise to have a small bit of hope… and then you realized that Kevin Durant had practically been nonexistent this series. He finally showed up in Game #5. 35 points and 10 rebounds with the highest plus/minus of +21 and the Warriors blew the doors off Miami, 114-98! Steph had 26 on a bit of an off night while Klay had 17. The Warriors also crushed the free throw battle and honestly it never felt like Miami had a shot since the Warriors out-scored them in every quarter. Dion Waiters led the way in Miami’s scoring with 22, Whiteside had 19/19 and D-Wade had 15 as he’s having his best series of the postseason but the Heat simply don’t have enough. Erik Spoelstra is trying to make wine out of water with this unit, and while it’s gotten him to within two wins of an NBA Championship this game sort of felt like a “hey, decent effort but we’re still the Warriors” and the only teams that have been able to knock them off the last 5 years have been down 3-1 LeBron and revenge Westbrook+PG13+Melo… that’s it. You don’t have that in your arsenal, at least we don’t think you do.

Game #6: The score was 67-63 Warriors entering the 4th quarter of an elimination game. Miami had their backs against the wall… and the Warriors broke it. A mix of sloppy play with turnovers as well as the Warriors simply being great, before the Heat could blink they trailed 105-75 on their home floor. It was over. The Warriors were NBA Champions once again, 110-87! They shot 53% from the field and hit 10 3’s. Steph had 27/4/5, KD had 25/7/6, and chip-in scores from Aron Baynes and Iguodala were too much. Hassan Whiteside did his best for the Heat putting up 18/13 but all his efforts this series proved futile. Waiters -17, Winslow -20, JJ -16, Olynyk -23, and Dragic worst of all with a -24 on 2/10 shooting and just 4 points. It hurts, even if it isn’t surprising to any on-lookers. In fact, the way the Heat had managed to push this series to 6 games on their own was mightily impressive. They were never even supposed to get past Boston in the 2nd Round and yet they managed to make it here on the biggest stage against one of the most prolific teams we’ve ever seen. It just sucks looking back on these last two games that in all honesty, you aren’t close to them when they’re at their best. That really stings.

Final Series Breakdown: The Heat put together a good effort, but when the Warriors wanted this series to be done with… it was done with. Stephen Curry won Finals MVP, putting up 27.3PPG, 7.7APG, 4.3RPG, and 2.8SPG on 50/42/93 shooting splits. So now in the 3 years that superteam with KD has been together they’ve won 2 titles, with KD and Steph splitting the Finals MVP each time… nice. There’s really nothing else you can say about this series. Miami did their best to implement their strategy of slowing down the game and getting it into the mud, which was successful sometimes, but when Golden State over-whelmed you there was no response from the Heat. Dion Waiters didn’t have a 30+ point effort. You didn’t get a super hot Kostja Mushidi from 3 game off the bench. It just didn’t happen. What’s curious now is with the extensions signed during the season, Miami will be able to bring back this entire core for next season if they so choose… at this point, why wouldn’t you?

2018/2019 Miami Heat Playoff Stats

Miami Heat Stats - 18/19
Player	GP	MIN	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	TPG	FPG
Hassan Whiteside	6	34.3	20.3	13.5	1.5	0.3	1.3	2.8	2.5
Dion Waiters	6	30.8	15.0	2.7	4.2	1.2	0.7	1.0	2.3
Dwyane Wade	6	23.8	14.3	2.3	3.2	1.2	0.3	1.3	2.2
Goran Dragic	6	35.2	12.7	1.3	6.0	1.8	0.2	2.2	2.0
Kostja Mushidi	6	18.5	8.0	2.3	3.0	0.5	0.2	1.5	0.2
James Johnson	6	29.8	7.0	5.2	2.3	0.8	0.5	1.3	2.8
Kelly Olynyk	6	23.7	6.8	3.8	3.3	1.0	0.2	2.0	2.7
Justise Winslow	6	32.8	6.0	4.7	2.7	1.5	0.2	1.3	3.2
Bam Adebayo	6	9.8	3.5	2.2	0.7	0.0	0.2	0.0	1.3

Analysis: Hassan Whiteside did his best. His matchup was against Aron Baynes and he put together one of his better efforts against the Warriors averaging 20/14 in an NBA Finals but it just didn't matter. He needed to be Shaquille O'Neal levels of dominant in order to make the biggest difference. Dion Waiters was alright, but his 3-pointer fell off and he paled in comparison to how he played vs Boston and Cleveland. Dwyane Wade was the one sole star for the Heat that they couldn't have expected... the 37-year old in his final series of his career gave all he had. He shot 52% from he field as well. But D-Wade made it known even though he has one year remaining on his deal that he would be hanging up his jersey in favor of pursuing other career options. Love ya D-Wade. Dragic wasn't anything special and his 3-pointer also fell off, and in general he did not play great after that series vs Orlando. Perhaps he was injured? Nobody else made much headway... Mushidi you saw a few glimpses but he's still a rookie, and Winslow regressed from the progress he made(but I presume matching up with KD will do that to you), overall you can't complain too much if you're a Heat fan.

2018/2019 NBA Finals:
Game #1: Heat 90 - Warriors 82
Game #2: Warriors 104 - Heat 88
Game #3: Warriors 111 - Heat 83
Game #4: Heat 116 - Warriors 96
Game #5: Warriors 114 - Heat 98
Game #6: Warriors 110 - Heat 87

The Golden State Warriors defeat the Miami Heat, 4-2, to become NBA Champions!

FMVP: Stephen Curry (27.3PPG, 7.7APG, 4.3RPG, 2.8SPG, 50/42/93)

Final Summary: So there you have it... the Golden State Warriors have won their 3rd NBA Championship in the last 5 years. They beat Cleveland, lost to Cleveland, beat Cleveland, lost in 2nd Round to OKC, and now beat Miami. That does mean that Steph Curry now has 3 rings while KD has 2. Interesting to look at. Very curious what will happen with the Houston Rockets and James Harden/Chris Paul since this is now back-to-back years they've lost in the Western Conference Finals. What about Cleveland? Will the Philadelphia 76ers be the new emerging threat if they can overcome their 1st Round woes? What about the Miami Heat who are coming off this NBA Finals appearance and will try to comeback one year later with the exact same core... is it possible to replicate this success or will this be a sort of New Jersey Nets, scrappy Pistons, scrappy Mavericks run that ultimately was a 1-year thing and they shouldn't deviate from their initial plans?

We'll find out in the offseason that's sure to be filled with action.

[Number999]

2019 Miami Heat Offseason Summary

Recap: The Miami Heat came into this offseason with conflicted emotions. On one hand, they had just made the NBA Finals for the first time since 2014, and while they lost in 6 games to the Golden State Warriors, they received praise league-wide with the manner in which they achieved that goal even if they weren't quite able to reach the pinnacle. In terms of departures, the single biggest one would be the exiting of Dwyane Wade. Despite the fact that Wade had signed on to play for the 2019-2020 NBA Season, he ultimately felt that it was time for him to move on from the game. His #3 jersey was naturally retired with the Heat, and he will certainly be enshrined in the NBA Hall of Fame as soon as his waiting period passes. In total, he played 16 years in the NBA(14 with Miami, 1 with Chicago, and 1 with Cleveland) while collecting 3 NBA Championships, 1 Finals MVP, and 12x All-Star Appearances and averaging 21.3PPG, 5.4RPG, 4.6RPG, 1.5SPG, 0.9BPG, 48/30/77 with 22,934 points total. Not too shabby for a kid from Chicago who played college at Marquette. Nothing but love for D-Wade.

How did this end up shaking the Heat's strategic plans? Not too much honestly. While the Heat would have enjoyed another year from Wade off the bench, this merely advances Kostja Mushidi's crunch role off the bench as a primary scorer. The rookie had numerous big game scenarios that he had to step into this year so hopefully he's prepared to make that leap and continue developing his offensive skills. With no other major situations other than the Heat confirming Bam Adebayo's 2-year team options... it was time to shift the focus over to the NBA Draft process. Due to the fact that the draft other than the lottery is slotted by record, the Heat would be picking 21st overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. A slot where you could certainly get someone who can contribute. In terms of lottery craziness, there was plenty of it. The San Antonio Spurs who were slotted #12 pre-lotto jumped all the way up to #2, and the New York Knicks slotted #9 jumped to the 1st Overall Selection... yeah... nothing shady at all about either of those two things.

But we won't dwell too long on that. The Miami Heat through the combine and private draft workouts combed through the draft class and saw a few guys they liked. Amongst them at the higher end were SG Rolando Stockton and PG Shane Clark. Both were projected to go around the Top 10. Still, the reason the Heat were scouting them out as the fact that the Indiana Pacers had two picks in the Top 12, and they were interested in moving one of them. If Stockton or Clark started to slide outside of that realm, the Heat reportedly would have been willing to move the likes of a Kelly Olynyk and/or James Johnson in order to leap up and snag one of them. The reason? Stockton has an exceptionally high-ceiling as a scorer since he's only 21 years old. Some have even likened him to a James Harden-lite caliber player considering he already possess a dynamic offensive game and playmaking ability yet lacks greatly in the defensive department. The Heat feel like they could help him sure-up on that end, and while they have Dion Waiters, Stockton has the potential to be a bonafide star as opposed to a guy who just lights it up every once in awhile.

Clark on the other hand is a mammoth point guard. 6'5" at the age of 22, and while he doesn't have the shooting capabilities out of a guard that you'd like to see in the 21st century of NBA basketball, his handles and passing skills are brilliant. Imagine how much of a mis-match he could be for some opposing lineups in the Miami Heat's system. Still, these were guys who would only be options if they fell. If they were selected early and didn't fall, Miami had a small number of options they liked at their pick. Just to throw a few out there, you have the likes of Dustin Wingate, Jud Wall, Skip Falls, and Hugh Fowlkes.

So how did the draft go? Well, the Knicks and Spurs took care of the top two selections by taking the likes of Caron Nicholson and Cam Roberts. Nicholson is a PF who's only 20-years old and is projected to be the face of the NBA moving forward. If not that, his already potent offensive and defensive abilities will make him at minimum a 2nd star on a Championship team. That's how good he is. As for the Spurs, they focused more on potential with their pick in a SG by the name of Cam Roberts who went to school at California. The team may get to the point where Kawhi could be handing the torch off to him down the line. Anyways, two picks later and it was the Indiana Pacers turn. Just to touch base, the Miami Heat checked in to see what it would cost to get the #5 pick. It would take some form of both Dragic and Waiters, and the Heat weren't interested in blowing up a backcourt that had gotten them to the NBA Finals. Then... that's when it happened. The Indiana Pacers had announced they struck a trade with the Los Angeles Clippers. DeAndre Jordan would be going to the Pacers, and in exchange the Clippers got Pick #5. They took Rolando Stockton. Yup... ouch. To make matters worse, with the #6 Pick the Dallas Mavericks selected Shane Clark! Yup, in back-to-back picks the Heat's plan to trade up was nuked. No big moves coming, they would just stand pat until they took...

2019 Pick #21 Selection: Hugh Fowlkes

Analysis: Let's breakdown this selection. Why did the Miami Heat just take a 6 foot point guard out of Penn State this late on? Well, it's because Fowlkes can bring something to the Heat that they have lacked in each of the past 3 seasons behind Dragic. They did their best to give Kay Felder a shot last year but he got injured. They need somebody who can run an offense when he's off the floor, and Hugh Fowlkes may just be able to do that. Let's get his flaws out of the way. He's poor finishing at the rim and his mid-range game is weak. He's poor defensively, though okay at defending the pick-and-roll, and finally he's incredibly weak and will struggle mightily ala the likes of Isaiah Thomas due to his size. So what does he do well? He's fast, he can pull up from 3, and his play-making abilities aren't so bad. He wears #30 because his favorite player growing up was Steph Curry(Steph is 31, Hugh is 22 just for an idea...) and he's got a bit of swagger to him. There's potential for him to be a lightning rod off the bench or flame out like Jimmer Fredette. Only time will tell.

There truthfully weren't many other options for the Heat to go with. Skip Falls and Jud Wall were the other two candidates but none of them had the long-term benefit of potential growth like Fowlkes. These are the sort of decisions you'll be forced into when you're picking later on in the 1st Round. Were there any trade options for the Heat to make? Certainly. A lot of teams wouldn't have minded dealing a lottery protected 1st next year or in 2021 for the pick but it wasn't juicy enough for the Heat to ever pull the trigger. Finally, you had some pre-Free Agency things go down with some team and player options being declined and accepted. The Minnesota Timberwolves came close to having their core imploded, but Karl Anthony Towns and Jimmy Butler both decided to re-up their contracts. LeBron James was a Free Agent a second and was contemplating going to the Chicago Bulls, but he re-signed in Cleveland on a 3-year/120M deal with a final 4th year player option for 46M... crazy.

How did Free Agency go for the Heat? Nothing major. They let the likes of James Ennis, Nick Young, Luc Mbah a Moute, and Tyson Chandler all walk. Briante Weber and Davis Bertans had their G-League deals expire and each opted to sign longer-term deals elsewhere in Denver and Minnesota. So who did the Heat sign? Two 1-year deals to Taj Gibson and Ben McLemore. McLemore is a 26-year old guard who was a former Top 10 pick with the Sacramento Kings. After things didn't work out there, he ended up with Memphis and then the Knicks. In NY last year he averaged 8.7PPG on 43/37/81 splits so not horrible... he signed with the Heat on a minimum deal hoping they can raise his value. Taj Gibson meanwhile has spent the last two years with the Timberwolves. Yet due to the fact the T-Wolves wanted to spread the floor more and actually signed Davis Bertans, there was no room left for Gibson and he decided to sign in South Florida where he's expected to wind down his career considering he is 34-years old.

While these may not seem like the most world-beating moves, they were never supposed to be that. With every player who played major minutes last year under contract, there was no need for Miami to get wild and start making massive trades. Some would argue they could improve the core of the team, but with what salary cap space? This team is essentially set in stone with the exception of a few minor changing parts. Along with a few other deals Miami signed PG Frank Mason to a 2-year/minimum contract as well as Doug McDermott and DeAndre Bembry to a 1-year/two-way deal. McDermott is not expected to see next to any gametime action while Bembry will serve in the G-League alongside Tyler Lydon who was also signed to a two-way deal. Overall, Miami was looking to lean more on the side of younger players who can develop in their system rather than investing in veterans who will get antsy riding the bench for too long.

Finally, you had the NBA Summer League! The last real action that basketball fans care about before the regular season gets up and running. How did Miami do? Well, with veterans Bam Adebayo and Kostja Mushidi returning along with the likes of Dante Exum and Tony Bradley who filled out the Heat's Summer League roster they were looking stacked... and then they lost their opening two games. Mushidi was looking sensational, while Hugh Fowlkes struggled greatly early on including a 2/15 effort against the Phoenix Suns with fans wondering how the hell the Heat took this guy over other options available. Slowly, Miami got better and were slotted as the #13 seed after going 1-2. In their first game they smashed the 0-3 Celtics 88-70, with Mushidi scoring 21. Then they defeated Sacramento Kings in the following round with more great play Bam Adebayo and Dzanan Musa who was also apart of the Summer League roster. They then beat the Spurs in a thriller between Mushidi and #2 pick Cam Roberts. Heat won 107-103. Finally in the Semi-Finals where they lost last year the Heat stunned the LA Lakers led by Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma. Fowlkes had 13 with 3 3-pointers. Bam looked great. Finally in the final they beat the LA Clippers(though Stockton was out) but were still led by Garry Trent Jr. and Danny Shepard. Hugh Fowlkes had by far his best game scoring 26 points and gathering 5 assists as the Heat defeated the LA Clippers, 103-97 to win the 2019 Summer League Tournament!

2019/2020 Miami Heat Staring Rotation and Bench

Roster Summary:
PG: Goran Dragic --------> (80 OVR | 33 | 33 Minutes)
SG: Dion Waiters --------> (79 OVR | 27 | 31 Minutes)
SF: Justise Winslow -----> (78 OVR | 23 | 32 Minutes)
PF: James Johnson ------> (78 OVR | 32 | 29 Minutes)
C: Hassan Whiteside ----> (88 OVR | 30 | 34 Minutes)
6th: Kelly Olynyk --------> (78 OVR | 28 | 22 Minutes)
7th: Kostja Mushidi ------> (73 OVR | 22 | 20 Minutes)
8th: Taj Gibson ----------> (76 OVR | 34 | 18 Minutes)
9th: Bam Adebayo -------> (76 OVR | 22 | 12 Minutes)
10th: Hugh Fowlkes ------> (68 OVR | 22 | 6 Minutes)
11th: Rodney McGruder --> (76 OVR | 28 | 3 Minutes)
12th: Ben McLemore ----> (75 OVR | 26 | 0 Minutes)
13th: Frank Mason -------> (72 OVR | 25 | 0 Minutes)
14th: Doug McDermott --> (73 OVR | 27 | 0 Minutes)

Analysis: Incredibly similar lineup to last year with some minor minute adjustments here and there in the starting lineup. The biggest leap being made is the fact that Kostja Mushidi is not going to be handled with kid gloves. He's expected to be a legitimate scorer and lead the 2nd man unit alongside Kelly Olynyk. Bam Adebayo is also expected to see a jolt in his numbers. How Hugh Fowlkes handles his limited minutes in the first month or so will greatly determine whether or not he continues to play or whether or not Rodney McGruder will swoop in and get his playing time. Ben McLemore may not be getting any minutes right now, but with injuries sure to come expect him to be a scorer the Heat will rely on for small stretches. Finally, the Heat are taking the approach of conserving Taj Gibson's minutes early so as not to burn him out. Plus, with Whiteside, Olynyk, and Bam already needing minutes of their own sharing will be vital to preserving the peace and chemistry of this squad. Other than that, I'd say we're good.

Expectations: 46 wins and a 2nd Round appearance. Maybe ECF if I'm feeling greedy.

[kingelib]

Quote: Originally Posted by Number999

[center] [b]2019 Miami Heat Offseason Summary[/.

You should put all this in a Dynasty

[Christephen1]

Can anyone help with player training and progression? I played my first season as the blazers and had Vonleh and Collins on high/very high training intensity with pretty much the default player types training sliders (PF - Rebounding for both I believe). I was giving Collins ~15mins and Vonleh ~10mins per game. At the player progression point in the offseason Vonleh had no change in his ratings (fair enough considering his potential is only 75) but Collins actually went backwards in Playmaking from D to D- with no other visible changes to his rating.. He has a potential of 85 on my roster so I don't really understand.

The in season training seems to have no effect for me either.. no ratings ever seem to change.

[Talentoso23]

Quote: Originally Posted by Christephen1

Can anyone help with player training and progression? I played my first season as the blazers and had Vonleh and Collins on high/very high training intensity with pretty much the default player types training sliders (PF - Rebounding for both I believe). I was giving Collins ~15mins and Vonleh ~10mins per game. At the player progression point in the offseason Vonleh had no change in his ratings (fair enough considering his potential is only 75) but Collins actually went backwards in Playmaking from D to D- with no other visible changes to his rating.. He has a potential of 85 on my roster so I don't really understand. The in season training seems to have no effect for me either.. no ratings ever seem to change.

It depends on if that player fits the system. If he doesn’t then he will not develop. I usually put player profession sliders at 65 so they actually develop. I even created a player and watched him go from 65 overall to almost 76 in one season. I was trying to figure this out as well until I used a simmed my league to test the sliders and they are just the same now that I’m actually playing the season. Some players develop and some don’t, only if they fit the system is what matters it seems if u want them to develop. U could also try checking what is vonleh’s potential rating is. That’s also a factor too.


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[natelull]

Quote: Originally Posted by Talentoso23

It depends on if that player fits the system. If he doesn’t then he will not develop. I usually put player profession sliders at 65 so they actually develop. I even created a player and watched him go from 65 overall to almost 76 in one season. I was trying to figure this out as well until I used a simmed my league to test the sliders and they are just the same now that I’m actually playing the season. Some players develop and some don’t, only if they fit the system is what matters it seems if u want them to develop. U could also try checking what is vonleh’s potential rating is. That’s also a factor too. Sent from my iPhone using Operation Sports

It kind of seems like if you turn up player progression, every player is at a 80 plus overall within a few seasons


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