Close Article Return to stream X
NBA

NBA Draft Lottery Offers Miami Heat World Of Possibilities

+Read full article
Miami Heat

Getty Images

It is hardly the norm to hear about a team merely one year removed from four straight Finals appearances having much of their future rest in the NBA Draft lottery.

That is not to say that the Miami Heat franchise will live or die with tonight’s results, but the team could steal a semi-proven skilled player who can step right in and fill a hole for an organization trying to return to the land of the elite.

In other words, Pat Riley could add a low-budget contributor whose rookie scale money would do little damage to the team’s salary cap. And unlike Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole, the pick would be young enough to possess an upside for coach Erik Spoelstra to rely on, rather than last season’s surprisingly helpful cast of DLeague players — excluding Hassan Whiteside, of course.

Tonight does not come without its share of downside though.

If the ping-pong balls bounce wrong and drop the Heat out of the No. 10 position, Miami would have to forfeit their pick to the Philadelphia 76ers as a result of the protected first-rounder that went from team to team following 2010’s sign-and-trade that sent LeBron James to South Beach.

That would be the worst-case scenario. The best and most complicated would be the Heat taking the only other leap forward available to No. 1, No. 2 or No. 3.

The positive is that the team would have a shot at Karl-Anthony Towns, Emmanuel Mudiay, Jahlil Okafor or D’Angelo Russell. The problem is that Towns and Okafor play frontcourt positions currently occupied by Chris Bosh and Whiteside.

Would the rookies really be satisfied with coming off of the bench? Because the Heat are not callous enough to move their All-Star power forward fresh off of health issues or their center who reminded the team what it means to be a double-double machine. And bringing in Mudiay or Russell could potentially scare away free agent point guard Goran Dragic.

If necessary, Miami has the option to trade down and get a key player — and pick — from a team trying to move up the draft ladder.

However, sitting at No. 10 may be the team’s best bet for adding quality without ruffling feathers. But in the end, the progress of the Heat still hinges on the luck of tonight’s draw.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

Your Favorites
 
 
Close Article Return to stream X
NBA Videos

Kenneth Faried Throws Down Monstrous Alley-oop On Miami Heat

Kenneth Faried is one of the hardest NBA players to figure out. He flashes All-Star caliber brilliance some games, and pulls disappearing acts during others. Against the Miami Heat on Monday night, Faried was back doing the type of stuff that earned him the 'Manimal' nickname, as evidenced by his finish on this epic alley-oop.

Comment 0 Comments
 
 
Close Article Return to stream X
NBA Videos

Heat's Josh Richardson Brutally Posterizes Greg Monroe

Every once in a while we see an NBA player get so brutally posterized that he ends up scarred for life. This was the case for Greg Monroe on Wednesday night, as little-known Miami Heat shooting guard Josh Richardson threw down a monstrous slam all over his existence.

Comment 0 Comments