MIAMI — The Heat are living the painful life of NBA rebuilders.
Medical maladies have stripped them of their best player (Chris Bosh) and their most prized prospect (Justise Winslow). An exodus of elite talent—first LeBron James in 2014, then Dwyane Wade this past summer—has left this transitional organization clinging to future hopes while laboring through a present composed of good-not-great leaders, still-developing prospects and roster-filling vagabonds.
But neither lowered expectations nor draft lottery hopes can mask the ugliness of their descent. They own the league's third-lowest winning percentage (.297), a bottom-third net efficiency (minus-3.2) and more losing streaks of at least five games (three) than they suffered over the previous eight seasons combined (two).
Yet, this isn't a wasted campaign. By looking beyond the mountain of losses, one can find some relief to cushion the on-court agony.
Fast-Tracking Development
Miami's primary objective is the maturation of its core four: ...
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Article written by Zach Buckley
Miami Heat Have Silver Linings to Find During Midseason’s Dark Days
January 5th, 2017 by Zach Buckley Leave a reply »
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