Gameday Preview Charlotte Bobcats vs. Miami Heat

by David A. Arnott on Jan 20, 2010 10:49 AM EST

Pump Up Music: Muse -- "Hysteria"

The Big Picture: The Miami Heat must be extremely frustrating to follow. They have a player who can be one of the three best in the league when he's at his best. They have a supremely talented young power forward who can be one of the most unguardable one on one players in the league. And they have a young coach who was groomed under both Stan Van Gundy and Pat Riley and seems to know what he's doing. So how did they end up so middling?

Part of the answer is that their roster is extremely top-heavy. After their top four players, two of whom, Udonis Haslem and Jermaine O'Neal, are there primarily for defense and get scoring opportunities by default, the rest of the guys on the Heat simply don't score. For reference, the Bobcats have four core starters, a rotating cast of centers, and they have Derrick Brown and Ronald Murray to come off the bench and score. Imagine if we'd been going with Stephen Graham's and D.J. Augustin's production all season, and you'd get something akin to what the Heat are getting from their bench, and it would be worse if O'Neal hadn't been rejuvenated this offseason.

Key to Victory: All that's to say, cut off the head, and you kill the body. If Gerald Wallace can't play tonight due to his injured ankle, I'm not a fan of moving Stephen Jackson to the three, and thus, off Dwyane Wade for most of the game. Do we really want Flip guarding their best player? Let's put the guy with great length on him, back off a step, and dare the guy who's never been a great long distance shooter to win by shooting from distance. Of course, that would necessitate something like starting Derrick Brown and sticking him on Quentin Richardson, but doesn't that make more sense than wasting Jax on Q and taking our chances with Flip on Flash?

Reader Comments From the Last Game:

WhatAboutBob_cats: No dunk contest [for Wallace]? Fine by me. Stay healthy for post-season.

dudemanhey: I challenge anyone to name a more important foot in the Charlotte Metro area. It can not be done.

Aisander D: I’m really happy we pulled this game out but it definitely raises concerns some of us have been voicing all season about the minutes played by the starters. When we were up by 20-25, that would have been a good time to sit Jax and Crash. When or if a team starts coming back (like Sac did) then we reinsert the starters. But I just don’t see a reason for Crash to play 40+ in a game where we’re up 20 points going into halftime.

Detail That May Interest .08% of You: Erik Spoelstra's rise to coach of the Heat started when he was hired as video coordinator in 1995.

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Comments

Positions don't determine defense

We can start Flip Murray and still have Jax on D-Wade. There’s not an NBA mandate stating that players have to defend the opposing player assigned to that position. Jax on D-Wade, Flip on Quentin Richardson (who just stands there and shoots 3’s) and we’re fine.

I kinda hope G-Force sits this one out. I know this is a big game standings wise, but if he’s going to have to miss one maybe it’s best that it’s a home game against a team on the back-end of a road back to back and only 2 really productive players. Like you said, cut off the head… If Jax can defend D-Wade maybe we can pull one out without Gerald and he can be ready for the Hawks and Magic.

by drapht00 on Jan 20, 2010 11:32 AM EST reply actions

This is true. However, there are a couple reasons not to do that. First, the Heat are likely to want to have Wade on Murray rather than Jackson, since Murray can’t back him down the same way. If they do that, to guard the other guy, the Cats would have to switch it up back down the floor. With a pair like Ariza/Battier, that’s not much of a problem, but with Wade, that’s a dicier proposition. It’s a little thing, but asking a player to seek out and find Wade on his way down the floor is another layer. Also, I’m pretty sure LB wouldn’t think that far outside the box, and putting Brown in and leaving Flip in his established “role” would appeal to him.

It should all be moot, anyway, since Crash says he’ll play.

Rufus on Fire -- SB Nation's Charlotte Bobcats Blog

by David A. Arnott on Jan 20, 2010 1:58 PM EST up reply actions

Felton

I know Wallace is playing so it’s mute. But,…and we may see this tonight at some point…

I think in a situation like the one against Miami, in which Wade is a ball handler from the SG position, if the Bobcats’ line-up is Felton, Murray, Jackson, Boris, Nazr and the Heat have Chalmers, Wade, Q Rich, Beasley, O’neil — Felton (not Flip) would be the one guarding Wade. And i don’t think the Heat would gain any advantage by trying to switch defenders and have Wade on Flip on D if Felton was guarding Wade.

by dudemanhey on Jan 20, 2010 3:45 PM EST up reply actions

I agree

Felton would be a solid defender on Wade. I still say Jax would cover Wade, no matter where he played on offense.

by and1droid on Jan 20, 2010 4:40 PM EST up reply actions

Gerald says he'll play

http://blogs.charlotte.com/inside_the_nba/2010/01/wallace-says-hell-play-tonight.html

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.

by Ben Swanson on Jan 20, 2010 11:59 AM EST reply actions

awesome

by MR. MANN on Jan 20, 2010 12:45 PM EST up reply actions

I love Muse!!

Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.

by Aisander D on Jan 20, 2010 12:01 PM EST reply actions

while this win is extremely

important. Having GWall for the next two games would be extremely important. On the flip(no pun intended)side. Winning this game WITHOUT Gerald, while unlikely, would signal an IMMENSE amount of confidence in the rest of our team. This would do wonders for our long road stretch and would allow LB to rest GWall when needed to not KILL him on the road. I’ll be at the game rockin my Gerald jersey. Look for me no where, because the camera doesn’t go to areas where no one else is hahaha.

"ANOTHER Iowa running back down!"-any sports caster

by HAWKEYESBABY on Jan 20, 2010 1:10 PM EST reply actions

I agree w/ starting Brown over Flip

Though, Jax will probably be guarding Wade regardless of what position he plays on offense.

by and1droid on Jan 20, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

Via the observer, Wallace is playing tonight

Why? I love the idea of being a gamer, but the team is playing great right now.

Why risk the injury? Why not see how we can handle a little adversity w/ Wallace out of the line up?

by and1droid on Jan 20, 2010 2:34 PM EST reply actions

I understand your point but we already kind of saw what happens to this team without crash, albeit for a short period of time. I’m referring to the span of time in the last game where the Kings mounted a huge near comeback.

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.

by Ben Swanson on Jan 20, 2010 2:40 PM EST up reply actions

I’d rather lose a game than risk him further injuring his ankle and being out for an extended period of time.

by bravesfan91 on Jan 20, 2010 2:46 PM EST up reply actions

Yea but shouldn't this team learn to play w/out him?

If he doesn’t every take it easy we’ll be playing w/out him one way or another.

by and1droid on Jan 20, 2010 4:41 PM EST up reply actions

Minute Distribution with G Wallace nursing a twisted ankle.

If there was EVER a night to give the rookies some minutes, early and often, it is tonight. I ’d love to see Gerald Wallace log 25 minutes (or less) tonight, with Henderson and Brown both getting AT LEAST an extra 10 min of game time.

Where does Henderson really stand compared to elite NBA SG’s at this point? I hope at some point in tonight’s game to see Henderson and Wade heads up on both ends of the floor for a series of possessions. If GH is as big a liability on the court as his lack of minutes would indicate, it shouldn’t take DWade long to expose it. Conversely, if GH can hold his own against an All Star in his prime like Wade, maybe Henderson can earn some more PT going forward.

If we’re lucky, the Cats will be up by 30 at the break, be able to set the cruise control, and let Crash, Jax, RayRay and Boris all rest their legs on the bench. I’m rooting for Flip to be on fire. If Murray can come off the bench early for Wallace and knock down about 6 jump shots on 6 attempts, LB will be persuaded to take it easy on GW and Flip and the gang do their thing tonight.

by dudemanhey on Jan 20, 2010 3:35 PM EST reply actions

Henderson shouldn't play tonight

Not unless it’s garbage minutes. Putting a rusty rookie up agains someone with Wade’s skills isn’t going to show us anything except just how badly Wade can exploit an advantage.
For tonight, put Wallace on light duty until we know for sure his ankle is sound and give every one of those minutes to Derrick Brown. If Henderson had shown the capacity to handle someone at Wade’s level of skills, LB would have used him. Even with Larry’s aversion to using rookies, he wouldn’t have been able to ignore that kind of talent.

by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 20, 2010 3:54 PM EST up reply actions

Plus Henderson is just a big ole draft bust. We should trade him for Darko or Kwame Brown while Gerald still has any value. Also, I want more Stephen Graham! (New people, pay attention. SARCASM ALERT)

Lemonade was a popular drink and it still is.

by Ben Swanson on Jan 20, 2010 4:23 PM EST up reply actions

We should just waive him.

No point in trading.

Blogging at Ridiculous Upside, where my terrible writing meets people's eyes.

by Aisander D on Jan 20, 2010 4:56 PM EST up reply actions

no!! if anybody waive graham, he's had enough years to develop in the league, Henderson is still in his roookie year, just consider him as a 1st round pick next year since we most likely won't have a first round pick next year.

by fireli90 on Jan 20, 2010 5:46 PM EST up reply actions

unless we screw and try to snatch John Wall with the 1st pick of the draft =)

by fireli90 on Jan 20, 2010 5:47 PM EST up reply actions

I say we put Henderson

AND Tyson on the trading block and see if we can get Adam Morrison back!
It won’t help the team, but it’ll get us in good with local business that have back rooms full of worthless Morrison shirts that will suddenly be worth a couple of bucks again!

by Ourdaywillcome on Jan 20, 2010 6:33 PM EST up reply actions