Just trying to get our Coli Rating Up - Miami Heat Season thread 2015/16

[Makavalli]

That boy justise special. And he dont have the pressure of being the new face of a franchise just yet so he can just focus on his game without the crazy expectations. He had harden crying

 

[Green Ranger]

The epic Udonis Haslem rant of November 2015, an oral history
The legend of Udonis Haslem will transcend generations. An undrafted man from the University of Florida who survived a year playing in France before emerging with the Heat as a three-time champion. In every photo of him in AmericanAirlines Arena, he is bleeding. An alligator once attacked him, and he clamped its mouth shut and told it to go home and respect its mama.

The folklore grew a little more Sunday, when Haslem’s furious halftime speech was the catalyst for the Heat’s stunning 109-89 win over Houston. Miami stormed back from 21 down for the victory.

The exact words likely were not recorded and will never be known, though Haslemestimates “about 75 percent” of those words were sheer profanity. Here is what those who were there can tell us.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra: “By the time I got back there, he was halfway through it. There wasn’t much that needed to be said after that.”

Haslem: “Usually Coach gives us a few minutes before he comes in at halftime and it was just a few minutes of silence. I just had something build up inside of me and it kinda erupts and it comes out the way it comes out.”

Dwyane Wade: “It’s always good to hear his voice. Everyone respects everything he says. The biggest thing he said was in the first half, they didn’t feel us. The first half was an easy game for them.”

Goran Dragic: “UD said, ‘Hey, come on. Let’s fight. This is embarrassing. We’re playing at home.’ It means a lot because he’s our leader. He’s got 14 years in the league.”

Haslem: “A couple thrown bottles. Stuff like that.”

Dragic: “He was really mad. Fiery.”

[Thankfully, no one is hit by the water bottles.]

Haslem: “I always make sure I throw them down.”

Hassan Whiteside: “He said, basically, ‘It ain’t over. There’s another half. What are we gonna do, give up? Never question our heart.’”

Haslem: “It’s not scripted. It just kinda comes out how it comes out. Guys know how I am and who I am. At times I can be harsh, but it’s a harsh reality. We come in here and work hard every day and put so much time and effort into certain things, so to watch us go out there and not let that manifest itself on the court, I just thought we were selling ourselves short and cheating ourselves. I made a point to the vets that there are so many guys on this team who know how to win and have won on this level, and we’ve gotta set a better example for these young guys and show them how hard it is to win in this league.”

Wade: “UD is about toughness. If you’re gonna lose, it’s gonna be because a team beats you, not because you gave it to them.”

Haslem: “You might not want to hear what I’ve got to say, but you’re gonna respect me and you’re gonna listen. I always keep it real.”

Dragic: “He didn’t play tonight, but you can see that everybody cares what he says.”

Haslem: “I did say I wasn’t gonna curse no more. I’m trying, man, but I am who I am. My greatest strength is sometimes my biggest weakness.”

Spoelstra: “It was absolutely awesome. That’s what leaders do to spark your team… If you want to know how to play, and the toughness and physicality and commitment to defense, just put a picture of UD up on the screen. Play like that. If everybody could embody those qualities, we’d be in great shape.”

Haslem: “When I saw us being more aggressive defensively, getting through pick and rolls and not letting them dictate everything on offense — we didn’t make anything easy for them. When I saw the guards getting up on the ball and funneling the ball down to Hassan and guys making correct rotations and finishing the plays, I knew we were ready to play… “

Whiteside: “Even if he’s not on the court, he affects the game in so many ways that the fans don’t realize. Just being that voice. He’s on the sideline watching, and we all respect him.”

Haslem: “I got it out. I felt better in the second half. I really did… For the record, I don’t need anger management. Put that out there.”

Goran Dragic can’t wait to be reunited with wife, kids after two months

MIAMI — The lulls are the toughest.

An hour before tipoff, as his Heat teammates laugh and stretch and meander through the locker room, Goran Dragic sits alone flipping through his phone. Dwyane Wade is a few stalls away getting various pre-game treatments on his legs, and players on the other side of the room joke while they watch scouting video.

Dragic just wants to see new pictures of his infant daughter. His mind is mostly on the game, but his thoughts cannot help wandering a few thousand miles away. His wife, Maja, and two children are back in their hometown ofLjubljana, Slovenia, and he is coming up on three months without having seen them.

He and Maja have been through this before during his eight years in the NBA, but the separation from his children is a new kind of hardship. The worst is that he has not held two-month-old Viktoria since the day after she was born because he was in such a rush to get back to Miami and prepare for the season, an understandable impetus fresh off signing an $85 million contract. The turnaround was so chaotic that he has trouble remembering what she was like.

He gets fleeting interactions with Mateo, who turns 2 this month, through FaceTime, but that is no substitute for being there. Precious breakthroughs take place every day while Dragic sleeps alone in a downtown Miami apartment.

“When I left, Mateo wasn’t speaking at all,” he said. “He understood when you tell him things like, ‘Give Daddy a kiss,’ or ‘Say bye-bye,’ but now he’s really communicating. These are nice times when you see how much they improve and develop and everything. It’s crazy how much he’s changed. I’ve missed a lot.”

Fortunately for the Dragics, this ordeal is nearly finished. Now that Viktoria is old enough to travel, Maja and the kids are scheduled to arrive here Nov. 12. The family will move into a new house in Coconut Grove, which Goran chose on his own, a day or two after that.

“It’ll change everything when they get here,” he said.

None of this was part of the plan. They were going to return in time for the baby to be born in Miami, but pregnancy complications while they were in Slovenia in May made that impossible. Maja and Viktoria both got through the birth in good health, just not on the intended continent.

Considering how Dragic struggled in the preseason and has not looked quite right duringthe Heat’s first two games — they host Houston on Sunday (6 p.m., Fox Sports SUN) — it is logical to ask if his personal life is affecting his play. He says just the opposite: Being at the arena is the best part of his day.

“When you come to work, you know what you need to do and you have your rituals,” said Dragic, who usually is in the building an hour or two before practice. “You don’t have time to think about that stuff. I forget as soon as I get to the gym, but then when it’s over, it’s the first thing I think of.

“The hardest time is when you get back home and you’re eating by yourself and you’re bored. You don’t know what to do. Then those memories come back and you start wondering what they’re doing now and how they’re feeling.”

He calls as soon as he wakes up and right when he gets out of practice. His schedule with the Heat and the five-hour time difference preclude anything more.

One person who always lifts Dragic is his younger brother, Zoran, who played with him the past two seasons before Miami traded him over the summer. Coincidentally, Zoran is going through a nearly identical situation after the recent birth of his son. His family remains in Slovenia while he plays for a Russian team.

These are the costs of splitting life between two countries, though they seem worth it for a 29-year-old living out his childhood dream of playing in the NBA, and plenty of people would readily endure it for his salary. Dragic gets that, which is why he never brings it up unless someone asks.

“I’m always looking at it in a positive way,” he said. “I have the best job in the world. Life’s never going to be perfect and it’s been a hard two months, but it’s almost over.”

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

That Dragic shyt is tough. I know from experience. Finishing school down here in Orlando while my girl finishes school in New York. Not fun going a month or two not seeing each other

 

[Primetime21]

Does anyone know where to cop Heat throwbacks online, or do they sell those at the arena store? I'm trying to get UD in either one of these

 

[DetroitEWarren]

Look, when primetime tell you to get behind somebody just hitch yourself to the wagon. My track record for scouting talent is impeccable, give or take a miss here and there

I think I got u beat on the scouting breh

 

[He Who Posts Well]

Poor Dragon

 

[Mantis Toboggan M.D.]

Does anyone know where to cop Heat throwbacks online, or do they sell those at the arena store? I'm trying to get UD in either one of these

I wasn't at any games last year but they always had throwbacks on sale in the shop by the front store when I was there in the past. I'm sure online has a bunch too, especially Alonzo since he's still a member of the organization.

 

[Primetime21]

I think I got u beat on the scouting breh

I know you headlined the pro-Shabazz campaign with me last year, but I got to see what else is on your resume

• I championed minutes for Whiteside before he became a factor
• Correctly predicted Jarvis Varnado would be worth shyt
• I handpicked Gerald Green at the vet min to solve our bench scoring woes

 

[DetroitEWarren]

If he becomes Jimmy Butler or prime Iggy without the court vision, I'll be more than satisfied.

He will be a lot better than that imo. He has a lot of offensive strengths right now, more than Iggy or Jimmy showed at this point in their careers. Being on an already good team will help him tremendously. I'm so glad he plays hard on D, meaning we ain't gotta worry about Spo not playing him enough.

I think I owe it to yall @Intruder v3.0 but Spo coached the hell out of the Rockets game. That may have been the first time he ever rode the hot hand and overplayed anyone because of results. Props to him.

I just hope this is something he will do more of and not just because his rotation is not set yet. Yall know how he gets with the timed substitutions no matter how the game is going.

 

[WaddupDoe!]

i wonder if thats why Goran is struggling. Pat should surprise Goran & fly his family out. :heatcry:

 

[He Who Posts Well]

She is pointing at me. I know she is.

 

[DetroitEWarren]

I know you headlined the pro-Shabazz campaign with me last year, but I got to see what else is on your resume

• I championed minutes for Whiteside before he became a factor
• Correctly predicted Jarvis Varnado would be worth shyt
• I handpicked Gerald Green at the vet min to solve our bench scoring woes

As far as the Heat, I knew Wade would be a superstar his first game of college. I had no idea who he was, but I seen an all around game and an ability to breakdown a defender on a young Jordan level. He did not even play much that game. Once he got the triple double I'm the tournament (1 year later) I knew he would be a star. I wanted the Pistons to take him over Melo and Bosh, but we all know how that went. Luckily, my favorite franchise ended up with him


I wanted Love over Beasley and nikkas were calling me crazy

I was propping up Justise last year early in the season (there's proof on here somewhere before I had got locked up)

After his 1st game, I was goin hard for Whiteside. We all were doing that though lol

Outside of the Heat. I made a perfect prediction for Towns, Mudiay, and Hezonja's and Randle's debut numbers. I was literally exact on Randle. I predicted 15 and 11 and that's what he got (proof of all that in random observations)

 

[Primetime21]

As far as the Heat, I knew Wade would be a superstar his first game of college. I had no idea who he was, but I seen an all around game and an ability to breakdown a defender on a young Jordan level. He did not even play much that game. Once he got the triple double I'm the tournament (1 year later) I knew he would be a star. I wanted the Pistons to take him over Melo and Bosh, but we all know how that went. Luckily, my favorite franchise ended up with him


I wanted Love over Beasley and nikkas were calling me crazy

I was propping up Justise last year early in the season (there's proof on here somewhere before I had got locked up)

After his 1st game, I was goin hard for Whiteside. We all were doing that though lol

Outside of the Heat. I made a perfect prediction for Towns, Mudiay, and Hezonja's and Randle's debut numbers. I was literally exact on Randle. I predicted 15 and 11 and that's what he got (proof of all that in random observations)

Not bad but I'm calling on Love over Beasley

 

[DetroitEWarren]

Not bad but I'm calling on Love over Beasley

Well uhhhhhhhhhh. After the first week of the NBA................ I mean college season

 

[OfTheCross]

DWade's percentage should go up once they gel on offense. He's not getting the same amount of easy layups off assists