Heat is not all together
By Ira Winderman
Staff Writer
Posted October 16 2005
MIAMI -- This is not what was expected of the most talented Heat roster assembled in the franchise's 18 seasons.
"This is, hopefully, rock bottom," coach Stan Van Gundy said after Saturday's 82-72 loss to the visiting Charlotte Bobcats dropped the Heat to 1-2 in the exhibition season.
These games might be meaningless, but the tone was anything but that after the revamped Heat yet again fumbled and stumbled.
"Third preseason game and coach looked like he coached the end of the season," guard Dwyane Wade said, "and guys are putting their heads down already."
Instead of blooming into something special with a roster that includes Wade, Shaquille O'Neal, Jason Williams, James Posey and Antoine Walker, the Heat wilted.
After committing 20 turnovers in its exhibition opener earlier in the week against San Antonio and then 23 Friday night against Memphis at Puerto Rico, the Heat this time came up with 25.
So far, this is not a team, just a bunch of strangers.
"I'm really concerned about our lack of ball movement and our lack of playing together, just continually now trying to force plays all the time," Van Gundy said. "Everybody's trying to go one-on-one. We've got to get it changed.
"Some of our guys, not all of them, but some of them believed it was just going to be easy, that we could just roll it out and run up and down the court. That's not how teams are made."
Wade led the Heat with 18 points, but seemingly spent more time glaring at the officials about a lack of respect on his 5-of-14 night than leading his teammates. He also committed five turnovers.
Power forward Udonis Haslem also had five turnovers.
"We've got a long way to go," Haslem said. "We knew we had work to do."
Van Gundy said the work would resume this week.
"We're not playing together, not moving the ball, making bad decisions," he said. "There's no excuse, even early, for that kind of play. We've just got to take responsibility for it. This is where we are right now. There's no excuses for it. There's no, `We'll turn it on later.' There's none of that. This is just where we are as a team."
WALKER MOURNS
Walker, who spent part of last season as a Hawks teammate of Jason Collier, said he was stunned by the center's death.
Collier, 28, died Saturday of undetermined causes.
"I talked to all the people I knew at the Hawks," Walker said. "I sat next to him on the plane [last season in Atlanta]. Hopefully coach will give me a chance to go out and attend his funeral on Wednesday.
"It's scary man. It's not a good feeling. It's a very uncomfortable feeling for myself and for everybody here. Obviously we're all anxious to figure out what the cause of death was, if it was some kind of medication, because I'm sure everybody's using some of the same supplements."
STILL OUT
Center Michael Doleac (calf) and guard Gary Payton (stomach flu) both sat out a second consecutive night. Van Gundy said he had considered altering his starting lineup, but because remained with O'Neal at center, Posey and Haslem at forward, and Wade and Williams at guard. ...
One habit Van Gundy is seeking to break is a propensity toward reach-in fouls. "I think we all got carried away with Antoine's success on Tim Duncan in the first preseason game," he said, "so now everybody's going to strip everybody."
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...la-sports-heat
o, you just now woke up and realized you signed Antoine Walker and Jason Williams in the off-season?"I'm really concerned about our lack of ball movement and our lack of playing together, just continually now trying to force plays all the time," Van Gundy said. "Everybody's trying to go one-on-one. We've got to get it changed.
How are Walker and Jason Williams going to be effective when Shaq and Wade are eating up all the shots. If they do shoot that is taking away from the big 2. Neither are good defenders either. I know it is early but I doubt Miami is close to being the same team as last year.
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