Miami Heat Trade Update

Miami's biggest offseason move was its trade for James Posey, Jason Williams, and Antoine Walker. These three will make the team instantly better, at least on paper, as the only player of consequence the Heat traded away was Eddie Jones, a 34 year old SG. Lets compare the stats:

GS-Games MPG-Minutes per game RPG-Rebounds per Game
PPG- Points per game FGP- Field Goal Percentage
3PT- 3 Point Percentage APG-Assists Per Game

Eddie Jones: 80 GS, 35 MPG, 5 RPG, 13 PPG, 3APG, 42%FGP, 37% 3PT

Antoine Walker(Boston): 24GS, 35MPG, 8RPG, 16PPG, 3APG, 44%FGP, 34% 3PT

Jason Williams: 71GS, 27MPG, 2RPG, 10PPG, 5.6APG, 41%FPG, 32% 3PT

James Posey: 50GS, 28MPG, 4.5RPG, 8PPG, 2APG, 36%FGP, 31% 3PT

The Heat have gained a whole lot in stats department. This appears to be an immediate upgrade. However, I have some reservations. If Shaq and Wade had both been healthy at the end of last year, the Heat would have made it to the championship. No question. Even with just Wade, the Heat played very well in the playoffs. You don't want to mess too much with a good thing, but that's exactly what Pat Riley has done. It could pay off, as Antoine Walker is not nearly as bad as he has been made out to be. Last year, he shot 34% from the 3 point arc with Boston, and 31% with Atlanta. His Atlanta number isn't great, but the fact is that in Atlanta he had to do all the work. He had to put up shot after shot. The fact that both his field goal and 3 point percentage shot up when he got to Boston, in which he wasn't the main guy, is encouraging and points to the fact that he could fit into Miami well, where he may well be used as a sixth man, with Posey starting as small forward and the underrated Udonis Haslem at power forward.

James Posey is a good guy to have on a championship team. He is a good defender who plays hard. If given the chance to play 35-40 minutes a nights, which he couldn't do in Memphis with its deep rotation, he could put up decent numbers, maybe 12 points and 7 rebounds.

The Jason Williams pickup also looks good, as he put up his numbers in only 27 minutes per game last year. He could potentially up 14 PPG and 7APG with 35-40 minutes a night. However, he isn't a good 3 point shooter(32%), and put up 5 attempts per game in 27 minutes a night. If he can stop shooting threes and focus on being a distributor for Miami's offense(which already has enough shooters), he will be a great fit.

Ultimately, this trade comes down to whether Walker and Williams can lower their shot attempts and fit into the team. Despite this, it initially seems as though Pat Riley has improved an already good team, and Miami should be the top 3 in the East(with Indiana and Detroit).

Vikas Paruchuri is a sports columnist who writes on the NFL, NBA, NHL, and MLB. He maintains a website at http://www.thehomefield.com with sports analysis and opinion columns.

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