Two Lessons the Heat and the League Should Learn

Given the persistent success of the Spurs season after season.
Given the longevity and success of their 'big three'.
Given their adaptability.
Given their persistent success in developing and using under-valued talent/lack of 'stars'.

Two lessons that NBA teams can learn from the Spurs and which they now ignore at their peril:

1 - Every/Any team can immediately improve simply by promoting and practising better fundamentals. Make the extra pass, get the better shot.
2 - Stars who demand less from their contract allow their teams to build greater depth and thus also greater flexibility and resources. It's essentially a matter of diversifying one's portfolio!

If all the teams in the NBA took these lessons on-board and began to commit to them my mind can only imagine the level and beauty of basketball we would see in the league.

It'll be a shame if this is just a Spurs phenomenon.

 

Why? Because every team can get better and these are two ways every team can improve.

Unless you're saying you're completely happy with how the Heat are and don't want to see them improve?

FYI - Just to put this in context - looking at Duncan alone - in 2012 he took a pay cut by half - going from $21.16 Million (2011-12) to $9.65 (2012-13). He went from the 3rd highest paid player in the league down to the fourth highest paid Spur.

The result? The Spurs could re-sign Danny Green, keep Boris Diaw, re-sign Patty Mills and add at the time add Nando De Colo.

As for this year, the whole of the Spurs' big three makes just about $30 million, a little more than half the team's cap.

The Heat?

"...the Heat’s stars make $56,808,000 million. The salary cap is $58,679,000. After paying James-Wade-Bosh, that leaves a paltry $1,871,000 between the Heat and going over the cap."

Source for team figures.

Current salaries

 

So you're also completely happy with how the Heat are and there is absolutely nothing that can be learned from this?
The Heat couldn't benefit from added depth?

 

I'm sorry, did you not see the last quote in my post? Here it is again:
"...the Heat’s stars make $56,808,000 million. The salary cap is $58,679,000. After paying James-Wade-Bosh, that leaves a paltry $1,871,000 between the Heat and going over the cap."

How exactly is that the embodiment of stars demanding less in order to make space?

And your sarcasm aside - clearly the Heat had depth issues.

So one suggested solution is for the stars to renegotiate lower salaries to allow for a stronger bench.

1 - The Spurs loss to the Heat was significantly different from the recent loss of the Heat to the Spurs. 5 games series vs. 7 and wins by the narrowest of margins (which could have gone either way) versus record-setting margins which were completely one sided. The Heat need to change this year in a way the Spurs didn't last year.
2 - Whilst the Spurs didn't make any great off-season moves, they did what was necessary to secure their depth with Tiago and a couple of others. The point is that the change happened earlier than last season. Duncan's willingness to have his cash slashed by half, along with Parker and Ginobili taking low contracts allowed the bench to grow and for Splitter to be retained despite offers.
3 - The extra depth allowed Popovich to also change his regular season rotations - setting a record for low minutes.

All of these stem from the freedom the Spurs create in taking less money.

 

Was there a need for more material? All I got from you was sarcasm.
Answer the question - do the Heat need greater depth or not?

 

I.think that's as close to.a 'yes' as I an expect so I'll take it.

I find it amusing, though, that you seem to think 'great' depth can suddenly become useless depth in one year.

Still, since we agree that the Heat need to add depth this year would you also agree that it would be easier for them to do so if their big three weren't consuming almost the entire cap?

 

Much less? The three of them eat up almost the entire cap.
The point I am making is that what the Spurs have done as a team and as an organisation less the league in terms of consistency of performance and effectiveness in spending and a large part of that is due to the players themselves, especially their big three.
By showing incredible commitment and sacrifice they have been able to build one of the deepest, most versatile and perennial effective teams in the league.

That sort of productivity is amazing and is one way other teams and players can add value and performance.

 

If three players use up almost the entire cap then they are not doing the same thing. The cap is supposed to provide for the whole squad not just a few stars.
That's the difference.