Would Damian Lillard become Miami Heat’s best at the point?
Q: If Damian Lillard comes, is he the Heat’s best point guard ever? – Steven.
A: I look at these types of questions two ways. First is whether you are talking about the best player to play the position for the Heat, or the Heat’s best player at the position. For example, Shaquille O’Neal was the best center to ever play for the Heat, but the prime of his career was elsewhere, leaving Alonzo Mourning as the best center in Heat history. So assuming the Lillard run with the Heat would be relatively brief, he arguably would be the best player to play point guard for the Heat, but I still would go with Tim Hardaway, at least as of now, as the best point guard in franchise history.
Q: The best player is not necessarily best for a given team. It took Michael Jordan years to become the player that made the other four on the court better, as well. We’ve never seen that in Damian Lillard and, at his age, that’s likely not going to emerge. – Brian, Fort Lauderdale.
A: But the Heat also have shown the ability to get that out of players, from Alonzo Mourning to Tim Hardaway to Antoine Walker to Jason Williams to Chris Andersen, and most recently Jimmy Butler. None were necessarily perceived as championship-contending talents until arriving to South Florida. So with Damian Lillard, don’t necessarily assume it’s too late. The Heat have shown that the buy-in is attainable if pursued the right way.
Q: Nobody can blame Damian Lillard. He’s 33 and has to prioritize himself now. He gave Portland his all and they did nothing for him. – David.
A: Well, they did commit nearly $200 million over the next four seasons. So that is sort of something, isn’t it? In the end, amid all this bluster and bloviation, could it be as simple as there are no bad guys here, just a situation that grew uncomfortable for all involved?
