BasketballGrowing pains in Miami

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Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Chris Bosh and the rest of Miami Heat have endured crushing losses to the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls recently. (Bahram Mark Sobhani/Associated Press)

Miami's four-game losing streak going into Tuesday night has again brought smiles to the faces of the substantially large number of Heat-haters out there. And after falling Sunday in another close battle to Chicago, coach Erik Spoelstra said that there were tears shed in the Miami locker room.

I won't attack their manhood -- I cried Monday when Charlie Sheen was fired from Two and a Half Men. Given the Heat's record this season against teams with winning records (14-18), there may be a reason for them to bawl. After last Thursday's prolific 24-point collapse at home to Orlando, Miami was roasted by critics who asked why Chris Bosh and LeBron James were the ones who were attempting futile game-tying shots in the final seconds. Is this not Dwyane Wade's forte, or better yet, team? Could Bosh or LeBron not set a screen instead?

Three days later, James' number was called again for the final shot -- a missed lay-up -- while Wade was guarded one-on-one by Keith Bogans. It should be pointed out that while Bogans is a good defender, this is Dwyane Wade we're talking about.

And so we enter the second stage of the Heat's growing pains: Defining roles. It may have been tempting for some to believe when the superfriends got together that this would be an unstoppable unit that could beat you in multiple ways, but it's not. The difference between these guys and the '07-'08 Celtics was that despite Boston's additions of Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, the team -- at least offensively -- still fundamentally belonged to Paul Pierce.
With Miami this year, Spoelstra appears to be deferring to James as the go-to guy late in games, apparently to the well-veiled consternation of Wade and recently to the team's detriment.

On the surface of course, all is well between Wade and James -- the two continued joking around with the media at practice on Monday. However, nothing dampens spirits like an extended losing streak, and if it continues one can only wonder if these egos will ultimately collide in a more unpleasant manner.

Spoelstra is coming under increasing scrutiny as the losses add up. Of course, a thin bench -- mostly in the absence of Udonis Haslem has been borderline devastating: Without him, the Heat lack a low-post presence. While logic dictates it should be Bosh, Spoelstra has preferred to let the former Raptor wander at the top of the key for extended stretches.

In the meantime, chew on the numbers some more: The Heat are 0-9 this season against Boston, Chicago, San Antonio and Dallas, and 5-13 in games decided by five points or less. Bosh (no stranger to post-all-star game wilting) has watched his new team go 2-5 since the break. I don't make guarantees very often, but I feel safe in making this one: The Miami Heat will not sniff an NBA title this year. And when they eventually do, Spoelstra will not be the coach.

Bench strength in Beantown

While Miami's bench is a big reason they can't seriously be considered a championship contender, if you're a Celtics fan you've got to love how the team has boned up since the trade deadline. The additions of Nenad Krstic, Jeff Green and Troy Murphy will help keep the Celts' ancient legs rested, and may put them over the top. Krstic and Green specifically have played major roles so far -- Krstic filling the void of the injured player he was traded for, Kendrick Perkins, and Green seeing significant minutes late in games.

Canadian content

Worth noting: Syracuse forward Kris Joseph of Montreal was named to the NCAA's All-Big East men's basketball team Sunday. Joseph, who led the Orange in scoring during the regular season, is the first Canadian to be named to the notoriously tough Big East team since fellow Montrealer Bill Wennington did it for St. John's in 1985. Meanwhile Joseph's cousin Cory, of Toronto, was named to the Big 12's all-rookie team alongside Texas teammate Tristan Thompson of Brampton, Ont. Thompson also made the all-Big 12 second team.

This is further good news for Canadian basketball as our talent continues to take the next step. All three will be legitimate NBA prospects over the next three years, and this could be the first time ever you could say that about multiple Canadians at one time.

Of course, let's not get ahead of ourselves: Denham Brown and Olu Famutimi were once also highly-touted names as well. But we're continuing to produce talent, and that's what matters. Three more Canadians will suit up for the McDonald's All-American Game (a showcase of top U.S. high school basketball talent) March 30 in Chicago.

Toronto's Myck Kabongo is one of them, and he's following in the footsteps of Thompson and Cory Joseph to Texas -- after playing high school ball at Findlay Prep in Henderson, Nevada. "It shows that we're taking strides and getting better as a country," Kabongo told the Las Vegas Sun recently. "It's a hockey country and it always will be, but other countries play well in other sports, too, and so can we."

Well put.

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