ASK IRA: Are NBA Finals offering a lesson in depth to the Heat?

Q: Ira, you, and I think Pat Riley, have pointed to the dangers of trading depth in order to go for a whale. But look at the Celtics. Their bench has been terrible in these playoffs and they still are a win from the title. Forget about the role players, get Jimmy Butler some A-list assistance before it is too late. – Andres.

A: First, I’m not sure I have advocated depth over substance, but if you choose to include me in a group that includes Pat Riley, I’m also not going to fight the notion. But, yes, at least for these Finals against the Mavericks, it is remarkable how much the Celtics have accomplished with a bench basically limited to Sam Hauser, Payton Pritchard and, now, Xavier Tillman. Part of that, of course, has been the absence of Kristaps Porzingis, which has moved Al Horford into the starting lineup. But the reality is depth also doesn’t mean nearly as much in the playoffs, with the absence of back-to-back sets and sizable breaks between games and also series. But depth does matter when attempting to navigate the regular season, which was a decided issue for the Heat this past season. All of that said, there is no issue here – none – with trading multiple Heat supporting pieces for something more substantial to augment Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. If the Heat truly hang their hat on player development – which they do – then supporting pieces can be cultivated, just as the Heat have done for years. The question is whether there is anyone out there who values the Heat’s ancillary pieces to the degree the Heat have in recent years.