NBA Rumors: Mario Chalmers likely out in Miami
In a video segment, noted Miami Heat reported Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report didn’t sound too optimistic about Mario Chalmers’ chances of returning to the franchise that drafted him
“Mario Chalmers, to me, is probably gone,” Skolnick said on ‘Rio. “Mario was a guy that started for most of his six seasons but, again, they had to bench him in the last game of the year. I think that it’s most likely that he’ll be in a situation where even if he doesn’t get a big offer from somewhere else, Miami may decide to go in another direction.”
Prior to the NBA Finals, Chalmers had been a great fit at point guard. He played the role of a low usage player who could defend and knock down theres. Inconsistency was a constant issue for Chalmers, but when it came down to it, Chalmers was one of the players who made it his business to show up (ex: see 2012 NBA Finals, Game 4).
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But in the Finals versus San Antonio, Chalmers was a negative throughout the entire series. He wasn’t defending well, couldn’t keep from fouling, and wasn’t knocking down shots or creating on offense as he had done in the past. It got to the point where, as Skolnick mentions, Spoelstra was forced to bench Chalmers for Ray Allen in an attempt to salvage the series in Game 5, but as we saw, 1) the method helped little and 2) it was far too late for Spo, Chalmers, and the Miami Heat.
Now Chalmers is an unrestricted free agent and based on the landscape in regards to point guards, it’s hard to see Chalmers starting anywhere and after his abysmal final showing for the 2013-14 season, it’s a lock that he won’t be making more than the $4 million made last season.
This isn’t to knock Chalmers. Even after the way he ended last season, Chalmers can be a key piece to a championship team as a reserve. He has too much talent to think otherwise, but his days of starting for the Miami Heat–and in the league in general–are over.