NBA Power Rankings: Is it time to start talking about San Antonio Spurs?

The Miami Heat continue to do just enough to not move the needle in any direction. They’ll look bad one night and then follow it up by pushing a contender to the brink. They’ll look uncoordinated and like they lack chemistry and cohesion one game and the next night look as if they have been playing together for years. Maybe that’s the ultimate reflection of having Hassan Whiteside be your franchise’s best and highest-paid player. Goran Dragic is a name to watch out for as teams in the cusp of the playoffs could try to pry him away in hopes of getting into the postseason. Young talent or a first-round pick — Miami owes its 2018 first-rounder to the Suns as part of the Dragic deal — could be all it takes to net an All-NBA quality point guard. Their gamble on Dion Waiters is not really working out, but it’s hard to kill Miami for taking a chance when it’s only costing them around $3 million this season (less than half of the average NBA salary). The only worry is bringing in a new face of the team while Whiteside still believes it should be him could cause unnecessary friction. Watching how Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra work themselves out of this conundrum should be the NBA’s equivalent to the NFL HBO series Hard Knocks.. 9-20. . Miami Heat. 25. team. 110