OBAMA: GIVE HEAT TIME

Barack Obama weighs in on the Heat situation as Miami drop their third straight game. Meanwhile, security is stepped up in Cleveland ahead of LeBron’s return…

Last night, the Orlando Magic handed the Miami Heat a 104-95 defeat – the third straight loss for the boys from South Beach. The team the world was raving about in the summer is now 8-7.

We may only be 15 games in, but maybe it’s time to hit the panic button?

Everyone is talking about the situation. Phil Jackson speculated the other day that that Erik Spoelstra could get ‘Stan Van Gundy’d’ (i.e. sacked and replaced by Pat Riley) – a thought Coach Spo tried to laugh off, but one that infuriated SVG himself:

“To second guess another coach and to comment on a situation he knew nothing about is inappropriate and it’s also ignorant. I don’t mean that commenting on Phil’s intelligence – he’s obviously a very smart guy. I mean that as ignorant because he doesn’t know what that situation was and he doesn’t know what the situation in Miami is now”.

Now, no less a force than the leader of the free world – Barak Obama – has offered his opinion on the matter:

“It takes some time for the team to come together. There’s no ‘I’ in team. So no matter how good a player is, no matter how good a group of players are, if they haven’t played together before they are not going to be as good as a team that has played together a long time.”

I wonder what David Cameron’s take is on it?!

Those heady days of July, during which LBJ, D-Wade and Bosh were paraded in front of the Miami fans as saviours of the city, seem long gone.

“It is definitely going a lot slower than we all thought,” James said of the team’s progress following last night’s loss. “At some point we’re going to have to figure it out.”

What really needs to be figured out his how LeBron and Wade play together, coz right now – it ain’t working. And Flash knows it.

“Me and LeBron are going to continue to try to find a way with the game plan we have,” he said. “We’re trying to be effective. We have a great coaching staff – I’m sure they’ll look at things and see how to utilize us a little better.”

Not everyone is so sure about that ‘great coaching staff’ bit…and it’s looking increasingly likely that Spoelstra’s head will be the one to roll unless there’s a dramatic turnaround in fortunes.

Meanwhile, Cleveland is gearing up for LeBron’s first game back at the Q as an opposing player next week. This from ESPN:

The Cavaliers, the league and the Cleveland Police Department have had conference calls discussing the proper way to secure the game, which will be televised nationally on TNT.

To ensure James’ safety, there will be dozens of extra police officers on hand, both uniformed and undercover. Officers will be stationed inside and outside the arena, and many will be positioned by the Heat bench and at the tunnel where the Heat players will enter the court.

“Honestly, I’m a little bit afraid,” one member of the Cavs organization said. “Some people don’t care. Their mentality is ‘‘I’ve got to get this off my chest.’ There’s so much negative energy around this game. People aren’t excited about the game itself. They’re just like, ‘‘I can’t wait to do something.'”

Before the season started, I had this game penciled in as one to watch – for the fan reaction rather than the outcome of the game (which, I assumed, was a foregone conclusion). But, on current form, it might just be closer than I’d anticipated.

Images: NBAE / Getty Images