What the Norm Powell acquisition represents for the Miami Heat | Five on the Floor
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Norm Powell is a member of the Miami Heat. We’ve told you that before. You know this by now. It’s getting rave reviews around the NBA media. essentially the Heat stole him. We’ve I mean there’s really no other way to look at a trade like that uh other than to say that. But as we’ve had some time to process this and as Norm now has a number, it’s his old number. It’s 24. Heywood Highmith is moving to number eight and he’s been posting a lot of stuff about the grind and everything else related to that uh on his Instagram. Greg and I wanted to talk about some of the other like sort of things that Powell represents for this team. And so this this is another topic that came from off the floor. Pieces of it did. And I’ll start. We’ll kind of go back and forth on this. I I mean, I’ll begin with this. I do. I think this makes the Heat a contender this year. No. So that’s not what I’m saying. Alex and I just did a podcast where we put the Heat in the third three team tier in the Eastern Conference. We could have argued for the back end of the second tier, but still somewhere in that mix. I think without Powell, we probably would have had them lower. Uh but we’re not elevating them to the first tier or anything like that. But I do think that it makes them more competitive and it also makes them more flexible going forward with some things that are on the horizon. But but here’s where I I want to start with it and then again we’ll go back and forth. Norm Powell is a late bloomer. Um he’s 32 years old. This is not typically the age where the Heat acquire players. Um you know you think of guys like Jimmy be, you know, being 35. Not 35 when they got him. He hadn’t he hadn’t turned 30 yet. Um there was there’s a history of the Heat acquiring 29year-old point guards. Gorandragage was one of them. Tim Hardaway was one of them. Terry Rosir was one of them. In fact, I tried to make the case that the Rosier thing might work because hardway and dragage worked, but of course it did not. Uh even Shaq Shaq was I believe was he 31 when they got him? I don’t think he was quite Is that Yeah, I believe that’s correct. Uh and then you take a look at obviously LeBron uh was 25 at the time. Uh Bosch was 25 time turning 26. So this idea that they always go after the aging star. Yes. They tried for Durant numerous times. Not really true, right? And Jimmy was 30. 29. 29. 29. Okay. I thought I didn’t know if he made it to 30 before that they signed him. Got it. So yeah, I mean this is uh it’s an interesting Norm is a bit older than that. You know, when we talk about 32 and the late bloomer part of it, what what intrigues me is that he seemed to um like he he’s got a level that he’s got to I’m looking at his stats just like through like let’s say 2020 or 2021. He’s reached a level, but now he’s even gotten better in these later years. Um and you would think it’s like kind of the back end of his prime. So, it’s intriguing. Um a and the big thing for me, the reason why I like the move, and like you said, it was a slam dunk. Like they gave up nothing and they got a player that’s going to be um if nothing else, an offensive um lever that they did not have that they desperately need. Uh, but for me, like what really intrigues me is to see how he fits because he is he’s playing for an extension. And so I just know that the way that he played last season, if he replicates that kind of thing in Miami, it just makes for just interesting options for the team moving forward. And so I just think him being incentivized to uh make it work, to play his best, and to be his best version of himself, that usually trends when guys have that going into uh a career in Miami, Ethan, it usually means that they’re maximized and they look good. So I just I’m intrigued by what that means for them moving forward. There’s other implications we’re going to get to later as to why that is intriguing, but just the fact that you have a guy motivated to play really well for you. um when you just had a guy kind of taking one-legged threes and you know moping around in a season, it’s just it’s refreshing. I’ll say was gonna be one of mine as well. It’s a guy who wants to be here. I I think that that is uh something that Heat fans can look forward to. It’s not just that, you know, he idolized Dwayne, but he seems to sort of get what they’re about. We saw the picture with him at Spolstra uh out in Vegas. Also, he sat with the Heat group. I was at that summer league game. He sat with the heat group which was Spolstra and Simon and Karan Butler and others on the baseline. Uh he was with some people from his own group but also also with the Heat. Uh so yeah, he’s somebody that wants to be here. That’s something we’re questioning about Andrew Wiggins by the way. So the fact that Powell was acquired and although he was surprised by it, I think maybe a little frustrated that the Clippers didn’t value him enough to keep him. Now you understand why the Clippers did what they did because Beal becomes available. to get be cheaper and they were able to bring in John Collins and you know again that team is going to be ancient but Norm didn’t necessarily make them younger uh but you know they’re basically going they were going a different direction there and so they decided okay be can replace a lot of what Powell did for them but I I want to mention the late bloomer thing here again uh and another context of what this represents Norm Powell didn’t start more than 26 games until the 2021 season he was already 27 years old um in his first his first season with Toronto. And there, look, there were mixed results on these Toronto teams, by the way. Uh his first season Toronto, he was 22 when he came into the NBA. He averaged 5.6 points. He started 24 games. Then he started 18 18 three. That was in the championship season, by the way. Um 60 games. He was part of that team, came off the bench, averaged eight 8.6 points. Uh then in then he he sort of broke out um in the precoid season, the season that was interrupted by COVID. uh and and ended up in the bubble. Averaged 16. He hasn’t averaged anything lower than uh 13.9 since. All the other seasons were over 16. The 13.9 season was with the Clippers and it was just a matter of minutes actually and he was actually fourth in the league in six man of the year voting. So again, this is a player who has continued to ascend um over time. doesn’t mean that that will go on into the future, but he doesn’t have a ton of wear on him from earlier seasons. There’s not a lot of long playoff runs. I always look at this. This was one of the things with Jimmy why I thought he could be more effective maybe in Miami than people thought, even though like, oh, he led the league in minutes and tips wore him out, but he didn’t have a lot of long playoff runs in previous stops with and those are really physically grueling to your point. You know what I mean? M much much more so in a lot of ways. And I’m I’m looking at the playoff numbers and here if I can call him up here because I I should have had this up before. Um I don’t think he’s okay playoff series. He’s played he’s played 91 playoff games. I mean it’s not a small number. His teams have won nine of those series, but it’s 17 series and he’s 32 years old. That’s not a huge number of playoff series. So there’s enough playoff experience in there. Obviously there’s finals experience in there which is a plus uh two. there’s championship experience in there, but there’s not uh you know, again, these these long runs year after year after year after year that we’re on it. So, I think that’s high usage to your point too. At at high usage. Exactly. And and so the usage has been increasing over the past couple of seasons. Plus, you can tell if you watch him just his social media and IG and everything, he’s a workout fiend. Like, he is there doing this. I mean, he has he’s printed t-shirts about the grind, okay? like this is the type of player that they normally want. But also the thing that I take from this is that if you look at the Heat’s current players, there are examples here. I think he can set an example for some of these guys. Norm Powell was not an immediate star. It took him some time to get to a level where people considered him to be a borderline all-star last year. He didn’t really have anything handed to him uh at any point. Uh it was not considered to be a big acquisition when he went to the Clippers. Uh he was traded, I believe, for Gary Trent Jr. Uh when the Toronto Portland trade, I think that’s how that played out. So this is not this is the last two years have done a lot for his for his like standing in the league. I think what he’s done in LA specifically um has kind of elevated him into uh like like you said, he was in um six man of the year or even allstar consideration last year. So like that that this is where we’re probably getting him at his best moment of his career, I would think. And can he set an example, Greg, for others who maybe may maybe late bloomers on this team. Um they have like I look at a guy like Kuck was a first round pick, right? But we said, “Okay, he’s kind of fully formed when he came in, right? That was the concern. In the second year, it looked like it.” Well, maybe not. Maybe Norm Powell wasn’t fully formed. I I know Wear and Yovic were more, you know, upside picks, but I do think there is an example to be set and I just have a feeling based on his personality, based on I’ve talked to Toronto writers about him. I’ve talked to Portland writers about him. Um, they are very positive about him and what he sort of brings to the table on a daily basis. I’m not just talking about with the media. He’s good with the media, but I’m I’m saying in general and what he brings to the organization. I think Spo’s going to lean on him a lot. I I think he’s I think he’s going to lean on him as one of his core leaders this season. That’s huge. I mean, to put that in perspective. I mean, to come into Miami and in your first season, uh, for Spolstra to lean in in that direction, that that would be a huge development. And I think like another part of this is uh everybody wants to see because we we all know that kind of Bam and Tyler are are good players and they’re they can be part of winning teams but neither neither one of them are like the 1A guys, right? And Norm Pal’s not that either. But what can he do in relation to those two other guys? like playing with them uh particularly with Tyler in the back court I think is a huge question going into this season and to your point if Norm Pal becomes a guy supposed to really trust that means he and Tyler are working like that that that’s inherent in that to me and so that that’s intriguing to think about because um it’s just it’s a good season to evaluate whether you want to invest in a guy like Norm Pal. Bobby Marks speculated that maybe what the Clippers would have had to extend him at was somewhere around three years. 88 million if I recall correctly was was what he mentioned. He did one of those videos on Twitter or Twitter X or whatever we’re calling it these days. But like that’s an interesting thing to think about Norm Pal. I know you’d be getting into his what age 35 season if you did something like that. But uh at that number when you see other guys with similar skill sets and similar statistics getting a lot more money in today’s NBA well then people are going to start questioning us about us talking about us going young which I I understand that because there is a little bit of a contradiction there. On the other side of this though there is another element here with the contract and you mentioned Tyler. So I’m going to let you lead on that one cuz this is the thing in the background here that I think Norm Powell also represents for this team this season. Uh before we get to that though, I want to mention though want to mention a great sponsor of the five reason sports network. It’s Price Pics. Use the code five fiv $50 to play right away. Price Pix, official fantasy sponsor of five on the floor and all the other content that we have here because it’s simplified. It’s really easy. You can go in there. You can play the flex plays again in state of Florida. Every you can play everything pretty much in the state of Florida again. And of course, there’s plenty of sports to play even when the NBA is not going on. Go to priceepix.com. Use the code FIV ve get your $50 to play right away. Great. You take the lead on this because there is a Tyler element to this for sure. And we have to handle the business stuff. Yeah. Because I think everyone can acknowledge Tyler Hero and Norm Pal have um relatively similar skill sets. I don’t want to go too far with them being duplic duplicative. I’m trying to get that word out. Um because I I think that they can play well off of each other and together, but it’s more of that Tyler Herro is also extension eligible and there’s just been a lot of talk of like what what his number is going to come in at and he even alluded to it in the press conference when he said it’s just going to cost you more money if you wait. And you know, like that’s him betting on himself. If Tyler doesn’t have a great season, um, if he were to have a playoff where he didn’t play well, do you think he could necessarily guarantee that it would cost more? No. So, he’s betting on himself. Um, so you’ve got Norm Pal who’s playing for an extension and betting on himself in the way he’s buying in and looking to really probably get his last um, hefty payday in the league, we’ll say. And then you have Tyler who I mean I think Ethan I he this is going too far but he’s trying to figure out where he lives where he uh is in the league in terms of how close to the max can he get of what he’s eligible to earn. And I just think his prototype is there going to be a cap on what you’re willing to invest in that guy long term and Norm Pal having a similar skill set. They’re just there can be replacement value but also incremental value if they play well together. And it’s just going to be an interesting dynamic because you got two guys motivated to get paid. And that’s a that that matters in um in life in general, frankly. Also, it’s it’s about getting paid and it’s about respect. And this is why to me this is the number one issue that has to go well for them. We’ve talked about it if they’re going to exceed expectations and it’s the number one thing I think ultimately that Spolster will have to manage for this team, not necessarily for the future. I think where you know, Yoic, we’ve talked about the importance of giving them roles and and seeing if they flourish and how they respond. But it is interesting cuz it could be really good or it could be really tense. Um, you know, that that’s just what this is about. We hear these stories in locker about locker rooms all the time, right, that come out later about guys who are competing for money. I I don’t think necessarily that the Heat are pitting them against each other. I don’t think that they will pit each other against each other. I don’t think their personalities, based on what I know of Powell and what I’ve seen of Hero here since he came in in 2019, will necessarily lead to that, but I think the fans will. I think the fans will. I think if a certain segment of fans, I think if if Norm is outplaying Tyler, you’re going to start hearing a very loud cacophony on Twitter and some of those other spaces, Reddit, all the other places that you and I try to avoid. Uh, we will start that that one we Twitter’s Twitter’s better with another one before, right? People like Twitter’s awful. I’m like, you haven’t even looked at Reddit. Like that that’s Don’t look at Oh, they hate all of us there. Anyway, I I don’t know. I don’t I don’t know why necessarily. Maybe because I haven’t hired them. Anyway, uh that that tends to be the case. But look, it comes down to uh fans who have picked a side on Tyler’s contract already. And so every 28 point efficient game from Norm Powell if Tyler has a six for 17, why are you paying this guy 50 million? Right. Exactly. That’s where we’re headed. So I do think there’s going to be some of that. And also although I think they’re going to play well together and Brady, whose opinion I trust on this much more, thinks they’re going to really flow together in a way that Rosier and and Tyler were never going to. And I think we all had our doubts about that before last season started. there. It’s not natural necessarily there. Neither of them is really a point guard. Norm is better off the ball. Typically, his numbers on the catch are excellent. Um Tyler, we’ve been pushing for him to get more off the ball. He’s heard that push last year, not from us, but from everybody. Wanted to and then he couldn’t because uh and he was doing a good job of it, but then Jimmy situation happened and so he had to be more on the ball. So, this is not like your typical fit. Also, neither of them is elite defender. He’s an elite defender. Um, Norm, I think the hope is that he’ll be average. Um, if you talk to Clippers fans, they’ll say he really wasn’t last year. I think in this system, he could be. Tyler, we know the struggles there just because of the physical limitations. So, it’s not perfect. Um, it’s a player you add because of all the attributes he brings because of the cost. Very little cost moneywise or uh player player cost or opportunity cost. There was really no cost here. But I do think that is the single most interesting thing to watch here from the fan base. I think Greg and I’ll let you close it. I think the fans they’re going to pick sides when the players don’t. They do this with Bam and Tyler who are great friends. And we see there’s a B, there’s the BAM stands and there’s the Tyler stands and never the Twain shall meet. This is this is going to happen again in this little corner of the world we call heat Twitter. No. Yeah, it will. And I don’t think to the casual fan they’re going to necessarily get to that point because to your earlier comment about both of these guys and their demeanor, like the professionalism, I don’t think that they’re going to clash even if things are going bad throughout the year. Um, but there there is it’ll just be a loud minority of of social media people that that kind of just talk about what does it mean to invest really big money in Tyler Herro if you can get similar production from Norm Pal or better production depending on what that’s all looking like. But I think also you have to account for what does Bam look like and um how is he utilized differently now with Jimmy in the in the rearview mirror? Do they feature him more? I think that that all that stuff is on the table. And the last thing that I think we should make sure we acknowledge about this deal for Miami because um as bad as the Roier trade was and I I read a little blurb of mistakes, ESPN did an article on it and I can’t credit the writer. I apologize, but they had the Roier moved and they talked about how Riley every time he’s traded a first round pick for anyone. They’ve made they’ve gone on to be an all-star in Miami and that included Goran Dragich and the players that they named except Terry Roier. It’s like really one of the biggest mistakes, right? But Norm Pal was such a lowcost move and he can be such a a a good uh interesting player for them. But if this doesn’t go well, he also is an expiring contract and I think at the deadline that’s going to have its value as well. So I think that all the way up into February, there’s just different elements of Norm Pal being in Miami that uh can be um either beneficial to Miami directly on the court or in a forwardinking way as an as a you know big expiring contract at the deadline. I just wonder as the Heat looked at this trade, as they were exploring this, and I’ve given them some credit for surveying the landscape and seeing that this might be a possibility um based on where the Clippers were at that time, which is what you have to do. You got to be one step ahead. They were in this in this case. I I just wonder as they’re going through this deal, if they’re just like like we are, like so what’s the catch here? like, well, I don’t exactly like they’re they’re really it’s just like the most lowrisk move I’ve ever seen because like you said, he’s expiring. You can move him at the deadline. He may fit great with you. You could extend him. He’s a good guy. He seems to be ascending as his career goes forward. He’s not worn down. He’s not beaten down by the world. There’s all these different and he’s also not going to submarine your coach uh and everybody else in your organization. So, as you looked at all that, you’re like, I mean, what’s what’s the catch? There really is no catch. Uh, but I I do think, like I said, watch that. It’s going to take about three games. Three games for Heat fans to pick sides between players who are not picking sides between themselves. That’s how this thing goes. All right, Greg. Appreciate it. Uh, churchbyet.com. Price picks. Use the code f i ve. Have a good one, everybody. Thank you for listening to the five on the floor on the five reason sports network. After all, someone needs to listen to my dad.
Now that some time has passed, and Norm Powell has a number (24) and is integrating with the Miami Heat, Ethan Skolnick and Greg Sylvander look at some of the other consequences of his addition.
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