#miami-heat

#miami-heat

1. Pat Riley instilling #HEATCulture™ Say what you want about Riley's shortcomings the last few years, but without him laying the bedrock as the culture bearer, this franchise would be a nothingburger. 2. Erik Spoelstra He's the best coach in the NBA, and any team would kill to have him in their building. Instead, he's ours. 3. Dwyane Wade You thought I wasn't going to put Wade at No. 3? You're crazy.

Even though it's not too often that two rivals like the Knicks and Heat do business with each other, the former could be a soft landing spot for Yabusele. The Heat needs a big man and will likely attempt to add one after December 15. Who knows if the Heat would look to New York, but he's a player who does become trade-eligible on December 15, and one who does have characteristics of being a culture-type player.

Miami begins a two-game set against the New York Knicks on Friday. Ultimately, its chances of passing the Pacers after 13 games are quite unlikely. Indiana scored 157 points (vs. Hawks) in their 13th game that season, meaning the Heat would have to score 167 points to surpass them. While they have 140-plus points thrice already, they have only topped 150-plus once in their franchise's history: In April of last season against the New Orleans Pelicans (153 PTS; April 11). Accomplishing that feat will be significantly slim without Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo.