What NBA general managers said about Miami Heat in annual survey

Barry Jackson
·2 min read

NBA general managers think very highly of Erik Spoelstra, but apparently don’t think particularly highly of the Heat’s title chances this season.

In NBA.com’s annual preseason survery of NBA GMs, Spoelstra was a landslide winner in the best coach category, garnering 52 percent of the votes.

Golden State’s Steve Kerr received 22 percent, followed by San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Phoenix’s Monty Williams (7 percent each), and the Clippers’ Tyronn Lue (5 percent).

Spoelstra received 55 percent of the vote last season. GMs cannot vote for players or coaches on their team.

Spoelstra also finished first in the category of “what coach runs the best defensive schemes.”

But even though the Heat finished as the top seed in the East and advanced to a Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, NBA GMs do not believe Miami will get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

GMs voted the Heat fifth in the East, behind Milwaukee, Boston, Philadelphia and Brooklyn. Cleveland was sixth.

Not a single GM picked the Heat to finish first in the East; 10 percent said they would finish second, while 3 percent picked Miami third and 28th percent picked them fourth.

Nobody predicted the Heat would win the championship; four teams received votes for that -- Milwaukee (43 percent), Golden State (25), Clippers (21), Boston (11).

No Heat player received votes when GMs were asked the best player at each position.

And Bam Adebayo didn’t finish in the top three of the NBA’s best defender category; Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo won that recognition (48 percent), followed by Golden State’s Draymond Green (24 percent) and Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert (10).

Adebayo finished third in the “most versatile defender in the NBA’ category with seven percent of the vote, behind Antetokounmpo (41) and Green (31).

The Heat tied with Milwaukee for third (with seven percent apiece) in the category of best defensive team in the NBA, behind Boston (69) and Golden State (10).

Heat appearances in the 50-question poll were fairly limited. Chris Quinn was among “others receiving votes” for best assistant coach.

Kyle Lowry was among many receiving a vote or two for what player would make the best coach somebody. But neither finished in the top three in either category.

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