Heat Planned for the Future; Other Expansion Teams Did Not

The Miami Heat is the best of the four most recent expansion franchises. It always has been, even when the team lost its first 17 regular-season games in 1988.

Being the best expansion team is about having the best plan. Miami did. The Heat made youth the foundation for its team from Day 1. The Orlando Magic and Charlotte Hornets went mostly with veterans. And the Minnesota Timberwolves hired Bill Musselman, the antithesis of patience, so anything the Wolves did must be discounted. But, for the record, Musselman had an affinity for Continental Basketball Association players.

The messages were mixed. Executives in Charlotte, Orlando and Minnesota told their fans, “We want to win now.”

Miami fans were told, “We want to win later.”

Heat executives knew any early success would be artificial. And it has been.

Orlando began its first season 7-7, then lost 57 of its last 68 games. Charlotte began last season with an 8-7 record, then lost 49 of its final 67 games.

Musselman sometimes played CBA players and castoffs the full 48 minutes and had the best first-year record of any team (22-60). But now the Wolves are perhaps the worst team in the league because they have become dependent on below-average players without developing enough of their young talent.

But the Heat persisted in its plan. It acquired as many draft choices as possible. Two years ago, the Heat even traded its No. 3 pick in the draft to the Denver Nuggets for the Nos. 9 and 15 picks. An expansion team trading the third pick -- unheard of.

But the plan is paying off. Although the team has struggled recently, the Heat has the best record of the expansion teams. The Heat also has developed the most talent. Its top seven scorers were obtained in the draft (although Bimbo Coles was acquired from the Sacramento Kings for Rory Sparrow on the day of the 1990 college draft).

All teams pray for luck. If any of the expansion teams is lucky enough to get Shaquille O’Neal when he leaves LSU, it could make the worst plan the best.

But Charlotte, Orlando and Minnesota made luck an integral part of their plans. The Heat did not. Miami executives simply hoped for it. Meanwhile, they built with youth. And as a result, they have the best young talent base in the league despite the holdout of Sherman Douglas, who led them in points and assists lest season. What other expansion teams could lose a youthful leading scorer and still be better?

The Heat may not be ready to challenge for a playoff spot, simply because the team is young. The starting lineup of Rony Seikaly, Grant Long, Willie Burton, Glen Rice and Steve Smith has only nine years of experience.

But once the Heat begins making the playoffs, it will happen again and again. The team’s success will be real and long-term. Patience and intelligent planning will have paid off.

I must commend those of you who read this column so closely. I was profoundly moved by the outpouring of support for Isiah Thomas, who, as I recently noted very deep in a column, was outpassed in the Detroit Pistons-Utah Jazz game by John Stockton. Thomas had four assists; Stockton had 13. Many of you griped that I had failed to mention that Thomas had 44 points to Stockton’s 20, and that Detroit won the game.

The obvious point I was making was that Stockton was selected to the Olympic team as a point guard because he passes first. Thomas was left off the team, in part, because he is a point guard, who, despite superior passing skills, shoots first.

In dominating the ball to the extent that he scored 44 points, Thomas--who has never made 50 percent of his field goals in his career--reinforced the opinion of Olympic player selection committee members, who put Stockton on the team because he is content to distribute the ball. And that is important on an Olympic team full of tall scorers.

But thanks for the mail.

Danny Ferry was making 28 percent of his shots from the field until he slumped with a one-for-six performance Tuesday. Last week, Cleveland Coach Lenny Wilkens left Ferry on the bench for the entire game. Still, Wilkens says, “He’s going to be a good player. It takes time.” Hopefully for the Cavs, Ferry will be good before he finishes receiving the $37 million the Cavs owe him over the course of his contract. . . . It’s only a matter of time until the Nets fire Bill Fitch, who sealed his fate when he ripped his bosses for cutting two players to sign Kenny Anderson. It’s OK to rip your employers as long as you understand they will have the final word. When Fitch goes, the Nets should move immediately to hire former Atlanta Hawks coach Mike Fratello, not only because Fratello would be the best man for the job, but also because it would give the New York area two former NBC announcers directing NBA teams. And if for some strange reason Fratello is not acceptable, the Nets should hire Marv Albert, who could coach and announce Nets games at the same time.