Bosh no longer Heat's biggest concern
As the Miami Heat try to sort through their issues following a players-only meeting, they've discovered one problem has already been solved.
Chris Bosh(notes) can score.
After failing to reach 20 points in all but one of his first 10 games with Miami, Bosh has averaged 22.7 in the past seven games. He's now averaging 17.9 points on 50.9 percent shooting for the season.
"I'm just more comfortable," Bosh said. "As the season goes along, you're going to find out where your shots are going to be, and pick and choose your spots when to be aggressive and when to move back."
Bosh averaged at least 22 points in each of his last four seasons for the Toronto Raptors, including a career-high 24 on 16.5 shots per game last season. He figured his scoring would drop some with the Heat after he joined LeBron James(notes) and Dwyane Wade(notes), but few expected the transition to take this long. His efficiency has improved over the couple weeks, even though he's averaging nearly four fewer shots per game than last season.
"I could always score," Bosh said. "I've averaged many more points than this. It's nothing new for me.
"I'm just being aggressive."
The franchise star in Toronto, Bosh – like everyone with the Heat – has quickly learned he'll have to endure far more scrutiny in Miami. The Heat opened the season with grand expectations and openly talked about winning multiple championships. After one month, however, they are just 9-8 with only one of those nine victories coming against a team with a winning record.
The Heat's frustration simmered over on Saturday. After losing to the Dallas Mavericks, the players held a meeting in the locker room. Everyone, Bosh said, had something to say in the meeting.
"It's healthy," Bosh said. "Instead of keeping things trapped in, you got to talk."
As of Monday morning, the Heat have lost four of their past five games, and a flat performance in Dallas spurred the meeting.
"Nobody here likes losing," Bosh said. "We dropped a couple of close ones on the road to very good teams, and we were able to win those games. Just because we want to win more games, that's where it comes from. We are all here to win."
In the midst of the current turmoil, the Heat are trying to differentiate their problems: Some are related to chemistry and need time. Others need to be addressed immediately.
"It's a process," Bosh said. "But at the same time, there has to be a point in time where things turn around. We are still trying to figure that out.
"We just have to … make sure we're professional and come here to work every day, play as hard as we can and do the right thing. If we do that, it will turn around."
