Miami Heat were one of the most entertaining teams to watch this year and they showed rest of the league what it means to play hard and play to win. While many other teams lose on purpose in order to land a valuable draft pick, the Heat always give their best to improve and win. Surprisingly, this is the reason why many players refuse to even consider signing with them in free agency.
Most of these players are NBA veterans who don't want to work hard and give their maximum effort every single night, which is they would have to do if they were on the Miami Heat.
While it makes sense that some players don't want to work harder as their careers are coming to an end, it is quite sad that more players are not interested in winning and improving their game.
Miami Heat will make you work hard
Miami Heat will push you beyond your limits, but you will get in a good shape and most likely revive your career. However, that is not what all players want as most of them are looking to sign with the team that will pay them well and where they will not have to work as hard as they would in Miami. It is not a secret that the Heat players work out harder than players of other teams, and that is what sometimes pushes Free Agents away.
“Miami is an organization that isn’t for everybody,” an NBA agent said.
“Either you buy in and you’re part of the Heat culture, or you’re not. They go after players who want to work and put in the necessary time to get better. They look for those kind of guys – the ones who have good character and want to work. They go extremely hard. They like to lift heavy and run a lot. Their strength-and-conditioning program is an emphasis."
The program works
Even though many players avoid the Miami Heat because of their intensive workout program, it's a fact that the program works.
Some of the most recent examples of it were Dion Waiters and James Johnson, who completely transformed themselves and had the best seasons of their careers in Miami.
Before Waiters signed with the Heat, Pat Riley told him he will get him in a "world-class shape", which did happen. According to reports, Riley doesn't let his players have ten percent body fat and they have to go through some vigorous efforts to achieve that.
James Johnson lost over 40 pounds in his first season with the Heat and he cut his body fat to eight percent. This helped him become a much better player, as he averaged career highs in almost every statistical category.
There are no exceptions in Miami, and even Dwyane Wade, who is the best player in franchise history, had to work hard and be in a good shape. One former player recalls the story of Wade coming to camp weighing 230 pounds, and he told Pat Riley that he bulked up. “No, you’re fat,” was Riley's response. This all happened during Wade's prime and there definitely aren't many people who would dare to talk to him that way. Riley's words affected the shooting guard and he lost weight shortly after.
