The Miami Heat have high expectations entering the season, but one pundit expects failure. Stan Van Gundy rose to fame in the NBA by coaching Miami during the 2000s before Pat Riley fired and replaced him. A pivot into broadcasting sees Van Gundy calling NBA games, but he does not have any faith in his former team. Van Gundy said flat out that he doesn’t believe in Miami and cited Bam Adebayo as being overrated for a reason why.
The following quote from Van Gundy came from an appearance on the Zach Lowe show:
“I don’t see them as one of the top teams in the East. I’d actually be surprised, not shocked, but a little bit surprised if they were in the top six. This team’s been mediocre in regular seasons for a long, long time now.
This has not been a really good team. And I still, I’m not a fan of their rosters. I mean, yeah, of their roster. I like the addition of Hardaway, Klay. I don’t know. I think Wiggins is a little underrated, but I think Bam is a little overrated, particularly at the offensive end of the floor.”
Adebayo was the only player named by Van Gundy in a negative context when breaking down the Heat roster. Van Gundy did question whether Davion Mitchell can be a starting point guard for a winning team. However, the Adebayo criticism was far deeper with the term overrated being used freely.
Reasons For Stan Van Gundy Disliking Bam Adebayo
Some Heat fans will take the overall criticism from Van Gundy as bitterness. Riley replaced Van Gundy during the 2006 season where Miami defeated the Dallas Mavericks to win their first NBA Championship.
Bad blood does exist there, but Van Gundy has praised the Heat and called dozens of their games without hatred. Adebayo chucking in the game he scored 83 points vs the Washington Wizards could have upset the old school Van Gundy.
Regardless, Van Gundy made it clear that he thinks Bam is an overrated offensive player. The duo of Adebayo and Giannis Antetokounmpo must have their best possible seasons for Miami to keep up in the loaded Eastern Conference.
Van Gundy Believes Heat Are Play In Team
The overall quote from Van Gundy showed that he would be shocked if the Heat avoid the play in. East teams like the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and a handful of others have more positive things working in their favor than Miami.
Riley and Erik Spoelstra clearly have goals to reach the top six and make noise come playoff time. Veterans Klay Thompson and Andrew Wiggins will have to step up to provide more depth for the roster behind Giannis.
Van Gundy’s point is not unpopular since many pundits have Miami finishing outside of the top six seeds. However, Stan took it further by burying the roster and calling their second-best player overrated. A hot start is needed for the Heat to build momentum and avoid falling behind in the standings.
Stan Van Gundy Predicts “Overrated” Bam Adebayo Will Fail Heat