Erik Spoelstra is ‘too good to lose’ and that’s why Miami Heat need to replace him, says NBA insider

Ira Winderman suggests taking the Brad Stevens approach with Erik Spoelstra

Spoelstra has been a part of the Heat since 1995 and took over as the team’s head coach in 2008. Since then, coach Spo has helped the Heat win two NBA Championships in six trips to the finals.

Obviously, there’s no doubt about Spoelstra’s talent. But Heat insider, Ira Winderman, feels that’s exactly why the franchise needs to relieve Spo of his coaching duties and promote him to an executive role.

“I think they’re almost trapped in their success. I would move Erik Spoelstra up into the executive suite like the Celtics did with Brad Stevens,” Winderman said, via SiriusXM NBA Radio.

He added: “Get a coach, we see it in Washington and other places, who knows he’s not going to win right away but is going to build toward something. The problem is that Erik Spoelstra is too good to lose.”

That’s certainly true, as even with mediocre rosters, Spoelstra has produced fabulous results for the Heat. But it’s high time for the franchise to embrace a true rebuild.

Moreover, Winderman’s suggestion was to keep Spo in the organization, possibly as a replacement for Pat Riley.

Ira Winderman compares the Miami Heat to the reality TV show Chopped

While the Heat have a dynamic duo in Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo, along with a young star in Nikola Jovic, it’s hard to see the team coming out of the East next season.

A realistic finish would be in the Play-In tournament. Coming back to Winderman’s point, he compared the Heat to a popular reality TV show, ‘Chopped’ on the Food Network.

“I always refer to the Heat as the show Chopped on the Food Network. They give them a basket of garbage, where they give them snail knuckles, and used peanut butter, and they say make a dish, and somehow they still do.

“That’s Erik Spoelstra. Erik Spoelstra is taking day-old bread and still turning it into a playoff team,” the Heat expert continued.

Winderman concluded with his two cents on the current state of the Heat, saying: “Do I think they should have taken a step back? Absolutely. Is it in their DNA to take a step back? Not with the way they have it.”

It will be interesting to see if the Heat will follow Winderman’s advice or continue to salvage the best results they can with their current team.