Ira Winderman: Heat history and current reality show revival has to come from within

The sky has been falling before amid these Miami Heat rebuilds and the constant has been … patience.

So to expect something dramatically different to immediately be forthcoming less than 10 games in largely would stand as a fool’s errand.

Amid this five-game western swing that continues Sunday against the Sacramento Kings, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has been asked several times during media sessions to compare this uneven 3-6 start to the team’s Giannis Antetokounmpo era to that of the 9-8 start in 2010-11 of the team’s Big Three era with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

In fact, before Wednesday night’s victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, Spoelstra spoke of how earlier that day he and Wade also had spoken at the morning shootaround of the team’s late stretch of five consecutive home losses that 2010-11 season.

No panic then, Spoelstra said.

No panic now, he emphasized.

“You have to manage whatever comes your way and stick to your process, quiet the noise, and make the work to try to improve regardless of the team or whatever’s happening with your team,” he said. “We know what’s happening right now. We have to address it. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we’re working at it.”

The sky wasn’t falling in 2010-11.

It isn’t now, in Spoelstra’s view.

And if history remains a lesson, it isn’t in the view of the front office or management, either.

Amid all of those concerns 16 seasons ago, the sum total of personnel moves during that 2010-11 season was this:

— Oct. 23: Signed free agent-guard Jerry Stackhouse.

— Oct. 25: Released Patrick Beverley and Da’Sean Butler.

— Nov. 23: Signed free-agent center Erick Dampier and released Jerry Stackhouse.

— March 1: Released Carlos Arroyo.

— March 2: Signed free-agent guard Mike Bibby.

Nothing earth-shattering, but instead the faith that the core would sort it out, find its way.

There also is little hint of it going any other way for this roster, with the Heat working with a hard cap created by the machinations to acquire Antetokounmpo. At the moment, the Heat are left with enough room under that hard cap to add a single player at the veteran minimum, a player along the lines of what they did with Dampier and then Bibby in 2010-11 on the way to the NBA Finals.

Instead, it will have to be improvement from within, with 73 more games to get it right in time for when it matters most.

So what has to improve?

— Andrew Wiggins: No, salary should not be the determinant of expectations. But in a salary-cap league, money matters. At $30.2 million on the payroll this season, Wiggins is accounting for 18.3% of the salary cap. He is not producing an 18.3% payoff.

And it’s not just the scoring or even the statistics, it is the lethargy, to the point that even on defensive possessions he was kept off the floor in favor of Klay Thompson late in the overtime victory over the Clippers and utilized for less than 10 minutes in Thursday night’s loss to the Warriors.

Pelle Larsson (1.4% of the cap) has been the better option, which stands sobering salary-wise.

— Tim Hardaway Jr.: The thought was a depth of 3-point shooting would balance the inside attack provided by Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo.

Instead, it largely has been Thompson or bust, which hardly is optimal, with Thompson turning 37.

The issue with Hardaway is the defensive element has often left him unplayable.

Perhaps there was no better example than the video circulating on social media after the Heat’s defensive deterioration against the Lakers, which showed Davion Mitchell chasing down multiple scoring threats as Hardaway remained planted the side of the lane, giving up an offensive rebound.

From there, just single, first-half shifts against the Clippers and Warriors.

— Relief for Davion Mitchell: Speaking of Mitchell, he has more than met his mandate as the starting point guard, emerging as a double-double machine.

The issue, as it often has stood with the Heat over the years, has been support at the position.

Dru Smith has been cast as a zone-defense specialist, nominally a playing choice at this point. Ryan Conwell is as raw as would be expected with a second-round rookie. Larsson does have the tightest handle. And, through it all, Tre Donaldson has yet to be active on his two-way contract.

As uneven as it has been for the Heat to this point, consider a game when Mitchell might not be available. Then what?

— The coaching: Spoelstra has made clear that no one, including himself, should be considered beyond reproach amid this start.

Less stubbornness regarding utilizing pick-and-roll could have salvaged at least a win or two during the 0-4 start. Acknowledgement of the defensive limitations of certain rotation components could have potentially forestalled the drop to defensive depths.

“We are in the frustrating part,” Spoelstra said. “But every team will go through it at some point. A lot of times, it’s not just going to be one part of the season.”

But at this part of the season it very much feels like something needs to be done, including perhaps general manager Andy Elisburg breaking out the abacus.