Mario Chalmers may be one of the most polarizing figures in Miami Heat history.
Chalmers has been with the team for seven seasons and has been a starter on two of the Heat’s championship squads. Despite being a member of the franchise for so long and playing a key role during the team’s four straight trips to the NBA Finals, some of Heat Nation still doesn’t seem to respect him.
The veteran point guard appeared on the Sirius XM Radio Show “Above the Rim” and was asked whether he believes he gets the respect he deserves for all of his accomplishments:
“No, not as much. I always get comments like, ‘The only reason why you won championships is because you have Dwyane Wade or LeBron James on your team,’ and I’m like, ‘That’s not my fault.’
Even in those aspects, in those games, I still had to do my thing and I still had big games in the Finals every time we went….I think sometimes my game gets overlooked, but people can count on me.”
Last season, Chalmers had a different role with the Heat, switching between point guard and shooting guard off the bench. The increased playing time at two-guard helped Chalmers establish a career-high in points per game (10.2). However, he shot just 40.3 percent from the field and 29.4 percent from three-point range.
While the University of Kansas product has had his ups-and-downs over the years with the franchise, he does hold a valid point in terms of receiving a lack of respect. Chalmers may not be a top point guard, but there is little doubt that he played a vital role for the team during the “Big Three” era.
The fact that he has played seven seasons with the franchise speaks volumes about how Pat Riley and the organization view ‘Rio as a quality contributor.
Though he has been with the Heat since 2008, Chalmers enters the 2015-16 season on the trade block—Miami is trying to trade the veteran for luxury-tax purposes as he’s due to earn $4.3 million next season.
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