It was the most underrated element of the Heat's teams during the Big Three era:

The ability to grasp the nuances of the game, on and off the court.

I wrote about this repeatedly during that period, most extensively in this piece, in which I spoke to some of the Heat's intellectuals, such as Ray Allen, Shane Battier, Chris Bosh, Roger Mason, Jr. and James Jones. And there were others during that period, such as Rashard Lewis, Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, Chris Andersen and so on, who had high basketball IQs, not to mention LeBron James, who may have the highest basketball IQ of all.

They weren't playing for the next contract.

They were comfortable with their place in the league.

And they could figure out how to find the right place on the team, without getting in the way.

These players could generally be trusted not only to be physically, emotionally and mentally prepared to play -- even when they'd been on the bench for a while -- but they could also be trusted to be in the right place at the right time on the court. That was all part of Pat Riley's plan and, while the downside was that many of these players petered out physically, which played a role in James' departure, the net gain was greater. Four NBA Finals, two NBA championships, not much in-fighting.

While I'd rather not specifically disparage anyone on the current Heat roster, it's clear that this is not the same. There are players who, in spite of their physical gifts, have bounced around the league -- and that's why they were available so cheaply. There are others who, while having an innate feel for the game, are still inexperienced at this level, and finding their way. And there are others who have been solid team players elsewhere, but are quiet by nature and relatively new to the Heat program, and don't feel comfortable trying to keep others in line.

And there's frustration, from Bosh and Dwyane Wade, specifically, who may have taken some things for granted from their former teammates... and cannot take them for granted from those in support of them now.