A: I think a lot of this tanking vs. not-taking debate has been a factor of how the Heat have built their current record. If the start had not been as poor, if all those home losses had not piled up, then, like many of the expectations after an encouraging preseason, there probably would not have been tank talk in the first place. Instead, there would have been daily tracking of playoff position, as there was when the Heat pulled within 4 1/2 games of the East's final playoff spot after Monday's victory over the Nets. When you're not among the five or six worst teams in the league, you generally do not think in terms of lottery seeding. You just go out and play your season. And this certainly could turn again, with six of the next seven on the road after this four-game homestand concludes Saturday against the 76ers. So there still could be ample time for the tank talkers to get back to their favorite subject. I believe a lot of the answers, when it comes to direction, will be offered at the Feb. 23 NBA trading deadline. I doubt the Heat will be buyers. But will they be sellers?