Q: Is it fair to say that a good deal of this season’s woes are due to injuries and not having a true starting lineup for enough games to gel? Or is it just that they are not good even with everyone playing and need a complete tear down. – Irving.
A: The latter. As Erik Spoelstra has consistently stressed during his pregame media sessions, rare are games when either team is whole in today’s NBA. Yes, the Heat have had many miss time this season, but then consider all the contenders who have leading men ineligible for NBA awards due to the 65-game rule. Somehow, the good teams find a way. Again as has been stressed in this space previously, the Heat were forecast by the Vegas types to finish at 37 1/2 wins. That’s what this roster is, and, by that measure, has overachieved, even while disappointing.
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Q: Hey Ira, I get it that Heat coaches, management and players must toe the line during the season and have a glass-half-full mentality, i.e., “we have enough” and “we need to figure it out”, etc. I actually agree and respect that and it keeps the main thing the main thing. This season, the likely finish for the Heat is third in their own (weak) division. Surely there must be an overhaul planned for the offseason. I would start with no extensions to eligible players. Thoughts? — David, Venice.
A: Agree (although it also could be a fourth-place finish in a relatively weak division, not that divisions matter, much). So, yes, you don’t throw more money at a mix until you know that such a mix can succeed. That might come off as unfair to Tyler Herro, Norman Powell, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Andrew Wiggins, but tough times call for tough decisions, and it’s not as if the Heat are getting a rebate on their Nikola Jovic extension. To their credit, the Heat toed the line this season to wisely remain below the luxury tax (and repeater tax). That’s not a matter of frugality; it’s a matter of common sense.
Q: If the Heat had drafted Victor Wembanyama, Erik Spoelstra would not have played him and criticized him at every turn as is his odd habit with every young center he coaches. It is not a good strategy and makes no sense, but it is who Spoelstra is as a coach. If I was a young center, I would not want to be drafted by the Heat. Strange, given that Spoelstra’s mentor, Pat Riley, was a great big-man coach and supporter. – Andrew, Coral Gables.
A: Or should a coach push a young prospect to be the best version of himself? Kel’el Ware has had an uneven defensive season (actually, a bit worse than even that). And, so, his coach is demanding more. Isn’t that what coaching should be about on a developmental level? Yes, you can let it slide and get empty calories like you did from Hassan Whiteside. Or you can push a player to be his best self. The fact is we’ve seen enough of Kel’el at his best to expect and demand more of the same more often. To think Erik Spoelstra wants to fail is ludicrous. Spoelstra and the Heat need the best of Kel’el.
