Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Tyler Herro To Return In Game 7

May 29th, 2022 at 5:55pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat guard Tyler Herro (groin strain) will warm up with the intent of playing in Sunday’s Game 7 against the Celtics, the team announced on social media (Twitter link). The other players on the official injury report — Kyle Lowry, Max Strus, P.J. Tucker and Gabe Vincent — will do the same.

Herro suffered the injury during the second half of Game 3. He missed Games 4, 5 and 6 as a result, with Miami going 1-2 during those outings. The Heat have missed his scoring presence, as the 22-year-old averaged 20.7 points per game on 45% shooting this season.

Herro’s production has dropped during the playoffs. In 14 games, he’s averaged 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists in 26.7 minutes per contest, shooting 41% from the floor and just 23% from distance.

Herro won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award this season. He made significant progress in his recovery, one that could’ve lasted two-to-four weeks during the regular season, as ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne previously reported (video link).

Eastern Notes: Adebayo, Herro, Knicks, Nets

May 29th, 2022 at 5:30pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat star Bam Adebayo didn’t have a problem with the team getting fined $25K for its “bench decorum” in Game 6, Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel writes. While this shouldn’t come as a surprise, Adebayo did have a positive way of looking at it, explaining why the fine didn’t bother him.

“At the end of the day, it just shows how much support your teammates have for you, to the point we get fined,” Adebayo said.

The Heat aren’t the only team to be fined for violating bench decorum rules this postseason, as the Mavericks were fined three separate times for a total of $175K for the same issue. According to the NBA, several Heat players stood for an extended period in the team bench area. They were on, encroached upon or entered the court during live game action.

Here are some other Eastern Conference notes:

The Heat remain concerned about Tyler Herro‘s injury in the short term, Ira Winderman writes in a separate story for the Sun-Sentinel. Herro, who suffered a groin strain earlier in the team’s series against Boston, was the club’s second-leading scorer at 20.7 points per game this season and won the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award, so his absence has naturally been felt. “It’s a sensitive injury, so got to take his time,” Adebayo said of Herro.
Steve Popper of Newsday explores whether the Knicks or the Nets are in a better spot going forward. The Knicks entered 2021/22 coming off a successful campaign with a young core, but their season became rife with injuries and chemistry issues. The Nets had championship expectations, but Kyrie Irving‘s part-time availability, James Harden‘s trade request and Joe Harris‘ season-ending injury harmed their hopes.
Brian Lewis of the New York Post examines why the Nets‘ lack of length is no longer an issue they can live with by simply scoring more. Brooklyn was often overmatched in its first-round series against Boston, playing two or three point guards at a time against the Celtics’ bigger lineup. The team simply lacked wing depth, something that Harris and Ben Simmons can help address when they play next season.

Southeast Notes: Magic, Hornets, “Shadow Heat,” Bam

May 29th, 2022 at 3:11pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Magic, owners of the top pick as well as the Nos. 32 and 35 selections in the 2022 draft, interviewed a variety of players at the pre-draft combine, have hosted several prospects for pre-draft workouts, and are expected to host several others as they do their due diligence with an eye towards the future.

Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel lists all the players the Magic are doing their homework on, including Duke guard Trevor Keels, Iowa forward Keegan Murray, Baylor forward Jeremy Sochan, Kentucky guard TyTy Washington Jr., and more.

There’s more out of the Southeast Division:

The Hornets, who possess the Nos. 13 and 15 picks in the upcoming draft, are hosting UT-Arlington forward Kaodirichi Akobundu-Ehiogu, Gonzaga guard Rasir Bolton, LSU forward Tari Eason, North Carolina State guard Terquavion Smith, SMU forward Marcus Weathers, and Connecticut forward Isaiah Whaley for a pre-draft workout today, per Rod Boone of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
The Heat‘s young deep-bench players, a.k.a. the “Shadow Heat,” are gearing up for a summer of development, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Winderman notes that the Miami front office brain trust of Pat Riley, Andy Elisburg, and Adam Simon have made it a habit to add intriguing youngsters near the end of the regular season, letting them work out with the team during the end of the year and the postseason ahead of hopeful Summer League success. The Heat have hit on solid role players this way in the past, and hope to do so again with Haywood Highsmith and two-way players Mychal Mulder and Javonte Smart. That trio has been traveling with the club as it continues its playoff run. “I think that gives you invaluable experience, any time you can be a part of a playoff run,” said Heat reserve center Omer Yurtseven, who underwent a similar late-season development process last year.
Though Heat All-Defensive Team center Bam Adebayo has had a relatively modest offensive output in the team’s Eastern Conference Finals series against the Celtics thus far, the team assesses his production beyond just the box score, writes Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. Adebayo is averaging just 13.3 PPG in the series.

Heat Notes: Herro, Strus, Butler, Tucker

May 29th, 2022 at 11:56am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra isn’t ready to announce a decision on Tyler Herro‘s availability for tonight’s Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.

Herro is suffering from a left groin strain that has forced him to miss the last three games. He underwent a morning workout today to test his condition, and Spoelstra said afterward that he remains questionable to play tonight. A final decision will be made closer to tipoff, which is set for 8:45 pm Eastern Time.

“It’s a sensitive injury,” teammate Bam Adebayo said (Twitter link from Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “He has to take his time.”

Herro suffered the injury in the fourth quarter of Game 3, leaving the Heat without an important component of their offense. The 2021/22 Sixth Man of the Year is averaging 13.5 PPG in 14 playoff games, but his three-point shot has been off as he’s connecting at just 23.2% from long distance.

There’s more from Miami:

If Herro isn’t available, the Heat will need another strong game from Max Strus, who has delivered them frequently throughout the playoffs, notes Nick Friedell of ESPN. After missing all of his shots in Games 4 and 5, Strus bounced back in Game 6, delivering 13 points and three three-pointers. Getting significant playoff minutes for the first time in his career, Strus has started all 17 games for Miami and is averaging 11.1 points per night.
Jimmy Butler‘s aggressiveness in attacking the basket made the difference for Miami Friday night, ESPN’s Kirk Goldsberry observes in the same piece. Butler drove into the lane 23 times in Game 6, compared to 10 times in Game 4 and nine times in Game 5. He scored 20 of his 47 points in the paint and had 11 more at the free throw line.
P.J. Tucker said he expected Spoelstra to be “a dictator” and was pleasantly surprised to find that the coach is different behind the scenes, per Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Tucker, who signed with Miami after winning a title in Milwaukee last season, said Spoelstra can be forgiving of minor infractions such as being a few minutes late to practice and he accepts input from players. “I think he knows how hard I work,” Tucker said. “I think it makes it a little easier when you know a guy’s out there and is going to give the coverage that he chooses 110 percent and work through it and through the progressions, if it works or doesn’t work.”

Community Shootaround: Best NBA Finals Matchup

May 28th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Warriors are in the enviable position of sitting back and resting while their eventual opponent is headed to a Game 7 in the rough-and-tumble Eastern Conference Finals.

Golden State will have been off for an entire week by the time the NBA Finals begin Thursday night, and will enjoy home court advantage whether the Heat or the Celtics come out of the East. The time off is already proving beneficial, as Gary Payton II is expected to return for the championship series, possibly in time for Game 1.

In contrast, the Celtics have been playing virtually every other day since the start of their second-round series with the Bucks, which also lasted seven games. Marcus Smart is dealing with a sprained right ankle and Robert Williams has a sore left knee, both of which have caused them to sit out games. They’re listed as questionable for Sunday night, just as they were for Games 5 and 6.

Miami’s injury situation is just as serious, with Kyle Lowry, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent playing through hamstring problems. They’re all listed as questionable for Game 7, along with P.J. Tucker, who has irritation in his left knee. Also questionable is Tyler Herro, who has missed the past three games with a strained groin. Jimmy Butler has inflammation in his right knee and twisted his ankle late in Game 6, but he doesn’t appear on the injury report.

Boston and Miami are both known for their aggressive defense and overall tough-mindedness, and either team would try to make the Finals as physical as possible. The Celtics can test Golden State’s defense with two dangerous scorers in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, but Butler provided a reminder Friday night that he can take over a game as well.

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green will be seeking their fourth title together, and the oddsmakers will likely consider the Warriors to be solid favorites regardless of who they face.

We want your opinion on which team will provide a better matchup. Do the Heat or the Celtics have a better chance of keeping Golden State from collecting another ring? Please leave your responses in the comments section.

Heat Notes: Injuries, Butler, Herro, Oladipo, Fine

May 28th, 2022 at 5:25pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat aren’t complaining about their injury situation as they prepare to host Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, writes Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Jimmy Butler became the latest addition to the injured list, twisting an ankle in the latter stages of his magnificent performance Friday night in Boston. Butler, who is expected to play Sunday, is also dealing with inflammation in his right knee that forced him to miss the second half of Game 3. Kyle Lowry, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus all have hamstring issues, and Tyler Herro has missed the last three games due to a strained groin.

“This time of year, there’s nobody 100% healthy, both sides,” P.J. Tucker said. “I’m sure they got a bunch of guys, too, just trying to figure it out and give what they can. Try to win. That’s it. You can’t get these days back. It’s living in the moment, trying to just do what you can.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat are adopting a “wait and see” approach regarding Herro’s status for Game 7, tweets Nick Friedell of ESPN. Coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters that Herro will have a daytime workout on Sunday, and the medical staff will determine whether he’s able to play. Spoelstra said before Friday’s game that Herro has “made progress” with the injury, but added that sitting him out was “the most responsible decision for us,” Friedell states in a full story.
In an interview with Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel, ESPN’s Bobby Marks projects the value of 12 Miami players for next season as if they were all free agents. Among the most interesting is Victor Oladipo, who actually will be a free agent — Marks believes Oladipo will be worth the $10.3MM non-taxpayer mid-level exception after playing on a veteran’s minimum deal this season. The Heat have Bird rights on the two-time All-Star, so they wouldn’t need to use their MLE to re-sign him at that number, but Winderman isn’t sure that the organization is willing to offer that much.
The Heat were fined $25K for “violating league rules regarding team bench decorum,” the NBA announced on Twitter. The league said players stood for an extended time in the bench area, stood away from the bench and were encroaching on the court during Friday’s game.

Heat Notes: Green, Butler, Wade, Game 7, Lowry

May 28th, 2022 at 1:31pm CST by JD Shaw

The Heat used Draymond Green‘s recent NBA Finals prediction as motivation to beat the Celtics on Friday and force a Game 7, Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports writes. Green predicted his Warriors would face the Celtics after Golden State advanced this week, prompting several Heat players to respond.

“Draymond broke the code,” veteran Udonis Haslem said. “You ain’t supposed to say some s–t like that. That’s disrespectful. He know better than that.”

Heat forward P.J. Tucker also felt as if Green crossed a line with his comments.

“I don’t know what part of the game is that,” Tucker told Haynes. “A player picking a team before they’re out. That’s crazy, bro.”

Miami could advance to play Golden State in the Finals by defeating Boston on Sunday. The team is dealing with an array of injuries, but was led by Jimmy Butler‘s 47-point performance to win Game 6 on the road.

Here are some other notes from Miami:

The Heat also received motivation from Dwyane Wade, according to Nick Friedell of ESPN, who details how Butler used that motivation en route to his dominant Game 6. “He was telling me that I could do this,” Butler told ESPN, referring to how Wade called him before the game. “Knee a little banged up, but nobody cares. Go out there, continue to build your legacy. It meant the world to me, so I appreciate you D-Wade.” In addition to his 47 points, Butler also finished with nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals in 46 minutes.
Following the Heat’s Game 6 win, Butler expressed immediate confidence about the team’s chances in Game 7, as relayed by Keith Smith of Spotrac (Twitter link). “We knew we were going to win this one. And we’re going to win the next one too.”
Kyle Lowry‘s key performance in Game 6 seemingly came out of nowhere, Joe Vardon writes as part of a story for The Athletic. Lowry has been dealing with a hamstring strain for over a month, but he managed to record 18 points and 10 assists to keep the Heat’s season alive. “I’m never going to make an excuse,” Lowry said. “I played bad before. I have an opportunity to redeem myself. I got great guys in the locker room, great guys on our team, great organization, great people in my life who support me no matter what it is, ups, downs. They always say, ‘Just do you.’ Tonight was one of the chances that I think Coach said it, a legacy game.”

Herro To Miss Game 6; Smart, R. Williams Active

May 27th, 2022 at 6:36pm CST by Rory Maher

6:36pm: Smart and Williams will both be active for Boston, reports Tim Bontemps of ESPN (via Twitter).

6:06pm: Heat guard Tyler Herro is expected to be sidelined for Friday’s Game 6 against Boston, league sources told Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.

Herro suffered a left groin strain in Game 3 and will now miss Games 4, 5 and 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals with the injury. He was a limited participant in the team’s shootaround this morning, but “experienced discomfort while sliding defensively,” Haynes reports.

Head coach Erik Spoelstra confirmed that Herro will be out, tweets Jared Weiss of The Athletic.

“He’s definitely made progress, but he’s not quite ready to step into this kind of intensity of a game,” Spoelstra said.

It makes sense to be cautious with a muscle strain, as they can be notoriously tricky to deal with and easily re-injured, like what happened with teammate Kyle Lowry‘s hamstring strain in the previous series. Lowry hasn’t looked like himself since he originally sustained the injury more than a month ago.

After averaging 20.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists on .447/.399/.868 shooting in 66 regular season games (32.6 minutes), Herro saw his numbers drop off in the postseason, averaging 13.5 points, 4.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists on .413/.232/.926 shooting in 14 games. Still, his absence will certainly be felt by the Heat, as they’ve struggled mightily to score without the Sixth Man of the Year winner, posting just 82 points in Game 4 and 80 in Game 5, both losses.

On Boston’s side, Celtics head coach Ime Udoka told reporters, including Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (Twitter link), that both Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are game-time decisions for the potential close-out contest. Boston currently leads Miami 3-2.

Smart and Williams had previously been listed as questionable, and it seems we won’t know their status until later this evening. Game 6 tips off at 7:30pm CT on ESPN.

Spoelstra: No Changes To Starting Lineup

May 27th, 2022 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat won’t make any changes to their starting lineup for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference, head coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters today (Twitter link via Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel). That means Kyle Lowry and Max Strus will continue to start, despite calls to bench them.

Should Heat Bench Lowry, Strus?

May 26th, 2022 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

With Kyle Lowry still clearly being affected by the left hamstring injury that has forced him to miss eight playoff games, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel and Joe Vardon of The Athletic believe the Heat have to seriously consider whether or not Lowry should start – or even play – in a do-or-die Game 6. Vardon says the team should probably bench both Lowry and Max Strus, who are a combined 1-of-28 from the floor in the last two games.