Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Randle, Brunson, Butler All Questionable For Game 2

May 1st, 2023 at 10:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson are both listed as questionable to play on Tuesday in Game 2 of the Knicks’ second-round series against the Heat, the Knicks’ PR department tweets.

It’s a mixed bag for New York, which trails 1-0 in the series. Randle, who is nursing a sprained left ankle, missed Game 1. His status give the Knicks hope he’ll return to action sooner rather than later. Randle only played 16 minutes in the closeout game against Cleveland on April 26 when the ankle flared up.

The Brunson prognosis, a sore right ankle, is a little more troubling. He played 40 minutes on Sunday and scored 25 points but missed all seven of his 3-point attempts and committed five turnovers. Brunson blamed himself for the loss, calling his performance “terrible.” The Knicks’ offense will be greatly impacted if their floor leader can’t go.

Heat forward Jimmy Butler is also listed as questionable for Game 2 due to a sprained right ankle, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets. Butler scored 25 points in 43 minutes but only attempted one shot after rolling the ankle with just over five minutes remaining.

Miami has already lost third-leading scorer Tyler Herro for the remainder of the postseason due to a broken right hand suffered in Game 1 of the first-round series against Milwaukee.

Ankle Sprain Leaves Jimmy Butler In Doubt For Game 2

May 1st, 2023 at 7:59am CST by Arthur Hill

The’s Heat‘s series-opening victory in New York included a sprained right ankle for star forward Jimmy Butler that might affect his status for Game 2 and beyond, writes Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Butler didn’t address the media after the game to talk about his condition, but he said in a brief ABC interview that it felt “like a rolled ankle.”

Butler was injured on a drive to the basket with 5:05 left to play. He collided with Josh Hart, who inadvertently kicked Butler’s ankle as both players fell to the court. Butler remained in the game, but was used almost entirely as a decoy and was clearly hobbled as he tried to move, Lopez adds.

“You just don’t know with ankle sprains,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I don’t even know if we’ll know more by (Monday). We’ll just have to see. It’ll be a waiting game.”

Butler had 25 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and two steals as he played nearly 44 minutes and didn’t come off the court in the second half until the final seconds when the game was decided. He only took one shot after injuring the ankle, but he promised Spoelstra that he could stay in the game without hurting the team.

“I know him,” Spoelstra said. “I know when I can look in his eye. He assured me that he wasn’t going to be a liability and wanted to stay in there and make sure we get this swing. I mean that’s the most important thing. We’ve had a lot of chaos and a lot of things going on, but main thing being the main thing, we got to secure it and get the win and then we’ll figure out what happens in the next 48 hours.”

Butler has one day of rest before the series resumes Tuesday in New York, then a longer break before Game 3, which is Saturday in Miami. The first injury report for Game 2 will be released at 5:30 pm Monday, so we’ll get a better idea then of Butler’s status.

The Heat are already dealing with a depleted roster after first-round injuries to Tyler Herro, who is sidelined until at least early June following hand surgery, and Victor Oladipo, who will miss the rest of the playoffs following surgery on the torn patellar tendon in his left knee.

“This group has been through a lot,” Spoelstra said. “We’ve been through a lot this entire year and we’re not being insensitive to when guys get picked up or get hurt, but our group has learned to compartmentalize and focus on the task at hand and that’s what it was. There wasn’t an overreaction. We’ve had enough tears behind the scenes, some guys getting hurt and stuff like that. We have to get the job done.”

Julius Randle To Miss Game 1

April 30th, 2023 at 10:27am CST by Arthur Hill

11:31am: The Knicks confirmed that Randle won’t play in Sunday’s game (Twitter link).

10:27am: Knicks forward Julius Randle will likely be inactive for today’s series opener against Miami, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Randle was visibly exhausted after a pregame workout, according to Steve Popper of Newsday (Twitter link).

Randle was listed as questionable after reinjuring his left ankle during Wednesday’s close-out victory in Cleveland. Coach Tom Thibodeau said Randle is considered day-to-day, but he wasn’t able to participate in practice Saturday.

Randle missed the final five games of the regular season with the original ankle injury and seemed to be bothered during New York’s first-round series as he shot just 33.8% from the field. He was in the middle of his best game of the series when he got hurt again late in the second quarter of Game 5.

Obi Toppin is expected to take Randle’s spot in the starting lineup until he can return. Toppin started the second half on Wednesday and helped the Knicks wrap up their series.

The Heat announced that center Bam Adebayo, who had been listed as probable for Game 1 with a hamstring issue, will be able to play, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.

Heat Notes: Vincent, Butler, Love, Herro

April 30th, 2023 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Gabe Vincent‘s performance in Wednesday’s close-out victory over the Bucks should help make him a popular free agent this summer, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The Heat guard had 22 points and six assists and delivered two clutch plays that contributed to Miami’s improbable win. He sank a three-pointer with eight seconds left that cut Milwaukee’s lead to one point and threw the pass that Jimmy Butler converted to send the game to overtime.

Vincent also shut down All-Star guard Jrue Holiday, limiting him to 4-of-11 from the field while defending him. He held Bulls star Zach LaVine to 1-of-7 shooting in their play-in game, and Jackson notes that Vincent has been one of the league’s best defensive point guards throughout the season.

“Guys were feeding him a bunch of confidence at the shootaround (before Game 5), telling him we needed him to score, be aggressive, be assertive,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “When Jimmy and Bam (Adebayo) are telling you that, you feel like you can conquer the world.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Tom Thibodeau, Butler’s first NBA coach, will try to find a way to limit him as the Knicks prepare to host Miami in Sunday’s series opener, notes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Thibodeau believed the rookie had a bright NBA future when he first arrived in Chicago, but he’s surprised by the level Butler has been able to reach. “I’ll be honest — I didn’t see this,” Thibodeau admitted. “I saw the things that stood out were his toughness, his competitiveness. He played a lot of power forward (in college). But when you look at him, you say OK, I felt like we were getting a rotation player. I didn’t know how good he would become.”
Kevin Love is enjoying his first playoff experience since he reached the NBA Finals with Cleveland in 2018, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The 34-year-old big man was confident that he picked the right team after his buyout with the Cavaliers. “I wanted to come. I wanted to win. I wanted to be a part of winning. I wanted to be a part of this and help make these guys’ lives easier,” he said. “And I felt like in a lot of cases I was able to do that. But I was definitely, even in my 15th year, trying to find my way. Us being here, advancing to the second round, beating a one seed after being in the play-in, yeah, I think it checks a lot of boxes. Obviously we have a lot of work to do, but, again I felt like I could still play, still contribute, and potentially be a part of something special.”
Tyler Herro‘s absence may be more significant in the second-round series than it was against the Bucks, Winderman suggests in another Sun Sentinel story. Winderman notes that Herro averaged 23.0 PPG against the Knicks during the regular season, and his creativity was vital in breaking down New York’s defense.

Heat Notes: Oladipo, Butler, Love, Adebayo, Lowry

April 28th, 2023 at 4:48pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard Victor Oladipo underwent successful surgery on Thursday to repair the torn patellar tendon in his left knee, the Heat announced (via Twitter). There’s no recovery timeline yet, per the team.

While that’s the official stance, there’s a “hope and belief” that Oladipo, who turns 31 years old next week, will return to action at some point during the 2023/24 season, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald (Twitter link).

Oladipo holds a $9.45MM player option for next season, and another major knee injury essentially guaranteed that he will exercise it, as he’s highly unlikely to find any offers that lucrative in free agency.

The veteran guard appeared in 42 games (26.3 MPG) for the Heat in ’22/23, his most games played since ’17/18, when he made his first All-Star team. He averaged 10.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 3.5 APG and 1.4 SPG on .397/.330/.747 shooting this season.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Jimmy Butler won’t wither under the bright lights of the postseason and Madison Square Garden like the Cavaliers did, according to Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News, who refers to the Heat star as a “worthy enemy” for the Knicks in their second-round series, which begins Sunday afternoon. “A lot of guys play the game of basketball in this league. He competes to win. That’s a different language,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said of Butler. “He’s desperate and urgent and maniacal and sometimes psychotic about the will to try to win. He’ll make everybody in the building feel it. And that’s why he is us and we are him. That’s the way we operate as well. The psychotic meets the psychotic. And it gets a little bit whatever.”
The Cavaliers, Kevin Love‘s former team, were eliminated by New York on the same night the Heat defeated the top-seeded Bucks to advance, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Love reached a buyout with the Cavs after his role was reduced, and Cleveland’s bench struggled once again in Game 5 just as Love had his best game of the Bucks series, Jackson adds. Love is understandably focused on his current club. “We’re resilient,” Love said. “We have guys that do a lot of stuff that may or may not show up in the stat sheet but we’re all about winning. We all bring the ego that got us here but for the betterment of the team.”
Bam Adebayo‘s left hamstring strain is improving, Spoelstra told reporters, including Jackson (subscriber link). “He just got done with a workout,” Spoelstra said Friday. “He feels much better.” Adebayo was hampered by the injury throughout the five-game series versus Milwaukee, though he was able to play in every game.
Point guard Kyle Lowry was moved to a reserve role after dealing with a knee injury, and Spoelstra said the Heat decided to stick with Gabe Vincent in the starting lineup for “stability and consistency,” writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. “He has been great about it,” Spoelstra said of Lowry coming off the bench. “He is all about winning right now. He’s playing a massive role with us right now. But that’s why he is who he is. If you’re all about winning, you’ll sacrifice if you need to, take on a little bit of a different role, if you need to, if it makes sense for winning. You can always look at it like he’s a sixth starter.”

Raptors Taking Broad Approach To Head Coaching Search

April 27th, 2023 at 6:31pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Raptors have been granted permission to interviews a number of prominent assistant coaches for their head coaching job, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.

Toronto parted ways with Nick Nurse, who coached them to a championship, after the season. The Warriors‘ Kenny Atkinson, Bucks‘ Charles Lee, Suns‘ Kevin Young, Spurs‘ Mitch Johnson, Kings‘ Jordi Fernandez, Grizzlies‘ Darko Rajakovic and Heat‘s Chris Quinn are among the assistant they plan to interview. However, that list could expand.

Lee is one of the top candidates for the Pistons’ head coaching vacancy. Atkinson, of course, was previously the Nets’ head coach.

The Raptors will also look at ex-NBA head coaches, as well as NCAA and WNBA coaches. Regarding the latter, they have gained permission to speak with former Spurs assistant and current Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon. She led the Aces to last year’s WNBA championship.

As previously reported, they are also expected to interview current assistant coach Adrian Griffin.

Heat Notes: Martin, D. Robinson, Adebayo

April 26th, 2023 at 9:15pm CST by Rory Maher

Caleb Martin was removed from the Heat‘s starting lineup when they signed Kevin Love on the buyout market. He was productive in both roles, and has been a major difference-maker thus far in their first-round series against Milwaukee, as Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald details (subscriber link).

Through four games (28.0 MPG) against the Bucks, Martin is averaging 13.5 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.3 APG and 1.3 SPG on a stellar .643/.467/.846 shooting line. According to Chiang, Martin leads all playoff players in plus/minus at plus-75, and he was particularly effective in Game 4’s fourth-quarter comeback, recording 10 points, five rebounds and a steal without missing a shot in the final frame.

“How many games can you have said that about him this year?” head coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Martin’s impactful playoff performances in the series. “That’s the kind of X-factor that he is. He has just a burst of energy and effort where you feel him immediately. He was really good for us as a starter. But I think as a bench guy, it just gives that instant change of energy that I think fits very well with that unit.”

For his part, the 27-year-old forward said he feels comfortable in high-pressure situations.

“Any way I can contribute,” Martin said. “Most of the time, I know it’s going to be on the defensive end. So to be able to come in and knock down timely shots when I needed to was big. I just felt comfortable in those moments.”

Here’s more on the Heat, who lead the series three games to one entering Wednesday’s Game 5:

Duncan Robinson was an afterthought for much of the 2022/23 season, but he has emerged as a key contributor in the playoffs, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. Robinson only played 24-plus minutes in nine regular season games during his 42 appearances, averaging 16.5 MPG. But he has played 24-plus minutes in three straight games, averaging 14.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG and 2.0 APG with a scorching hot .682/.750/1.000 shooting line over that span. “Our staff and team is yelling at me on the shots I don’t shoot,” said Robinson, who turned 29 over the weekend. “So that’s a pretty freeing place to be between the ears, just knowing you got to go out there and fulfill your job to the best of your ability.” Robinson has gotten the opportunity for more playing time in part due to Tyler Herro breaking two fingers on his right hand, which required surgery.
Bam Adebayo, an All-Star for the second time this season, has been listed on the team’s injury report throughout the series with a strained left hamstring. While it isn’t severe enough to prevent him from playing, the starting center says he’s receiving around-the-clock treatment on the injury, Winderman writes in another story. “Constant treatment, 24 hours,” said Adebayo, who sat out Miami’s Wednesday morning shootaround. “In the treatment room, three, possibly four times a day. And just trying to make sure I’m healthy enough to play and keep playing.” Adebayo added that he wasn’t sure when he first sustained the strain. The 25-year-old was listed as probable for Game 5 before being upgraded to available.
In case you missed it, Victor Oladipo will likely have surgery later this week to repair his torn left patellar tendon, which he suffered in Game 2. There’s optimism he could return early next season, assuming the procedure and his rehab go well.

Heat Notes: Butler, Salary Structure, Oladipo, Highsmith

April 25th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler was reluctant to accept the “Playoff Jimmy” moniker, even after one of the most remarkable postseason performances in Heat history, writes Jamal Collier of ESPN. Butler set a franchise record with 56 points and led an incredible comeback on Monday night to give Miami a 3-1 lead in its series with the top-seeded Bucks.

Butler was 19-of-28 from the field and 15-of-18 from the foul line as he tied Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain and Charles Barkley for the fourth-highest point total ever recorded in the playoffs. He’s now the leading scorer in this year’s postseason at 36.5 PPG.

“I love the competitive aspect of (the playoffs),” Butler said. “This is where all the best players, they show up and they show out. I’m not saying I’m one of those best players; I just want to be looked at as such. I want to do everything for my team to win, along with everybody on this roster. I think (team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra) wanted me here for a reason. I feel like this is part of that reason.”

Holding a 12-point lead with 6:08 left to play, Milwaukee was on the verge of evening up the series before Butler took over. He scored or assisted on 22 of the Heat’s final 30 points and personally outscored the Bucks 13-8 over the final five minutes of the game.

Milwaukee used seven different defenders to try to control Butler, Collier adds, but he was able to make 16-of-21 shots that were classified as contested.

“When he gets in that zone, he’s just such a killer,” Kevin Love said. “Lions like to hunt, man. They make their kill, and they keep hunting. That’s what he does. He’s got a huge heart. He wants to see us win. He doesn’t want to make it about him; he just wants to go out there and get the job done.”

There’s more from Miami:

The Heat could use another scorer to help Butler, but their salary structure for next season makes that difficult, per Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Butler will earn $45.1MM in 2023/24, and the team has close to $90MM committed to Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry. Unless Miami can unload some of that salary, the need for Butler to carry the offense is unlikely to change.
Victor Oladipo has remained in good spirits despite his latest knee injury, Winderman adds in another Sun Sentinel story. Spoelstra addressed the media Monday for the first time since Oladipo was diagnosed with a torn left patellar tendon that will require surgery. “He said, ‘Don’t shed any tears for me, I’m going to get through all of this,’” Spoelstra said. “That human side, we keep on talking about, when you see how much he’s been able to go through and over time, you just naturally are kind of rooting for him these last three years. But he will. … He has all of convinced he’s going to get through this and he will find a way. He has that kind of a fortitude.”
Oladipo’s injury has resulted in a greater role for Haywood Highsmith, notes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The third-year small forward was the first player Spoelstra used off the bench Monday night.

Heat Notes: Oladipo, Roster, Highsmith, D. Robinson

April 24th, 2023 at 11:06am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat guard Victor Oladipo expects to have surgery later this week on his torn left patellar tendon, sources tell Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Although this will be Oladipo’s third major surgical procedure in roughly four years, doctors believe he’ll be able to make a full recovery and he plans to continue his basketball career, Chiang adds.

Oladipo will travel to New York to have the operation performed by Dr. Jonathan Glashow, who handled the second surgery on the quadriceps tendon in Oladipo’s right knee two years ago. Glashow anticipates a six-month recovery process, according to Chiang, although an official timeline won’t be established until the operation is complete. If all goes well with Oladipo’s rehab, he could return to action early in the 2023/24 season.

Chiang notes that Oladipo wasn’t in Miami’s rotation at the end of the season, but coach Erik Spoelstra turned to him after Tyler Herro broke his hand in Game 1 of the playoffs. Oladipo played 26 minutes in Game 2, scoring 15 points, and had eight points in 19 minutes before getting hurt Saturday.

“This year and last year, he worked his way back to be healthy and back in it,” Spoelstra said. “But all those times where he was just rehabbing and not available to play, those can be very frustrating times. But you’d never see that on his face, he was always with a positive attitude and a smile.”

There’s more from Miami:

The injuries to Oladipo and Herro, along with the back spasms that have sidelined Nikola Jovic, leave the Heat with just 12 available players, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. NBA rules prevent teams from adding replacements in the postseason as long as they have at least nine players who are capable of taking the court. “The next guy’s going to have to step up,” said Kyle Lowry, who has been listed as questionable for each game in the series due to an ongoing struggle with knee soreness. “And we understand that we’ll get more minutes from Gabe (Vincent) and more minutes from myself, Caleb (Martin).”
Haywood Highsmith could be part of the rotation if Spoelstra wants to use more than eight players, Winderman notes in a separate piece. With Udonis Haslem not a realistic option, Winderman states that Spoelstra’s only choices are Highsmith, Cody Zeller and Omer Yurtseven.
Duncan Robinson has excelled since Herro’s injury, leading the team with 10 made three-pointers while shooting a sizzling 76.9% from beyond the arc in the first three games of the series, Chiang adds in another Miami Herald story. It’s a gratifying conclusion to a season that saw Robinson move in and out of the rotation and miss 20 games due to finger surgery. “Some ups and downs just personally and as a group, as well,” he said. “And that’s the beautiful thing about this time of the year, you just got to commit everything you can to try to help us win.”

Heat’s Victor Oladipo Tears Patellar Tendon, Out For Season

April 23rd, 2023 at 12:48pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Heat reserve shooting guard Victor Oladipo has torn the patellar tendon in his left knee and is done for the rest of the postseason, sources inform Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Oladipo suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of Miami’s blowout 121-99 Game 3 win over the East’s top-seeded Bucks yesterday. He collapsed to floor on a drive clutching the knee. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra and other personnel helped him walk back to the team locker room.

This marks the second injury to a rotation wing for Miami in its ongoing series against Milwaukee, which the Heat are improbably leading 2-1. In Game 1, starting shooting guard Tyler Herro departed the game with what turned out to be two broken fingers in his right hand. He underwent surgery to repair the damaged digits and will miss at least the next six weeks of action. Oladipo only rejoined the team’s playoff rotation in the first place due to the absence of Herro.

Oladipo inked a two-year, $18.2MM deal with Miami last summer, which includes a $9.45MM player option for 2023/24. As we mentioned last week, picking up that option will limit the Heat’s flexibility this offseason, as it would put the team’s cumulative salaries well north of the luxury tax line. Given the 30-year-old’s lengthy injury history and middling production this year, he seems unlikely to earn anything close to his player option on the open market.

Oladipo ruptured the quadriceps tendon in his right knee during the 2018/19 season while still with the Pacers, then underwent a second operation on the quad late in the 2020/21 season while with the Heat.

Across his 42 healthy games during the 2022/23 regular season, the former two-time All-Star averaged 10.7 PPG on .397/.330/.747 shooting, along with 3.5 APG and 3.0 RPG.

Reserve wing Haywood Highsmith may now be in line for additional minutes, thanks to the extended absences of Herro and now Oladipo.

According to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter), a formal timeline for Oladipo’s recovery has yet to be officially established.