Bam Adebayo Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bam Adebayo Active For Game 4; Goran Dragic Out

October 6th, 2020 at 6:53pm CST by Luke Adams

6:53pm: Dragic participated in pregame warmups but has been declared out for Game 4, Charania tweets. Adebayo will play, Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press tweets.

4:50pm: Dragic will warm up before Game 4 on Tuesday and see how his foot feels, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). If Dragic can tolerate the pain, he’ll attempt to play.

3:39pm: Heat big man Bam Adebayo intends to return for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday night vs. the Lakers, sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link). Adebayo has missed the past two games due to a neck strain, but he has made good progress in the last two days, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press.

Getting Adebayo back in the lineup would be a major boost for a Heat team that has been relying on Meyers Leonard and Kelly Olynyk to man the middle for much of the Finals. Olynyk has averaged 20.5 PPG during the last two games, while Leonard was a +13 in Miami’s Game 3 win, but neither player is the sort of dynamic two-way threat that Adebayo is.

While it sounds as if Adebayo will be back in Miami’s lineup on Tuesday night, there has been no update yet on starting point guard Goran Dragic, who is listed as doubtful due to his torn left plantar fascia and acknowledged on Monday that his chances of playing in Game 4 are low.

I wouldn’t expect Dragic to get the green light to play on Tuesday, and his status for the rest of the series remains up in the air, so the Heat will continue to lean on rookie Kendrick Nunn at the point.

Bam Adebayo Upgraded To Questionable For Game 4

October 5th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat big man Bam Adebayo has been upgraded to questionable for Game 4 of the NBA Finals on Tuesday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link). Adebayo has missed the last two games due to a neck strain and had been listed as doubtful before each of those contests.

Adebayo told reporters earlier today that he’s trying to make it back to the court as soon as possible, but that the decision will ultimately be up to Miami’s medical staff, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

“It’s day to day. When they say I’m ready to play, I will be out there,” Adebayo said. “… They just want me to be safe. They want to make sure this injury doesn’t get worse and that I’m back to where I was before.”

The Heat’s other injured starter, point guard Goran Dragic, remains listed as doubtful for Game 4, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link).

Dragic, who is dealing with a torn left plantar fascia, also spoke to the media earlier today, admitting during that session that he’s probably a long shot to return on Tuesday. Although the veteran point guard badly wants to play in the Finals, he said he’s in a lot of pain and isn’t sure whether or not he’ll be able to make it back.

“If I am honest, I don’t know,” Dragic said, per Jackson. “This injury depends on how it goes. It progresses different from other guys. The only thing I can do is be on top of my treatments. I’m doing that 24/7. If I have a few days (maybe I can play). I’m making some progress. Some days I’m the same. (Doctors) say it could change. It’s better than it was. We’ll see how it reacts in the near future. I’m doing everything I can do.”

Miami managed to pick up a win in Game 3 without Adebayo and Dragic, pulling to within 2-1 in the series against the Lakers. However, that required a superhuman effort from Jimmy Butler, who had 40 points, 13 assists, and 11 rebounds. Continuing to mount a comeback without two of their top three postseason scorers would be a monumental task for the Heat.

Adebayo, Dragic Ruled Out For Game 3

October 4th, 2020 at 4:31pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat center Bam Adebayo (neck) and guard Goran Dragic (plantar fascia tear) will miss Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, the team announced on social media.

This marks the second straight game missed for both players, with the Heat currently trailing the Lakers 2-0 in the series. Adebayo and Dragic had hoped to return on Sunday, but over the past 48 hours the team had been listing them as “doubtful” to suit up.

“I can see the anguish, literally, in their eyes … they really want to be there because they love their teammates and they put their heart and soul into it,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said, as relayed by Dave McMenamin of ESPN (Twitter link).

Miami lost 124-114 in Game 2, starting Tyler Herro in place of Dragic and Meyers Leonard in place of Adebayo. The team struggled to protect the paint and allowed LeBron James and Anthony Davis to combine for 65 points on 29-for-45 shooting (64%).

In addition to Adebayo and Dragic, Heat star Jimmy Butler is also coping with an injury. Butler turned his ankle in the team’s Game 1 loss last week, but still managed to produce 25 points and 13 assists in nearly 45 minutes during Game 2.

It’s unclear whether Dragic or Adebayo will be ready for Game 4, which will take place on Tuesday. Adebayo, the Heat’s second All-Star, is in the midst of a career-best campaign, while Dragic has served as the team’s second-leading scorer during the postseason (19.9 points per game).

Heat Notes: Dragic, Adebayo, Iguodala, Haslem

October 4th, 2020 at 10:04am CST by Arthur Hill

The size of Goran Dragic‘s plantar fascia tear will determine whether he can return during the NBA Finals, a specialist tells Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Dragic, who suffered the injury in the series opener, and Bam Adebayo are both listed as doubtful for tonight’s Game 3.

“If it’s a relatively large tear, I would say he would be out for the series,” said Dr. Kenneth Jung, a foot and ankle consultant. “If it’s a larger tear, too, there’s a risk that it can go on to a complete rupture with playing on it. At the same time, even if it’s a small tear, if he attempts to play on it then he’s at risk of sustaining a full rupture. With a larger tear, I would expect that his symptoms are worse, too. So he probably wouldn’t feel that he would be able to get back as quickly.”

Jung added that rest is the best way to treat a plantar fascia injury and estimated that a complete rupture would sideline Dragic “for a couple of months or so.” A cortisone shot could reduce the pain, but Dragic would risk further injury by playing. Chiang notes that Pacers guard Malcolm Brogdon suffered the same injury last season and had to miss 21 games, including eight in the postseason.

“You can try to play through it,” Jung said. “But he’s a guard, so everything is speed and quickness. It’s not like he’s a big and lumbering guy that just has to post up in the paint. He’s going to be pushing off, cutting, jumping, jump stops and stuff like that. That’s definitely going to put high stress on that area.”

There’s more on the Heat this morning:

Although a decision won’t be made until later today, Adebayo told reporters Friday that he was optimistic he would be ready for Game 3. “Yes, I believe I’ll be in the lineup,” said Adebayo, who is sidelined with a shoulder and neck strain. “I’m feeling better. I believe I’ll play.”
Now in his sixth straight NBA Finals, Andre Iguodala tells Ramona Shelburne of ESPN that he’s enjoying his time with the Heat, but misses his days with the Warriors. “I still talk to those guys every day,” Iguodala said of his former teammates. “Like, you’re not allowed to say anything bad about Steph (Curry) around me, or in general. … “I play for the Heat. So I’ll be caught in like these little internal battles. But it is part of the journey. So I’m going to just maximize these last however many days of my career I’ve got left, just try and enjoy it.”
Sopan Deb of The New York Times examines how Udonis Haslem has adapted during his long career in Miami.

Adebayo, Dragic Remain Doubtful For Game 3

October 3rd, 2020 at 4:21pm CST by Arthur Hill

It appears the Heat won’t have Bam Adebayo or Goran Dragic for Game 3 of the NBA Finals, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic. Sources tell Charania that both players are listed as doubtful for Sunday night’s contest.

Adebayo is dealing with a shoulder strain that he suffered in Game 1, along with a neck strain that was discovered in an MRI. He had been stellar before the injury, averaging 17.8 points and 10.9 rebounds in Miami’s first 16 playoff games.

Dragic is suffering from a torn left plantar fascia, which also happened in Game 1. Although the injury sometimes causes players to sit out for several weeks, there was hope that Dragic would be able to play Friday and he wasn’t officially scratched until a few hours before game time. Like Adebayo, Dragic has turned in an outstanding postseason, averaging 19.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 16 games.

Both players are working to get back on the court, but Adebayo is considered closer to returning than Dragic, according to Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press (Twitter link).

Miami lost by 10 points in Game 2 without Adebayo and Dragic and faces an uphill climb to get back into the series even if both players eventually return.

Bam Adebayo, Goran Dragic Out For Game 2

October 2nd, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Luke Adams

4:58pm: Dragic has also been ruled out for Friday’s Game 2, tweets Shams Charania of The Athletic.

3:21pm: Heat center Bam Adebayo will miss Game 2 of the NBA Finals vs. the Lakers, league sources tell ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Adebayo had previously been listed as doubtful for Friday’s game due to a neck strain.

According to Wojnarowski, there’s still hope that Adebayo will be able to return to Miami’s lineup on Sunday for Game 3. The All-Star big man was originally diagnosed with a shoulder strain following the Heat’s Game 1 loss, but a subsequent MRI revealed the neck injury as well.

Without Adebayo in tonight’s lineup, the Heat figure to lean more heavily on Kelly Olynyk and possibly Meyers Leonard in their frontcourt.

While there’s no official word yet on Heat starting point guard Goran Dragic, he’s dealing with a torn left plantar fascia and was listed as doubtful for Game 2 too, so it would be a surprise if he’s cleared to play tonight. He’s also hoping to return at some point this series, though that sort of plantar fascia tear often sidelines players for weeks.

Dragic, Adebayo Listed As Doubtful For Game 2

October 1st, 2020 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat have listed starting point guard Goran Dragic and All-Star big man Bam Adebayo as doubtful for Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Friday vs. the Lakers, as Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.

There was an expectation that Dragic would be hard-pressed to return for Game 2 after suffering a torn left plantar fascia in Game 1, so his status doesn’t come as a real surprise. A source tells Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press (Twitter link) that the veteran guard is still “fighting” to play on Friday. If he can’t go tomorrow, he’ll continue to push to make it back before the end of the series.

As for Adebayo, the news is worse than the Heat had initially hoped after the 23-year-old was diagnosed with a left shoulder strain on Wednesday night. According to the team, a subsequent MRI also revealed a neck strain on Adebayo’s left side. He had initially been planning to play on Friday, but the neck injury has reduced the odds that a quick return will be possible.

Assuming Dragic and Adebayo are ruled out, we’ll likely see increased roles for Kendrick Nunn and Kelly Olynyk on Friday. Both Nunn and Olynyk were regular contributors for Miami during the regular season but have recently fallen out of the rotation in the playoffs.

Goran Dragic Suffers Plantar Tear; Bam Adebayo Strains Shoulder

October 1st, 2020 at 7:48am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat suffered a blowout loss to the Lakers on Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals, falling behind in the third quarter by 32 points before ultimately losing by 18. To make matters worse, a number of the team’s most important players were dealing with injuries by the time the final horn sounded.

Goran Dragic suffered the most significant of those injuries, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, who reports that the Heat’s starting point guard has been diagnosed with a plantar fascia tear and will be re-evaluated before Game 2.

Wojnarowski notes (via Twitter) that Dragic has been able to put pressure on his injured left foot and hasn’t ruled out a return this series. The veteran left the arena without using a walking boot and wasn’t favoring his left foot much, adds Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter).

Still, the injury is a painful one that typically sidelines players for multiple weeks, as Jeff Stotts of In Street Clothes explains. There’s precedence for a player sustaining a torn plantar fascia in the playoffs and attempting to play through it, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks (Twitter link), who points to Nets forward Joe Johnson in 2013. However, Marks cautions that, despite receiving injections for the pain, Johnson’s effectiveness was compromised for the rest of that series.

Told after Game 1 on Wednesday about the severity of Dragic’s injury, Jimmy Butler said the club has to be ready to play with or without its starting point guard in Game 2, per Malika Andrews of ESPN.

“He’s a big part of what we’re trying to do, but until we can have him back, we got to go out there and we got to fight even harder,” Butler said. “We got to try to cover up what he gives us and make up for it. We’re capable of it. We have to be capable of it. Moving forward, with or without Goran, we better hurry up and tie it up 1-1.”

In addition to Dragic, the Heat’s two All-Stars – Butler and Bam Adebayo – will also have to deal with health issues going forward. Butler was able to remain in Game 1 after rolling his left ankle, while Adebayo suffered a left shoulder strain that knocked him out of the game.

Having finished out Game 1, Butler is expected to be available going forward. As for Adebayo, the Heat said X-rays on his shoulder were negative, and he intends to play on Friday, according to Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who cautions (via Twitter) that there will be “a lot of treatment” in the big man’s future on Thursday.

If Dragic is unavailable and Adebayo is limited, the Heat figure to reinsert All-Rookie First Team guard Kendrick Nunn and veteran big man Kelly Olynyk into their rotation. However, those injuries will make the Heat an even longer shot to pull off the upset and defeat the Lakers for this year’s title.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Riley, Heat Culture

September 26th, 2020 at 4:17pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat aren’t saying how much Bam Adebayo‘s aching left wrist and forearm are affecting him, but he turned in a sub-par performance Friday night as the Celtics stayed alive in the Eastern Conference Finals, writes Manny Navarro of The Athletic. Afterward, the All-Star center told reporters he accepts responsibility for Miami’s failure to close out the series.

“I’ll put that game on me,” he said. “It’s not my teammates’ fault. It’s not my coaches’ fault. It’s me. I missed too many shots I should have made. … I wasn’t being the defensive anchor I should’ve been. I don’t think I was communicating fast enough. I feel like I was a step behind today. I wasn’t a difference-maker today. I didn’t get us into fast enough triggers. That’s on me.”

Adebayo posted 13 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but allowed 1.65 points per possession as the screen defender on direct pick-and-roll plays, which is well above his average. Adebayo’s teammates stuck up for him afterward, and Navarro notes that poor 3-point shooting had a lot to do with the loss.

“That’s not on Bam. He should not say that,” responded Goran Dragic. “We know it’s not like that. It’s not on nobody. It’s on us together as a team. We should do a better job as a team. Everybody looked terrible in the third quarter. We didn’t defend. We didn’t do our job.”

There’s more Heat news to pass along:

Kentucky’s John Calipari, who coached Adebayo in college, tells Marc Stein of The New York Times that the 23-year-old has been able to create his own position in the NBA. “He’s a point-center. Tell me the last one,” Calipari said. “And I mean truly a point-center. Not a big guy who can pass. He can bounce it and get by you. He can make bang-bang plays like a point guard. He can do Eurosteps. And he’s still going to rebound and block shots.”
As the Heat near the one-year anniversary of the start of training camp, Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel looks back at comments from team president Pat Riley to see how they panned out. Of particular interest are his predictions for Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn and his excitement over acquiring Jimmy Butler. “The fact that Jimmy Butler wanted to come and play in Miami, that was enough for me,” Riley said last September. “We’re going to find out how he meshes with our team. We’ll see what his impact on winning is. That’s what I’m encouraged about. I embrace all the qualities he has.”
Nick Friedell of ESPN asked several players to explain the “Heat culture” philosophy that defines the organization. “You had to go through something in life that put a chip on your shoulder,” said veteran forward Udonis Haslem. “And that’s built grit inside you that you’re willing to go through extreme circumstances to get where you’re trying to go.”

Heat Notes: Butler, Adebayo, Robinson, ECF Schedule

September 18th, 2020 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Jimmy Butler has been a difference maker since coming to Miami, and he proved in Thursday’s Game 2 that it doesn’t have to be with scoring, writes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. Butler shot just 4-of-11 from the field and was limited to 14 points, but he played a huge role on defense as the Heat held the Celtics to 41 points in the second half and just seven in the game’s final 4:25.

“That was winning basketball tonight from Jimmy Butler,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It’s not about the final line. … Jimmy did so many things in that second half that impacted winning on both ends of the floor. Either the average fan sees it or they don’t, but we don’t care.”

After a bumpy relationship with teammates and management in both Chicago and Minnesota, Butler has been a seamless fit with Miami, which emphasizes both peak conditioning and unfiltered communication. The “Heat culture” played a huge role in Butler’s desire to join the team when he hit free agency last summer.

“We look each other in the eye and tell each other when it’s BS,” Butler said. “Spo is going to do it. I’m going to do it. Jae (Crowder) is going to do it. Tyler (Herro) is going to do it. Duncan (Robinson), all the way down the line. … We know when we’re not playing the way that we’re supposed to be playing. And as bad as it sounds, it’s like a switch. It just turns on, and oh, there we go right there. I’m telling you, straight-face communication, move on and get it done.”

There’s more Heat news to pass along:

With Miami trailing by 13 points at halftime Thursday, Spoelstra challenged Bam Adebayo to be “All-Defensive team Bam,” according to Manny Navarro of The Athletic. Adebayo responded not only with better defense, but with 15 third-quarter points to help lead the comeback. He’s an emerging star at age 23 and has become a greater pick-and-roll weapon in the postseason. “Bam is set up for how the league is moving forward: big, athletic, can do multiple things,” Celtics forward Jaylen Brown said. “Really carved out a space for himself in this league.”
With shooters being a priority throughout the NBA, Rob Mahoney of The Ringer examines how the Heat were able to find Robinson as an undrafted free agent. After signing a summer league deal with Miami in 2018, Robinson blossomed as a scorer this season, pouring in 13.5 PPG and shooting .446 from 3-point range.
Andre Iguodala sat out the second half of Game 2 with a “tight back,” tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.
Competition from other sports has affected the schedule for the Eastern Conference Finals, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The every-other-day rotation would normally have Game 4 on Monday, but it has been pushed back to Wednesday to avoid going head-to-head with Monday Night Football. A potential Game 7 may be September 29 or 30, but ESPN has seven baseball playoff series on those dates.