Caleb Martin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Clutch Wins, Martin, Robinson, Playoff Run

May 21st, 2023 at 4:08pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

An up-and-down 44-38 regular season full of close games helped propel All-NBA small forward Jimmy Butler and his Heat to what has been an incredible playoff tear, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

Miami is leading the Celtics 2-0 in their best-of-seven conference finals series.

Windhorst notes that 38 of Miami’s 44 regular season wins were achieved in clutch time, defined as instances when the margin is five or fewer points during a game’s final five minutes in regulation or overtime. He adds that this has helped galvanize the team in the playoffs, even when it has fallen behind. To wit, the Heat are 6-2 in the postseason when trailing by 10 or more points in a contest.

“Just being in those (clutch-time) situations 50-plus times during the regular season, that just brings great experience for us,” center Bam Adebayo said.

There’s more out of South Beach:

Heat forward Caleb Martin, who established a new personal postseason high with 25 points on Friday, has capitalized on Boston’s inferred disrespect of his abilities, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. In leaning on a single-big lineup for much of the night, the Celtics opened the door for the Heat to play the 6’5″ Martin as a small ball power forward, and he promptly lit them up. Though giving Martin space to beat them worked in the Celtics’ favor during the conference finals last year, he’s making them pay this time around. “One thing Caleb told me was, ‘This is not last year,’” Adebayo said. “That really resonated with me, because they did the same thing to him last year. I feel like he felt like it was disrespectful.”
Although he was out of the rotation for much of the second half of the season, Heat forward Duncan Robinson made a point to remain prepared in the postseason and has emerged as a critical bench role player, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Through 13 playoff games, the 6’7″ wing is averaging 7.9 PPG on .424/.420/1.000 shooting splits in 17.1 MPG off the bench.
The Heat are a testament to the fact that surrounding a superstar with depth, rather than fielding top-heavy “super-team” rosters, can be a formula for playoff success, writes Marcus Thompson II of The Athletic. Miami’s togetherness as a cumulative unit, heavy on chemistry, has helped push it to being just two games away from its second NBA Finals berth in four seasons.

Heat Notes: Martin, Lowry, Herro, Defense

May 8th, 2023 at 9:59am CST by Arthur Hill

Caleb Martin is listed as questionable for Monday’s Game 4 with a back contusion, but there’s little doubt that he’ll be ready when the Heat call on him, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Martin was also questionable on Saturday after hurting his back when he slid into the Knicks’ bench while chasing a loose ball in Game 2. He managed to play 23 minutes, even though he was seen grabbing his back in pain a few times.

“You kind of got to,” Martin said. “I think you don’t really have a choice. We’re going to do everything in our power, especially me. If you can play and if you can go, then that’s what you got to do. It’s that point of the season, everybody is banged up.”

Chiang notes that Martin missed 10 regular season games due to injuries, but nine of those were concentrated in a 14-game stretch starting in mid-December. Coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that even when Martin was most banged up, the team “had to take that decision out of his hands” to prevent him from trying to play.

“He’s such a competitor,” Spoelstra said. “He doesn’t want to miss time and he doesn’t have an off button except for like off the court, he’s pretty chill. It’s a pretty good balance he has there. But once he steps in between those four lines, he’s a savage competitor. That’s what we love about him.”

There’s more from Miami:

Kyle Lowry has become a valuable part of the Heat’s reserve unit since Spoelstra decided to bring him off the bench when he returned in March after sitting out time with knee pain, per William Guillory of The Athletic. Lowry had started 677 straight games when he was active, but he was so effective in the new role that it became permanent. “One of the things we’ve found is you’re bringing a Hall-of-Fame mind off the bench,” Spoelstra said. “Our second unit was struggling for much of the year. Shift him (to the bench) and a lot of the things we were working on endlessly just kind of get taken care of. … He is an ultimate winner. What drives him more than anything is winning.”
Tyler Herro could also find himself in a reserve role if the Heat are able to keep playing long enough for him to return from a broken right hand, suggests Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Herro underwent surgery April 21 and is expected to be sidelined until early June.
Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald examines how the Heat’s defense has shut down the Knicks through the first three games of their series, holding them to 99.3 PPG on 42.1% shooting from the field.

Butler Out For Game 2; Randle Returns To Action

May 2nd, 2023 at 6:24pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Jimmy Butler won’t play in Game 2 of the Heat‘s second-round series against the Knicks on Tuesday, the team tweets. Knicks forward Julius Randle and guard Jalen Brunson will be available, their PR department tweets.

That trio was listed as questionable to play on Monday. Caleb Martin is starting in Butler’s place, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald tweets.

Miami’s Game 1 win gave the Heat more leeway to sit out Butler. He scored 25 points in 43 minutes but only attempted one shot after rolling his right ankle with just over five minutes remaining.

Game 3 won’t be played until Saturday afternoon in Miami, so Butler will have three off-days to heal.

Randle, who is nursing a sprained left ankle, missed Game 1. He only played 16 minutes in the closeout game against Cleveland on April 26 when the ankle flared up.

Brunson, who logged 40 minutes on Sunday, will try to play through a sore right ankle.

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: Herro, D. Robinson, Starting Lineup, Love

April 17th, 2023 at 10:58am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat picked up a surprising win in Game 1 at Milwaukee, but they’ll have to figure out a way to finish off the series without Tyler Herro, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro broke two fingers on his shooting hand on Sunday and is projected to be sidelined for four to six weeks.

The injury happened as Herro dove for a loose ball in the closing minutes of the first half, Chiang notes. He stayed on the court until the buzzer sounded, and the team announced at halftime that he wouldn’t return. He’s Miami’s third-leading scorer at 20.1 PPG and one of its best three-point shooters at 37.8%.

“You can’t fully make up what Tyler has been for our team all year long,” Jimmy Butler said. “But guys got to step up, including myself, including Bam (Adebayo) and whoever (coach Erik Spoelstra) calls upon to do an offensive assignment, a defensive assignment, to bring some energy, to dive on the floor, get a loose ball or rebound. It’s like all hands on deck at all times and now more than ever.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Duncan Robinson started the second half in place of Herro, but he may not be the best choice for that role going forward, Chiang adds. Max Strus has already taken over a starting job, and Chiang notes that the Heat were outscored by 15.5 points per 100 possessions during the 316 minutes that Robinson and Strus played together during the regular season.
Chiang cites Victor Oladipo, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love as other choices to replace Herro in the starting lineup. Oladipo fell out of Miami’s rotation over the last month of the regular season and didn’t play at all Sunday; Martin was replaced in the starting lineup after Love signed with the team in February; and Lowry has been effective off the bench since returning from a knee issue. Love would provide more size in the starting lineup, along with outside shooting to help make up for Herro’s absence.
Love’s transition to Miami hasn’t always been smooth, but he came through in his first playoff game with the team, Chiang states in a separate story. The veteran big man had 18 points off the bench in 23 minutes, hitting 5-of-9 shots from the field and going 4-of-7 from three-point range. “You can just never underestimate the decorated veteran experience of guys that have been proven winners, and that’s what Kevin brought us tonight,” Spoelstra said.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Lowry, Vincent, Strus, Lillard

April 15th, 2023 at 5:11pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat didn’t need much offense from Bam Adebayo to get past the Bulls in Friday’s play-in game, but that’s likely to change in their series against the Bucks, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami eliminated Chicago even though Adebayo shot just 1-for-9 from the field and finished with eight points and four turnovers. He made up for it with 17 rebounds and a stellar defensive performance that included a late blocked shot to wrap up the victory.

“The reason I love Bam is even if you don’t make shots, you can affect the game in a lot of ways,” Jimmy Butler said. “That’s the definition of a star player, a superstar player. When you lock in on the defensive end, that’s the part that gets everybody excited.”

Jackson notes that Adebayo has seen a reduced role in the Heat’s offense over the past two months. After averaging 21.6 points per game before the All-Star break, he has fallen to 16.6 PPG since then. Miami is 11-5 this season when Adebayo scores at least 25 points, but that hasn’t happened since March 15.

“I’ve got to shoot my shots, pick my spot and live with the results,” he said. “I feel I had a big impact on that game (Friday) even though my shots weren’t falling.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Kyle Lowry left Friday’s game early in the fourth quarter after aggravating his sore left knee, but he doesn’t believe it’s a long-term concern, Jackson adds. “I’m good. Just a little tweak, little pressure on it,” Lowry said. “But I’m OK. All good. I’m ready to go on Sunday. If coach would have asked me to go back in the game, I would have gone back in the game.” Lowry is listed as questionable for Sunday’s series opener in Milwaukee, as is Gabe Vincent, who’s dealing with a right hip pointer.
Max Strus scored 31 points in 36 minutes against the Bulls, but it might be hard to keep him on the court against a bigger Bucks team, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Winderman points out that the Heat were able to use a small-ball lineup Friday because Chicago didn’t start a traditional power forward, but it will be difficult for the 6’5″ Strus to defend either Giannis Antetokounmpo or Brook Lopez. The matchup may require more minutes from Caleb Martin and Kevin Love.
The Heat are ready to pursue another star player this summer, according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN (video link), who considers them a team to watch if Damian Lillard asks the Trail Blazers for a trade.

Eastern Notes: Lowry, Martin, Robinson, Ivey, Bitadze

March 11th, 2023 at 4:05pm CST by Rory Maher

Kyle Lowry‘s teammates are thrilled to have him back with the Heat, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. The veteran point guard has been sidelined for the past 15 games due to left knee soreness, but he was upgraded to questionable for Saturday’s contest in Orlando and is expected to play tonight, Chiang adds.

“That’s my brother. I’m glad to have him back,” Heat star Jimmy Butler said of of Lowry. “He’s going to change the game in so many ways for this team. He’s going to help us get in a groove, he’s going to help us win some games down the stretch moving into the most important part of the season.”

As forward Caleb Martin notes, the Heat haven’t had their whole roster healthy for the grand majority of the season, so he’s looking forward to seeing what they can do.

“I just want to have everybody healthy and available, and figure out where we’re going, who is going to be doing what and what roles,” Martin said when asked about Lowry’s return. “The more time we spend together as a whole, it’s going to be better for everybody. I just love when everybody is available to play and I love when everybody is healthy.”

Unfortunately, Martin was later ruled out for Saturday’s matchup due to knee soreness, according to Chiang. He hadn’t missed a game since January 14.

Here’s more from the East:

Heat swingman Duncan Robinson has entered the NBA’s health and safety protocols and will be out for Saturday’s matchup with Orlando, Chiang relays in the same story. He didn’t play in Friday’s victory over Cleveland due to an illness, which was presumably later discovered to be COVID-19.
Pistons guard Jaden Ivey has also entered the health and safety protocols, per Alberto De Roa of HoopsHype. He will at minimum be sidelined for Saturday’s game against Indiana. Last year’s No. 5 overall pick is averaging 15.4 PPG, 3.9 RPG and 4.9 APG on .415/.331/.732 shooting through 62 games (30.2 MPG) as a rookie for Detroit.
Goga Bitadze signed with the Magic as a free agent last month after he was released by Indiana. The fourth-year center has played limited minutes with his new club, but he’s taking advantage of his opportunities on the offensive glass, according to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel (subscriber link). “They make it easy for me to adjust,” Bitadze said. “Whatever coach (Jamahl Mosley) wants me to do, I’m going to go out there and do it.” The fourth-year center is averaging 5.6 PPG and 4.6 RPG (2.0 ORB) in 12.2 MPG through five games with the Magic.

Heat Notes: Martin, Zeller, Love, Haslem

March 6th, 2023 at 10:50pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Caleb Martin provided 21 points in 28 minutes off the bench in the Heat‘s victory over Atlanta on Monday. Martin has been a solid contributor all season and his teammates appreciate his hard work, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports.

“Caleb has been probably the bright spot on our team,” center Bam Adebayo said. “Through the ups and downs, he’s always been consistent. And he’s one of those guys that you can always rely on. He’s going to play hard. He’s going to try to make the right plays.”

Martin is in the first year of a three-year, $20.4MM contract that includes a player option in 2024/25.

We have more on the Heat:

Cody Zeller has played seven games since joining the Heat as the backup center last month. Zeller, who was out of the league until Miami picked him up, feels comfortable playing limited minutes, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes. “I’m still feeling a little rusty with some of my reads and stuff. But overall, I’ve been pretty pleased with where I’m at. I’m still only playing 15 minutes per game. It’s shorter minutes, so I should be able to play even harder. So yeah, it’s been good so far.”
Kevin Love missed Monday’s game with a rib contusion but X-rays were negative, Chiang tweets. It’s not considered to be a long-term issue. Love is averaging 7.5 points and 7.3 rebounds in six starts since signing with the club.
The team has planned a variety of tributes for forward Udonis Haslem, who is retiring after the season. Haslem told Chiang he hopes the Heat can make another playoff run but he won’t have any regrets, regardless of how the season plays out. “I’m done,” Haslem said. “I’m done no matter what happens. I gave my contribution. I think at this stage, there needs to be another voice for these guys. It’s time for somebody to step up and be the voice.”

Southeast Notes: Hawks, Ressler, Wagner, Martin, Heat

March 4th, 2023 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

As we outlined on Friday, Hawks owner Tony Ressler conducted a series of media interviews this week to discuss the team’s recent front office and head coaching changes. We passed along a few highlights from his discussions with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Lauren Williams of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, but Ressler also spoke on Friday to Jeff Schultz of The Athletic, who pushed him a little harder on the role that his son Nick Ressler has within the Hawks’ front office.

Reporting from The Athletic earlier this year suggested that Nick Ressler – Atlanta’s director of business and basketball operations – had gained “increasing influence” in the Hawks’ front office and that not everyone was comfortable with that. Pressed on the issue by Schultz, Tony Ressler pushed back on the notion that his son has an outsized voice in decision-making and that other executives aren’t happy with Nick’s role.

“Who? Do they still work here?” the Hawks’ owner responded when Schultz said The Athletic had spoken to people who were uncomfortable with his son’s level of influence. “Look, the idea that you’re using former employees for a narrative that is untrue. The simple answer is we have a front office today that works beautifully, where Nick is one of many voices and frankly an unbelievably positive and supportive voice. And if you ask anyone who works here they would tell you yes.

“… We have a fairly large basketball ops that values a whole bunch of voices and Nick’s one of them. … What he is is a great kid who works his ass off and is one of the many voices that feed into (assistant GM) Kyle (Korver) and (GM) Landry (Fields).

“Am I partial? Maybe. But if I didn’t think he was a positive influence to this franchise, he wouldn’t be here. … It’s very important to me that perception is similar to reality. When you say I give a disproportionate amount of influence to my son, that’s just a f—ing lie, because I would be running a lesser business than I’m capable of.”

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The Magic lost their second-leading scorer on Friday, as Franz Wagner left the game in Charlotte early due to a left ankle sprain. According to Khobi Price of The Orlando Sentinel, X-rays on the ankle were negative, which is good news, but Wagner still may have to miss some time as a result of the injury.
Kevin Love has started all five games since he arrived in Miami, but the Heat have lost four of those games and the new starting five of Love, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, and Gabe Vincent has a net rating of minus-9.4 so far. As Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes, that same group with former starter Caleb Martin in Love’s place has a plus-18.6 net rating this season. For his part, Martin is still getting used to his new bench role. “It’s a little different, man,” he said on Friday. “… It’s just adjusting to whatever is going on. It’s also more of a role of gassing yourself out, being that spark coming off the bench as opposed to maintaining.”
The much-vaunted Heat culture is being tested by the team’s inconsistent performances as of late, with Butler suggesting after Friday’s loss to New York that Miami needs to play with more urgency. “We really get bored with the process and I can’t tell you why. We play hard and sometimes we get back in the game like we did tonight and sometimes we don’t,” Butler said, according to Chiang. “But either way it goes, if we just play basketball the right way the entire game, I don’t think we’re in this situation more often than not. But for some odd reason, we think it’s going to be easy so we just go out there and go through the motions.”

Heat Notes: Love, Martin, Crowder, Tucker

February 25th, 2023 at 11:52am CST by Arthur Hill

Kevin Love‘s first game with the Heat was forgettable, but there’s reason to believe things will get better, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “We have to just throw that one away,” Love said after going scoreless in a 29-point loss at Milwaukee. However, Jackson points out that the night wasn’t a complete disaster for the veteran big man. He had eight rebounds and four assists and seemed to mesh well with his new teammates after going through just one practice.

Jackson notes that Bam Adebayo tends to excel when he’s paired with tall power forwards who can shoot, which hasn’t been the case for nearly two years. The most prominent examples are Kelly Olynyk and Meyers Leonard, who are both similar to Love in what they can do on the court.

“The biggest thing for me is passing, starting that fastbreak, closing possessions on the defensive end, using my shooting ability to help this team,” Love said. “… Nobody has to cater to me. I want to make the game easier for these guys.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Love’s addition means Caleb Martin is back on the bench after making 49 starts this season, Jackson adds. Martin, who was primarily a reserve during his first three NBA seasons, said he’s willing to accept whatever role coach Erik Spoelstra believes is best. “I prepared myself for something like that to happen,” Martin said. “It’s Spo’s job to figure out the best lineups, how guys fit in. He knows I’m one of those guys that’s willing to do what I’ve got to do.”
New Bucks forward Jae Crowder had Miami on his list of preferred destinations during his long holdout in Phoenix, Jackson tweets. Crowder, who made his season debut Friday night, played for the Heat when they reached the NBA Finals in 2020.
Because of an oddity in the schedule, the Heat won’t get their first look at P.J. Tucker until Monday night, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The defensive specialist played an important role in helping Miami post the best record in the Eastern Conference last season, but he hasn’t fit in as well with the Sixers. “Tuck always figures it out,” Spoelstra said. “I mean if you’re going to judge him by that last line in the box score, you are just really mistaken of how he can impact winning. Tuck does all those little, intangible things that really impact winning, that most people don’t really recognize.”