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Eastern Notes: Herro, Giannis, Raptors, Pistons

September 7th, 2020 at 8:05pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyler Herro hit some huge shots late in the Heat’s overtime loss to the Bucks during Game 4 on Sunday. He’s still not guaranteed of playing on Tuesday, according to NBA.com’s injury report. The rookie shooting guard is listed as questionable for Game 5 on Tuesday due to a right hip bruise. Two other Miami rotation players – forward Jae Crowder (left ankle sprain) and center Kelly Olynyk (right knee bruise) – are also considered questionable for Game 5.

We have more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • The Bucks shouldn’t risk their future by allowing Giannis Antetokounmpo to play again in their second-round playoff series, Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports opines. Milwaukee has little chance of winning three consecutive games and playing Antetokounmpo — who is listed as questionable for Game 5 with a sore right ankle — could do more damage than good. Goodwill cites Grant Hill and Kevin Durant as examples of players who tried to play through pain in the playoffs and wound up with more serious injuries.
  • Continuity has allowed the Raptors to overcome the loss of Kawhi Leonard and make another postseason run, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. Many of their rotation players have been with the organization for at least three years, fostering good chemistry. They also play with a chip on their shoulders, eager to prove their detractors wrong.
  • The Pistons will be one of the eight teams not invited to Orlando to hold team camps, beginning in the middle of this month. Pistons.com’s Keith Langlois explores how each of their core players can make the most of their prolonged off-season.
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Heat Notes: Crowder, Haslem, Butler, Coaching Staff

September 6th, 2020 at 11:01am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are one win away from the conference finals, and a bold move at the trade deadline helped them reach this position, writes Shandel Richardson of Sports Illustrated. Miami shook up its roster in February by acquiring Jae Crowder from the Grizzlies in a three-team deal and sending away Justise Winslow, who was once thought to be part of the team’s foundation. Crowder has been extremely valuable in the playoffs, averaging 11.6 PPG, shooting 62% on 3-pointers and providing versatility on defense.

“He’s a competitor so he’s going to do whatever is necessary,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He does it on both ends. It’s not an easy series for him. He has to sacrifice his body and play against the MVP, sometimes play against a 7-footer, sometimes put him on guards. He’s basically guarding one through five in this series.”

Crowder, 30, is boosting his value for the offseason, when he will be among the most intriguing free agents on the market. The Heat would love to bring him back, but the organization is prioritizing cap room to add another star in the summer of 2021. Crowder has more he wants to accomplish before considering his next contract.

“I just feel like I’m going to keep staying at it,” he said. “I’m going to stay in the gym, stay watching film, stay focused, stay being an all around professional. That just shows me my hard work is paying off. I’m really pleased with the work that I’m putting in and it’s not going to stop.”

There’s more on the Heat:

  • Veteran leader Udonis Haslem believes Miami has the perfect mix of talent and toughness to win a title in this unique environment, according to Manny Navarro of The Athletic. Haslem, 39, only played four games this season, but he’s a sideline leader as a quasi-assistant coach. “I feel like we can win it and I feel like we have just as good an opportunity (as anyone),” he said. “When you look at everything that’s going on right now, this team is built for the bubble, man. You talk about tough, hard-nosed, work ethic, mentally tough — there’s no mentally tougher team in this bubble, tougher leader in this bubble. The Miami Heat team was built for anything.”
  • Teammates are expressing confidence in Jimmy Butler to carry them through the playoffs, with Meyers Leonard telling Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, “We have the best player in this series.” (Twitter link)
  • Assistant Octavio De La Grana has joined the team in Orlando, giving Spoelstra a full coaching staff, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Teams were permitted to add one person to their bubble limit on Saturday.
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Heat Notes: Crowder, Iguodala, Adebayo, Dragic

September 4th, 2020 at 1:02pm CST by Arthur Hill

Impending free agent Jae Crowder is showing his worth to the Heat in the playoffs, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Acquired from the Grizzlies at the trade deadline, Crowder has become a valuable part of the rotation, logging 71 minutes in the first two games against the Bucks, the third-highest total on the team.

Crowder played the entire fourth quarter in Games 1 and 2 and is spacing the floor against a team that likes to crowd the paint. He is 7-for-19 on 3-pointers and has been the primary defender on Giannis Antetokounmpo as the Heat have built a 2-0 lead on the East’s top seed.

“Jae’s a competitor, a warrior, and he’s accepting every challenge, he’s a great defender, strong, and he gives us that spacing on offense,” Goran Dragic said. “And he’s shooting the ball really well. We want to find him in the offense. I mean, he’s already proved in his career that he’s hitting those big shots, when the game is on the line. He has been huge for us this series.”

Crowder’s performance sets up a difficult decision for the offseason. At age 30, he will be looking for a multi-year deal, but the Heat are trying to maximize cap space in hopes of making a run at Antetokounmpo or another star next summer. They may offer Crowder a large one-year contract as a way of keeping their options open.

There’s more Heat news to pass along:

  • It didn’t take long for Andre Iguodala to become convinced that the Heat could be title contenders, Chiang relays in the same story. The veteran forward talked about his experience during an appearance on “The Bill Simmons Podcast,” including the impression of watching Bam Adebayo up close. “I always knew Bam Adebayo was this good,” Iguodala said. “Shaun Livingston had been telling me about him for about two years. He was like, ‘Yo, there’s this kid named Bam Adebayo in Miami. He’s legit.’ So I always kept an eye on him. Then when I got to see him, I was like: ‘Whoa. Like he’s superstar level.’”
  • Iguodala is listed as questionable for tonight’s game after spraining his right ankle Wednesday, Chiang adds. Center Kelly Olynyk (right knee bruise) and guard Gabe Vincent (right shoulder sprain) are also questionable for Game 3.
  • Dragic tells Shandel Richardson of Sports Illustrated that he was surprised to be re-inserted into the starting lineup after spending most of the season coming off the bench. Dragic said he got “really comfortable” as a reserve, but coach Erik Spoelstra thought the lineup change was necessary. “Whatever it takes,” Dragic said. “We have a really good group of guys who are going to do everything to win a game. I’m just enjoying it right now.”
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Southeast Notes: Magic, Crowder, Silva, Beal

August 30th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Magic consider their time at the Disney World complex to be a learning experience as they point toward next season, writes Josh Robbins of The Athletic. The loss of Al-Farouq Aminu, Mohamed Bamba, Aaron Gordon, Jonathan Isaac and Michael Carter-Williams took away any chance for Orlando to be competitive with the top-seeded Bucks in the playoffs.

“If you go back to, say, our first day of training camp, I envisioned us being a much different team, obviously, than the team that I was speaking with in there,” coach Steve Clifford said after the Magic were eliminated Saturday. “To start the year, we envisioned being a size team that could be great defensively, playing Aaron and Jonathan and then Farouq as obviously a major part of our team. And none of those guys were in there today. It happens in this league, but we did have more than our fair share of bad luck this year with injuries, and not only in the bubble.”

The toughest loss was a torn ACL for Isaac, who was attempting a comeback from a knee injury that had sidelined him since January 1. Two days later, Carter-Williams suffered a strained tendon in his left foot, and then Gordon strained his left hamstring the next day.

“Milwaukee, they’re a championship-caliber team, and we hung in there because we had the right approach,” Clifford said. “We gave ourselves chances in every game but Game 3. It says a lot about the character of the guys in the locker room.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

  • Jae Crowder has been a valuable addition for the Heat, but management will be cautious about making a long-term investment, contends Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Miami may be planning to maximize cap room for a star-filled free agency market in 2021, and the front office learned from overvaluing players such as Tyler Johnson, James Johnson and Dion Waiters. Winderman believes Crowder might have to accept a large one-year contract if he wants to remain in Miami.
  • Heat forward Chris Silva has a stress fracture in his left pubic bone and there’s no timetable for his return, the team announced in an email. Silva, who started the season on a two-way contract, appeared in 44 games but didn’t play in the first-round series against Indiana.
  • Tom Haberstroh of NBC Sports believes the Warriors have the trade assets to make a serious offer for Wizards guard Bradley Beal, but Washington may not be ready to rebuild before seeing what Beal and a healthy John Wall can do next season.
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Injury Updates: Butler, Westbrook, Lowry, Beverley

August 29th, 2020 at 5:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have a week-long break after sweeping the Pacers in the first round, and the time off has given two players a chance to overcome injuries, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Jimmy Butler, who played Game 4 against Indiana with a strained left shoulder, and Jae Crowder, who has been dealing with a sprained left ankle, were both able to practice today.

“We had a couple of really good days of work and nobody was in a mood to work on Wednesday night or Thursday,” said coach Erik Spoelstra, who now has a fully healthy roster. “And that was the reason for this pause. We’ve been able to get a couple good days of work (Friday and Saturday). We’ll watch the (Bucks-Magic) game this afternoon and see what happens. Either way, our guys will be ready.”

There’s more injury news around the league:

  • Russell Westbrook will make his playoff debut for the Rockets today, but his minutes will be restricted, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPN. Coach Mike D’Antoni said Westbrook, who has been sidelined since Aug. 11 with a strained right quadriceps, will be limited to 25-28 minutes in Game 5.
  • Raptors guard Kyle Lowry has been upgraded from questionable to probable for Sunday’s opener of the Eastern Conference semifinals, according to Andrew Lopez of ESPN. Lowry sprained his left ankle in the final game of the Nets series when he stepped on Chris Chiozza‘s foot. He was able to practice today, and Toronto coach Nick Nurse said he “looked OK.”
  • Clippers guard Patrick Beverley has been moved from doubtful to questionable for Sunday’s Game 6 against Dallas, tweets Jovan Buha of The Athletic. Beverley hasn’t played since the series opener because of a strained left calf.
  • Nuggets guard Gary Harris is listed as questionable for Sunday’s Game 6 against Utah, according to Mike Singer of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Harris is dealing with a strained right hip and hasn’t been able to play since the season restarted.
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Heat Notes: Closers, Butler-Dragic, Benched Players, Injuries

August 21st, 2020 at 9:02pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

The Heat have found playoff success thus far with a closing lineup comprising Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, Andre Iguodala and Bam Adebayo, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. This closing lineup resolved the last 7:57 of the team’s Game 1 victory in Miami’s quarterfinals series against the Pacers (posting a +10 plus-minus), plus the final 7:45 of the Heat’s hard-fought Game 2 win (where the group finished with a +1).

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra praised the groups effectiveness on both sides of the ball. “Defensively, they’ve been good,” Spoelstra said. “Offensively, we’ve been able to keep it simple and get it to either Goran or Jimmy to make the plays and you trust that they’re going to get you something good, a clean look.”

There’s more from South Beach:

  • A key duo within the Heat’s closing lineup, guards Goran Dragic and Jimmy Butler, have benefited from their playing minutes together being expanded from 14 MPG to 22.5 MPG in the postseason, according to Manny Navarro of The Athletic. Butler and Dragic have become a very effective dynamic duo for Miami. “One of my all-time favorite teammates,” Butler said. “We just connect.”
  • Heat power forward Meyers Leonard and rookie point guard Kendrick Nunn both have yet to crack Miami’s postseason rotation, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel details. Nunn started for the Heat all season. Though frustrated about the benching, Leonard voiced optimism that both he and Nunn would see action soon. “[S]taying ready is important, so when I get my opportunity I’ll be prepared,” Leonard said. “There’s going to be a moment that we need Kendrick Nunn, make no mistake.”
  • Heat forwards Jae Crowder and Derrick Jones Jr. have both been listed as questionable to play in Game 3 of their series against the Pacers on Saturday due to ankle injuries, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
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Southeast Notes: Leonard, Brown, Crowder, Hawks

May 17th, 2020 at 3:33pm CST by JD Shaw

Heat big man Meyers Leonard is set to reach unrestricted free agency at the end of the season, but the 28-year-old is comfortable with his current situation in Miami, he explained this week.

Leonard, who was acquired by the Heat in July of 2019, was set to make $11.2MM and has started in all 49 of his games with the team this season.

“I’m in a good place here in Miami,” Leonard said on a podcast with John Canzano of The Oregonian, as relayed by the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson. “I really feel as though I help Jimmy (Butler) and Bam (Adebayo) in a lot of ways. I space the floor, I give them opportunities to attack driving lanes and get out in transition. Again, I don’t mind taking the physical demand. I don’t mind boxing out every single time. If the ball comes to me, fine. If we get it, that’s great and that’s what I want.”

Leonard is among multiple Heat players set to reach free agency this summer, along with Goran Dragic, Jae Crowder, Derrick Jones Jr., Udonis Haslem and Solomon Hill. Kelly Olynyk holds a player option worth $13.2MM for the following season.

Leonard has fit in seamlessly with the Heat, spreading the floor alongside Adebayo while shouldering some of the workload on the glass. He’s averaging 6.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 20.1 minutes per contest, shooting an impressive 43% from deep.

There’s more from the Southeast Division tonight:

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Pat Riley: Heat Are “Close” To Being Title Contenders

April 29th, 2020 at 7:58pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat president Pat Riley is delighted with the progress his team made this season and believes the organization is “close” to being at a championship level again, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Riley made the comments in a video released today, saying he hopes the league will find a way to salvage the playoffs so he can see the results of moves the team made at the trade deadline.

“I think we were (41-24) or something along those lines and headed to home-court advantage in the playoffs. It was a great year,” Riley said. “I’m really disappointed that we haven’t seen the finish, especially after we made the trade when we brought in Andre Iguodala, Solomon Hill and Jae Crowder. I thought that was going to give us a little bit of an edge going into the playoffs.”

Riley pinpointed the addition of Jimmy Butler in a sign-and-trade last summer for creating a lot of optimism for the new season. Another boost came from unexpected production by rookie guards Tyler Herro and Kendrick Nunn, along with second-year forward Duncan Robinson.

“I’m so happy that we turned a lot of things around and we found the right players,” Riley said, “the right mix of pick-and-roll players, guys that can post up and really found a couple of guys that can shoot the ball — really shoot the ball — so we’re happy for that and we’re really optimistic about moving forward into the future with these players.”

Riley touched on a few more topics during the video:

  • The Heat are running through scenarios for free agency, but everything is “up in the air” because of uncertainty over whether the season will resume. Miami has several important decisions to make, with new acquisitions Crowder and Hill both headed for free agency, along with Goran Dragic, Meyers Leonard, Derrick Jones Jr. and Udonis Haslem. In addition, Kelly Olynyk has a $13.2MM player option. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald suggests Riley’s comments are a sign that he will try to keep the team together instead of renouncing the free agents and operating under the salary cap (Twitter link).
  • There’s strong support around the league for finding a way to complete the season, Riley added. He said all 30 teams have been participating in conference calls with the commissioner’s office and players union to discuss strategies. “I think that’s a very important thing for all of the franchises, complete the season even if it moves on later,” Riley said. “I think we’re all right behind Adam Silver and him waiting until he launches us back into action.”
  • Riley was “stunned” when he learned that the season was being suspended in the wake of a positive coronavirus test by Jazz center Rudy Gobert, but ultimately believes it was the right decision. “We heard that a player from the Utah Jazz had tested positive,” Riley said. “But I didn’t think it was going to last that long or turn out to be what it is today for not only the Heat, but for everybody to have to shut it down. Shut the country down, shut the world down and try to fight this thing. So it was pretty innocent that night only from the standpoint that, ‘OK, we can take care of this and then we’ll be back.’ But I think Adam Silver made an incredible move, and that just sort of cascaded into a lot of other decisions by other teams and other sports and industries.”
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Heat Notes: Nunn, Culture, Dragic, Crowder

April 14th, 2020 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

Ja Morant is considered the consensus frontrunner for the NBA’s 2019/20 Rookie of the Year award, and figures to be a unanimous or near-unanimous winner when voting eventually takes place. However, one person who’s not on board with the consensus choice is Heat guard Kendrick Nunn, who believes he should be this season’s Rookie of the Year, as he tells Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

“I think people will say that (Morant) is Rookie of the Year, but I don’t believe it,” Nunn said. “The most value should be in the wins. And we’re both starting guards on teams, and our team has been holding it down. We’re a playoff team, so go ahead and give that Rookie of the Year to Kendrick Nunn.”

While there’s no chance Nunn beats out Morant in the final vote, the Heat’s starting point guard is certainly worthy of a spot on voters’ Rookie of the Year ballots. He has averaged 15.6 PPG and 3.4 APG with a solid .448/.362/.837 shooting line in 62 games (29.8 MPG).

Still, Morant’s numbers (17.6 PPG, 6.9 APG) have been better in a similar role and while the Grizzlies’ record isn’t as strong as the Heat’s, Memphis is still a playoff team in the West. Perhaps most importantly, Nunn is a complementary option on a Miami roster that features multiple All-Stars (Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo), while Morant has been the Grizzlies’ MVP this season.

Here’s more on the Heat:

  • After a handful of up-and-down years in Miami following LeBron James‘ departure, the 2019/20 season represented “rebirth, regeneration, (and) renewal” for the Heat and their culture, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. In Winderman’s view, it has been a long time since the Heat looked so different from one year to the next, which could be attributed to the departures of players like Hassan Whiteside and Dion Waiters, along with the arrivals of Butler, Tyler Herro, and others.
  • While there appears to be mutual interest between the Heat and Goran Dragic in extending their relationship beyond this season, Dragic will be one of the top point guards on the free agent market and he’s no stranger to relocating, Winderman writes for the Sun-Sentinel. This will be the first time that Dragic has reached free agency since he signed a five-year deal with Miami in 2015, just a few months after being traded to the club.
  • In a separate Sun-Sentinel mailbag, Winderman wonders how the Heat’s decision on Jae Crowder in free agency will be impacted by the fact that the team only really got to evaluate him for a month following his arrival at the trade deadline. As Winderman notes, Miami has Bird rights on all its key free agents – including Crowder, Dragic, Derrick Jones, and Meyers Leonard – so it could be a matter of picking and choosing which players the team is most comfortable investing in — and which ones won’t require commitments that compromise the Heat’s 2021 cap flexibility.
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Pacific Notes: Lakers, Warriors, Wiggins, Johnson

April 3rd, 2020 at 11:35am CST by Luke Adams

Two Lakers tested positive for the coronavirus last month, but head coach Frank Vogel said on a conference call on Thursday that he wasn’t tested at that time and he doesn’t think his assistants were either. As Dave McMenamin of ESPN outlines, Lakers players underwent tests even if they weren’t experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms, but the coaching staff wasn’t given the same directions.

“It’s just, we were not told to be tested,” Vogel said. “And obviously everybody recognized the shortage of tests and we were only going to do what the local health department told us to do. So, we weren’t asked to be tested at that point.”

Interestingly, according to Vogel, it’s not just the general public that doesn’t know the identities of the Lakers players who were affected by the coronavirus. The veteran coach told ESPN’s Jackie MacMullan that he’s also in the dark about which two players who tested positive.

“I don’t even know who are they,” Vogel said, “and I’m totally fine with that.”

Here’s more from around the Pacific:

  • On Thursday’s call with reporters, Vogel also said it would be a “huge disappointment” if the Lakers don’t get a chance to compete for a title this summer, but said he and his team understand the situation. “We get it, and this is bigger than basketball,” he said, per Bill Oram of The Athletic. “And us getting back on the court is not the most important thing for the world right now. Hopefully we have that chance, and if we’re not able to, it would be a big disappointment.”
  • The Warriors‘ ability to spend on free agents during the 2020 offseason will be limited, but Anthony Slater of The Athletic suggests there are dozens of players who could be fits, ranging from long-shots like Paul Millsap to lower-cost options like D.J. Augustin or Meyers Leonard. In Slater’s view, veteran wing Jae Crowder would be the best fit for Golden State among the realistic mid-level-type targets.
  • Can Andrew Wiggins, who has a .372 winning percentage in 454 career NBA games, be a reliable contributor on a contender? That will be one of the key questions facing the Warriors during the 2020 offseason as they decide whether to stick with Wiggins or flip him in a trade, according to Mark Schanowski of NBC Sports Chicago.
  • With the help of Gina Mizell of The Athletic, Suns rookie Cameron Johnson details his recovery from mononucleosis and how that experience gave him something of a “head start on the whole quarantine thing.”
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