Q: Here it is Ira: 30 minutes every night for Kel’el Ware. Don’t care how. Don’t care with who. Just 30 minutes every night and then Erik Spoelstra can do whatever he wants with his rotation. Ira, you ask all the questions. Tell him. – Mitch.
A: Always find it curious how outsiders think you just go up to a tenured NBA coach and tell him what he should be doing. Erik Spoelstra sees way more of Kel’el Ware in practices, shootaround and walkthroughs. Plus, Erik Spoelstra tends to be both highly demanding and stubborn. Yes, the either/or thing between Kel’el and Bam Adebayo has to be reworked. Kel’el is deserving of more than Bam’s leftovers. Again, it would seem starting the two and then staggering would be the best way to maximize the minutes of both. That said, don’t expect the longest of leashes for a developing 21-year-old. There will remain expectations and requirements, as there should, in order to maximize what Kel’el eventually can be. Basically, Kel’el is what the Heat thought he was – a highly intriguing 7-footer still with considerable untapped potential. Friday night in Boston, he played 27:34, with Spoelstra mentioned defensive struggles in the pick-and-roll. So there still will be expectations that have to be met.
Q: I like Bam Adebayo’s game, he gives consistent effort and production every night. But I think it’s a valid criticism to say that in situations such as last night where the Heat were shorthanded, he doesn’t elevate his game and make the effort to lift his team. He’s always playing within his comfort level. At his salary, there should sometimes be more. – Ray, Deerfield Beach.
A: That’s where I think the debate gets lost. I know money matters, but Bam Adebayo simply is not a consistent 25-point threat, nor does he have that type of game. That said, there certainly has to be more than the recent efforts, especially when the Heat are shorthanded. Friday night’s 6 of 13 for 16 points simply was not enough in that situation, especially when you consider the Celtics’ power rotation. Agree.
Q: Heat Culture is and has been a thing since Pat Riley’s arrival. It is hard to imagine players missing more games in the last five, six years than the Heat. Availability is prioritized. I will no longer pay to attend games that have multiple players missing every night. Love my Heat and have from Day 1, but I am done paying for this product. If you can’t play 75 games per season, I don’t want you. And more importantly Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra should not want you. Adam Silver has ruined the NBA. Your thoughts? Thanks. – Brian, Boca Raton.
A: Actually, you might want to blame Erik Spoelstra and other coaches, because the pace and the speed with which the game is played these days is remarkable. Perhaps too remarkable for an 82-game season. Perhaps too remarkable for three games in four nights (of which the Heat are in the midst). I spoke about this with an NBA coach the other day. Just go back and watch the speed and the constant movement in today’s NBA compared to games 10, 20, 30 years ago. There is almost a frantic athleticism in play now that never was to this quick-twitch level. I’m not sure that this game, at this speed, at this pace, at this athleticism, is designed for 82 games. For example, the NFL knows that the brutality of its games is designed for only one game a week. Soccer knows that the endless running in their sport makes it difficult for more than two games per week. The best of today’s NBA arguably would be less of today’s NBA. All of that said, teams also have to protect their players, and it was clear on Friday night in Boston that Davion Mitchell and Andrew Wiggins were not fit to go.