Q: Ira, no Tyler Herro, no Bam Adebayo and the Heat rolled. What does that tell you about what this team needs to do? – Armon.
A: Play the Atlanta Hawks every night? Find an opponent that commits 21 turnovers? Play a team that can’t be bothered with second-level defense, leaving a wide-open path to the lane (where the Heat should have further flourished if not for some shoddy finishing)? Friday night was all well and good. And the Heat well could do the same without Herro and Adebayo against the Pacers. But this team, as currently constructed, needs Bam Adebayo’s stabilizing defensive presence and in moments of truth could use Tyler Herro’s scoring. Maybe not against the Hawks or Pacers, but certainly against the upcoming schedule likes of the Nuggets, Pistons and Timberwolves.
Q: You said it all with the starters against the Hawks. This team is too small. How could the Heat not know? – Anderson.
A: Oh, they knew, because there was ample opportunity to add size and/or bulk, including Precious Achiuwa being under contract during the preseason. Part of it was the Heat seemingly thought Nikola Jovic would be amenable/accepting/capable of a power role; that has not played out that way. But with the goal since camp of playing a speed game, smaller tends to mean speedier. The problem was all that speed eventually ran into a brick wall in the standings and countless costly offensive rebounds by the opposition. That wasn’t the case in Atlanta. But it shouldn’t have to come down to Kel’el Ware, Nikola Jovic or bust. Friday night it was the Hawks who played small, and paid for it.
Q: Tyler Herro out again? Six games played out of 31. SIX! – Rolando, Borrego Springs, Calif.
A: Well, Terry Rozier has played fewer, so there’s that. Look. Tyler Herro’s toe issue is very much a case of not knowing what it is like to be walking in another man’s shoes. So, no, you can’t feel his pain. But what you can do is hold off on any future thought of what should come next with Tyler. Still, he is not trending in a good place. At some point, seemingly sooner rather than later, playing through the pain will have to be considered.