Q: Ira, what do you think of our opening schedule? Going against Anthony Edwards isn’t going to be easy. – Nathan.
A: If the Heat are who they think they are, then you should beat Minnesota and Detroit at home, win on the road against an injury-limited Charlotte roster, come back home to beat a rebuilding Mavericks roster and then compete with the Hawks in Atlanta. So at least 4-1? And from there, there are the Pacers at home and a five-game trip that hardly is overwhelming (Lakers, Clippers, Warriors, Blazers, Jazz). So if the expectations are significant, then so should the record be after those 11. That said, nothing should be assumed by a roster that has undergone such a major overhaul. There is where Giannis-mode has to make the difference.
Q: Erik Spoelstra talks about the Heat depth like everyone is going to play. But that doesn’t happen. – Saul.
A: And it won’t happen within each game, but rather through the course of the season. For now, the projection is the starting lineup of Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell and Klay Thompson, with the first three off the bench being (when healthy), in some order, Bobby Portis, Pelle Larsson and Tim Hardaway Jr. As for the ninth man, Nikola Jovic would seem to have the edge over Simone Fontecchio at the moment. Then it becomes a case of if-needed, with Dru Smith the option at point guard, Nick Richards the option at center and Ryan Conwell or Myron Gardner the option if another wing is needed. So basically eight spots have been decided, one more likely is decided, and then it would appear to be situational.
Q: I’m starting to get a little bit worried about Pelle Larsson – missed almost all of the preseason games and this “illness” seems to have taken on a life of its own. Concerned that there may be some lingering issues from the time in Europe over the summer. Do we have any reason to be suspicious? – J.J., Palmetto Bay.
A: Nope. And he was back at practice the last two days, so there’s that. Clearly he was sapped by that bug, but there still is time to get to a better place by Wednesday night.