Q: Ira, you hinted at it, but you’re still missing the point. Erik Spoelstra is not going to play big at the end of the games, so it’s probably better we have more of what you call wings. From what you know about Spo and what you know about Kel’el Ware, does Kel’el play at the end of games? – Alan.
A: I don’t disagree. At this point, Kel’el Ware has to develop the faith to continue starting, let alone have the confidence from Erik Spoelstra to finish. But there just were so many times last season where one more rebound could have stopped the bleeding for the Heat in all those games that got away at the finish. But even to your thinking, there still is the need for proven depth at center, because of this: What happens if Bam Adebayo is injured or unavailable at the close of a close game? If there is not confidence in Kel’el, then who? Nikola Jovic? Vlad Goldin? That’s why a rebound-securing veteran up to such moments would come in handy on this imbalanced roster.
Q: I guess one could argue Erik Spoelstra prefers mobility, speed and quickness to size, but what happens when we face the big boys in critical games? Tired of the self volleyball against us. – Eddy.
A: Or, to contradict what I offered to the above question, perhaps it is as simple as the Heat being so middling that they are at the stage of merely fielding who they believe are the 14 players who offer the most potential while also staying below the luxury tax. In other words, a belief that Dru Smith is better than any potential veteran center on the market.
Q: Dru Smith had earned it before he was injured. The Heat did right by him. Nothing wrong with that. – D.C.
A: And here’s the thing, to also put a bow on the first two questions, would any other 14th man significantly impact the trajectory of this team? What exactly does middling-plus–one get you? It’s not as if Dru Smith’s minimum contract is preventing the Heat from adding the alpha, the Jimmy Butler replacement they so clearly need. Nothing about this season will be dramatically altered by the little moves, be it Haywood Highsmith or Dru Smith.