Q: Kel’el Ware has more upside than Nikola Jovic. I believe Ware will be an All-Star for years if Erik Spoelstra doesn’t Hassan Whiteside him. I think Spo is forcing Jovic to be great with opportunities. while killing the confidence of the true talent Ware. – Mare.
A: Or if, in your words, Erik Spoelstra is “Hassan Whiteside-ing” Kel’el Ware, then perhaps that is a good thing. You push players who you believe can do more. That is what appears to be at play here, just as there was tough love from Spoelstra for Jovic at the start. Kel’el has the size and skill. What he lacks, at least at times, is the motor. So do you simply gift a role? Or do you make a player earn it, knowing if the effort can be added to the equation, you wind up with a more complete player? Erik rides players he believes can do more, be more. That was the case with Hassan and appears to be the case as well as Kel’el. It is, in many ways, the opposite of giving up on a player. As for Nikola, he was very good on Monday night against the Bucks. And perhaps the bench role already is hitting home for Kel’el, who came around with a solid second half against Milwaukee, closing with his 18 points and 13 rebounds.
Q: I like Erik Spoelstra starting Jaime Jaquez Jr. He needs a kickstart. – Wes.
A: Jaime Jaquez Jr, starting the first two exhibitions likely was far more of a factor of the Heat having five guards sidelined, including three who likely will play ahead of him this season, when counting Tyler Herro, Davion Mitchell and Pelle Larsson. In fact, he and Nikola Jovic were the only Heat starters Monday to play into the second half, as if Erik Spoelstra was attempting to maximize Jaime’s time. Uneven in the first half, Jaime came around in the second, but likely remains somewhat of a rotation longshot. But, hey, he hit a 3-pointer against the Bucks, so there’s that.
Q: With the basketball season starting soon, overlapping the football season, I look forward to watching the Heat and ignoring the Dolphins. In the past you have said Miami is and still is a football town. The Heat famously have been to seven NBA Finals in the past 20 years, winning three of them. The Marlins have two rings under their belt and have been competitive in the last five years, with playoff appearances and a playoff win. The Dolphins have not won a playoff game in 25 years and they certainly are not going to snap that streak this year. It’s time to move on from the Dolphins until they can show some consistency in not only effort but winning. – Erik, Plantation.
A: Or it could be all eyes on the University of Miami until the college football season is over. And, of course, on the Panthers, as they begin defense of their consecutive Stanley Cups. It has been 12 years since the Heat won a title, and you only can live on legacy for so long. The reality is the Heat have won a single playoff game over the past two years. So, to a degree, it is prove-it time for the Heat, as well.