Q: I hate to bring up this subject again, but when is NBA Commissioner Adam Silver ever going to make a decision on Terry Rozier? When Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors was caught doing the same thing as Rozier is alleged, he was almost immediately suspended from the league, and the Raptors were given back his salary-cap space. In the meantime, we are left a player short and have to carry Rozier’s salary on the books. In addition, we still don’t know his trade status with the NBA trade deadline coming up next month and we wasted a first-round pick on him when the NBA front office knew he was under investigation. Right now, with Bam Adebayo playing through back-pain issues, we really could have used that salary cap space for a veteran backup center. – Greg, Jacksonville.
A: I agree that the public lack of clarity has been confounding. But I do believe the Heat, with the degree of assurance, have been made aware that they can move off of Terry Rozier’s salary in a trade. The greater question is what they do by Wednesday’s NBA guarantee deadline for waiving Terry and therefore receiving a small enough portion of his non-guaranteed salary to sign an extra player. At this point, it appears the Heat would rather hold on to Terry‘s entire salary-cap figure, in case they want to move it in a bigger deal by the Feb. 5 NBA trading deadline. So, for now, a holding pattern. As for the first-round pick dealt to Charlotte in the initial trade, the reality is the Heat did get more than a season of Terry services, so the thought could be that there was a return on that investment.
Q: Ira, Norman Powell keeps talking about how he is always going to try to play through minor injuries. Can we take that as a dig at Tyler Herro, who seems to be the opposite? Everyone who has had minor injuries like Pelle Larsson and Bam Adebayo seem to be pushing hard to play, perhaps in Bam’s case when he should be resting a little longer rather than playing with the bad back. With Tyler Herro, there doesn’t seem to be any urgency in getting back on the court. Maybe that is just the fans’ perception, because they don’t see the rehab going on in private. – Rich, Plantation.
Q: Norman Powell offers his answers about pushing through, because we ask those questions. No diss intended to Tyler Herro or otherwise. And while it probably is not the exact answer you might want to hear, every injury is different. The Heat training staff is charged with getting a player back as soon as feasible and advisable. It’s not as if a player has a choice in the rehab process, and can simply say “nah.” Tyler very much wants to play, but also wants his body right.
Q: Let’s wait until Norman Powell performs in the playoffs for the Heat before worrying about his contract. Same with Tyler Herro. No more extensions based on regular-season numbers. – Tom.
A: This was in reference to an answer in yesterday’s mailbag. And yes, to reiterate, you do not keep throwing money at a roster of play-in round quality. Now, if this team takes off in the standings, earns home court in the first round of the playoffs, then maybe the thought process changes. Otherwise, you consider any and all options ahead of the February 5 NBA trading deadline, and do not jeopardize your salary cap position going forward without definitively knowing that you stand as a contender – with all due respect to Norman Powell.