Q: Ira, credit the Lakers. The statue of Pat Riley is perfect. I wonder what Dwyane Wade thought. – Syl.
A: Agree, the Lakers captured the style, panache, drive of Pat Riley in the statue unveiled Sunday in Los Angeles. And the other Lakers, Los Angeles Kings and other statues in front of Crypto.com Arena similarly are on point, from that of Kobe Bryant to that of Magic Johnson to that of Shaquille O’Neal. This is not something Dwyane Wade, who clearly remains forever grateful, would say, but the Heat really do need to redo his statue on the steps of Kaseya Center. The likeness of the statues in Los Angeles are like night and day from the Wade statue. When you think about it, much of Pat Riley’s mantra is the perseverance to keep doing things until perfected. In that regard, there would be no shame in doing the same for Dwyane Wade’s statue.
Q: An inquiry started out with ” Ira, what are we going to do about Myron Gardner?” Well, “we” can’t do anything about him but enjoy that energy when it shows up. What’s your opinion about Gardner for next year? – Jack, Pompano Beach.
A: That if the Heat’s decision when it comes to extensions for Tyler Herro and Norman Powell becomes an either/or decision, that minutes could potentially open for Myron Gardner. Otherwise, it is difficult to envision minutes when the roster is whole and healthy. Myron’s conversion to a standard contract was an insurance move, with only minimal guarantees going forward. That doesn’t mean he might not prove worthy of time down the road, only that there remain many ahead of him in the Heat hierarchy.
Q: Ira, I understand for now, but Erik Spoelstra hopefully will settle with a starting five that plays 32-35 min. and a four-player bench 18-22 minutes, instead of this 10-player, all-24 minutes. The best should play more. Pelle Larsson has led the team in minutes the last two games. Larsson. Not Bam Adebayo, Norman Powell, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Andrew Wiggins. – Roy, Miami.
A: Put those past two, actually past three, games aside. Against lottery-level opposition, you can take an everyone-eats approach, while also keeping your players fresh. It remains to be seen what happens when the Heat go against the 76ers and Rockets in upcoming games this week. We also still do not have a definitive sense of the closing lineup. Once Erik Spoelstra settles on that, the minutes distribution likely will be altered.