The Heat have dealt with rotation issues all season and they’ll have another dilemma when they return from the All-Star break. Point guard Goran Dragic is expected to return after recovering from arthroscopic surgery to his right knee. That will impact Justise Winslow, whose role as a playmaker and ballhandler has expanded in Dragic’s absence. Winslow enjoys playing with Dragic but doesn’t want to lose his starting spot.
“I’m going to think about that and let my curiosity go crazy during the All-Star break,” Winslow told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “That’s something that is out of my control. I can say what I would want, but it’s up to the coaches and I am ready to execute whatever role they give me.”
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Trevor Ariza was glad he was traded to the Wizards because of his familiarity with the organization and some of their players, Kimberly Cataudella of NBC Sports Washington relays. Ariza even implied he had some input on the trade made with the Suns, with whom he signed a one-year contract last summer. “If I [were] to leave [Phoenix], for me, it would be home or a place that I’m familiar with, and the opportunity came to come to Washington, and I chose Washington over everything,” he said. Ariza is averaging 15.4 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 4.3 APG in 28 starts since the trade.
- Not only do the Magic have big plans for Markelle Fultz, they’re already envisioning what he could do for them if they reach the postseason in upcoming years, Roy Parry of the Orlando Sentinel reports. The No. pick in the 2017 draft was dealt by Philadelphia to Orlando earlier this month. “Watching film of him in Philly and then also of him in college … I’m not sure there’s an aspect of the game he can’t excel at,” coach Steve Clifford said. “Particularly in playoff series, you’ve got to have guys that can play both ways.”
- Wizards guard Bradley Beal may have irritated some Celtics and Sixers fans with a comment he made during an All-Star event, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington tweets. Asked which team he believed would win the Eastern Conference championship, Beal replied: “I think it’s going to be Toronto or Milwaukee.”
Wizards guard Bradley Beal may have irritated some fans of two teams still fighting for home court advantage in the playoffs by picking the clearcut top 2 teams as the most likely teams to come out of the East…
I guess Portland fans should be upset with people who pick Golden State to come out of the West.
I mean is Beal wrong. C’s are a question mark come playoffs, sixers have a strong starting 5 but will the bench depth good enough to help. So that leave bucks and raptors as the favorites
Come post season time, bench don’t matter is all about the starters, all about the stars, that is the advantage Philly has over Milwaukee & even more over Toronto & Boston.
Hey Fultz needs to get on the court in order to make the playoffs, bub…but way to thonk positive.
Fultz clearly had issues with Philly as a whole. I’m guessing Cliff has proof the Fultz injury was legit AND fixable, and I hope Fultz blows up next year feeding Gordon, Fournier, Bamba and Isaac.
Or that it was fake.
He is a genius. He can read the standings. Both top two teams got bounced last year and may very well happen again. Neither Toronto or Milwaukee is Golden State.
Every team that doesn’t win gets bounced.