James Johnson‘s agent Mark Bartelstein said his client has been absent from the Heat’s training camp because of his weight rather than his conditioning, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.
Johnson hasn’t been allowed to participate in camp until he reaches that weight goal set by Heat president Pat Riley. Bartelstein said Johnson passed the team’s conditioning test and will return to the team “shortly,” Jackson adds. Johnson has a $15.3MM salary this season with a $16MM player option next season.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- Hawks coach Lloyd Pierce wants to take advantage Evan Turner‘s versatility, Kevin Chouinard of the team’s website tweets. Turner will serve as the backup point guard and will also be employed as a small-ball power forward along with playing the wing. Turner was acquired from the Blazers for Kent Bazemore.
- Forward Jemerrio Jones is trying to gain a role with the Wizards via his rebounding and hustle, as Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington details. Jones, who played six games with the Lakers last season as a rookie, has a $1,416,852 salary, but less than $200K is guaranteed. “I go hard in the paint,” he said. “[Fans] are going to like the hustle in me. You gotta pay people to play hard now, but it’s in me.” Jones was acquired in the three-team blockbuster that brought Anthony Davis to Los Angeles.
- Thomas Bryant inspires his other young Wizards teammates to exceed expectations, Candace Buckner of the Washington Post writes. Bryant, who was cut loose by the Lakers, earned a three-year, $25MM contract after replacing injured Dwight Howard as the starting center last season. “The opportunity that he got, making the best of getting cut, it’s incredible for me to observe,” second-year center Moritz Wagner said. “I’m very happy to do this with him together.”
Allowing him to work in training camp and continue to build chemistry might help him reach that weight goal. Crazy.
Or you could hold him accountable for something he has known about for 3 years so far, heading into his 4th year here, and something that was a point of emphasis for him after being injured last year. Throughout the offseason, he spoke about it, so it was pretty shocking to see this come up as an issue
Maybe he’s just one of those guys that weighs heavy. I’m 6’5″ 235 with a very low body fat percentage. I’m vegan, go to the gym four times a week, walk everywhere, don’t snack and try to avoid sugar… It’s not like JJ is Glen Davis, he trains as an MMA fighter during the off-season. He’s a big, broad guy.
It could be from too much weight training, and I’m aware of his background. How did he reach the requirements in the past? Regardless, these things generally take care of themselves pretty quickly with the heat, or that person is usually gone. JJ is the type to make it right
Just for that quote, I’m hoping Jemarrio Jones earns that roster spot