The Heat will be missing several players to start their four-game road trip on Monday in Cleveland, including Jimmy Butler (tailbone) and Markieff Morris (neck), Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel tweets. The club will also be without Bam Adebayo (thumb) and Caleb Martin (protocols).
All four players won’t be traveling with the team, receiving their treatment in Miami instead. In addition, veteran guard Victor Oladipo (knee) has yet to play this season, but Winderman notes that he’ll be traveling with the team and sitting on the bench.
Morris has been sidelined for the past 17 games, while Butler returned on December 6 after missing four games. Butler re-injured himself during that contest, costing him the past two games (and counting). Despite playing without several key players, Miami still holds the fourth-best record in the East at 16-11.
Here are some other notes from the Southeast Division:
- Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer examines whether the Hornets should pursue Pacers big men Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner. Indiana is reportedly open to discussing the players in trades as it ponders whether to start a rebuilding phase. Both Sabonis and Turner would likely start if they were acquired by the Hornets, who currently starts Mason Plumlee at center.
- Despite owning a 5-22 record, the Magic remain optimistic due to the impending return of guard Markelle Fultz, Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel writes. Fultz suffered a torn ACL last January and fully practiced with the team on Friday for the first time since sustaining the injury. “It was great to have ‘Kelle on the floor,” head coach Jamahl Mosley said of Fultz. “As long as there are no hiccups, he’s going to continue to progress in the right direction.”
- Heat coach Erik Spoelstra questioned the league’s strategy with handling players in health and safety protocols, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “Why would they be held out extensively longer than if they have the flu?” he asked. “I think there’s a contradiction there.” The same couldn’t be said a year ago when vaccines weren’t widely available, but now that they are, it could raise an interesting discussion.
Oladipo is getting close enough he’s traveling? THAT’S MASSIVE
Uh, Popovich travels with his team and sits on the bench, and he’s 70 years old. I don’t think this indicates anything other than he wanted to start watching the team in person rather than on film.
Hope he is recovered though, he has had a tough run.
huh? lol… Oladipo said he was targeting December back when he first had his surgery.. the Heat said they would be more cautious… when a PLAYER (not sure why you said a coaches name here? lol) starts traveling with his team while injured.. it means they are close to a return and want to get back into the normal NBA travel grind. The Heat don’t travel with cheerleaders lol. As for why this is huge IMO…. Oladipo is basically a second Tyler Herro off the Heat’s bench. The Heat will be a 48 minute matchup nightmare when they have him in the rotation.
Spoelstra needs to stick to X’s and O’s. If anything he is making an argument for stronger restrictions on players with the flu not weaker restrictions on COVID-19+ players. Two negative tests and they are back should be the same for the flu which is also deadly but not as deadly as COVID-19.
This is nuts.
Why not just test everyone, all the time, for every potentially deadly issue?
You people must be so afraid after the news turns off.
This is not only about players as each team has staff that is older than the players.
I see that Eldon has inoculated himself from my thoughts (muted me)…the irony is off the charts!
I usually agree with everything Spo says… but yea this confused me too…. Covid isn’t the flu.. it’s 10-100x more deadly and has killed more people in the US than the spanish flu of 1918… not quite sure he grasps this.
Mr Spoelstra makes sooo much sense that no doubt he might very well get into bother for it!
Can’t see any reason or logic in the protocols for players that are fully vaccinated… just another load of nonsense that is starting to ruin the season!
because fully vaccinated people can still carry and spread a deadly disease that’s killed millions of people? Maybe?