Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra believes that Monday’s game against the Spurs featured the top two candidates for Defensive Player of the Year in Bam Adebayo and Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Chiang writes for the Miami Herald.
“If we can really defend the way we’ve been defending the last month, then I think it’s a two-man race for the Defensive Player of the Year,” Spoelstra said prior to the game. “I think it’s just whatever flavor you like. They’ve won at an extremely high level, San Antonio. And their defense has been consistently a notch above ours. But we’re starting to catch them in that.“
Sportsbooks have Adebayo closer to fifth than second, Chiang notes, with Chet Holmgren (Thunder), Rudy Gobert (Wolves), and Scottie Barnes (Raptors) ahead of him.
Spoelstra also believes that Adebayo is deserving of an All-NBA spot this season.
We have more out of Miami:
- On the heels of a seven-game winning streak, the Heat matched their longest losing streak of the season when they fell to the Spurs on Monday for their fifth loss in a row. They have a 16-26 record this season against teams that entered Monday with a winning record, Chiang writes. “When the going gets tough, we let go of the rope,” guard Norman Powell said. “I think that’s what happens when we have losses like this. We get hit, get some adversity, miss some shots, and then just everybody starts worrying about what happened on offense and teams take advantage of it and keep punishing us. But yeah, when we get hit, we continue to fold.” While the Heat have hung their hat on defense this year, Chiang points out that this marks the first time in franchise history that the team has given up at least 120 points in five straight games. Adebayo and Spoelstra were seen having an animated exchange after the Heat coach subbed out his star big in the second quarter. “I don’t want to be in the play-in. So some of that is, yeah, he’s got to protect me from myself,” Adebayo said after. “But also I don’t want to be in the f—–g play-in. So every game, I’m going to try to go out there and do the best I can to carry this team and force our way out of that.”
- As counterintuitive as it might run to the Heat’s DNA, it could be beneficial for them to miss the playoffs this season, Barry Jackson writes for the Herald. Jackson notes that Miami’s refusal to tank has impacted their ability to bring in another star-level player, while even vaunted teams like the Spurs have endured years of pain to form their talented cores.
- The Heat are entering year seven of being unable to reel in a “whale” of a talent, according to Jackson. By that, he’s referring to their ability to sign or trade for a star player, though Powell did make the All-Star game this season with Miami. Jackson goes through some of the top stars the Heat were in the running for in recent years – including Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and Kevin Durant – and considers how falling short in each of those pursuits looks in hindsight.
Giannis does like Miami.
Okay but as a Heat fan, let’s say the Bucks basically take every available pick, Ware, Herro, and whoever else, probably Kasparis. We have no roster left after that besides Bam who has about as much shooting range as Giannis, and no capital left to trade to add pieces around them. It’s a terrible move. I would instead like Bam to go to Milwaukee and that way we can keep more of our roster. They would just highlight each other’s weaknesses anyway if they played together.
Norman Powell would like to stay I’m sure. Bit harsh on Bam, his outside shot has improved. Miami always find diamonds in the rough.
I think Bam is a good player, but I would rather not give up every single draft pick, every good young player, and Herro just to keep Bam. Looking at his bball reference page, he’s shooting .317 from 3 with 5.5 attempts per game. Last year was the first year his 3PA was greater than 1, and he shot .357 with 2.8 3PA. He’s just shooting more threes, not better ones. All this to say he would basically need to be surrounded by three 3&D snipers if he had to share the floor with Giannis, and that’s just not feasible for Miami. I would also much rather sell on Powell while he has value now. But hey, let’s just keep being a play-in team forever. Let all our players walk for nothing or wait until they demand a trade in their final contract year and get almost nothing for them like Jimmy. All to make Pat Riley happy.
Dump Pat Riley. Other players see what they did to Butler. Of corse they won’t land a star now.
You mean the same Jimmy Butler who is now old and injured just like Pat Riley was worried about?
Ja Morant will save this team -*sarcasm*.
Tear down the team already while the remaining players still have value. They waited way too long to trade Jimmy and got peanuts for him. Herro’s value was reported to be low at the deadline already too. Yes the Hornets still have a pick for 2027 and that sucks, but at least we own the rest of our picks besides that.
We have met the fork in the road here finally
I don’t know what they should do but I know they shouldn’t extend Herro Wiggins or Powell past next year
How they walk and chew gum while doing that next season is rough – Good thing is that Cha pick has restrictions so a down year isn’t a total loss but it’s not Mias style to just kick the can – I agree with you a Gianni’s trade isn’t the answer more of a hail marry with a ton of baked in risk
What would you do in these tight quarters ?
Spo needs to wake up and commit to pairing Bam and Ware together with eitherTyler or Powell coming off the bench. That leaves them without a serviceable backup center so that’s what they need to get. Heat certainly don’t need another guard which seem to be all they want to add.