Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

NBA Sets Up Panel For Life-And-Death Cases

December 21st, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

The NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement will include an independent medical panel to handle potential life-and-death cases like the one involving Chris Bosh, writes Howard Beck of Bleacher Report.

Bosh’s dispute with the Heat is problematic because the league has no uniform policy regarding blood clots and no process to adjudicate medical disputes where a player’s life may be in jeopardy.

According to Beck, when a player is declared medically unfit, his case can be brought before the panel by his team, the league or the players association. The panel will have the power to prevent him from playing in the NBA if it decides his condition is life-threatening.

However, if the panel sides with the player, it could give his team a deadline to either play him, trade him or waive him. All decisions of the panel will be considered final, with no appeal process set up.

The panel was established to prevent other players from falling into a situation like Bosh, whose career has been in limbo since failing a physical before training camp. Bosh hasn’t played since the All-Star break last season, when doctors discovered blood clots in his calf. It was the second straight season for Bosh that was cut short by blood clots.

Bosh had hoped to resume his career this season, and posted a series of videos on his website during the summer to demonstrate his health. However, “evidence of continued clotting” was found during the September physical and Bosh was not cleared to participate in camp. He remains under contract, but the Heat are expected to petition the league for a medical exclusion, which they can do beginning Feburary 9th, one year since his last game. If it is granted, the Heat can waive Bosh and wipe his final two years of salary –worth more than $52MM — off their cap.

Pat Riley: Rebuild Will Happen Quickly For Heat

December 21st, 2016 at 12:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on Joe Rose’s WQAM radio show on Wednesday morning, Pat Riley said he’s disappointed with the Heat’s 9-20 start to the season, but believes the club has a solid young core and the cap flexibility to rebuild quickly, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Pointing to players like Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson, Justise Winslow, and Josh Richardson, the longtime Heat president said there are “five or six guys that we really like” on the roster, with the potential to add more.

“I think the No. 1 asset that we have right now is our flexibility moving forward,” Riley said. “We have a first round pick this year. So we’re dealing with it. We’re dealing with that word that you hate to use – that we have to rebuild. But we will rebuild quick.

“I’m not going to hang around here for three or four years selling this kind of song to people in Miami. We have great, great fans. They’re frustrated. They’ve been used to something great over the last 10 years and so right now we’re taking a hit. I think we can turn this thing around. As I said, if five of those [close] losses were turned into wins we could be in the playoffs right now. But they didn’t.

“You can use that word rebuild. But we’re going to do it fast.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

While the Heat may not be a playoff team in 2017, Riley is optimistic that the franchise will get a sense this season of which of its players are keepers, per Navarro. “We’ve got a lot of young players that are growing that need to step up, they will emerge,” Riley said. “We will find the ones I think over the next six to seven months that will be a part of this team for a long time.”
The Heat have plenty of potential trade candidates on their roster, but Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel is skeptical that there will be a ton of interest in many of the team’s veterans on one-year contracts — especially the ones that have been in and out of the rotation.
Derrick Williams, one of the Heat’s most notable offseason additions, has been having an all-or-nothing type season with the team so far, Winderman writes for the Sun Sentinel.

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Miami Heat

Latest On Goran Dragic

December 19th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Kyler, the prevailing belief around the NBA is that the Heat will explore moving Goran Dragic before the trade deadline. However, Heat sources say they’re not ready to blow up the roster at this point, and insist keeping the point guard as a veteran leader is a viable option

[SOURCE LINK]

Ellington The Latest Hobbled Heat Guard

December 18th, 2016 at 6:45pm CST by Austin Kent

The Heat haven’t had much luck keeping their swingmen at full strength this season and Wayne Ellington is the latest to fall victim to an injury. After Ellington missed the first 16 games of the season with a bruised right thigh, a “slight strain of his hamstring” could keep the 29-year-old out of action heading forward, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.

Playing the heaviest workload of his career (30.8 minutes per game), the shooting guard has average 12.9 points per contest and three times since late November had put up 17 or more. The Heat, of course, have also dealt with injuries to Dion Waiters and Justise Winslow, the former of which is still sidelined, the latter of which has just recently returned.

Heat Notes: CBA Changes, James Johnson, Winslow

December 17th, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Arthur Hill

Some new provisions in the CBA could work against the Heat in free agency next year, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Because maximum salaries are increasing, it will be more difficult for a team to add more than one max player each year. Miami could have about $40MM available in cap space next summer if Dion Waiters and Willie Reed both opt out and Chris Bosh is cleared from the cap, which could have been enough for two max deals in prior years. Also, mid-level exceptions are increasing, which will help teams without cap space get better players, and minimum salaries are increasing 45%, which will increase cap holds for empty roster spots from about $1MM to $2MM each. The NBA mandates that teams fill 12 roster spots with players or cap holds.

There’s more tonight out of Miami:

Another important change is that teams can now give their own free agents six-year contracts instead of five, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The difference between staying with a team for six years or going somewhere else for four could be $90MM to $100MM over the life of a contract, which reduces the advantages the Heat have enjoyed from their South Beach location and recent playoff success.
Miami’s James Johnson is among the players who might benefit from the increased mid-level exception, Winderman writes in a separate piece. The new MLE is expected to be in the $8MM range, which is about twice what Johnson makes right now. Because Johnson signed a one-year contract over the summer, Miami won’t have his Bird Rights, which means his entire salary will have to come from cap space. Johnson has become a valuable reserve for the Heat, averaging career highs of 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per game.
Finally back from a troublesome wrist injury, Justise Winslow is making an immediate impact, Winderman states in another story. Winslow’s sore left wrist forced him to miss 16 games and raised the concern of offseason surgery. “He’s doing plays that you cannot see in stats, and that’s huge for the team,” said teammate Goran Dragic. “He can defend multiple positions. He can organize us. And he can find people. So that’s a unique talent.”

How New CBA Will Impact Heat; Derrick Williams Talks FA Decision

December 15th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Luke Adams

Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel takes a look at how the NBA’s new CBA will impact the Heat, noting that the team won’t have an amnesty clause available to create another option for Chris Bosh.
In a conversation with Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders, Derrick Williams explains why he chose the Heat in free agency over the summer.

Woj: Heat Likely To Test Trade Market For Dragic

December 14th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat will likely test the trade market for Goran Dragic, but after giving up two first-round picks to acquire him, getting a single pick back in return would essentially be admitting they made a mistake, says Wojnarowski.

[SOURCE LINK]

Heat Hoping Justise Winslow Can Avoid Wrist Surgery

December 12th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat officials believe Justise Winslow is making progress with his wrist injury, although surgery after the season remains an option, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. The second-year forward was ruled out indefinitely last month with pain in his left wrist and will miss his 16th consecutive game tonight.

Team doctors have ruled against surgery for now and are hoping the wrist, which is part of his shooting hand, will heal naturally through a rehab program. However, it has been nearly a full month since Winslow has played, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked tonight about the possibility of an operation once the season ends.

“I think right now all of our hopes are that he won’t need it,” Spoelstra said. “That’s why we went through extensive treatment and rest. And right now it looks like we won’t need to go that route.”

“It’s actually gotten significantly better. It was a sprain. He continued to play with it, continued to reaggravate it and then we shut him down we started the process of healing it and then rehabbing it and then restrengthening it. He’s getting better. He’s doing more court work each day. I would say probably now is when you’re starting to say he’s probably getting pretty close to full contact work on the court.”

Winslow was able to participate in today’s team shootaround, but hasn’t taken part in a full practice since being hurt. He has been wearing a wrist brace when he’s not playing basketball, which Spoelstra said he will probably need to do all season.

“That’s just to stabilize it,” the coach said. “Anybody that’s had wrist issues, you have to wear a brace when you’re not active. And it helps. Any little bit helps. [For Winslow] that’s more precautionary. He doesn’t necessarily need it. It’s already starting to feel a lot better.”

Winslow, a second-team all-rookie selection last year, last played on November 14th and has appeared in just nine games all season. X-rays on the wrist were negative, but the injury clearly affecting his shooting percentage, which has fallen to .336 from the field.

Heat Notes: Richardson, McRoberts, Waiters, Dragic

December 11th, 2016 at 10:22am CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are about to begin a six-game home stand that could be the last chance for the current group to remain together, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The Heat are 7-17 after Saturday’s loss in Chicago, with Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Luke Babbitt all left behind in Miami because of injuries. Miami could be in for a shakeup as soon as Thursday, when free agents who signed during the offseason become eligible for trades. “I think once we get our whole team back, once we get healthy, I think that things might start turning around,” said Josh Richardson, who returned to the lineup Saturday after a sprained right ankle. “But we haven’t played in one game this year with our whole roster, so it’s tough.”

There’s more out of Miami:

Richardson played 26 minutes last night, many of them at point guard as a backup to Goran Dragic, Winderman writes in the same story. The second-year player welcomes the chance to initiate the offense. “I like to think I’m one of the vocal leaders of the team. So when I’m coming down, I like to call plays early and get guys in their spots,” he said. “I’m perfectly comfortable playing it.”
The Heat are concerned that Josh McRoberts‘ poor play of late makes it less likely that he will opt out of his deal worth more than $6MM for next season, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. McRoberts has been used in just 15 games and is averaging 4.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per night. His shooting percentage of 32.5 is second worst in the league among power forwards. The Heat would have more than $45MM in cap room next summer if McRoberts opts out.
Waiters may be used as a reserve when his groin injury heals, Jackson writes in the same piece. The Heat have been outscored by 33 points with Waiters and Dragic in the game together, which is the worst plus/minus number for any combination of two starters. They are plus 5 with Dragic and Richardson together.

Heat Notes: Dragic, Injuries, Richardson

December 10th, 2016 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Things in Miami have changed significantly since Goran Dragic was acquired at the 2015 trade deadline, with Dwyane Wade no longer in the picture and Chris Bosh seemingly on his way out as well. The Heat are in a retooling phase, and the injury woes plaguing the team this season have made it difficult for the new-look roster to gel. Still, Dragic tells Joel Brigham of Basketball Insiders that he remains optimistic about the club’s future.

“This is a young team,” Dragic said. “We have a lot of newer faces than last year, and we just need to find that good chemistry that we had in the preseason. But, it’s kind of hard because with all those injuries, players are out, [so] it’s always a different starting lineup or different players on the floor. Hopefully, that won’t happen in the future.”

Here’s more from Dragic, along with a couple more Heat notes:

Dragic on Wade’s decision to leave the Heat for the Bulls this past summer: “I was in shock because he was there 13 years. I would never imagine he was going to go somewhere else because, the Miami Heat, everyone knows that was D-Wade’s team. But I understand, this is a part of the business. When that happened, I was talking with him and I wished him all the best in Chicago. He’s a good friend of mine, and it is what it is. We’re all professionals, so we need to do our jobs and I had to embrace a new, bigger role, but I’m fine with that.”
The Heat had a busy offseason, having been active in free agency, which means next Thursday is a big day for the team, writes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As of that day, December 15, nearly all the players the team signed in the summer will become trade-eligible. Of course, as Winderman notes, Pat Riley has never made a trade in December since taking over as Heat president, so we shouldn’t expect the team to make a move right away — particularly since some potential trade chips are injured at the moment.
Speaking of injured players, Winderman provides an update on Josh Richardson‘s status in a separate piece for The Sun Sentinel.