Erik Spoelstra Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: Dragic, Spoelstra, Ellington, Winslow

August 28th, 2016 at 1:00pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra is visiting point guard Goran Dragic in Slovenia this weekend to talk about changes in the wake of the loss of Dwyane Wade, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Dragic is expected to become more of a focus in Miami’s offense with Wade leaving for Chicago in free agency. Jackson notes that in the games Dragic has played without Wade during his time with the Heat, his scoring average rose from 14.8 points per game to 17.6 and his assist average increased from 5.7 to 6.6, but his shooting dropped from 48.3 percent to 43.2 percent. In a video released by the team Friday, Spoelstra said he wants to adjust the offense to maximize Dragic’s abilities. “Goran is one of the best fast-break, transition point guards in this game,” the coach said. “He will force tempo regardless of how you want to play or how you want to defend. Goran is going to run. … You don’t find many players that can attack, that can play fast, that can make other players better in that type of game. And he’s relentless in getting to the rim. And Goran is that kind of player. And I think young players gravitate to Goran. They want to play that style.”

There’s more out of Miami:

Free agent addition Wayne Ellington hopes to make Hassan Whiteside a better passer next season, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 28-year-old shooting guard, who got more than $12MM over two seasons to leave Brooklyn for Miami, thinks his 3-point range will provide an opportunity for Whiteside to increase his assist total. The newly re-signed center has handed out just 35 assists over the past two seasons and ranked 80th among centers in 2015/16 in points created off assists.
The departure of Luol Deng and lingering concerns about the health of Chris Bosh have seemingly opened a starting spot for Justise Winslow, Winderman notes in the same piece. Winslow averaged 6.4 points and 5.2 rebounds as a rookie last season in 78 games, mostly as a reserve. But Deng signed with the Lakers in free agency and questions remain about the availability of Bosh, whose last two seasons were cut short by blood clots. That creates an opportunity for Winslow, who is among the few holdovers after an offseason of change in Miami. “He’s going to find a way to make an impact on the game,” Spoelstra said. “And he’s going to do it in winning fashion. It might be defensively; it might be offensively. It might be leadership. All of that is far ahead of his age.”

Southeast Notes: Wall, Whiteside, Heat

August 20th, 2016 at 8:33pm CST by Arthur Hill

Four months after having surgery on both knees, the Wizards‘ John Wall is being cautious with predictions about his availability for opening night, relays Candace Buckner of The Washington Post. The procedure on Wall’s right knee just removed some loose particles, Bucker notes, but the operation on the left knee was much more serious. Wall hasn’t been cleared for one-on-one games, but he can run, jump and handle two-a-day workouts. “I’m doing all that right now, working out and doing all that type of things but I’m not in no rush,” Wall said. “I’m very excited to be back on the court because I will tell you sitting on the table all day and doing those boring exercises is no fun. Six hours out of the day, it’s the frustrating part in this.” Wall will join his teammates in Los Angeles for a four-day mini-camp starting Sunday. The Wizards open their regular season October 27th.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Heat have big expectations for $98MM center Hassan Whiteside, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Now that the big man is under contract for the next four seasons, coach Erik Spoelstra posted a video on the team’s website discussing Whiteside’s responsibilities. “He will be working on all of it,” Spoelstra said. “Low-post scoring, that’s the number one thing he wants to work on, and I’m all for it. He will also work on his skill level at the top of the floor, handling the ball, getting us into second situations as a playmaker, rebounding off the glass.” Spoelstra is planning more minutes and more games for Whiteside, who sat out nine contests last season and only started 43 times.
The need to sign players before the deadline arrived on Tyler Johnson’s offer sheet with the Nets may have caused the Heat to add too many players, Winderman writes in a separate story. Faced with the possible loss of $4MM in cap space, Miami signed free agents Wayne Ellington, Derrick Williams, James Johnson and Willie Reed, then traded for Luke Babbitt before matching Johnson’s offer. Later, they signed Dion Waiters and Beno Udrih, along with Briante Weber and three other players who may be ticketed for the D-League.

Southeast Notes: Spoelstra, Ibaka, Splitter

August 16th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra made no mention of Chris Bosh in two video messages posted today on the team’s website, relays Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The status of the veteran big man remains uncertain after his past two seasons were cut short because of blood clots. Spoelstra singled out Hassan Whiteside, Josh Richardson, Justise Winslow and Tyler Johnson as defensive leaders who will define the team in the post-Dwyane Wade era. “You learn pretty quickly in this league that your roster is going to change,” Spoelstra said, “sometimes your staff changes. Expectations change. It’s like that every year. Just when you get comfortable, it will change. This is a new challenge. We’re embracing the change. We’re excited about the future, excited about the guys we have on our team. You also have to have the right kind of players.” Owner Micky Arison named Bosh as part of the Heat’s future in a recent letter to Miami fans.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Magic can offer an extension to newly acquired power forward Serge Ibaka, writes Bobby Marks of The Vertical. Ibaka, whom Orlando picked up in a draft-night deal with the Thunder, is about to enter the last season of a four-year, $49MM extension he received from Oklahoma City. Ibaka would be limited to a 4.5% raise from his $12.2MM salary in the first year of an extension because the Magic are over the salary cap, Marks notes, and because he has been traded in the past six months Ibaka can only have two years added to his contract.
Tiago Splitter believes the Hawks will be a much better defensive team with Dwight Howard replacing Al Horford at center, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He also cited an improvement in defense at point guard, where Dennis Schroder is taking over for the traded Jeff Teague. “[Howard] is a little bit more of a defensive player than Al, more rebounds, more physical presence on the court,” Splitter said. “That is going to change our team. … Dennis, he is also a great defender. He’s a better defender than Jeff. He will pressure the point guard the whole court.” Splitter, who had hip surgery in February and was limited to 36 games last season, also figures to improve the defense with his return to the lineup.
The Hawks hired Richard Midgley as their west coast scout, Vivlamore writes in a separate story. Midgley has been a coach at Modesto Christian High School in California for the past two seasons.

Heat’s Riley: ‘Great Regret’ Over Losing Wade

July 16th, 2016 at 12:24pm CST by Arthur Hill

During a news conference today in Miami, Heat president Pat Riley expressed his sorrow over losing free agent Dwyane Wade to the Bulls and said he should have done more to prevent it. “I have great regret I didn’t put myself in the middle of it,” Riley said in a quote relayed by Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel (Twitter link).

Wade officially signed with Chicago on Friday after reportedly being unhappy with the offers he was getting out of Miami. Riley says he wishes he had taken a more active role in the negotiations, adding that he should have “gotten in a canoe and paddled to The Mediterranean” if it meant keeping Wade, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.

Riley said he had been trying to get “another guy” to pair with Wade since LeBron James returned to Cleveland in 2014 (Twitter link). He added that he hadn’t spoken to Wade since his decision, but has been putting together a long e-mail for him (Twitter link).

Wade, a 12-time All-Star, had been with the Heat since they drafted him in 2003. He is the franchise’s leader in career points, assists and several other categories.

“It’s not going to be the same without [Wade] but we will forge ahead,” Riley said. “Dwyane is unique. There will always be a key under the mat [for Dwyane], I just hope it doesn’t get too rusty. We will miss him.” (Twitter links).

Riley touched on several other topics during the news conference:

Any decision on Chris Bosh’s future is “on hold” until August or September, tweets Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Bosh, who didn’t play after blood clots were discovered in his left calf during the All-Star break, would like to return next season, but the Heat aren’t sure if it’s medically feasible. Riley said the team is considering a restricted travel schedule or limited workload to help Bosh get back on the court (Twitter link). “I know Chris wants to play, and we would be open to that,” Riley said “But this is still fluid. There’s not an answer.” (Twitter link).
Riley believes Justise Winslow is ready to be Miami’s starting small forward after a promising rookie season. “Are we ready for Justise Winslow to start at the 3,” Riley asked. “I am.” (Twitter link). The Heat lost last year’s starter when Luol Deng signed with the Lakers.
The Heat offered a more balanced contract to Tyler Johnson than the deal he signed with the Nets, but Johnson insisted on taking the offer sheet from Brooklyn (Twitter link). That contract, which the Heat matched on Sunday, pays Johnson $5.628MM in the first year and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.
Kevin Durant, who chose Miami as one of the five teams he met with in free agency, told Riley that he wants to win right away and viewed the Heat as being in a rebuilding phase (Twitter link). “I’ll never not take an offer from a free agent who calls and says we’d like to talk to you,” Riley said. “We had to do it, it didn’t slow us down.” (Twitter links).
Riley is working toward a contract extension with head coach Erik Spoelstra and his staff (Twitter link).
The Heat don’t plan to use their $2.9MM room exception this offseason. (Twitter link).

Latest On Kevin Durant

July 3rd, 2016 at 10:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

9:59pm: The Heat are still alive in the race for Durant, according to a tweet from InsideHoops.com. A source says the theory that Durant is deciding between the Thunder and Warriors is untrue.

8:43pm: Durant was impressed by the Celtics’ presentation on Saturday and is still “seriously considering” signing with Boston, writes A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.

7:55pm: Durant is not expected to make an announcement before Monday, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The final decision will come down to the Thunder and Warriors, according to Royce Young of ESPN.com (Twitter link). A source close to the Warriors told Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated that Golden State pitched “culture, dynasty, style of play” to Durant, but the source wouldn’t be surprised if he stays in Oklahoma City (Twitter link).

3:25pm: Durant spoke over the phone with Warriors executive Jerry West yesterday, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News tweets. A source told Kawakami that Durant likes the Warriors, but is unsure about leaving the Thunder (Twitter link). Nevertheless, Durant is strongly considering the Warriors and his decision will be released on the Players’ Tribune, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets.

9:05am: Kevin Durant plans to make a decision tonight or Monday, but that’s the only certainty as he prepares to meet his fifth and final suitor, writes Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. Heat representatives will get the last chance to woo Durant this afternoon, following the Celtics and Spurs, who met with him Saturday, and the Warriors and Clippers, who had meetings Friday. The Thunder have requested a final session with Durant, but he and his representatives have not decided whether to grant that.

Officials from the four teams that have talked with Durant so far haven’t been able to determine whether he is leaning toward any of them, Broussard reports. He speculates that the Clippers may have taken themselves out of the running Saturday night by using a big chunk of their cap space on the three-year, $35MM deal they gave to Austin Rivers.

The Celtics may have improved their bargaining position with Saturday’s commitment by Al Horford, according to Broussard. Durant’s agent, Rich Kleiman, had been trying to convince Horford to join Durant in Oklahoma City, and there may be incentive now to team them up in Boston. However, a source told Broussard that while the Horford addition may enter into Durant’s decision, it won’t be a major factor.

Miami will send owner Micky Arison, chief exective officer Nick Arison, team president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra, GM Andy Elisburg and executive Alonzo Mourning into today’s session with Durant, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Meeting Durant so close to his deadline puts the Heat in a difficult position, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel, who says Riley’s main goal may be to dissuade Durant from choosing the Celtics.

Jackson says the Heat consider themselves an underdog for Durant, but they have several strategies to take on his $26.5MM first-year salary if he does choose Miami. The easiest would be to trade Goran Dragic and Josh McRoberts without taking salary back, start Hassan Whiteside‘s contract at $20MM rather than $22MM and try to convince Dwyane Wade to accept the approximately $16MM still left.

Durant reportedly flew to Boston on Friday to visit the city, then made a return flight with Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, according to a report from CSNNE. The Celtics were happy with the active role that Brady played in the Durant presentation, writes Rob Bradford of WEEI. Brady joined the Celtics’ contingent along with co-owner Steve Pagliuca, president Danny Ainge and players Marcus Smart and Kelly Olynyk.

Heat, Erik Spoelstra Nearing Contract Extension

June 28th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Heat and coach Erik Spoelstra are closing in on a contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Spoelstra is entering the final year of his current deal.

Team owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley are eager to secure Spoelstra beyond the final year of his contract and want to insure that he doesn’t hit the open market next summer, Wojnarowski notes. Spoelstra is the second-longest active tenured coach with one team, trailing only behind San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich.

The 45-year-old just completed his eighth season as Heat head coach, reaching the Eastern Conference semifinals before losing to the Raptors in seven games. Spoelstra has won two NBA titles with the franchise, reaching four Eastern Conference finals along the way and he owns a career regular season mark of 399-241 (.623) and is 70-43 (.619) as a head coach in the postseason.

Southeast Notes: Wall, Durant, Fizdale, Weber

June 5th, 2016 at 12:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Wizards point guard John Wall plans an aggressive approach to bring free agent Kevin Durant to Washington, writes Michael Lee of The Vertical. The Wizards are considered a contender for Durant because the Thunder star has roots in Washington and new coach Scott Brooks coached Durant in Oklahoma City. “I feel if [Brooks] can make a pitch, and I can make a pitch and [Durant] comes, it’s great,” Wall said. “I think we do need another star here, another great player to [get over] that next hump. You need three stars to win this league.”

Wall and Durant have formed a friendship over the years, and Wall has spoken publicly before about wanting to have Durant as a teammate. However, the formal sales pitch will have to wait. “If he comes, he comes, if not, got to make other plans,” Wall said. “But that’s something I haven’t talked to him about. I’m not willing to right now. He just came off a tough series. I’m trying to give him a couple of weeks, a month off, to think about what he wants to do.”

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Wizards free agent center Nene wants to continue his NBA career, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. The 33-year-old recently posted on Twitter that he’s “working hard every day & getting ready.” Michael expects Washington to part ways with Nene, who earned $13MM last season.
Former Heat assistant David Fizdale got help from Erik Spoelstra as he prepared for his interview with the Grizzlies, relates Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. After Miami was eliminated from the playoffs, Fizdale and Spoelstra turned their attention to interview preparation. “We waited ’til it was over and we got the call the next day that I was going to interview,” Fizdale said. “And so Spo and I went into playoff prep mode. He rented a room in the Ritz-Carlton for me. We got the boards up. We got the computers open. And we just basically did a crash course on prepping me for the interview.”
Briante Weber is expected to be with the Heat during summer league, but probably not during next season, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Weber played six games for Miami this season, but Jackson says the Heat consider him limited offensively and found he had trouble remembering plays. He is scheduled to make $875K in 2016/17, but only about a fourth of that is guaranteed.

Heat Notes: Durant, Whiteside, McRoberts, Johnson

May 22nd, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are treating Kevin Durant like a long shot and concentrating their free agency efforts on keeping Hassan Whiteside, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami intends to make an offer to Durant, but Jackson says the team’s intentions were clear when president Pat Riley called Whiteside the priority this week.

Miami might have a better shot at signing an outside free agent next summer, Jackson writes, even if Whiteside returns at a max or near-max contract. Dwyane Wade can free up some money if he agrees to another one-year contract or a two-year deal with an opt out after one season. Even if Chris Bosh is able to keep playing and his $25.3MM counts against the Heat’s cap, the franchise could have about $26MM to use next summer, possibly closer to $32MM if it can find a taker for Josh McRoberts. That would be enough to re-sign Wade and add a player such as Zach Randolph, Rudy Gay, Danilo Gallinari, Taj Gibson, Andre Iguodala, Tony Allen or J.J. Redick.

There’s more out of Miami:

The Heat will gauge the trade market for McRoberts, but the front office recognizes his value in case Bosh can’t play, Jackson writes in the same story. Miami might prefer to keep Luol Deng, who filled in for Bosh this season, but the offers he will get in free agency might be more than Miami can afford. “When you watch players play with [McRoberts], who know how to play with him, they’re very effective,” Riley said. “… We’re still high on him. We’re praying all the time he stays healthy.”
Joe Johnson may not stay with the Heat if he wants a quick decision in free agency, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Winderman expects many variables to play out, including whether coach Erik Spoelstra wants to make Justise Winslow his starting small forward. If that happens, the Heat would prefer to add another shooter to the starting lineup, a role Bosh can fill if he’s healthy. The Heat may want to fill their salary cap with other players first and then offer Johnson its $2.9MM “room” mid-level exception. However, he could get a better offer from another team before that happens.
After passing on Devin Booker to draft Winslow last year, the Heat need to concentrate on finding shooters this summer, Winderman contends in a separate piece. Their 7-for-25 performance from 3-point range in Game 7 against the Raptors underlined the need for improvement, but Spoestra said the team won’t be searching for just one skill. “Teams are built differently; teams can win in different ways,” he said. “… The most important thing is finding the best fits around the players you currently have, and can players bring out the best in each other?”

Heat Notes: Bosh, Wade, Whiteside

April 23rd, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Heat lost today’s contest against the Hornets by a score of 96-80 in a game where Charlotte looked sharp and Miami committed 14 turnovers. The Heat just didn’t appear to have their shooting touch, going 34.2% from the field as a team. As the franchise attempts to regroup in advance of Tuesday night’s Game 4, let’s take a look at some notes from the team:

Chris Bosh says he has no plans to retire and expects to play for the Heat next season, as Ethan J. Skolnick and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald pass along. Bosh will make $75.9MM over the next three seasons should he continue to play.
Coach Erik Spoelstra appreciates Bosh’s presence around the team, indicating that the big man is still providing leadership for the Heat off the court, Skolnick and Jackson add in the same piece.
With Bosh out and Udonis Haslem ailing, Dwyane Wade is the only player from the 2013/14 squad that reached the NBA finals who is receiving consistent minutes for the Heat this postseason, writes Dave Hyde of the Sun Sentinel. Wade acknowledges that he has to take a bigger role in leading this type of team. “This is our first time in the playoffs,” Wade said. “We’ve looked amazing at [times] and at other times not so amazing. The [young guys] are going to look at you to lead in situations, to help them believe, to give them their confidence in moments where you don’t have it. That’s a big responsibility I have.”
Hassan Whiteside should garner a max contract this offseason, and Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel believes the Heat should retain him at any cost. Winderman makes note of all the young players they have under contract at team-friendly prices, including Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson, and he sees signing Whiteside, even at the max, as a no-brainer.

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Wright, Dragic

April 14th, 2016 at 10:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Hassan Whiteside‘s playoff performance may help the Heat determine how much they’re willing to pay him, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. If Whiteside contributes to a long postseason run, team president Pay Riley will be more inclined to give him a long-term contract starting at about $22MM per season. But an early exit or a poor performance might make management think twice about committing so much to the 26-year-old center, even though he led the NBA in blocks this season, tied for third in rebounding and finished third in field-goal percentage. “It’s very meaningful,” Whiteside said of the postseason. “Every day is a day I can try to leave an impression on the Heat. They really emphasize winning here. I want to make a good impression.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

Whiteside never enjoyed the reserve role that coach Erik Spoelstra had him play for about two months, according to Michael Wallace of ESPN.com. A lineup tweak just before the playoffs made Whiteside a starter again, and Dwyane Wade was glad to see it. “Coach did it and we all support whatever decisions he makes,” Wade said. “We haven’t played with [Whiteside] since [Chris Bosh] went out, so this is our first time. It was good as we get prepared for the playoffs.”
Dorell Wright may not get off the bench much in the playoffs, but he couldn’t be happier to be back in Miami, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 30-year-old Wright, who played in China most of this season, officially signed with the Heat on Tuesday. Miami drafted Wright out of high school in 2004 and he spent his first six NBA seasons with the team. “It’s awesome, man, just the energy I felt as soon as I walked into the building was great,” he said. “It’s been a long time, somewhere I grew as a man, as a player, as a professional,” Wright said. “So just happy to be back. It’s been a long little journey for me.”
Goran Dragic‘s play in the postseason may also determine his future in Miami, Winderman writes in a separate piece. Winderman speculates that the Heat may decide to move Dragic this summer and use his salary-cap room on someone else.