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Heat Notes: Herro, Jovic, Love, Rozier, Martin

March 2nd, 2024 at 9:37pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat guard Tyler Herro continues to be bothered by discomfort in his right foot that began during the All-Star break, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Herro missed his fourth straight game today — bringing him to 24 for the season — with a condition that team doctors are calling medial tendinitis.

Asked before the game if he’s being cautious with Herro, coach Erik Spoelstra said he doesn’t have that luxury with starters Kevin Love and Josh Richardson also sidelined by injuries. Love missed his second consecutive game with a bruised right heel and Richardson sat out his seventh straight with a dislocated right shoulder.

“It’s managing where he is right now,” Spoelstra said of Herro. “Once he feels right and he passes the protocols, he’ll play. We’re not saving anybody for the playoffs. We have a lot of work to do to make sure we get in.”

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Nikola Jovic continues to be a fixture in Spoelstra’s starting lineup, Chiang adds. The second-year big man was out of the rotation early in the season, but Saturday marked his sixth start in the team’s last seven games. The only one he missed was because of a league suspension for being involved in a fracas with New Orleans last week.
Love sees himself as a natural mentor for Herro because he went through the same experience of playing with two stars in Cleveland and constantly hearing his name in trade speculation, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “I’ve been in trade rumors every offseason,” Love said. “I’ve been him. I was the third guy. I played in the paint and in the interior my whole career and I was asked when I got to Cleveland to play on the perimeter. I was asked to do a lot of things that maybe I was uncomfortable with or wasn’t used to. … I’ve been in his position many times before and he has handled it very well. His maturity has really impressed me.”
Terry Rozier‘s three-point shooting since coming to Miami is a cause for concern, Chiang states in a mailbag column. Coming into today’s game, he was 23.7% from long-distance since the trade with Charlotte, including 25% on catch-and-shoot threes and 22.2% on pull-up threes. Chiang expects Rozier to eventually move closer to his career average of 36.4%.
Caleb Martin received six stitches in his lip after being hit in the face in the fourth quarter of today’s game, tweets Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel.

Heat Notes: Love, Williams, Wright, Jaquez

February 18th, 2024 at 11:00am CST by Arthur Hill

There were reasons to believe Kevin Love‘s career might be nearing the end when he agreed to a buyout with the Cavaliers during last year’s All-Star break, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Instead, the past 12 months have included a trip to the NBA Finals and a new contract with the Heat, as well as the birth of his first child, all of which have combined to make Love very content in Miami.

“I think the thing that’s most gratifying to me is that going to a new location or a new team or a new organization, new city, especially at this stage in your career, you never know what’s going to happen,” he said. “And after that run last year, I got so much fun out of it, as well as guys I’ll have relationships for life, bigger than basketball. My daughter was born on June 10th, right after Game 4 (of the NBA Finals). We bought a new house in Miami. It’s almost like we got to start our life in a place where we have a lot of friends and a lot of great teammates and people in the organization who have become family in a pretty quick time, so it has been a very happy year.”

Love was stuck on the bench in Cleveland, but a big forward who could shoot and rebound and had previous Finals experience was just what the Heat needed. He started 17 of the 21 regular season games he played after signing with Miami and maintained a rotation role throughout the team’s playoff run.

In addition to his on-court contributions, Love has become a veteran leader in the locker room, especially after the retirement of Udonis Haslem, Winderman notes. Love believes he can play for at least another year or two and then may transition into a mentorship role.

There’s more from Miami:

Alondes Williams was impressive in Friday’s Rising Stars competition, and he might get a shot at more playing time after the break, Winderman states in a mailbag column. Winderman speculates that the two-way player may be in line for a standard contract if the Heat decide to waive Dru Smith, who’s out for the rest of the season after undergoing ACL reconstruction surgery.
Delon Wright was likely promised regular minutes to get him to commit to the Heat, Winderman adds in the same piece. However, the extent of Wright’s rotation role won’t be clear until Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson return from their current injuries.
Jaime Jaquez, who jumped over Shaquille O’Neal for his first entry in Saturday’s Dunk Contest, said clearing the Hall of Fame center was a difficult thing to prepare for, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “Listen, I ain’t gonna lie. I didn’t practice jumping over Shaq,” Jaquez said. “I used Bam [Adebayo] as practice. But there’s a big height difference. So I was really nervous when I saw Shaq out there. I’ve seen him a bunch of times. But when he’s standing there, I was definitely feeling nervous.”

Heat Notes: Losing Streak, Rozier, Rotation, Jaquez

January 27th, 2024 at 9:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are fully healthy for the first time all season, but their long losing streak continues, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Apart from guard Dru Smith, who underwent season-ending knee surgery in December, Miami had a complete roster available for this afternoon’s game in New York. So it was discouraging that the Heat weren’t able to remain competitive against a potential playoff rival, falling 125-109 for their first six-game losing skid in nearly three years.

“Look, right now we’re going to rally around each other, rally around our identity,” coach Erik Spoelstra told reporters. “It’s a tough time right now.”

Miami is 0-3 since acquiring Terry Rozier from Charlotte on Tuesday in a move to add another weapon to the offense. Rozier is struggling badly with his shot since the trade, connecting at just 30.3% from the field and 18.2% from long distance.

“He’ll figure it out,” Spoelstra said. “He’s trying to fit in and I get that. We’re all saying the same thing. We want Terry to be Terry. He’s going to unlock other things for us.”

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Rozier started for the second straight game, alongside Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Haywood Highsmith. Spoelstra used Kevin Love, Duncan Robinson, Jaime Jaquez and Caleb Martin off the bench in the first look at what his rotation might be with everyone available. Chiang notes that Josh Richardson picked up his first DNP-CD of the season, while center Thomas Bryant also didn’t play.
Jaquez returned after missing the previous six games with a strained groin, Chiang adds. He provided six points and four assists in about 24 minutes and played 7:33 in the fourth quarter until the game got out of hand. “There are definitely some things defensively that he needs to fast track on and he knows that,” Spoelstra said. “But offensively, you can definitely see some of the intangibles that he brings. He just has a knack for the play, a knack for getting us some rim pressure and we need a lot more of that.”
Today’s loss shows the Heat need to add size before the trade deadline to have a shot at another long playoff run, states Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. He observes that Miami was outrebounded 29-19 in the first half and frequently had to throw double teams at Julius Randle, leading to open three-point shots.

Heat Notes: Rozier, Butler, Jaquez, Love

January 26th, 2024 at 7:19pm CST by Rory Maher

On Tuesday, the Heat traded Kyle Lowry and their 2027 first-round pick to Charlotte for veteran guard Terry Rozier, who was having a career season in an expanded role for a team losing lots of games.

On Wednesday, Rozier had a physical and made his Heat debut, a home loss to the undermanned Grizzlies, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. On Thursday, Miami was eviscerated at home by the Celtics, Chiang adds in another story. Rozier struggled in both games after a whirlwind few days.

Thursday marked Miami’s fifth straight loss — its worst stretch of basketball since March 2021, when the team lost six straight. Trading for Rozier was an acknowledgement that the Heat needed more offensive firepower, and while he and everyone around the team realize he won’t be averaging 18.3 shots per game like he did with the Hornets, head coach Erik Spoelstra still wants him to get in the paint and be assertive, according to Chiang.

“It’s clear to see the positives with Terry,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “He brings us a burst, a speed, a quickness, his ability to get into the paint. I think that’s going to continue to get better once he understands how important it is to our offense and how we want him to be him and be aggressive.”

Here’s more from Miami:

Sam Vecenie of The Athletic likes what Rozier will bring Miami on offense, with his ability to drive and take (and make) pull-up threes both valuable traits for a team that doesn’t generate many points in either of those areas. However, he has questions about Rozier’s defense compared to Lowry’s, and thinks the possibility of giving up an unprotected pick in 2028 (it’s lottery protected in 2027 and will become unprotected in ’28 if it doesn’t convey) for Rozier probably wasn’t worth it.
Star forward Jimmy Butler spoke to the media after Thursday’s loss for the first time since the trade of close friend Lowry. He said the players’ performance has been abysmal lately and the onus is on them to compete much harder than they have been on both ends of the court, per Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel (subscriber link). Butler does think Rozier’s addition can help the team, however. “I mean, I think it can be a positive thing, a new face, yes,” Butler said. “The scoring that he brings, the leadership that he brings, he’s played in the playoffs a bunch with that Boston team. And I mean he’s just a hell of a player. He’s smiling. He’s happy. And I think that’s going to become very contagious. He’s going to be the ring leader for that.”
Rookie forward Jaime Jaquez will be available on Saturday against the Knicks after missing the past six games with a groin injury, the team announced (via Twitter). Jaquez won Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in December for his second straight monthly award.
Veteran big man Kevin Love was out for the back-to-back this week due to an illness (Twitter link via Winderman) but he isn’t on the injury report for Saturday’s matchup with New York, which means he should be back in action. As Winderman observes, Thomas Bryant took Love’s minutes when he was out, over second-year forward/center Nikola Jovic.

Heat Notes: Rozier, Offense, Draft Picks, Martin

January 24th, 2024 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After being acquired by the Heat on Tuesday, Terry Rozier will be available to make his debut with his new team on Wednesday vs. Memphis, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (via Twitter). The Heat have confirmed the news.

Heat forward Caleb Martin, who played with Rozier in Charlotte, referred to the veteran guard as a “great teammate” and a tough competitor who will “fit right in” with the Heat, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Martin, Tyler Herro, and Kevin Love all pointed out that the club will benefit from having another contributor capable of putting up 25 or 30 points on any given night.

“It is increasingly important and paramount to have a weapon and a scoring threat out there on the floor at really every position,” Love said. “But somebody who can put points up in a hurry. With teams and offenses scoring so many points and the offensive ratings continuing to go up, usage continuing to go up — I mean, we had two guys score over 60, a guy score 70 (on Monday). It just goes to show you how important that is in this league now.”

While some analysts have expressed concern about the way that Rozier’s and Herro’s skill sets overlap, Herro believes they’ll complement one another well and is looking forward to playing with pace alongside his new teammate.

“We both can play on the ball and off the ball,” Herro said, according to Jackson. “We both can catch and shoot or dribble and shoot. We also can play-make for our teammates. We’re both younger. I think we’ll play faster. Get the ball up the floor. That’s what I want to be a part of and I think the rest of us do too.”

Here’s more on the Heat:

The Heat ranked 25th in offensive rating last season and are 20th so far this season, including 28th in January. With that in mind, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald takes an in-depth look at Rozier’s offensive game and considers how having him in the mix will boost the club on that end of the floor.
One NBA scout who spoke to Jackson of The Miami Herald acknowledged that Rozier isn’t a great defender and that he has a tendency to occasionally force shots, but called the trade a “great move” for the Heat. “This is a no-brainer to me, from the Heat’s standpoint. He’s perfect for them,” the scout said. “… His play-making is a tad underrated. He sees people. He can penetrate. He can get in the lane and dish. He can run pick-and-roll. He’s more of a point guard than Herro. You have to guard him.”
In another story for The Herald, Jackson explores the Heat’s draft pick situation, pointing out that – due to the Stepien rule – the 2030 pick is the only first-rounder the team can still freely trade.
Although Caleb Martin has been an important part of the Heat’s rotation, the deal for Rozier means his situation is worth monitoring, notes Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel. As Winderman explains, it will be more challenging financially for Miami to keep Martin beyond the season with Rozier’s contract on the books; plus, the Heat could potentially move below the first tax apron and become a player on the buyout market by moving off of Martin’s expiring contract at the trade deadline. Of course, Martin will have more value than just about any player who will be available in the buyout market, so Miami is unlikely to move him purely for financial reasons.

Southeast Notes: Murray, Love, Butler, Swider, Fultz

January 13th, 2024 at 8:36pm CST by Arthur Hill

Before Immanuel Quickley was traded to Toronto, the Hawks discussed a deal that would have sent Dejounte Murray to the Knicks in exchange for Quickley and a first-round pick, according to Dan Woike of The Los Angeles Times. Woike references the trade talks as part of a look at what the Lakers might do ahead of the February 8 deadline. L.A. has been mentioned as a possible suitor for Murray, who is considered likely to be dealt soon.

Woike expects the Hawks to ask for Austin Reaves in any deal with the Lakers involving Murray. He adds that if the cost is a first-round pick and a young player capable of contributing right away — which is what Atlanta asked from New York — then it’s hard to picture L.A. meeting it without parting with Reaves. However, sources tell Woike that the Lakers’ front office hasn’t included Reaves in any trade discussions.

Second-year guard Max Christie has moved into the rotation, but Woike notes that his value is lessened because he’s headed toward restricted free agent this summer. Woike identifies the Lakers’ 2029 first-round pick as their greatest trade asset, but he’s not sure if the team would give it up without at least some light protection.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Kevin Love is the latest addition to the Heat‘s injury list, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. After playing 16 minutes Friday night, the veteran big man is listed as questionable for Sunday’s matchup with Charlotte because of a left knee contusion. Jimmy Butler is doubtful with a joint sprain in his right toe, meaning he’ll likely miss his seventh straight game, but Chiang says there’s hope he might be able to return Monday at Brooklyn.
Travel issues will prevent Cole Swider from joining the Heat for Sunday’s game, tweets Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press. Swider was sent to Miami’s G League affiliate in Sioux Falls earlier this week and is stuck because of severe weather in the Midwest. He’s expected to join the team in Brooklyn for Monday’s contest.
The Magic aren’t using Markelle Fultz in back-to-back games while he works his way back from tendinitis in his left knee, tweets Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel.

Heat Notes: Adebayo, Jaquez, Love, Jovic

January 4th, 2024 at 1:25pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Heat center Bam Adebayo, who is signed through the 2025/26 season, would become eligible to sign a four-year, super-max extension this upcoming offseason if he meets the performance criteria.

But Adebayo has already been unavailable for 10 games and only played 12 minutes in an 11th, which means he can’t miss more than six games the rest of the way if he wants remain eligible for postseason awards that could lead to super-max qualification. That hasn’t escaped Adebayo’s attention.

“You’re definitely aware of that because that’s generational wealth at the end of the day,” he told Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald and other media members. “But we know the number, we know what it is and I know I’ve already missed 10 games. I got [six] left. But you handle those [six] with caution.”

However, Adebayo doesn’t mind the new CBA stipulation with the 65-game requirement for postseason honors.

“I think it’s a good rule because you get the best competition every day and there is no taking nights off,” he said. “You get some days where guys are just banged up, sore and they need one. It’s a long season. But I feel like around a 17-, 18-game [bufffer], that’s more than enough time.”

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One of the things that impressed the Heat about Jaime Jaquez Jr. as the draft neared was that Jaquez didn’t transfer during his UCLA career, even when his role changed, Kurt Helin of NBC Sports writes. “You just rarely see that anymore,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “I mentioned the other night, usually if things are not perceived going your way — and the unfortunate thing right now for young kids, there’s so many people in their ears, and it’s a microwave society — so if you’re not a sensation right out of the gate as a number one option, you’re basically transferring, going into the portal, or you are declaring. And you’re not really getting these opportunities to grow, develop some grit, embrace a role, understand what it takes to win in that role, and then earn more opportunities. And that was relevant to us by the time he was a senior, he was really impacting winning as a number one option, but he was impacting winning as a role player.”
Kevin Love believes Jaquez has moved into the Rookie of the Year discussion alongside Chet Holmgren and Victor Wembanyama. “Jaime has stepped right into a role where we’ve needed him to play heavy minutes. He’s done it exceptionally well,” Love told Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.com.
Love also remarked to Medina that he’s embracing his bench role. “It starts by leading by example and using my voice because I’ve seen a lot and done a lot in this league,” he said. “Transitioning into that role is a huge part of what you just mentioned – it’s embracing change. A lot of people would say it’s a lesser role. But it’s not less important. Everybody gets to write a verse in this. I’m in here trying to write mine, and have it be an important role.”
While Jaquez is averaging 13.8 points and 30.0 minutes per game, 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic has only appeared in eight contests with the NBA club. Jovic told Sam Yip of HoopsHype that he’s trying to stay patient.” I feel great on the court, I’m just waiting for the opportunity,” he said. “You can’t rush through things. I’m sure it’ll come soon too, so I’m going to see where I’m at, help the team, show the coaches I can play.”

Heat Notes: Hampton, Cain, Jovic, Love

December 29th, 2023 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Maher

Guard R.J. Hampton, who is on a two-way contract, made his first start with the Heat on Thursday, tweets Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. As Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel observes (via Twitter), Hampton became the 14th player to make at least one start for Miami through 31 games in 2023/24.

It was just the fourth NBA appearance this season for the former first-round pick, who finished with seven points, three assists and two rebounds in the victory over Golden State. Hampton finished with a positive plus/minus (+8) in his 25 minutes.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Hampton, Jamal Cain and Nikola Jovic have spent most of the season in the G League, but they all made key contributions on Thursday with several players injured, Chiang writes for The Miami Herald. Cain, another two-way player, recorded seasons highs in points (18 on 7-of-14 shooting) and rebounds (six) while tying his season high with two steals. Jovic, the Heat’s 2022 first-round pick, had 11 points on 4-of-5 shooting, three rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block in 20 minutes. “The three young guys in particular, it’s not easy,” head coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They go often times weeks without playing, but they have to stay ready, as UD [Udonis Haslem] always says, to be ready. And then they also have to improve. So they can’t just be the same players they are because they’re trying to prove themselves and really establish themselves in this league.”
Winderman takes a look at Jovic’s up-and-down second season, with the 20-year-old learning a new position (center) with the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League affiliate.
Big man Kevin Love has primarily come off the bench in his first full season with Miami, which is a role he grew accustomed to with Cleveland, per Winderman (subscriber link). Love enjoys the freedom of being a reserve. “You’re playing free,” Love said of getting to enter without expectation of a specific niche. “I’m on the perimeter, I’m low, I’m catching the ball in different spots, I get to play pretty free within it. So, for me, it’s been finding myself shooting the ball. But as far as being effective and finishing, I feel like I can do that every night, even if I’m not scoring the ball.”

Southeast Notes: Carter, Fultz, Magic, Heat, Wizards

December 20th, 2023 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

Magic center Wendell Carter Jr., who underwent surgery to address a broken bone in his left hand in early November, appears set to return to action on Wednesday, according to Jason Beede of The Orlando Sentinel, who notes that Carter doesn’t show up on the injury report for the team’s game vs. Miami.

Carter has started 139 of 146 games for the Magic since joining the team in 2021, including the first five contests of the 2023/24 season. However, the team has been thriving in recent weeks with center Goga Bitadze in the starting five, posting a 13-7 record since Carter last played, so it’s unclear if the former lottery pick will immediately reclaim his starting job.

The Magic will soon face a similar dilemma with Markelle Fultz, who started five games early in the season but hasn’t played since November 9 due to a knee issue. As Beede writes, Fultz is nearing a return too, though he has been ruled out for Wednesday’s game and head coach Jamahl Mosley said this week that he’ll “probably a little bit longer” than Carter.

Here’s more from around the Southeast:

The Magic‘s home arena has a new name, as Beede details in a separate Orlando Sentinel story. Known as the Amway Center for the past 13 years, the building will henceforth be known as the Kia Center. According to Beede, the Magic’s original deal with Amway Global in 2010 was worth $40MM over 10 years; this new agreement with Kia is likely more lucrative.
The Heat are getting Kyle Lowry back in their lineup on Wednesday after Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo returned on Monday, but the team isn’t quite fully healthy yet, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jimmy Butler (left calf strain) has been ruled out for the game in Orlando, as has Kevin Love (stomach illness).
Teo Armus of The Washington Post answers some frequently answered questions about the Wizards‘ tentative plan to move from D.C. to Alexandria, Virgina, noting that an unfavorable lease at Capital One Arena is the primary impetus for the move. The proposed “entertainment district” in Alexandria would cost taxpayers an estimated $1.35 billion, with Monumental Sports contributing $819MM, Armus notes.

Heat Notes: O. Robinson, Adebayo, Richardson, Jaquez

December 11th, 2023 at 10:00am CST by Arthur Hill

Heat center Orlando Robinson didn’t expect to be an NBA starter so soon, but he’s taking advantage of the opportunity created by Bam Adebayo‘s injury, writes Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. Adebayo will miss his fourth straight game tonight in Charlotte with a left hip contusion, so Robinson will likely be in the starting lineup again.

The 23-year-old posted the best game of his brief NBA career last Wednesday with 15 points and 12 rebounds at Toronto, but that was followed by a rough outing against Cleveland on Friday in which he was a minus-18 in 20 minutes. Coach Erik Spoelstra said Robinson continues to improve as he deals with the increased responsibility.

“He makes you absolutely respect his fortitude and his grit,” Spoelstra said. “He is relentless with his work, with his approach, with his commitment to earn trust from everybody and he does it with a competitive spirit. He gets better each month. He goes to school on everything. If he makes a mistake in any kind of game, he gets to work with the film, with [Heat assistant coach] Malik [Allen] and then he wants to drill it 10,000 times, which is what we love.”

Robinson, who has $850K of his $1.8MM salary for this season already guaranteed, wasn’t in the team’s rotation when the season began. He played in just four of the first 18 games and spent time in the G League late last month. Robinson may fall out of the rotation again when Adebayo returns, with Kevin Love likely to be the primary backup center, but this latest stretch confirms his belief that he’s a legitimate NBA player.

“I knew,” Robinson said. “It was just waiting on the opportunity and making the most of it.”

There’s more on the Heat:

Josh Richardson expressed frustration after being called for his third flopping violation of the season in Friday’s game, Chiang adds in a separate story. The NBA has placed a renewed emphasis on getting rid of flopping, fining players $2K for each violation, but Richardson doesn’t believe officials are doing a good job of policing it. “I don’t know what it is,” he said. “Maybe I just need to start running people over and stop falling or do something. But I don’t know, I think it’s terrible.”
Jaime Jaquez isn’t bitter about falling to 18th in this year’s draft, but he tells Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel that he’s “definitely aware” of all the players who were selected ahead of him. Jaquez, who was chosen as the league’s Rookie of the Month for November, said the long wait paid off when he learned that he was headed to Miami. “So as long as I came here, I was good,” he said. “So it ended up working out for me. To the teams that passed, sorry, but this is where I wanted to go, anyway.”
The Lakers’ in-season tournament dominance could make the Heat think about adding more size to their roster, Winderman states in a mailbag column.