Anthony Chiang: Spoelstra says Goran Dragic is available to play tonight.
Storyline: Goran Dragic Injury
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Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic (left calf strain), James Johnson (slight left AC sprain), Kelly Olynyk (right ankle sprain), Hassan Whiteside (left hip strain) all QUESTIONABLE for tomorrow’s game vs. Nets. Derrick Jones Jr. probable with bruised right knee.
Shandel Richardson: First appearance for Goran Dragic since the injury
Ethan J. Skolnick: Erik Spoelstra says Goran Dragic will play tonight but not start
Barry Jackson: James Johnson diagnosed with slight left AC sprain in shoulder and doubtful for Pistons Saturday. Dragic questionable
Barry Jackson: Spoelstra said Dragic likely will not be active tonight
The Miami Heat return from the NBA All-Star break for the final 26 games of the regular season with a big boost in point guard Goran Dragic returning to practice from knee injury, along with forward Derrick Jones Jr. Both will travel with the team to Philadelphia and be available for Thursday’s game against the 76ers.
For Spoelstra, he’s in no rush to determine who starts at point guard between the two, but he understands the importance of having a healthy Dragic. “We need Goran, and we’ll be able to figure that out. We’ll take this process patiently. This is not going to be something where I’m phasing him in and, ‘You’re playing 32 minutes a game.’ Not at all. Not with 26 games to go, and Goran realizes that too – that he still has quite a bit of work to do – but he can be available and he can still play. If not [Thursday], soon. That’s great news, however you slice it.”
“The whole me-Goran point guard thing, I’m not too worried about it,” said Winslow, who continued to work with the first group on Wednesday. “Goran, he’s established himself in this league in that role. You know, obviously, there have been times in his career where he’s been off the ball, as well, still being in the point guard role but off the ball.
Spoelstra said Goran Dragic is “making a lot of progress” in his return from December knee surgery but declined to offer a timetable. He’s expected back shortly after the All-Star Game. Spoelstra said Ryan Anderson is in good enough condition to play meaningful minutes if needed and said “We will get him in Miami Heat shape soon enough.”
Shandel Richardson: Goran Dragic did not travel with the Heat for this trip
Ira Winderman: For those who held out early hope: Goran Dragic not on this trip with Heat. Derrick Jones Jr. also did not travel.
Anthony Chiang: When asked how the Heat will deal with the PG position in Dragic’s absence, Spoelstra said: “We’ve had some experience doing it already this year, unfortunately. But when Justise is able to go, I’m slotting him in that position.”
Goran Dragic out two months?
Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic is expected to miss two months after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday, a league source tells ESPN.
Barry Jackson: Dragic undergoing knee surgery today. Timeline undetermined.
Barry Jackson: … It was determined Dragic should undergo that knee scope after the knee did not respond to rest and treatment.
Anthony Chiang: Heat has ruled out Goran Dragic for Sunday’s game in New Orleans. Also on latest injury report: Dwyane Wade (general soreness) — Questionable Tyler Johnson (left hip contusion) — Probable Dion Waiters (left ankle surgery) — Out
Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic (right knee) listed as out for Friday’s game vs. Grizzlies.
Ira Winderman: Dragic says knee is good and is ready to step on the floor.
Ira Winderman: Dragic expects a minutes restriction.
Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic, Tyler Johnson and Derrick Jones Jr. all listed as out for Sunday’s game vs. Jazz.
Shandel Richardson: Goran Dragic was getting some pregame work in with Rob Fodor tonight.
Ira Winderman: Heat listing both Goran Dragic (knee) and Tyler Johnson (hamstring) as OUT for Tuesday night’s home game against the Hawks. Dion Waiters also listed as out and Yante Maten still listed in G League.
Tim Reynolds: Goran Dragic (knee) out next three games.
Shandel Richardson: Goran Dragic (knee) will not make upcoming road trip. Had his knee drained this morning
Barry Jackson: Dragic had right knee drained this morning and will miss games this week. Heat hopes inflammation subsides enough for him to possibly resume playing next week.
Ira Winderman: Wayne Ellington to start in place of Dragic tonight.
Ira Winderman: Sounds like Heat will consider an extended break for Dragic, with Monday tests to possibly determine that course of action.
Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic will not play tonight. He’s already had an MRI, but he will be checked out again tomorrow.
Ira Winderman: It looks like James Johnson will make his season debut Sunday against the Lakers. Heat listing him as probable. HOWEVER, Dragic (knee) and McGruder (quad) are listed as questionable. Wade (paternity leave) and Waiters (ankle) are listed as out. Heat-Lakers 6 p.m. Sunday.
Ira Winderman: Dragic back for Heat. Starting lineup :Dragić, Richardson, McGruder, Winslow, Whiteside. Inactive: J. Johnson, Maten, Wade, Waiters.
Shandel Richardson: Goran Dragic among the first warming up. Appears he will play tonight vs. Wizards pic.twitter.com/jHYYZifawa
Ira Winderman: Derrick Jones Jr. now is going to play. Dragic out. Wade with newborn daughter and likely to miss Saturday vs. Wizards, as well.
Ira Winderman: Derrick Jones Jr. now is going to play. Dragic out. Wade with newborn daughter and likely to miss Saturday vs. Wizards, as well.
Ira Winderman: Dwyane Wade is listed as out for Friday’s game, in the wake of the birth of his daughter. Derrick Jones Jr. also is listed as out due to a bruised right knee. Goran Dragic is questionable due to a sore right knee.
Shandel Richardson: Per Heat, Goran Dragic will dress but not play tonight vs. Spurs
Ira Winderman: Spoelstra said MRI on Dragic’s right knee came back negative.
Ira Winderman: Spoelstra says Dragic is expected to play. Said Goran doesn’t risk further damage with foot.
Ira Winderman: Whiteside out tonight. Right knee and will have tests Tuesday in Miami. Dragic will play tonight.
Ira Winderman: Hmm, Heat, on the NBA’s 5:30 p.m. injury report, have listed Hassan Whiteside as questionable for Monday vs. Detroit (and Andre Drummond) with a “right knee injury.” Dragic questionable with “right foot injury.” James Johnson (hernia) and Dion Waiters (ankle) out.
Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic will not play tonight, per Spoelstra.
Ira Winderman: Per @DavidFurones_ at Heat practice today: Dragic (foot) did not practice today. Spoelstra said he is expected to participate in shootaround tomorrow in Atlanta. Wade didn’t practice, with headache. Neither did Tyler Johnson (dehydration). Both expected to play.
Add Goran Dragic to the Miami Heat’s list of injured players. The Heat starting point guard was held out of the contact portion of Wednesday’s training camp practice at FAU after hurting his ankle on the first day of camp Tuesday.
Dragic didn’t seem too concerned about the setback and is hopeful he will be a full participant in practice soon. “It’s just a precaution,” Dragic said. “I tweaked it yesterday. It’s no swelling, it just hurts. I’m just trying to be smarter this time. I went through practice, but not 5-on-5.”
Tim Reynolds: Heat caught a break today. Goran Dragic turned an ankle when he went into one of the basket supports in the opening practice of camp. Very minor tweak, treated with ice afterward and he’s planning to practice tomorrow.
Anthony Chiang: Spoelstra said he expects @Goran Dragic to practice tomorrow. Heat did not practice today.
Anthony Chiang: Goran Dragic (sore knee) is not playing tonight.
Ira Winderman: Goran Dragic doubtful for Heat finale due to knee pain.
Ira Winderman: Wade on playing tonight, “If Goran can get out there and play, anybody can get out there and play. Goran goes through a lot. If Goran’s suiting up then I’m suiting up.”
Dwyane Wade, Goran Dragic and James Johnson all will return to the Heat (43-36) lineup tonight against the Knicks (27-51) after each took off Wednesday in Atlanta to rest various ailments. Many believe the Heat would be better trying to fall out of the sixth spot and slip to seventh where they would face Boston, which will be be without All-Star Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart. But not the Heat. “We still have something to play for,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “That’s why everybody is playing tonight.”
Manny Navarro: Goran Dragic (ankle), Dwyane Wade (wrist) and James Johnson (ankle) are all out tonight Spoelstra says. Everyone else playing for #Heat
Manny Navarro: Spo said guys were playing through injuries before. Right now Spo says this is a good time to get guys to full health.
Manny Navarro: Spo says @Goran Dragic will play tonight. Udonis Haslem will not play tonight (personal reasons).
Manny Navarro: Spoelstra said pregame Dragic originally bruised his knee in the win at Milwaukee and then aggravated it in Brooklyn.
A. Sherrod Blakely: Goran Dragic and Justise Winslow both out tonight according to #Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra
Goran Dragic said his strained left elbow felt a little bit better on Tuesday and he’s going to receive all the treatment he can over the next 24 hours with the hopes of getting back on the court Wednesday to help the shorthanded Miami Heat against the Boston Celtics. “The swelling went down a little bit, but still the pain is there,” the Heat’s starting point guard said Tuesday after practice. “So we’ve still got a night to try to do treatment as much as possible. We’ll go from there [Wednesday].”
The Heat also had to play without forward Justise Winslow (strained left knee) and starting point guard Goran Dragic (sore left elbow). Starting shooting guard Dion Waiters will play against the Hawks despite an illness that kept him out of shootaround.
Dragic, 31, will sit out Wednesday’s home preseason finale against the Washington Wizards. It marks the third consecutive preseason game Dragic has missed, as he continues to rest his body and mind after leading Slovenia to the EuroBasket championship in September. “It’s just trying to be fresh for the season,” Dragic said after Tuesday’s practice. “That’s the main thing, try to be hungry for those games. … You know, it helps me a little bit to recover, to get back to being that hungry guy again.”
Goran Dragic let on Tuesday about the hole truth, with the Miami Heat guard saying he is dealing with bursitis in his left foot. After playing Sunday’s loss to the Boston Celtics with a small hole cut out on the left side of his sneaker for the first time, Dragic was back with a similar styling as the Heat prepared for Tuesday night’s game against the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.
The veteran point guard is back in the mix for the Miami Heat after missing Sunday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers with a right orbital contusion. “I mean, it’s a little bit blurry, but that’s normal,” Dragic said Wednesday, in advance of facing the New Orleans Pelicans at AmericanAirlines Arena. “Doc said it’s going to take time to clear the fluids, the swelling, but it’s much better.”
Dragic said he has taken note of the Rocky references, including one that involved Heat owner Micky Arison. “I saw a picture on Twitter where I’m in the corner and Micky Arison, he’s like in my corner, and I’m saying, ‘Cut me, Micky,’ ” he said of the reference to the Sylvester Stallone- Burgess Meredith scene. “That was really funny.”
Though he says his vision in his right eye is still “a little bit” blurry, Dragic believes it will improve much more by Wednesday’s 7:30 p.m. tip off. “Pain is always there,” said Dragic, who was hurt when he was elbowed in the eye by Toronto’s Cory Joseph early in the third quarter of Saturday’s win over the Raptors. “If you touch it, it’s pain. If I move around the eyebrow a little bit, it hurts. But I mean, I already played with a lot of [other] injuries [when] it was hurting. The main thing is try to open the eye. Now it’s open, so I’m fine for [Wednesday’s game].”
For days, Dragic’s teammates have been playfully calling him “Rocky” or “Drago,” two characters from the classic Rocky movie series. Dragic said some teammates were even playing the original movie’s theme song Eye of the Tiger for him in the locker room and the team plane. “To hear him say ‘Cut me’ with his accent was pretty funny,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. Dragic said his three-year old son Mateo was initially scared when he saw his father with his eye shut on Monday.
March 22, 2019 | 4:37 am EDT Update
Michael Wilbon of ESPN is reporting that Rivers was told to not take the Lakers job because of superstar small forward LeBron James and his refusal to be coached. “There are people in Southern California right in that environment telling Doc, ‘You don’t want do this.’ And one of those reasons is simply LeBron James. He’s been told by people – and I know this – LeBron doesn’t want to be coached.”
Now that Russell is getting some good pub — the narratives flipping from lottery bust to Magic Johnson gave up on him too quickly — he won’t let it distract him. “I’ve been on the worst side of the tilt,” Russell said after Thursday’s practice at Santa Monica High School. “So to now to be on this side where we’re having a little success, I’ve seen both narratives. I’ve seen every narrative you could throw. When it comes to preparing myself for them, I’ve looked in the mirror and I’ve put myself in the situation before [the media] could.”
James Ham: According to Joerger, no structural damage to Harry Giles leg. Just a thigh bruise and it stiffened up a bit during the half. No reason to risk anything more so Kings shut him down for the evening.
