Barry Jackson: Heat with two late costly turnovers, loses 107-103 to Toronto to fall to 42-25. Dragic 25, Olynyk 17, Butler and Crowder 16 apiece. Next up: Boston at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
Miami Heat Rumors
The award, named in honor of longtime NBCA executive director Michael Goldberg, is voted on by the league’s 30 head coaches, with each coach voting for a single winner. Among those who also received votes, sources said: Memphis’ Taylor Jenkins, Indiana’s Nate McMillan, Miami’s Erik Spoelstra, Boston’s Brad Stevens and the Lakers’ Frank Vogel.
Anthony Chiang: Jimmy Butler not on the 5:30 p.m. injury report for tomorrow’s 1:30 p.m. game against the Raptors. Only Heat players on report: Bam Adebayo is probable with a right quadriceps contusion. Goran Dragic is probable with upper back spasms.
Miami Heat center Kelly Olynyk can now be mentioned in the same sentence as legend Dwyane Wade. Olynk scored all 20 of his points in the fourth quarter in Saturday’s 125-105 victory against the Denver Nuggets in Orlando. Wade is the only other Heat player to accomplish the feat. He did it five times in his career, the last coming in 2009. “He brings us a skill level at the center position that’s unique to this league,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “His training camp has been very good. He’s had a lot of moments like this where he’s played some of the best basketball. On any given particular day, he’s been one of the top three players.”
“This is the part of Andre that’s so impressive,” Warriors general manager Bob Myers told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on “The Woj Pod.” “He says to Steve ‘All right, if that’s what you think is best for the team.’ Not only does he say that, he doesn’t then call a reporter off the record and say, ‘This is B.S., this guy has never coached a game in his life and he’s telling me to come off the bench? And I’m an Olympic champion and I’m an All-Star?’ And then goes to practice and mopes, he doesn’t do any of that. He authentically says and believes this is best for the team. “For people to really understand that, I say picture you were the VP in your franchise or organization, you were deserving of the role you had, you had the corner office, and they said, ‘Hey John, look you deserve this office, you deserve this title, but we’re gonna knock you down to kind of an assistant or director, and by the way, it’ll probably be on SportsCenter tonight and just have a good attitude, all right, see you later.’
“In any event, Andre comes off the bench and it’s harder and people interview him after the game and they say, ‘Andre how does it feel to come off the bench?’ And he says, ‘I think this is what’s best for the team.’ And then the reporter turns off his microphone and says, ‘Really, this kinda sucks right, you don’t want to do this?’ And Andre says, ‘No, I will do this.’ ” Iguodala accepted his role without complaint and didn’t do anything to divide the Warriors’ locker room. Not only did Iguodala cede his starting spot to the 22-year-old Barnes, he became the de facto veteran leader for the youthful roster, becoming especially tight with the eventual two-time NBA MVP Curry.
Marc J. Spears: “I understand that this is not about the flag and the military, but to me, it is. Based upon real life experiences and real raw emotion that I’ve had in my life, that is what that means to me…,” Meyers Leonard said.
Solomon Hill: kneeling is within our constitutional right, its what our military fought/fights to protect. political figures have changed the narrative into “being disrespectful”. the notion to kneel was presented by someone who served in the military. please do your research.
Marc Stein: Jimmy Butler says he doesn’t know exactly why he was asked to change his jersey before tipoff and adds “I don’t care” about the league’s explanation. Butler said he relented “for my teammates” and described it as “to be determined” if he tries to play in a blank jersey again
Wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt over a jersey that he ordered to say “Equality,” and as all other coaches and players around him knelt, Leonard stood for the playing of “The Star-Spangled Banner” on Saturday before the Heat re-opened their season by facing the Denver Nuggets at Walt Disney World. “Some of the conversations I’ve had over the past three days, quite literally, have been the most difficult,” Leonard told The Associated Press prior to the game. “I am with the Black Lives Matter movement and I love and support the military and my brother and the people who have fought to defend our rights in this country.”
Marc J. Spears: Meyers Leonard: “While this is incredibly difficult, I am very thankful for the Miami Heat organization and my teammates and former teammates who have said that there can be some people that don’t understand you, but know the people that love you and know you stand with you.”
Tim Bontemps: According to @ESPNStatsInfo, Kelly Olynyk is the first Heat player to score 20 points in the fourth quarter of a game since Dwyane Wade in February 2009.
Marc Stein: NBA spokesman on Jimmy Butler: “Displaying no name or message on the back of a player’s jersey was not an option among the social justice messages agreed upon by the Players Association and the NBA as modifications to the rules regarding uniforms.” NBA spokesman (continued) on Miami’s Jimmy Butler being asked to take off a jersey with no name and replace it with a jersey bearing BUTLER: ”Per league rules, the uniform may not be otherwise altered and anyone wearing an altered jersey will not be permitted to enter the game.”
Marc Stein: Jimmy Butler took floor for Miami vs. Denver today with no name on the back of the jersey as he vowed … referees have made him switch to a jersey with a name plate before allowing the game to start
Marc Stein: Miami’s Jimmy Butler wanted to wear a jersey with no social justice message and no name — completely blank except for his No. 22 — as the ultimately expression of equality. The league would not allow it
Spencer Dinwiddie: Bam or Graham. BI a killer but giving MIP to a top 3 pick is like picking the ugliest Victoria secret model or something
Where were you on Meyers Leonard’s chugging skills, had you seen that before? Is this new to you? Or is this something that you guys have known for years that he had a secret skill about? Neil Olshey: No, I didn’t. But I want to know how Meyers can shrug and still have 3% body fat at 270 pounds
Neil Olshey: I was not aware of that. Honestly, I didn’t know Meyers drank because anybody with his physicality and commitment to his body, I was shocked to hear that he actually ever had a beer, let alone knew how to shotgun.
Evan Fournier: Im pretty sure this tweet is for you bro
LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Jimmy Butler and Joel Embiid are among at least 15 NBA players who have decided not to put a social justice message on their jersey. Paul, who is close friends with James, is supportive of those players’ decisions. “That’s exactly why we have a league where you get a chance to make a choice,” Paul said. “And I respect any of those guys’ decisions. They may have their reasons why or not. For me … I was excited about the opportunity to speak on ‘Equality’ because I was asked about it. And also, for me, I envisioned my kids watching the game, my homies back home who go to the barbershops and talk about us and whatnot.”
With millions of people watching on television, the last thing any GM wants to see is the players’ message muddled by a staff member’s blocking mistake. But avoiding any sort of optics mishap — like, say, someone walking in front of a camera at a powerful moment out of sheer confusion — requires clear communication with staff about how this should go. Sources say Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Orlando president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman were vocal on the call, as was Miami senior vice president of basketball operations Andy Elisburg. Weltman and Pelinka, in particular, expressed a desire to be on the court with their teams.
Aerial Powers: Put some respect on my name or keep this tweet to yourself!!
Aerial Powers: We deal with disrespect on the daily so for someone like you @andre to tweet that off the same device u could have looked me up on is unacceptable. Mind you commentator said my name. Would it have been the same if I was a guy?Look at the pic. I didn’t forget . I SAID WHAT I SAID!
Amid discussion of the NBA potentially having to play next season in a bubble setting similar to what is ongoing at Disney World, Miami Heat President Eric Woolworth has an optimistically contrasting perspective on 2020-21. “We plan on playing next season in front of fans, and plan on having a sold-out facility, just like we’ve had since going back to 2009, for all our games,” Woolworth said in an interview shown during the broadcast of the team’s Tuesday exhibition scrimmage finale.
“We’re going to keep doing all the things we would do in an offseason. And we’ve been selling tickets right along,” Woolworth said. “And I think it speaks volumes to the amount of interest that people in Miami have in our team, but also in the commitment that we have in the community, and to make sure we do play next year in front of our fans and figure out how to do it safely.” The Heat have not played at AmericanAirlines Arena since March 11, when the NBA shut down due to the new coronavirus pandemic. The league has since resumed activity in a quarantine-like setting at Disney as a means to avoid COVID-19 infection. The Heat resume their regular season with a 1 p.m. Saturday “seeding” game against the Denver Nuggets, to be played without fans at the Wide World of Sports complex.
Tim Reynolds: Heat postgame bubble mood: Not good, as you’d expect. Had an opportunity to speak privately to several players who didn’t have remarks aired widely and they’re not interested in just forgetting today. There was bad-loss frustration. No crutch of “well, it was just a scrimmage.”
With its full rotation available for the first time during the three-game scrimmage schedule, the Heat couldn’t keep up with the Memphis Grizzlies in a 128-110 loss Tuesday afternoon in its third and final exhibition at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista. Miami won its first practice game, but dropped the final two to finish with a 1-2 scrimmage record.
Miami’s defense struggled against Memphis, which scored 128 points on 46.9 percent shooting from the field and 19-of-42 shooting on threes. Grizzlies star rookie Ja Morant led the charge with 22 points and 12 assists.
In Adebayo’s case, the focus centers on the killing of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black emergency medical technician in Louisville shot to death when three plain-clothes police officers executed a no-knock warrant. No charges have been filed by Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. “All my answers will be about Daniel Cameron making a response to us about the injustice for Breonna Taylor and arresting those cops and holding them accountable,” Adebayo said ahead of his debut in the Heat’s scrimmage schedule, having missed the first two of the three scrimmages due to positive COVID-19 tests.
Bam Adebayo is eligible for a contract extension this offseason as part of the 2017 draft class, but that is highly unlikely to happen due to the plans of the Miami Heat to preserve cap space for 2021. The Heat have interest in pursuing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Oladipo during the 2021 offseason. “He’s not going to get a max contract in the offseason,” said Brian Windhorst on his podcast. “Even though I think he should, because the Heat are going to save money for the 2021 summer. That’s a storyline that I can almost guarantee for you: Bam Adebayo will not sign a contract extension this offseason.
No Adebayo extension for now?
The Heat have the second-highest payroll in the NBA this season with several key players such as Goran Dragic, Jae Crowder and Meyers Leonard headed for free agency. While they expect to save cap room to chase free-agent stars like Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021 and might not extend young All-Star Bam Adebayo this year to help facilitate that plan, their spending for next year could be impacted by these financial factors.
Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra said he plans to start Bam Adebayo in tomorrow’s scrimmage. Won’t be regular minutes.
Anthony Chiang: Erik Spoelstra said KZ Okpala is working through tendinitis, so they have been careful with him. Added that Okpala might be available tomorrow.
Barry Jackson: Spoelstra said what’s happening with Marlins is “humbling” in terms of what COVID-19 can do. “We are not in control. We feel very comfortable about the plan and depth of planning and thought” with NBA’s approach.
Tim Reynolds: The arrivals for Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo at Disney were delayed “multiple times” because they would pass the first of two required coronavirus tests – then fail the second one, sources tell AP. They had to pass two in a row before being cleared to come to Disney.
Tim Reynolds: The initial reaction to a request by the Miami Heat to make AmericanAirlines Arena a voting site in November suggests it will not be an easy thing to make happen, source tells AP. It is a possibility and there has not been any decision either way yet, source adds.
Anthony Chiang: Bam Adebayo said he doesn’t expect to play in tomorrow’s scrimmage.
