Q: Ira, that’s why I prefer the NFL model. If the Dolphins don’t think Mike White is good enough to be a backup, they can just fire him. In the NBA, once you make your bed, you’re stuck. – Eddie.
A: You might prefer that option, but NBA players, with a much stronger union, wouldn’t like it. Basically, the NBA is when you break it, you buy it. No refunds. That makes every decision all the more crucial. For example, with 14 players under guaranteed contracts for the upcoming season, the Heat currently have no option to make another trade without incurring significant restrictions under the second tranche of the luxury tax. So while the Dolphins could sort through players during camp and the preseason, the Heat will begin their camp process in a month, essentially on hold. If you make the right decisions, that’s not a problem. If you don’t, there’s no escape clause. Even at this early stage, we already know that the Heat’s standard opening night roster will likely consist of Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, Kevin Love, Haywood Highsmith, Josh Richardson, Alec Burks, Kel’el Ware, Pelle Larsson and Thomas Bryant, with all 14 players under guaranteed contracts.
Q: Nikola Jovic is a natural full-back, an oversized Goran Dragic in many ways, with his way of pushing the ball and creating one-man counterattacks, better vision of the game and better passing ability because of his size. His ball-handling is not as good, but he needs to continue to sharpen it by making him work. – Swann.
A: The positional delineation, if Erik Spoelstra is even willing to let us go there, is more defined by who you’re defending. And at this point, with his limited lateral movement, I don’t see Nikola Jovic having much of a chance defensively against anything other than power forwards or centers. Now, you could put him on the wing offensively, because then you could have Bam Adebayo defending on a wing. You could also put Nikola in any role while playing zone defense. But at this point, the positional designations go away anyway.
Q: What do you think of Bam Adebayo’s first pitch against the Marlins? – Adam.
A: A little low and inside. But he got to the plate, that’s what matters in these situations.
