DETROIT — Altruism, sacrifice, never and me, always and us. It’s been Erik Spoelstra’s foundation since he took over as coach of the Miami Heat, a roadmap to significant success through his commitment to the collective.
And yet, like the heat again wobble to the regular season finish lineIs this really the time to turn inward, perhaps not asking what your team can do for you, but rather asking what you can do for your team?
For the Heat, it could be as rudimentary as turning inward, with the team’s contributors personally recognizing what’s at stake.
Because the stakes are high.
With a little selfishness, it might go a long way.
Such as . . .
—Jimmy Butler: The plan was always to ask for a two-year extension this summer, worth more than $100 million, that would allow Butler to celebrate his 38th birthday.
With similar playoff success to last season, it would be hard to justify not rewarding such sustained success in the mid-30s.
But that also means going deep into the playoffs, getting there first and then going perhaps at least as deep as the conference finals.
So it’s at this point, during the final four weeks of the regular season, that the foundation can be laid.
If not, is Butler-v.-Riley/Arison turning into Wade-v.-Riley/Arison 2.0?
—Bam Adebayo: Never one to shy away from projections/expectations of significant magnitude, Adebayo has set his sights this season on winning Defensive Player of the Year or at least making the All-NBA three teams.
Such a placement would qualify Adebayo for a super-max extension this summer.
Although not everything went according to plan, media votes for these awards won’t be expected until after the regular season finale on April 14. So if ever there was a time to return to the voters’ consciousness, that time is near.
While the Defensive Player of the Year buzz revolves around Rudy Gobert and even Victor Wembanyama, keep in mind that the 65-game rule has narrowed the All-NBA field, removing candidates such as Joel Embiid, Kristaps Porzingis, Jamal Murray, Donovan. Mitchell, and even the Heat’s butler.
-Caleb Martin: Midway through last season’s playoff run to the NBA Finals, it was almost a given that Martin would opt out of the $7.1 million player option for 2024-25 on his Heat contract and cash in well beyond mid-level money.
Today, in the middle of an uneven season with limited injuries, such a salary is difficult to ensure.
Of course, a strong finish to the regular season and a breakthrough performance similar to his performance in last season’s Eastern Conference Finals would quickly dispel any doubts.
In many ways, this makes this an extended contract season for Martin.
-Haywood Highsmith: Although he is not considered at the same pay level as Martin, Highsmith was expected to move beyond his current minimum-scale contract in free agency this summer.
Then came knee, back and concussion issues and a slide from starting status to limited minutes.
A playoff spotlight, like the one he got a year ago, could go a long way toward a significant salary increase. Otherwise, it might return to routine.
—Terry Rozier: No, this is not a contract year for Rozier, who has two years left on his deal.
But from the moment he was acquired in January for Kyle Lowry’s expiring contract, the perception on both sides was that his contract could also serve as a bargaining chip if things didn’t work out.
So far, the rating is very incomplete, largely due to his lack of cohesion amid the Heat’s injury absences.
With Rozier owed $24.9 million next season, this playoff streak, and then hopefully the playoffs themselves, could well serve as weeks of reckoning.
-Tyler Herro: Similar to Rozier, this is not a contract year, with Herro signed for three more seasons. But it could be a matter of form, confidence and faith.
With Herro once again sidelined by injury, the question remains whether his 2020 playoff breakthrough in the Disney bubble was a one-off.
Herro and the Heat need these next four weeks and everything after that to inspire confidence in both directions.
IN THE WAY
CULTURAL WARS: Make no mistake, with his team playing last week for the first time on the Heat’s “Culture” court, Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone took note of what some see as the hubris of the Heat marketing campaign. All of this essentially served as a setup for Reggie Jackson And Christian Braun propelling Denver off the bench to victory. “Part of our culture – because we have a culture in Denver as well – part of our culture is being selfless and getting over yourself,” Malone said somewhat boldly, as Denver beat the Heat for the 11th time in the last 12 meetings. “And I think it’s another example of how our team always looks beyond the individual and thinks about the collective.” So victory. . . and a little shade.
FINAL THOUGHT: For his part, the Heat coach Eric Spoelstra came away from this loss with nothing but praise for the center Bam Adebayo help limit Nuggets’ MVP-level center Nikola Jokic at 12 points. “There’s no one better in the league who can negotiate this,” Spoelstra said. “First of all, no one will face Jokic minute by minute except Bam. Bam signs up for this and he will put himself out there and be vulnerable to competition. It is the competitor of all competitors. It just sets the tone.
ONE MORE: Add the old heat center Shaquille O’Neal to the Adebayo fan club as well. With old heat guard Mario Chalmers a guest on his The big podcast, O’Neal made a case for Adebayo as defensive player of the year ahead of favorite Rudy Gobert. O’Neal initially said of Gobert: “I never thought he was a great defensive player either. See, what it is, there aren’t a lot of centers that play him on defense,” O’Neal said. “To me, defense is about keeping that in and keeping it quiet. You want to impress me, hold Joker (Jokic) under 15 points. . . . Bam plays people. He plays two, three, four and five. So I would give it to him too.
UNIQUE WALK: It’s certainly been a unique journey for the former Heat forward PJ Tucker since he was acquired from the Philadelphia 76ers in the November 1 trade that also delivered James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers. Last weekend, Tucker got the start and played 25:30 in a loss to the Milwaukee Bucks in a game Kawhi Leonard And Paul Georges had a day off. Tucker, who left the Heat in 2022 free agency, had been held in 42 of the Clippers’ previous 45 games before seeing this action. His first point against the Bucks in this seven-point effort was his first point since November 14. Asked if the mission put him in a difficult situation, Tucker, 38, replied: “Difficult? Finding out in the morning that you’re going to start and play minutes for the first time in five months in the NBA, I don’t know, there’s got to be a better word than ‘tough,'” Tucker said, according to the Los Angeles Daily News.
NUMBER
5. NBA players who shared the Oscars: Stephen Curry, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Conley, Kevin DurantAnd Kobe Bryant. Old heat shield Dwyane Wade was up for an Oscar last weekend for his role as executive producer of the Oscar-nominated short film, “The Barber of Little Rock,” which explored the racial wealth gap in America.
