Q: Ira, you can play anyone against Washington and win, so I’m not falling for Kel’el Ware and Bam Adebayo playing together. Let’s see it when it’s close. – Billy.
A: Agree that anything and anyone would have worked against the Wizards on Sunday, considering the willingness to win and risk lottery position is minimal at this stage for Washington. And that probably goes for playing Kasparas Jakucionis ahead of Dru Smith on Sunday. Clearly, Erik Spoelstra saw the opportunity to experiment once it became clear there would not be any resistance from the Wizards. so perhaps more of the same against the Jazz and even Pelicans before the All-Star break, but probably would stop short of saying this is now definitively a thing.
Q: Why hasn’t Terry Rozier been released yet? – Sid.
A: I’d say mostly because of the lack of urgency, as well as wanting and needing to make the right choice, since no more than two players can be added without risking the luxury tax, which is not happening. As it is, Dru Smith and Nikola Jovic only played mop-up duty Sunday in Washington. At this stage, it is better to take the All-Star break to reassess, or even wait to see who else shakes free on the buyout market.
Q: Did the Heat wait to watch the Super Bowl after Sunday’s game? – Nan.
A: Such an approach would not be unusual. But in this case, with Sunday’s game in Washington part of a back-to-back set that concludes Monday against the Jazz at Kaseya Center, there was no such luxury. As it is, the schedule has been so compacted that the Heat then immediately head out Tuesday for Wednesday night’s game in New Orleans.