Q: Ira, the body language is as bad as the play. Bam Adebayo looks beaten down. Tyler Herro can’t get a rhythm when on the court with teammates who can’t help him on defense. And Erik Spoelstra is doing nothing to help the confidence of Kel’el Ware or Kasparas Jakucionis the way he is ignoring them. They know they are bad. It’s sad. – Kelvin.
A: This might not be rock bottom, but, yes, it is feeling like last season’s 10-game losing streak, which had the Heat at the bottom of the play-in as the No. 10 seed. And it’s beginning to look like No. 10 again. Last year, there was the struggle-to-the-finish drive to play their way out of the play-in. At the moment, it doesn’t look like that is there, life continually being sucked out of this lifeless season. At this point, would even a Udonis Haslem pep talk work? Not a good roster, and a coach who insists on pushing the same button when those buttons simply aren’t working.
Q: I’m predicting this year will be the first time the Heat won’t come out of the play-in. – Sabi.
A: To a degree, that is difficult to predict, since we don’t know the matchups or even the seed. But based on the Heat having been in the play-in round the previous three years, it does look like this year’s field will be the most competitive the Heat have faced. This time, there is no Chicago looking for an escape hatch, or no Atlanta being unable to sustain. A case could be made of the Heat being an underdog in any road game in the play-in. (And the way they looked on Wednesday night, perhaps a few potential home play-in matchups.)
Q: Vald Goldin. We need that back-up big. – Gambit.
A: This was in reference to Tuesday’s piece of the Heat not only being a week or less away from waiving Terry Rozier, but also replacing him on the standard roster, most likely with one of the three current two-way players. That choice, if limited to that group, would come down to Vlad Goldin, Jahmir Young or Trevor Keels. The thought here is to go with the player with the definitive NBA skill, which in this case would be Trevor’s 3-point shooting. But it’s not as if anyone from that group is going to change this current trajectory. That would require a star, not a two-way player getting a standard deal. Rozier’s replacement is the least of the Heat’s personnel issues.