Q: Ira, Myron Gardner has been excellent on both ends of the floor consistently. If it truly is a meritocracy, is there a possibility that a young Myron Gardner is better than an aging Hall of Famer at this point? I’m aware that Gardner doesn’t have the savvy that Klay Thompson has, but talent is talent. More minutes for Gardner, less for Klay, as much as I admire Klay. – Bill, Weston.
A: Um, let’s get real. Klay Thompson’s minutes this preseason have come against NBA-level starting talent; Myron Gardner’s minutes have come against players who could wind up in the G League, if even that. The NBA is all about having at least one elite-level skill. Klay certainly has that, his uneven 3-point shooting this preseason notwithstanding. Myron has effort and energy as his strengths, which both are laudable, but also not super powers. The question is not if Myron could play ahead of Klay or Tim Hardaway Jr., but rather whether he can crack the rotation at all, which would mean bypassing Nikola Jovic, Simone Fontecchio or even Ryan Conwell. There is nothing wrong with being the best possible NBA 10th man. That is Myron’s battle of the moment.
Q: Did you notice Nick Richards had nine rebounds against New Orleans. That’s why he is here. – Hal.
A: Which certainly is heartening. But, again, consider the competition. Yes, rebounding was an issue on Thursday night, something that Erik Spoelstra addressed both after the game and then at Friday’s practice. So having a robo-rebounder in reserve certainly could be of benefit. That said, it would be nice before the close of the preseason to see what Nick does/can do against NBA rotation-level competition. That would go a long way toward the decision with his opening-night guarantee date.
Q: I can’t speak for other Heat fans, but I’m sold and I’ve seen enough. Giannis Antetokounmpo plays so hard there is not a lot of need to see him go this much harder in preseason games. There’s too much at stake in the real games, in my opinion. Can’t wait until three weeks when they do start counting. – Doug.
A: Makes sense, which is why it could be Heat Lite in Saturday night’s exhibition against the visiting Timberwolves. But one more dress rehearsal might be nice, just to see Giannis get the opportunity to work in a variety of lineups.