Q: Ira, I enjoyed your piece on the Heat depth chart. But the backcourt is shaky, because not only is there not a proven point guard behind Davion Mitchell, but there are no ballhandlers among the shooting guards and small forwards you mentioned. – Sid.
A: On one hand, I attempted to stress not to be too position specific. For example, while Nick Richards was listed positionally as the backup center, it is more likely that those sharing minutes with Bam Adebayo at center will be Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Poetis and perhaps even Nikola Jovic. All three could well wind up with far more center minutes than Nick Richards (if he makes the roster). But no one has ever confused Klay Thompson, Tim Hardaway Jr., Andrew Wiggins or Pelle Larsson for ballhandlers. And it was not as if Ryan Conwell was necessarily featured at point guard during summer league. If I’m a Heat opponent, pressing when Davion is out of the game could potentially stall out the Heat offense, or at least reduce the amount of time they have in the halfcourt. So, yes, one more at the position could come in handy.
Q: Some of our most impactful role players in the playoffs have come from in season trades and buyouts: Chris Andersen, Goran Dragic, Andre Iguodala, Jae Crowder, Solomon Hill, Victor Oladipo, Kevin Love, Cody Zeller, Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell. Wait and let the front office cook – S.D.
A: Exactly. Even with the concerns at point guard, there is plenty to be said about waiting for the right player and saving the remaining space below the hard cap for the right player. What is in place at the moment certainly should be ample to start the season. Down the road is when it will be about getting a workable, proven playoff rotation in order.
Q: Not going to lie, I’d never heard of Eric Amsler before you said he is leaving. What does that do for the Heat? – Walt.
A: Based on the team’s continuity, there still is ample talent in the scouting, evaluation and development staff. As Erik Spoelstra might say, it likely will just be next man up. Pat Riley still will oversee. Andy Elisburg still will manage the cap. Adam Simon still will handle the draft. And the Heat’s pro scouts still will file their reports. For the Lakers, and their smaller overall staff, it should be an upgrade. For the Heat, they will move on, just as they did when David Fizdale, Dan Craig and Juwan Howard moved on from Spoelstra’s coaching staff.