Q: Average is what average is, and that\u2019s just what the Heat are, at least as currently on display. We need to see what the possibilities could be and this starting five, regardless of the opponent, just ain\u2019t the way to go. \u00a0 Kasparas Jakucionis needs to replace Davion Mitchell in the starting lineup because he is part of the future and Davion is best suited coming off the bench. Plus Jaks adds size and more creativity and will only get better.\u00a0 Just that small change alone would be welcome even with Norman Powell and Tyler Herro together. But if Erik Spoelstra really wants fans to embrace the future, it\u2019s Bam Adebayo, Kel\u2019el Ware, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins and Jaks.\u00a0 Why the brass cannot see the obvious is what has been so damn frustrating. \u2013 Brian, Fort Lauderdale.<\/p>\n
A: First, when it comes to any future thinking regarding lineups and rotations, at this point, that ship has sailed, with only eight games remaining<\/a>. Yes, there was a point where a turn to youth could have made sense in building for a better future, instead of the current average reality. But that now moves to the offseason, which likely will factor into several decisions regarding veterans.<\/p>\n Q: With the Cavaliers size,\u00a0 why didn\u2019t Erik Spoelstra start Bam Adebayo and Kel\u2019el Ware together? I know Spoelstra said the starting lineup was set, but it is all about matchups. \u2013 Joel, Plantation.<\/p>\n A:This is part of the ongoing debate of whether you match up to the opposition or make them match up to you. Typically, teams with a talent advantage make the other team match up. At this point, it is safe to say the Heat do not have that advantage. Yes, size would have made sense on Friday night in Cleveland, but the way the Heat\u00a0 looked, it was about way more<\/a> than just about not being big enough.<\/p>\n Q: Hi Ira, I\u2019ve been a long-time Heat fan, and lately I\u2019ve heard some Andrew Wiggins fans complaining that his minutes are being cut because he hasn\u2019t reached an extension agreement with the Heat yet. They\u2019re saying the Heat are intentionally limiting his on-court production to drive down his value. From what you know about how the Heat operate, is that even a possibility? What\u2019s actually going on here? I\u2019d really appreciate an answer on this. Thanks. \u2013 Harper, Miami.<\/p>\n A: First, let\u2019s not overstate what \u201csome fans\u201d might say, considering anyone can say anything. Again, like today\u2019s first question, the approach at the moment is about doing everything possible to maximize placement in the playoff race. Beyond that, an argument could be made that an Andrew Wiggins extension would be a longshot, since putting additional money into this mix seemingly would come with limited payoff. If this all is headed where it looks like it is headed, it would seem a fresh start would make more sense than extending what already is in place.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Q: Average is what average is, and that\u2019s just what the Heat are, at least as currently on…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":210500,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[17325,114,123,125,2490,16151,124,2295,110],"class_list":["post-210499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-miami","tag-ask-ira","tag-latest-headlines","tag-miami","tag-miami-headlines","tag-miami-heat","tag-miami-heat-blog","tag-miami-news","tag-nba","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210499","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210499"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210499\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210500"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210499"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210499"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210499"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}