ASK IRA: Are these Heat seasons with limited Butler availability sustainable?

Q: Ira, that’s 21 missed games by Jimmy Butler, without a serious major injury. How does that happen? Was this planned out ahead of time? – Brett.

A: For all Adam Silver has attempted to do regarding getting players on the court, including the 65-game requirement for postseason awards, it simply is a different era. The reality is that players prioritize certain games. As in playoff games. At this point, you accept that Jimmy Butler will be a 75%-of-the-time player during the regular season, with the hope that he will be a 125%-of-the-time player during the playoffs. Is it optimal? On the face of it, no. But based on the playoff results in three of the past four years, it has proven to be a successful formula for both Jimmy and the Heat. So the consternation about the absences essentially gets put on hold until the final game is played. Then the venting could be more than justified . . . or forgotten.

Q: Fastest player to 1,000 threes and yet Duncan Robinson will be out of the starting rotation when Tyler Herro returns. Unlike Tyler, Duncan has never thrived off of the bench. Aren’t the Heat wasting his potential by not designing ways for him to get more shots? – Noah, Miami.

A: What was viewed as a given, that if Tyler Herro plays, then at this point in his career he starts, no longer is necessarily an absolute. Continuity matters, and Duncan Robinson has displayed a profound continuity in the starting lineup. At this point, with all the time Tyler has missed, it would appear that the least intrusive means of working him back into the mix would be by working him back off the bench. That, in turn, would allow Terry Rozier to continue to build chemistry with Jimmy Butler and Duncan. The ultimate factor could be if the Heat can avoid the play-in, and therefore assure themselves of at least a five-day break before the playoffs. In that case, everything can be on the table with a full pre-playoff training camp. As it is, Duncan could be the next one needing time of.

Q: I am sorry Erik Spoelstra, we clearly do not have enough right now to compete with the top six teams in the East. – Enrique, Doral.

A: Which he knows. But what else is a coach expected to say? As it is, it has become apparent the Heat don’t have enough to compete with the top team in the East, with the Celtics on another level from recent seasons. But when whole, the Heat have shown the ability to compete with the rest of the conference. The question is when or even if they will be whole.