ASK IRA: Can Heat’s Pat Riley pull a Brad Stevens this summer?

Q: Ira, if anyone had any questions on if the Heat are a player or two away from winning an NBA championship, Boston’s destruction of teams should be sobering.  They are nine deep and any five on the floor can pass, rebound, score, defend, and are all selfless.  Simply beautiful basketball and they are playing chess with their ball movement seeking the best shot, while the Heat have been an isolation-style team for decades. Danny Ainge’s fingerprints remain as the blueprint for amassing picks and building core talent through the draft. Fans need to buy into the need for the Heat to move off of an aging Jimmy Butler’s contract for draft picks/draft capital. – Brian, Fort Lauderdale.

A: Or you could look at it another way, that Boston for years had been searching for the final pieces to move to the next level and that it was Brad Stevens just this past summer who put together the deals that allowed for this next step. Considering all it took to complete the makeover was Marcus Smart, Rob Williams, Malcolm Brogdon and some cap bits and pieces, it’s not as if a massive makeover was required for Boston to wind up landing Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis. And while Porzingis has not been a Finals factor, his regular-season contributions allowed for this ridiculously easy playoff path to a title. This is why the Heat hunted Damian Lillard and why there remains the belief of being a move or two away. Brad Stevens last summer showed the path to that next step. Now it is the Heat’s front office that is in chase mode to the Celtics.

Q: I know Derrick Jones Jr. viewed the playoffs as his takeoff for free agency, but the way the Finals are going, the Heat should circle back. – Sammy.

A: And that door could well wind up opening again. But it also could come down to whether the Heat opt to spend on what already is in place, in Caleb Martin and/or Haywood Highsmith, or instead shop in free agency. Unless Derrick Jones Jr.’s price tag again comes down to another minimal contract, he likely will be priced out of the Heat’s range. If anything, Derrick likely would be a later-rather-than-sooner consideration, and only after the Heat fully sort through their current free agents.

Q: Omer Yurtseven was 7-0, 275. Erik Spoelstra didn’t like playing him unless forced. Zach Edey is not a fit with Bam. – Al.

A: While it’s not the highest of bars, you certainly could argue that simply based on his schooling at Purdue that Zach Edey is a defensive upgrade on Omer Yurtseven. But putting that aside, players selected at No. 15 are just as likely to emerge as quality reserves. And there could be something to be said about having a changeup when Bam Adebayo goes out, as well as a big body to battle opposing big bodies. In that regard, consider the Edey possibility as a rotation complement to Bam as opposed to necessarily a lineup complement.