Miami, FL
ASK IRA: Is moving forward with Adebayo at center a case of the Heat failing both Bam and themselves?
Q: Bam Adebayo is an incredibly talented player. But with the Heat having to probably go through one or a few of these teams in the future: Denver, Minnesota, Oklahoma City, Boston, 76ers, Knicks, Milwaukee and a few others to get the chip, is having Bam Adebayo at center a flaw design? Boston, Minnesota, Oklahoma City and Denver all play big and have talented bigs. – Stuart.
A: This has come up often amid the course of the playoffs and the answer remains the same: If the Heat can add a big man who is a better fit than Bam Adebayo at center, they assuredly would move in that direction. But wanting something and getting someone are two different things. Yes, the Celtics got Kristaps Porzingis and that arguably is one that got away (even as Boston wins in his absence). But I doubt most Heat followers would have been willing to give up for Rudy Gobert what the Timberwolves gave up. And Deandre Ayton hardly was a big man in demand when he was dealt. As for the draft, Victor Wembanyama was an exception. Now, if you want someone along the lines of Clint Capela and are willing to take on his salary, that could be doable. So, as with all players of all sizes, it’s a matter of the right big man as opposed to any big man.
Q: Are Heat fans not being patient enough? I’ve seen some Heat fans want to see a tear down and rebuild, which isn’t going to happen. But when building with young players, you have to be patient. Running it back is what you do with young teams as they improve. The Heat have two rotation pieces in Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic that will improve. Tyler Herro at 24 can still improve. They’ll be adding another rookie at No. 15 in the draft. Heat fans aren’t going to want to hear this, but running it back may be the best and most responsible option if a trade for a superstar isn’t a possibility. – Dave, Placenta, Calif.
A: No, they probably don’t want to hear that. While championship contention is expressed as the ultimate goal, this also is entertainment. And sometimes that means freshening the product before it is perceived as growing stale. That puts the Heat at a curious crossroads at the moment. When you get down to it, the lone “older” element in the starting lineup is Jimmy Butler, who will be 35 next season. But the question is that if Jimmy missed 22 games at 34, how many does he miss at 35?
Q: Nikola Jovic did bulk up from year one to year two. Can he do it again before year three? – Gary, Boca Raton.
A: That becomes a question of whether he wants to or whether the Heat want him to. Adding weight can result in a loss of agility. You have to be careful with such body shaping. As it is, Nikola Jovic plays mostly as a wing, so I’m not sure the desire there is to be able to flex in front of a mirror.
Should the CFP committee rethink the playoff schedule format?
Extended breaks and logistical challenges have reopened questions about whether the College Football Playoff committee should adjust the playoff schedule format.
Mississippi football’s Nick Cull avoided an ejection during the College Football Playoff Fiesta Bowl semifinal on Thursday, Jan. 8.
As Malachi Toney reeled in a catch from Carson Beck at the Miami 49 in the first quarter, he was hit by Cull in a helmet-to-helmet collision. Right away, the officials flagged Cull for targeting, with both Toney and Cull staying down on the field with an injury.
After officials reviewed the play, the call on the field was overturned, as the officials determined that Cull did not launch and the collision seemed to be incidental. Replay assistant Matt Austin concurred with the call on the field.
The play had a major impact on the game as well. If the call had been upheld, Miami would have had the ball at the Ole Miss 34-yard line with a chance to expand its 3-0 lead. However, a few plays later, the Hurricanes were forced to punt from the 49-yard line.
On the first play of the second quarter, Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacey scored on a 73-yard run to give the Rebels a 7-3 lead.
Because he was not called for targeting, Cull was not ejected from the game, which means Ole Miss will have him for the remainder of the game, if he can clear the concussion protocol. He was in the tent following the play.
Cull has 15 total tackles and three pass deflections this season for the Rebels.
Meanwhile, Toney went to the medical tent briefly for the Hurricanes, but returned to the game.
A crash involving an unmarked Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office vehicle was reported in Northwest Miami-Dade on Thursday morning, and the morning commute was impacted as a result.
Few details have been released, but the crash was reported in the area of Northwest 79th street and Interstate 95.
Video from the scene showed that the vehicles had heavy damage.
The sheriff’s office said the crash also involved a civilian vehicle, and no injuries were reported.
No other information was released.
The Minnesota Timberwolves announced that guard Anthony Edwards is now available to play in Tuesday night’s game against the Miami Heat after originally being listed as questionable with right foot injury maintenance.
Here’s the rest of the injury report and game preview:
INJURY REPORT
HEAT
Tyler Herro: Available – Toe
Jaime Jaquez Jr.: Out – Ankle
Nikola Jovic: Available – Groin
Terry Rozier: Out – Not with team
TIMBERWOLVES
Anthony Edwards: Available – Foot
Terrence Shannon Jr.: Out – Foot
Joan Beringer: Out – G League
Game date, time and location: Tuesday, Jan. 6, 8:00 p.m. EST, Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
TV: TV: Peacock,
Radio: 104.3 FM (Miami/Ft. Lauderdale), ESPN 106.3 FM, (West Palm Beach), FOX Sports Radio 105.9 FM (Ft. Myers/Naples), 1450 AM (Suart), 97.7 FM (Florida Keys), WAQI 710 AM (Spanish-language broadcast, South Florida) 100.3 FM (Minnesota)
VITALS: The Miami Heat (20-16) and Minnesota Timberwolves (23-13) meet for the second and final regular season matchup after just facing off three days ago with Minnesota recording a, 125-115, win in Miami on January 3. The teams split the series, 1-1, last season with each squad winning on the road. The Heat are 36-35 all-time versus Minnesota during the regular season,
including 19-16 in home games and 17-19 in road games.
PROJECTED STARTERS
HEAT
G Davion Mitchell
G Tyler Herro
C Bam Adebayo
F Norman Powell
F Andrew Wiggins
TIMBERWOLVES
G Donte DiVincenzo
G Anthony Edwards
C Rudy Gobert
F Jaden McDaniels
F Julius Randle
Spread: Heat +5.5 (-112), Timberwolves -5.5 (-108)
Moneyline: Heat +166, Timberwolves -198
Total points scored: 239.5 (over -106, under -114)
QUOTABLE
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra on the forced turnovers: “That is and has to be our identity. We have to play with a recklessness and activity level that exceeds our opponent, and thats not to put down our talent level or anything like that, it’s more about we look different when we’re flying around and making plays and making it tough for the opponent.”
For more Miami Heat information and conversation, check out Off The Floor.
Alexander Toledo is a contributor to Miami Heat On SI and producer/co-host of the Five on the Floor podcast, covering the Heat and NBA. He can be reached at Twitter: @tropicalblanket
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