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.
Miami is many things: a beach town, a nightlife capital and a place where people will gladly queue for a cafecito. But increasingly, it’s also becoming one of the country’s most serious pizza destinations.
That’s according to the newly released 50 Top Pizza USA 2026 ranking, one of the world’s most influential pizza guides, which just named three Miami pizzerias among the top 15 in the United States—and gave the city another major nod in its ranking of the country’s best slice shops.
Leading the local charge is Francesco Martucci, which landed at No. 5 nationally, making it the highest-ranked Florida pizzeria on the list. The restaurant finished behind only a handful of heavy hitters, including New York’s top-ranked Una Pizza Napoletana and California standouts Pizzeria Sei and Tony’s Pizza Napoletana.
Two more local favorites—La Leggenda and ‘O Munaciello—tied for 11th place nationwide, giving Miami three pizzerias in the guide’s top 15. That’s a remarkable showing for a city that, until relatively recently, wasn’t exactly mentioned in the same breath as New York or Naples when pizza debates broke out.
And if your pizza preference involves a quick foldable slice rather than a sit-down pie, Miami earned another bragging right. Miami Slice was named the third-best pizza slice shop in the country, trailing only New York’s L’Industrie Pizzeria and Washington, D.C.’s Slice & Pie.
The rankings were unveiled on Wednesday during an awards ceremony in New York. This year’s guide features 116 pizzerias across 29 states, with Florida earning 10 total entries—trailing only New York and California for overall representation. For a city better known for stone crabs and Cuban sandwiches, that’s a pretty impressive slice of recognition.
The 50 best pizza spots in the U.S. for 2026
- Una Pizza Napoletana — New York, NY
- Pizzeria Sei — Los Angeles, CA (tie)
- Tony’s Pizza Napoletana — San Francisco, CA (tie)
- Razza — Jersey City, NJ
- Truly Pizza — Dana Point, CA
- Francesco Martucci — Miami, FL
- Don Antonio — New York, NY
- Jay’s — Kenmore, WA
- Ribalta — New York, NY (tie)
- Robert’s — Chicago, IL (tie)
- Leña — Cleveland, OH
- Ken’s Artisan Pizza — Portland, OR
- La Leggenda — Miami, FL (tie)
- ‘O Munaciello — Miami, FL (tie)
- Valentina’s — Madison, WI
- Stretch Pizza — New York, NY
- Audace — New York, NY
- Pasquale’s — South Kingstown, RI (tie)
- Pizza Secret — New York, NY (tie)
- Pizzeria Beddia — Philadelphia, PA
- Ops — New York, NY
- Partenope Ristorante — Dallas, TX
- MPN – Mission Pizza Napoletana — Winston-Salem, NC
- Inferno Pizzeria Napoletana — Darnestown, MD
- Kesté — New York, NY
- Flour House — San Luis Obispo, CA
- Il Forno — San Antonio, TX
- Fabrica Pizza — Tampa, FL
- Nardò — Huntington Beach, CA
- GRANA — Portland, OR
- Pizza Delicious — New Orleans, LA
- Coals — Louisville, KY
- Craft 64 — Scottsdale, AZ
- Sho Pizza Bar — Nashville, TN
- Bricco — Haddon Township, NJ
- Salsa — New York, NY
- Antico Pizza — Atlanta, GA
- Zeneli — New Haven, CT
- Posto — Somerville, MA
- Andrew Bellucci’s Pizzeria — New York, NY
- A Modo Mio — Arlington, VA
- Tribute Pizza — San Diego, CA
- Pasquale Jones — New York, NY
- Pizzeria Florian — East Aurora, NY
- Penelope Pizza — Tucson, AZ
- Pizza Baby — Charlotte, NC
- Coda di Volpe — Chicago, IL
- Angeli’s Pizzeria — Baltimore, MD
- Lincoln Winebar — Mount Vernon, NY
- Hapa Pizza — Beaverton, OR
- Si Cara. — Cambridge, MA
- Nostrana — Portland, OR
- Quattro — Boston, MA
- Lucky Dough Pizza — Pensacola, FL
Miami has scored a huge win on the recruiting trail.
Rivals300 Haymarket (Va.) Battlefield linebacker Noah Glover committed to the Hurricanes on Sunday night shortly following his official visit.
“I love Coach (Corey) Hetherman and Coach (Mario) Cristobal. I feel like Coach Hetherman is a great coach and can develop me. He can help me get to my ultimate goal, which is the NFL. I know I would be in good hands at Miami. The atmosphere is really nice. Coral Gables is a really nice area. Everybody is close. It’s family oriented. The coaches have their sons there. I really love it there.”
Glover picked Miami over fellow finalists Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas A&M
Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman led the way in Glover’s recruitment. Hetherman visited Glover throughout the offseason and really moved the needle on his official visit.
“I love how Coach Heatherman runs the defense,” Glover said. “He has a lot of blitz packages and allows his linebackers to play free. Nothing really holds them back. They just attack and go. It’s always next play mentality. I feel like that’s a great fit for me.”
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal also made a big impact.
“He’s always sending me videos and quotes,” Glover said. “He stays in touch and calls me, too. My contact with him has been very good. He’s building a great team. You saw it last year. They almost won the national championship. He’s creating a good team and culture. Everything there is next level.”
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Glover is ranked as the No. 19 linebacker and No. 199 overall prospect in the country, per the Rivals Industry Ranking.
Miami now has 17 commitments in the 2027 recruiting class — Glover, five-star Long Beach (Calif.) Poly cornerback Donte Wright, five-star Miami (Fla.) Carol City wide receiver Nick Lennear, Top 100 Dotahn (Ala.) High cornerback Ai’King Hall, Top 100 Garner (N.C.) High linebacker AJ Randle, Top 100 Lombard (Ill.) Montini Catholic quarterback Israel Abrams, , Rivals300 Houston (Texas) Langham Creek defensive lineman Ezekiel Ayangbile, Rivals300 Phenix City (Ala.) Central offensive lineman Jatori Williams, Rivals300 Poplarville (Miss.) High running back Ty Keys, Rivals300 Fort Pierce (Fla.) John Carroll offensive lineman Sean Tatum, four-star Fort Lauderdale (Fla.) Cardinal Gibbons tight end Demarcus Deroche, four-star Pearland (Texas) High defensive lineman Demarco Jenkins, four-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Jaylyn Jones, three-star Gainesville (Ga.) High offensive lineman Tyler Ford, three-star Key West (Fla.) High defensive lineman Josh Johnson, three-star Lake Worth (Fla.) Santaluces EDGE Jayvon Dawson and three-star Davie (Fla.) McArthur defensive back Sherrod Gourdine .
Miami entered the day with the No. 4 recruiting class nationally.
Miami, FL
Deputies searching for 2 men accused of shooting man during attempted robbery in SW Miami-Dade
Two suspects accused in an overnight shooting in Southwest Miami-Dade remain on the loose, deputies said.
According to the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, the shooting happened on Saturday night in the area of Southwest 143rd Avenue and Southwest 260th Street.
Deputies said that a man was shot as he was trying to get away from two people who tried to rob him.
The man was taken to Baptist Hospital by a friend, but was then airlifted to Jackson South Medical Center in stable condition.
An investigation into the shooting remains active.
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