Q: So, didn’t the Heat really handicap themselves by taking on the final 2 1/2 years of Terry Rozier’s contract? It significantly decreased the chances of us signing any free agent above a minimum contract this summer. Then, because of this move we probably also have lost Caleb Martin going forward. I know hindsight is 20 /20, but should the Heat have given it a lot more thought before making this move? Would you still have made it? – Bob, Davie.

A: I can guarantee you the Heat gave it plenty of thought. But let’s also consider the context: The move was made by a team coming off an NBA Finals appearance with hope at the time of another deep playoff run. Isn’t that what fans want, a team willing to go for it? From the outset, there was no issue here with taking on the contract of Terry Rozier. Foremost, if the options were instead adding a player at the mid-level exception this coming summer, retaining Caleb Martin or having Rozier, most would say the Heat got the best value out of those options. Plus, from the moment Terry was added, it was with the thought it also was a traceable/packagable contract. Had the Heat allowed Kyle Lowry’s contract to expire without swapping it out for a replacement contract, the Heat would have lost a high degree of trade flexibility. All of that said, I said at the time and would say again, that attaching the first-round pick, particularly a pick that ultimately might not be lottery protected, was too risky and swung the deal toward one that could be questioned. But not because of Terry. But because of the pick.

Q: I think the strategy should be to think of teams like Indiana, maybe New York, maybe Orlando: Enjoy the season, enjoy the youngsters as they develop, and remember the joys of a surprising run to the second round. Watch Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. and, yes, even Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson continue to improve, see if Cole Swider and Alondes Williams can stick, see if Caleb Martin can regain his form, appreciate Kevin Love’s twilight, hope we find minutes for Haywoof Highsmith and go from there. I’m always grateful to Pat Riley, Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the front office for keeping us so competitive year after year after year. I’d like to see us win a championship in the next few years, especially because it would be great for Jimmy Butler. But I can also envision us not getting there, too. And that’s OK. Sometimes you swing and miss. – Phillip, San Francisco.

A: Which is all well and good. But if that truly is the belief among the team’s followers, then I wonder how many would actually sign off on what you propose and agree to not then start complaining at the first sign of the Heat not being championship contenders? Saying it is all well and good; living it is another story. It’s almost as if we need to create a Google Document to sign off on agreeing to support a fun, competitive team, and that being good enough to sate, to merely enjoy a hard-working, enthusiastic team that shows up every night.

Q: Any chance of Giannis Antotokounmpo forcing his way out of Milwaukee?  – Ron, Margate.

A: I’m not sure players are rushing to be a part of eighth-place teams. Even those on teams that came up short in the playoffs, most did as well or better in the postseason than the Heat, and started from a higher seed. If anything, the Heat have planted a seed of doubt with free agents and those seeking trades. And not necessarily a good one.

Duo released joint EP Manifesting 20-05 last month

The city of Miami may be on the hook for millions of dollars in a new lawsuit arising out of Commissioner Joe Carollo’s longstanding legal battle with Little Havana property owners.

QBE Specialty Insurance Company, a firm that provides legal insurance coverage for municipalities, this week sued the city in federal court. The company seeks to recover the millions of dollars it has paid to the city since 2018 to cover the legal costs of defending Carollo in a series of lawsuits.

“This action seeks a declaration that QBE has no duty under the … Policies to defend the City, Carollo or any of the other individuals who are defendants in the Underlying Lawsuits,” QBE wrote in its 66-page complaint. (A copy of the complaint is embedded at the end of this story.)

The decision to have the city pay Carollo’s legal fees was one of the foremost reasons former City Attorney Victoria Méndez was pushed out of her position last month. A staunch defender of Carollo, Méndez said it was the responsibility of the city to pay for his legal representation, despite arguments from critics that his actions fell outside the scope of his duties as a city commissioner.

READ MORE: U.S. Marshals set to auction Joe Carollo’s home over $63.5 million federal judgment

Little Havana entrepreneurs William Fuller and Martin Pinilla sued Carollo in federal court in 2018. They accused Carollo of repeatedly sending code enforcement, police and the city’s fire department to their properties to satisfy what they called a “vendetta” against them. Fuller and Pinilla had supported Carollo’s political opponent Alfie Leon in 2017. They argued Carollo was angry at them for backing his rival, and when he took office, he took it out on their businesses.

Last June, the two businessmen won their lawsuit against the commissioner after a Broward jury found Carollo liable for violating their First Amendment right to free speech. Carollo was ordered to pay $63.5 million in damages to Fuller and Pinilla, a decision the commissioner has since appealed.

In the intervening years, Fuller and his business partners — including Mad Room LLC, which represents the ownership of the Ball & Chain Bar on Calle Ocho — have brought other lawsuits against Carollo and the city of Miami with the same allegations.

Throughout all of the lawsuits, the City of Miami has paid the bill for Carollo’s legal defense out of their insurance policy with QBE.

Millions of dollars in defense

According to the insurer’s complaint, the cost of defending the city in all of the lawsuits has exceeded $10 million.

QBE argues it has no responsibility to insure the city for the facts alleged in Carollo’s lawsuits because they are predicated on “willful” and “deliberate” acts by the commissioner to deprive the plaintiffs of their individual rights.

“The fundamental premise underlying each and every one of the Underlying Lawsuits is that Carollo — through his own actions and by conscripting others to do his bidding — engaged in a years-long campaign of retaliation and harassment with the conscious objective of inflicting harm on the underlying plaintiff,” QBE wrote.

The complaint also alleges that the city was not entitled to make insurance claims for these lawsuits under their Law Enforcement Liability (LEL) policies, because none of the defendants named in the Fuller group’s lawsuits are law enforcement officials. Those defendants include Carollo, Méndez, City Manager Art Noriega, City Building Director Asael Marrero and Assistant City Attorney Rachel Dooley.

“None of the individual defendants (natural persons) in the Underlying Lawsuits hold any of the ‘Positions to be Insured’ that are listed on the applications for the LEL Policies,” QBE wrote.

The complaint also names Fuller, Pinilla and the other plaintiffs in their various lawsuits against the City of Miami as defendants in QBE’s case. The insurance company wants a federal judge to declare that QBE has no responsibility to insure the city for these cases, and give it permission to recover the funds it has already paid out.

City of Miami officials could not immediately respond to a request for comment from WLRN for this story.