Per the Sun Sentinel:
Considering the Miami Heat have started an NBA-high five lineups in six games, perhaps Erik Spoelstra should be taken at his word about Kevin Love being shuffled out of Friday night’s mix not necessarily meaning the veteran forward has been shuffled out of the Miami Heat’s consciousness.
But what Friday night’s victory over the Washington Wizards showed was that with Love out of the starting lineup there isn’t necessarily a role as a reserve, with Thomas Bryant playing as the reserve in the power rotation and small ball largely ruling the night in Spoelstra’s rotation.
“Look, nobody likes being 1-4, losing four straight. It sucked,” Spoelstra said of the record the Heat took into the Wizards game. “I hate having to make those kind of decisions, because from everybody outside, it looks like it’s an indictment on one particular player. It’s not. It’s really not.
“I hated having to make that move, because Kevin brings so much from a spirit and connection and leadership standpoint. But this is just a move for now.”
