Category: Miami Heat Blog

Heat blog – Miami Heat blog

Dwyane Wade to try his hand as a game show host

Retired NBA players need things to do. Talking about basketball on TV or the radio is an obvious move. But there’s a world of business and entertainment to test the waters of as well. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

Just when you thought Dwyane Wade has done it all, the retired Miami Heat icon offers yet another spin move.

Fashion guru? Check. NBA television analyst? Check. Vintner? Check.

And now? Game show host.

Moving into a role where he will be the one passing out the cash (quite the contrast from the summer of 2016 and that ugly spat with Pat Riley), Wade will executive produce and host an American spinoff of the British game show, The Cube, for WarnerMedia.

The show will feature contestants performing various competitions within a confined cube. And if they need help, the Heat’s all-time leading scorer will be there to assist.

D-Wade continues to show versatility. Just not in the ways people expected.

With Jimmy Butler out, Heat fall to Bucks

Playing without Jimmy Butler and getting outscored by 20 points in the 4th against a team like the Bucks is a pretty solid recipe for losing a basketball game. And that’s what the Heat did, falling 130-116 to a Bucks team that has now clinched the No. 1 seed in the Eastern conference. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on Butler but also guard Goran Dragic, who missed the game as well:

Butler has now missed two consecutive games. Coach Erik Spoelstra said prior to Thursday’s game there has already been an X-ray and MRI done on Butler’s injured foot, and “at this point, it’s rest and recovery.”

“Jimmy, his foot is sore,” Spoelstra said. “We want to make sure that he’s feeling like he did even a week ago.”

Meanwhile, Dragic limped off the court with 5.2 seconds to play in Tuesday’s victory over the Boston Celtics after landing awkwardly on his left ankle. The Heat announced later that night that an X-ray on his injured ankle returned negative.

“Goran, obviously you saw at the end of the game with a sprained ankle,” Spoelstra said Thursday. “Moving around a lot better, had a really good day yesterday and today of treatment.”

In the win for the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo put up 33 points, 12 rebounds and four assists, though he did commit six turnovers. Khris Middleton also scored 33 points, plus six rebounds and an impressive eight assists. While Brook Lopez added 17 points.

In the loss for the Heat, Duncan Robinson shot well for 21 points, as did Tyler Herro who had 20 off the bench.

Nuggets will be missing multiple starters Saturday in game vs Heat

On Saturday, the Nuggets will face the Heat at 1 p.m. ET, with the game televised nationally on ESPN. Here’s the Denver Post reporting:

Denver will be down starters Gary Harris (right hip muscle strain) and Will Barton (knee soreness), while point guard Jamal Murray (left hamstring tightness) is questionable for the opener. Nuggets reserve Vlatko Cancar was also listed on Friday’s injury report with a left foot fracture.

After arriving late to Orlando, Harris missed all three of the team’s scrimmages.

Leading Scorers

Heat (PPG)
Jimmy Butler 20.2
Bam Adebayo 16.2
Goran Dragic 16.1
Kendrick Nunn 15.6
Duncan Robinson 13.3

Nuggets (PPG)
Nikola Jokic 20.2
Jamal Murray 18.8
Will Barton 15.1
Paul Millsap 12.0
Jerami Grant 11.6

In EuroLeague news, Jordan Mickey signs with Khimki Moscow Region

Here’s Euroleague.net reporting on Jordan Mickey:

Khimki Moscow Region and center Jordan Mickey are together again after the sides put pen to paper on a new one-year contract on Tuesday. Mickey (2.03 meters, 25 years old) arrives from Real Madrid, where he averaged 9.0 points on 67.7% two-point shooting, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks in 26 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague games last season. He also helped Los Blancos win the Spanish Copa del Rey title.

Mickey played briefly in the NBA between 2015-18, suiting up for the Celtics and Heat, for a career average of 2.4 points and 2.0 rebounds in 7.5 minutes per game.

Miami Heat 2019-20 NBA season restart seeding schedule announced

The Miami HEAT announced its 2019-20 season restart seeding schedule today. Miami will resume games starting with their Saturday, August 1 contest against the Denver Nuggets at 1PM on ESPN at Disney’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex as their eight-game schedule runs through August 14 at the single-site campus. At the conclusion of those eight contests, the combination of teams’ regular season and seeding games winning percentages will determine the playoff order, with possible play-in games for the final spot, with the top eight teams in each conference earning a postseason berth. The HEAT previously clinched a playoff spot earlier this season.

FOX Sports Sun, the exclusive regional television partner of the HEAT, will air Miami’s seeding games available for local broadcast, with complete broadcasting information for both local television and radio coverage released at a later date.

HEAT Seeding Schedule:

Game Date Opponent Time (ET) Site National TV/FOX Sports Sun

1 8/1 Denver 1:00 PM HP Field House ESPN / TBD

2 8/3 Toronto 1:30 PM HP Field House NBA TV / TBD

3 8/4 Boston 6:30 PM HP Field House TNT / TBD

4 8/6 Milwaukee 4:00 PM Arena TNT / TBD

5 8/8 Phoenix 7:30 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

6 8/10 Indiana 8:00 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

7 8/12 Oklahoma City8:00 PM Visa Athletic Center TBD / TBD

8 8/14 Indiana TBD TBD TBD / TBD

Gabe Vincent wins 2019-20 G League Most Improved Player award

Sioux Falls Skyforce guard Gabe Vincent yesterday won the 2019-20 NBA G League Most Improved Player award. The winner is decided in a vote by the G Legaue’s 28 head coaches and general managers.

In his second G League season, Vincent (6-foot-3, 200 pounds, UC Santa Barbara) put up 20.9 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game in 31 outings. He hit a G League-leading 4.2 three-pointers per game, and shot 40.3 percent from three-point range.

Vincent’s first 20 games of this G League season were played as a member of the Stockton Kings. His final 11 games with the Skyforce, who are the G League affiliate of the Miami Heat, who signed Vincent to a two-way contract on January 8, 2020. He played in six NBA games for the Heat this season.

In the G League, Vincent scored at least 30 points six times this season. Three of those performances came in December, when he averaged 24.9 points and shot 49.1 percent from the field with Stockton. He scored a career-high 35 points against the South Bay Lakers on Dec. 17 and matched that total against the Canton Charge on Dec. 21, making nine three-pointers in each game.

The Skyforce started the season 10-13 before adding Vincent to its roster. Sioux Falls went 9-2 with him in the lineup and finished 22-20 overall. The NBA G League canceled the remainder of its 2019-20 season on June 4. The regular season was suspended on March 12 and had been scheduled to conclude on March 28.

Vincent spent the entire 2018-19 NBA G League season with Stockton. He averaged 8.8 points, 2.3 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 24 games.

Raptors 905 guard Paul Watson and Santa Cruz Warriors guard Mychal Mulder finished second and third, respectively, in voting for the 2019-20 NBA G League Most Improved Player Award.

Will Pat Riley not join the Heat at Disney Wide World of Sports this summer?

The NBA this past week nailed down their format for the conclusion of the 2019-20 season, to take place at Disney Wide World of Sports in Orlando this summer. But there is plenty left to figure out. From major things like an exact schedule to smaller details like the very exact number of people each team is allowed to bring into the quarantine bubble setting.

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting on Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra:

As part of the NBA’s plan to resume the league in a quarantine-like setting is limiting team traveling parties, including players and coaches, to an estimated 35 or so when competition resumes in the absence of fans at the Wide World of Sports complex on the Disney World campus just outside of Orlando.

Already, the league is debating whether players on two-way contracts will be included, which for the Heat could limit the development of guard Gabe Vincent and forward Kyle Alexander. Beyond that, there figure to be difficult decisions with support staff.

“The only thing I’ll say about that is I don’t want to term anything ‘essential’ or ‘non-essential’ staff,” Spoelstra said, limited in his allowable comments, with the NBA’s plan yet to be finalized. “That’s not fair to any of our staff members. These are extreme circumstances. We will plan and act accordingly when we get to that point.” …

With the NBA projecting the season’s resumption will run from July 31 to a potential Oct. 12 Game 7 of the NBA Finals, it could leave the team separated from Heat president Pat Riley for months.

At 75, Riley stands in a high-risk category of contracting COVID-19.

This sort of thing will be a heavy discussion topic in the coming weeks. Better safe than sorry, is a good rule of thumb.

After such details are worked out, and decisions are finalized, and the focus becomes actual basketball games again, it’ll be a very good time.

Dwyane Wade has some advice for NFL quarterback Tua Tagovailoa

Advice on being a pro athlete from retired NBA star Dwyane Wade is worth listening to. Even if it’s for a guy who plays football. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

The three-time champion wasn’t drafted to “save the franchise,” but expectations certainly changed after the Heat’s first title in 2006. Throw in the two that he won in the early 2010s and there’s an argument that Tua Tagovailoa should strive to emulate Wade rather than Dan Marino.

But greatness can easily be hindered if you get caught up in the glitz and glamour of Miami. In a recent conversation with ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe, Wade advised 22-year-old quarterback to focus on winning first rather than what the city has to offer.

“Put your head down and go to work. The city of Miami is going to be there, the nightlife is going to be there, the endorsements and all of those things — get your money but don’t let those things take away from your main goal and purpose,” Wade told ESPN. “… Football right now for you in that city is the most important thing. Everything else will come as you win”

Famed Miami nightlife is both a gift and a curse. Depending on how much you take advantage of it, and when you have to wake up for work the next day.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra discusses his career

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting what Heat coach Erik Spoelstra had to say to Ernie Johnson via the NBA’s Twitter feed:

Spoelstra addressed other topics in a wide-ranging interview with Johnson:

▪ He said this week marks his 25th anniversary with the Heat after joining the team as an intern to help with the 1995 draft.

Pat Riley was hired as Heat coach and president that summer and Spoelstra said “the only reason I survived that turnover was it was September, and they just needed somebody to cut tape” and didn’t want to train someone from the outside.

“I had a one-year leeway to prove myself,” he said. “Twenty-five years later, they haven’t found a way to get rid of me.”

▪ How did Riley tell him he was being promoted to head coach in 2008?

“It would be like you imagined, a Godfather scene,” Spoelstra said. “He brought me in on a Saturday, after we won 15 games. … The lights were down. I sat on the other side of the desk. I could barely make out his face; he could see me.

“He said, ‘I’m done. You’re ready for it. This will be like you’re in a bird’s nest and I’m going to push you off the branch and you are going to have to figure out how to fly. You have enough experience, you’ve worked for great people. This is happening. Take a couple days to get your S-H-I-T together and Monday is the press conference.’”

Spoelstra’s story is pretty fantastic. His rise up the Heat ranks would make a great documentary.

Checking in with Heat guard Tyler Herro

Here’s ESPN.com checking in on young Heat guard Tyler Herro:

For the season, Herro ranks eighth among rookies in scoring (12.9 points), seventh in 20-point games (9) and tied for first with 2.1 3-pointers per game.

His seven made 3-pointers on Jan. 22 against the Washington Wizards were the most in a game by a Heat rookie in franchise history and tied for the most by any rookie this season, according to ESPN Stats & Information. However, Herro is still not satisfied.

“I just hope that they open as soon as possible,” Herro said of practice facilities possibly reopening soon. “Obviously, hoping everybody stays safe … but we would all love to get back into the facilities and start working out and stuff like that again on a normal routine.”

The NBA season is on hold, but there’s still hope that either it will resume — likely in condensed form — or some sort of playoffs can take place.