Category: Miami Heat Blog

Heat blog – Miami Heat blog

Heat guard Tyler Herro undergoes hand surgery

Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro underwent open reduction and internal fixation surgery of the third and fourth metacarpal of his right hand.

The 90-minute procedure was performed by Dr. Ann Ouelette and observed by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital Ambulatory Surgery Center. He is expected to miss a minimum of six weeks.

Herro, who suffered the injury during Miami’s Game 1 win in Milwaukee on April 16, appeared in 67 regular season games (all starts) averaging 20.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 34.9 minutes. He shot a league-best and HEAT single-season franchise record 93.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally, he paired with Jimmy Butler (22.9) and Bam Adebayo (20.4) to become the first trio in team history to each average at least 20 points in a season.

Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo dealing with a back contusion

Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

It might not have appeared that way Sunday, but the Milwaukee Bucks have already shown this season they can have their way with the Miami Heat even when Giannis Antetokounmpo is not fully healthy.

That is especially meaningful at the moment with the Bucks All-Star forward dealing with a back contusion and Milwaukee down 1-0 to Heat in this best-of-seven Eastern Conference opening round NBA playoff series that continues Wednesday at 9 p.m. at Fiserv Forum.

On March 24, despite Antetokounmpo being lost 6:28 into the game due to a knee injury, the Bucks throttled the Heat 128-99.

Miami Heat sign Kevin Love

The Miami Heat have signed forward/center Kevin Love.

Per the South Florida Sun Sentinel, “Love, who has been assigned No. 42, was signed to the remaining $3.1 million the Heat had from their biannual exception. The agreement means the Heat cannot put their biannual exception into play in 2023 NBA free agency.”

Per the Miami Herald, “Love (6-8, 251 pounds) helps address multiple Heat needs as a shooting big who can play as a center when Adebayo is on the bench as part of smaller lineups or alongside Adebayo as a power forward. There’s also the possibility that Love will become the Heat’s new starting power forward if the team wants to shift Caleb Martin (6-5, 205 pounds) back to a bench role to play his more natural position as an athletic two-way wing.”

Love, a 2016 NBA Champion, has appeared in 41 games this season (three starts) with the Cleveland Cavaliers. In his three starts, Love averaged 15.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 38.9 percent from the field, 39.3 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent from the foul line. He scored 21 points, dished out 10 assists and grabbed eight rebounds on November 4 at Detroit, becoming the first player in Cavs history to record at least those numbers off the bench, doing so in only 23:26 minutes, the least amount of time by any reserve in NBA history during the shot clock era (1954).

Love started this season averaging at least 12 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range to become the first player since the 1979-80 campaign to average at least those totals through the first 10 games of a season while playing under 21 minutes per game. He grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds on January 2 vs. Chicago and scored a season-high 29 points on October 30 vs. New York, connecting on a career-tying eight three-point field goals, including five in the fourth quarter, the most treys during a final frame in his career.

Additionally, the HEAT have taken 57 charges this season, the second-most in the NBA, as Love joins the team with 17 of his own, tying the fourth-most by any player in the league this season.

The 15-year NBA veteran has career averages of 17.2 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 30.4 minutes while shooting 43.9 percent from the field, 37.2 percent from three-point range and 83 percent from the foul line. He has shot at least 36 percent from three-point range in 11 different seasons and is just one of four players in NBA history to shoot at least 35 percent from downtown and average at least 10 rebounds in their career.

After nine seasons in Cleveland, he leaves the Cavaliers among the all-time leaders in field goals made (second), defensive rebounds (third), total rebounds (sixth), free throws made (eighth), rebounds per game (eighth), points (ninth) and field goals made (10th).

Love will wear number 42.

Miami Heat sign Cody Zeller

The Miami Heat have signed nine-year NBA veteran Cody Zeller.

Zeller last appeared in 27 games with the Portland Trail Blazers during the 2021-22 season and averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds in 13.1 minutes of action while shooting 56.7 percent from the field and 77.6 percent from the foul line. The former fourth overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft and 2013-14 NBA All-Rookie Second Team selection scored in double figures twice last season while grabbing at least six rebounds 11 times and dishing out multiple assists on three occasions. Additionally, Zeller has appeared in 494 career NBA games (273 starts) averaging 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 22.2 minutes while shooting 52 percent from the field and 73.1 percent from the foul line.

Zeller will wear number 44.

Heat sign Jamaree Bouyea to 10-day contract

The Miami Heat have signed guard Jamaree Bouyea to a 10-day contract.

Bouyea has appeared in 16 games (all starts) with Miami’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, this season averaging 19.0 points, 5.8 assists, 5.3 rebounds, 1.31 steals, 1.00 blocks and 35.1 minutes while shooting 52.2 percent from the field. He leads the team in assists, steals, blocks and field goals made and is second in points, rebounds and free throws made. He also appeared in 16 Showcase Cup games with the Skyforce earlier this season and averaged 15.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 6.0 assists, 2.30 steals and 35.5 minutes. Bouyea, who originally signed with the HEAT on July 14, appeared in four preseason games with Miami and averaged 8.5 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.25 steals and 17.2 minutes.

Bouyea played his entire collegiate career at the University of San Francisco, appearing in 160 games (105 starts), finishing as the school’s all-time leader in games played and wins while finishing third in assists and steals and fifth in points and field goals made. In his final season, he started all 34 games and averaged 17.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.82 steals and 36.2 minutes. He earned All-WCC First Team honors and was named to the NABC All-District First Team. He ranked third in the conference in scoring and led the team in points, assists, steals, field goals made and free throws made. He scored in double-figures in all but five games, including a career-high 36 points in the final game against Murray State in the NCAA Tournament.

Heat hit 40 of 40 free throws in win over Thunder

Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

Tuesday night’s 112-111 victory over the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder just about summed up the Miami Heat’s season.

There were the requisite injury absences, in this case going without Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry, among others.

There was a moment of the unfathomable, in this case backup center Dewayne Dedmon ejected in the second period for whacking a training device onto the court as he stormed to the locker room after a confrontation with the coaching staff.

And there was tight, compelling competition to the finish, the game decided on a Jimmy Butler 3-point play with 12.9 seconds to play, on a night the Heat closed 40 of 40 from the foul line — an NBA record for conversions without a miss.

Heat forward Duncan Robinson undergoes finger surgery

Miami Heat guard/forward Duncan Robinson underwent successful surgery today to repair a ligament of the second finger in his right hand. The 35-minute procedure was performed at the Linden Surgery Center by Dr. Steven Shinn at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He will begin rehab next week and be re-evaluated in approximately four weeks.

Robinson, who initially suffered the injury during shootaround on November 18 at Washington, has appeared in 28 games with the HEAT this season. He recently set Miami’s all-time three-point field goals made record on December 30 at Denver, surpassing the previous record holder Tim Hardaway (806). Additionally, Robinson connected on his 800th from downtown on December 26 vs. Minnesota, becoming the fastest player in NBA history to connect on their 800th three-point field goal.

Recent big game might be turning point for Heat guard Victor Oladipo

Via the Miami Herald:

After not completing a dunk in his first 10 games of the season, Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo finally threw one down in his 11th game.

It was worth the wait, as Oladipo used his burst to dribble into the paint before jumping over and through 7-foot Jazz center Walker Kessler for a right-handed slam in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s road win over the Jazz.

“Man, he dunked on that man,” Heat center Bam Adebayo said to reporters afterwards.

It was the highlight of Oladipo’s season-best offensive performance, as he finished Saturday’s victory with a season-high 23 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range and 5-of-7 shooting from the foul line, five rebounds and five assists. He also played a season-high 35 minutes off the bench.

“Everybody celebrated him in the locker room because only the locker room understands what he’s been going through for the last two years,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said when asked about Oladipo following Saturday’s game in Salt Lake City. “So much of his journey has been solitary.”

The Heat are 19-18 this season, which ties them with the New York Knicks for the 7th best record in the Eastern conference.

Their leading scorers so far in 2022-23 are Jimmy Butler at 21.8 PPG, Tyler Herro at 21.4 PPG, and Bam Adebayo at 21.2 PPG.

Injuries have been big part of Heat season so far

Via the South Florida Sun Sentinel:

[Miami Heat] point guard Kyle Lowry said the injury reports have become the story of the Heat’s struggles.

“It’s our season,” he said. “It’s been our season this year. Let’s get our injuries out of the way now, then come March, April, May, June, we’ll all be healthy.”

According to SpoTrac’s tracker, the Heat have lost 124 player/games to injury this season, second only to the 183 lost by the Orlando Magic, with the Cleveland Cavaliers third at 121 such games lost.

With 13 players having missed time due to injury, SpoTrac ranks the Heat tied for third in the NBA in that regard, behind only the 14 players who have missed injury time of the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder.