Q: Great to see the ball freely and no one having to stand around and watch. What’s Jimmy Butler worth in the trade market? – Robert, Ocala.
A: Let’s not go there, unless we’re willing to forget the playoff success in three of the past four seasons. Yes, the game looks different with Jimmy Butler on the floor. But it also looks like playoff basketball, which is what it ultimately is about. You just don’t cast aside halfcourt brilliance and individual defense in favor of a 3-point-a-thon. What you try to do is have both, make it work both with Jimmy, without Jimmy (when he’s off the court) and find a style that can endure. That is what these next four months are about. The Heat arguably have never had a Tyler Herro this good, nor a Bam Adebayo this good. So the challenge is new, but also worth fully investigating.
Q: It doesn’t seem to matter who plays. They blow fourth-quarter leads every game. – Nathan..
A: There is a delicate balance in such situations, where you also don’t want to push your players more than needed, especially considering Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo were returning from injury. But this to a degree works in lockstep to the answer above. While freewheeling can build leads, you also have to be able to throttle back without stalling. It’s like having a passing game that builds leads, but no running game to protect leads and work the clock.
Q: Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro can play together now. What a revelation. It opens up everything in the rotation now. – Diamond.
A: From an offensive standpoint yes, as we saw Wednesday night. But let’s also be candid about the defensive side. That still is a tall order for the other three defenders during closing time.