MIAMI – Observations and other notes of interest from Friday night’s 133-113 loss to the Denver Nuggets:
– So what is the minimum required amount of effort to qualify as effort in an NBA?
– It appeared that Jimmy Butler, in his return from suspension, was attempting to quantify that metric Friday night.
– So, yes, eight points in the first half.
– But also in that 17:23 of action . . .
– No rebounds. Not one.
– No assists. Not one.
– No steals.
– No blocks.
– Not even a foul.
– But, yes, one turnover.
– Finally, 38 seconds into the third period, Butler’s first rebound.
– And then, with 6:21 left in the third period, his first assist.
– Yes, the points flowed a bit more freely in the third period.
– As did a few other morsels of stats.
– So this is the game the Heat are left with.
– Jimmy Butler as a contributor.
– But not Jimmy Butler as Jimmy Butler.
– Certainly not every-last-breath Jimmy Butler.
– Yes, hard to get assists if teammates are missing.
– But greatness, as they say, finds a way.
– The Heat signed Jimmy Butler for far more than points.
– So does this appease Pat Riley and Micky Arison?
– Possibly, in the slightest of senses.
– And, no, no reasonable reason for further suspension.
– But this not only is not a winning formula with this level of Butler, but one that also sets back the developmental process elsewhere on the roster.
– The Heat have had a hard enough time sustaining over the past two years when Butler has been at his best.
– But Butler like this is, frankly, a team going through the motions with a player going through the motions.
– Yes, Jimmy got his buckets.
– But the bare minimum doesn’t cut it at $500,000 a game.
– The Heat have to recognize as much.
– So suspension over.
– But the waiting game continues.
– With Butler back from his seven-game unpaid team suspension, the Heat returned to a starting lineup of Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Terry Rozier and Haywood Highsmith.
– The Heat entered with a 9-5 record with that first five.
– Nikola Jovic was first off the Heat bench.
– Followed by Jaime Jaquez Jr.
– With Terry Rozier and Kel’el Ware then entering together just before the close of the opening period for nine deep.
– Nuggets coach Michael Malone before the game downplayed the drama of Butler’s return.
– “You know what you’re getting when you play Miami every time, regardless of who is on the roster,” he said.
– He added, “Our focus is on the Miami Heat, how they guard us, the action that they’re running.”
– Malone also became the latest opposing coach effusive in praise of Herro.
– “Tyler Herro deserves a lot of time when you’re preparing for this team,” Malone said. “I think he’s having an All-Star caliber season, playing lights out, and one of those players that can get his own whenever he wants.”
– Herro also has now converted a 3-pointer in the season’s first 40 games, having previously broken the longest such Heat 3-pointer streak to open a season, of 28 set in 1998-99 by Tim Hardaway.
– Flo Rida was among those in the house.
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