MIAMI – The context was one thing. The aggregation was another. And the fallout was something closer to clicks on steroids.
So, no, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro said, there was no cry for help during the Heat’s brief blowout of a playoff series, in the wake of Jimmy Butler’s suspensions and then casting aside by the team at the Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline.
Rather, Herro stressed, only a need for context.
In a deeply reported piece in The Athletic, after being asked to reflect on what could have been had Butler not left, Herro was quoted as saying, “Obviously, I know I need Jimmy to win. If we had Jimmy right now, I feel like it’d be a completely different situation. We probably wouldn’t even be the eighth seed. So finding that middle balance of like, damn, we need him, but also understanding, sh–, that’s his career and what he wants is ultimately his right to want what he wants. It was just tough to be in the middle of both sides.”
As the Heat cleaned out lockers at Kaseya Center and met with the media, Herro answered a question asking him to clarify the reported comment.
“It was obviously taken out of context,” he said. “I was asked a question after Game 2, I believe. But the question was asked as if it was February or January or December, when that stuff was going on. I would never . . . I don’t care if we were 0-82, I would never come out and say I need someone else to win.
“That’s just my personality. That’s who I am as a competitor. I think I can do it, obviously with my teammates and coaching staff. But I would never come out and say I need somebody else to win in this league.”
Before meeting with the media, in the wake of only parts of his comment in The Athletic being reported on vicarious hype sites, Herro posted on an Instagram account, “Dude asked me a question in the timeframe of Jan-Feb when the ‘jimmy saga’ was happening. I said I had came into the season thinking I was playing off of Jimmy, to him getting traded and I had to switch my mindset from needing Jimmy to me being the lead guy, and I spoke about the things I learned from JB. Never said I need anyone to win games. Y’all tripping.”
Love’s launch
In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, the Kevin Love Fund, founded by the veteran Heat center, on Thursday announced the launch of an evidence-based mental health program designed specifically for athletes.
According to the fund, “This free curriculum helps athletes explore their identities beyond sport, manage performance anxiety, and express their emotions in healthy, constructive ways. Developed in collaboration with sports psychologists, educators, and former athletes, this first-of-its-kind initiative provides coaches and mentors with actionable tools to support the whole athlete – not just the competitor on the field.”
Love, who was away from the Heat during the postseason, announced over the weekend the passing of his father, former NBA player Stan Love.
“As athletes, so much of our identity is tied to our sport. We eat, sleep, breathe our game, but at some point, every athlete has to transition,” Love said in a statement announcing his fund’s new program. “I spent years thinking my only value came from basketball. I didn’t know how to talk about what I was feeling or who I was outside of it. That’s why this program is so important. It helps athletes realize they are more than what they do on the court or field.”
More information about the program and the curriculum are available at kevinlovefund.org/learn-more/.