5 Main Comments from Post-Game Media Scrum with Spoelstra, Butler, Adebayo

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After the Heat’s impressive win against Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, a joyful Heat team talked with some media about the game and their chances going forward. Here’s what they had to say…

Post-Game Comment #1:

Jimmy Butler seemed pretty happy with how the team played in their first official game back, especially in the second half. Jimmy said, “We didn’t play our style in the first half.” It was pretty clear that they began to play their style in the second half, when they began to knock down their threes and most importantly attack the basket. This evidently lead to getting to the free throw line, which is definitely Jimmy’s “style.” He also mentioned that they had the mentality of not being complacent. It’s pretty tough to be complacent on this roster with the amount of leadership on the floor.

Post-Game Comment #2:

Bam Adebayo seemed pretty confident in this Heat team’s chances after the game. Bam said, “I feel we can go against everybody.” This attitude seems pretty familiar. Jimmy Butler had said that he felt they can win a championship a few days ago. And that’s because they play on a team with a winning mentality. It is true that they can go against anybody, but they will only go as far as Bam Adebayo takes them. If he plays the way he did today, they’ll be a tough out in this year’s playoffs.

Post-Game Comment #3:

After another offensive display by Duncan Robinson, Jimmy Butler talked a little about his impact. Jimmy said, “We told Duncan it’s okay to dribble the ball once or twice.” This was pretty clear in today’s game. Duncan seemed much more comfortable in all of the other aspects of the game. His passing improved, his shot-creating improved, and even cut to the basket more times than normal. Jimmy also said that he’s “not just a shooter,” which is something that’s been taken for granted this season. Jimmy ends with “I’m glad he’s on my team.”

Post-Game Comment #4:

Bam Adebayo talked about their defensive strategy when he was on the floor with Jae Crowder. He said, “It became a hassle for the other team.” This was one of the major reasons that their perimeter defense was much better today. After Coach Spo started Jae Crowder over Meyers Leonard, it added much more versatility, and clearly helped Bam Adebayo on the defensive end. Bam also talked about his conditioning in the game. He said, “I did get a little winded,” which will slowly improve the more games they play.

Post-Game Comment #5:

Coach Spo talked about Meyers Leonard regarding a couple of different topics. He began saying, “This is one game. I have not forgotten about Meyers.” He will definitely be utilized based on different match-ups, especially against Brook Lopez and the Milwaukee Bucks. Spo also talked about Meyers standing for the National Anthem. He said, “He has the backing of everyone in the locker room. Everyone knows where his heart is.” Meyers has repeated supported this movement throughout the process and will continue to do so, but will clearly do it in a way that he feels comfortable.

5 Takeaways from Heat’s win against the Denver Nuggets

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The Miami Heat faced off against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday afternoon, which was the first official game of the NBA restart for Miami. The Heat came away with the win 125-105, while the Heat seemed to clean up all of their offensive and defensive issues. Here’s my 5 takeaways from this Heat win…

#1: Bam Adebayo displays his offensive importance.

Bam Adebayo is a clear defensive minded player, which we’ve seen against all types of match-ups all season. But, he showed his offensive importance in today’s game against Nikola Jokic the best way he knows how to. Attacking weaknesses. Bam began to attack the basket on Jokic to start the game, since he lacks on the defensive end. This isn’t all he did for the Heat on offense though. He’s the most important player on the team without the ball in his hands. His off ball screens, on ball screens, and cutting to the basket was all on display today. He’s also an offensive player that is impacted by confidence. When he gets going early, it’s pretty much a wrap for his opponent on defense.

#2: Duncan Robinson continues to be much more than a shooter.

It’s pretty obvious Duncan is one of the league’s best three point shooters. But, he continues to show the improvements in the other aspects of the game, especially his passing. Bam Adebayo has played a major role in the improvements in his play-making. Bam and Duncan have been deadly off of dribble hand-offs this season, but they are starting to expand this scheme even more. After defenders have learned not to leave any space between Duncan Robinson, he has learned to not only make the pass to Bam, but sell the shot. This is the first time he’s showcased this side of his game, since he’s getting much more comfortable with his shot faking. Now the only thing left for him to improve is on the defensive side of the ball.

#3: Heat’s efficient free-throw shooting holds more importance than usual.

The biggest thing you can takeaway from this game is the amount of foul calls. This is most likely due to the no fans aspect, since referees can hear everything on the floor. And well, this seems to favor Miami. Jimmy Butler has had no problem attacking the basket and getting to the line all season, but what was key today is the fact that he was knocking them down. The Heat went 32/37 from the free throw line, which seems to be much more important than usual. And when the game slows down even more in the playoffs, we may see even more foul calls, especially with the many physical players on this Heat roster.

#4: Erik Spoelstra’s tinkering with Heat’s rotation pays off. 

It was a bit of a surprise that Erik Spoelstra took Meyers Leonard out of the rotation for Jae Crowder, since that starting lineup had such success this season. But, it seemed to payoff since Crowder hit some big shots in the third quarter, which played a major role in expanding the lead. Spoelstra also seems to play guys that perform well together. This includes Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk, Bam Adebayo and Duncan Robinson, and Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro. This is why those scrimmage games were so important for Miami. It gave Erik Spoelstra a sample of what to expect in this environment and forced him to adjust, which is something he does better than any coach in the league.

#5: Miami shows improvements with perimeter defense.

The Heat have known that their biggest issue this season has been perimeter defense. But, they seemed to polish this up a bit today against Denver. The Nuggets shot 8/35 from deep, which definitely makes the Heat feel good after those sloppy scrimmage games. This may be due to the rotation change that Spoelstra made, replacing Meyers Leonard with Jae Crowder. The more versatility on the floor, the less your defense will struggle. Even Duncan Robinson showed some good defensive stretches throughout this game. These defensive improvements may have a little something to do with the lack of shooting in the rotation for Denver, due to Jamal Murray, Gary Harris, and Will Barton not playing. Either way, this gives this Heat team confidence and momentum heading into three straight games against the top 3 teams in the East.

5 Things to Watch in Miami Heat’s First Official Game

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The Miami Heat will be playing their first official regular season game of the NBA restart on Saturday against the Denver Nuggets. The Nuggets are a tough game to start out against for the Heat since they are pretty strong defensively. Well, here’s some things to look out for in Saturday’s game…

#1: The Heat need good interior defense to beat this Nuggets team.

The Miami Heat have struggled this season with their perimeter defense, mostly at the point of attack. Well, this Denver Nuggets team will challenge them on the interior. Miami’s bigs will have to deal with not only one of the best centers in the league in Nikola Jokic, but also the rest of their lengthy bigs off of the bench. Meyers Leonard will probably see most of the match-up against Jokic, but Bam will probably get some possessions on him in the fourth quarter. The containment of Jokic in this game is important since this is a similar match-up they may see in a series against Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers. Instead of countering Nikola Jokic all game with Meyers Leonard, Erik Spoelstra will need to go stretches with Bam as the center, since he can attack Jokic’s weaknesses on defense.

#2: Kendrick Nunn getting back to his old self.

Kendrick Nunn has been trying to get back into mid-season form since arriving to the bubble late after testing positive for Covid-19. He was a little rusty in the two scrimmage games he played, but the more games he plays, the better he will look. In the second scrimmage, Kendrick scored 5 points on 29% shooting, and in the third scrimmage he scored 6 points on 20% shooting. He will definitely look to pick that back up, especially since he will be out there on the floor with one of the most productive starting lineups in the league. He also is a major part of the offense since he can attack the rim and control the mid-range, which is something the Heat haven’t done a lot of on offense in these scrimmage games.

#3: Miami’s offensive players will receive more minutes.

As mentioned previously, Miami’s defense has been the biggest problem throughout the season, but their offense has enough firepower to exceed their defensive struggles in this game. This is because Denver has seemed to have the exact opposite problem than the Heat. Denver has been pretty strong defensively this season, but has struggled at times on offense. The Nugget’s offense only goes as far as Jamal Murray takes them, which may be a problem for the Heat since they’ve struggled against similar guards. But, Miami will most likely look to beat this team the way they know how to. Shooting the ball. For example, we will probably see more Kelly Olynyk minutes than Derrick Jones Jr minutes since they will just try to straight up outscore this Denver team.

#4: Heat’s depth must outweigh Denver’s depth.

One of Miami’s biggest strengths of the team has been their solid depth. But, Denver is one of those teams that has pretty solid depth themselves. They do have a lot of guys injured at the moment, which may hurt their depth, but they have the kind of role players that seem to break out against the Heat. Miami’s bench will need to outperform Denver’s bench if they want to win this game. Plain and simple. The Nugget’s offense has tailed off this season when the bench unit enters the floor, which it seems as if it improves when Miami does it at times. If Goran Dragic, Tyler Herro, Jae Crowder, and others can get a rhythm going early, they will most likely win this game. But on the other hand, if Denver’s bench out performs Miami, it’ll be a hard game to win once NIkola Jokic and Jamal Murray enter back in.

#5: A Jimmy Butler offensive display.

Jimmy Butler has shown that his strengths are basically everything other than scoring this year, since he can play-make and defend at such an elite level. Well, he showed what he can do offensively in the last scrimmage game when he scored 18 points 80% shooting. This is what the Heat need Jimmy to do once the postseason comes around. The team trusts him scoring the ball, the coaches trust him scoring the ball, the fans trust him shooting the ball. But, Jimmy needs to trust himself scoring the ball. He obviously needs to continue to play-make and defend as his number one option, but will need to have scoring confidence at ends of games when the team needs him. If Miami begins to have trouble with Denver’s physical defense, look for Jimmy Butler to step up as the elite scorer that he is in this game.

Pat Venditte

Marlins Roster Updates Amid COVID Outbreak

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The Miami Marlins haven’t played since last Sunday. The game, which has become the source of national consternation, went on despite the beginnings of the COVID outbreak and ended with an 11-6 Marlins win. According to reports, both MLB and the Phillies were aware of the positive tests and still elected to play the game.

The story of the Marlins COVID outbreak is now subject to both an internal team investigation as well as one by MLB. While there’ve been some wildly irresponsible accusations and speculation by some members in the media, no evidence of wrongdoing has come to light.

Good News Amid the Marlins COVID outbreak

As of the latest round of testing, a 17th Marlins player saw a positive result. In good news, though, one of the two coaches who had previously tested positive has since tested negative.

Additional good news came out last night when OF Harold Ramirez, during an interview with Telemundo, revealed experiencing just light symptoms. Ramirez went on to say none of the other players were experiencing symptoms.

“Thank God I feel a little better,” Ramirez said. “I don’t have a cough anymore. And my body aches have gone away.”

The team remains sequestered in a pair of hotels in Philadelphia, and should Thursday’s tests come back with no additional positives, they could begin the process of arranging travel back to South Florida.

Miguel Rojas took to Twitter Thursday to thank Marlins fans and reassure them he’s looking forward to getting back on the field.

The Phillies, meanwhile, are facing a potential outbreak of their own. Reports today revealed Philadelphia’s series with the Blue Jays has been postponed following a pair of positive tests for the Phillies (a coach and a home clubhouse attendant).

Initial Roster Moves

All of this will eventually lead to several roster moves by the Marlins. As of Thursday afternoon, the team had only moved C Jorge Alfaro, 1B/RF Garrett Cooper, Ramirez and SP José Ureña to the 10-day Injured List. SS Miguel Rojas and SP Sandy Alcantara have also been reported as players who’ve tested positive.

On Monday, the team announced the addition of two pitchers via waivers, RHP Justin Shafer and LHP Josh D. Smith. Shafer is a South Florida native and Smith pitched for the Marlins in 2019.

Shafer made 40 relief appearances for the Blue Jays over the last two seasons. He sports a 3.75 ERA with 41 K and 32 BB over 41 IP. Smith pitched six games for Miami in 2019 and posted an 8.31 ERA. He surrendered four earned runs over 4.1 IP. The Marlins have another Josh Smith, Josh A. Smith, in the 60-man player pool as well.

Miami also signed minor league free agent outfielder Travis Snider, who last played in MLB in 2015. Over an eight-year career, Snider played 630 games and hit 54 home runs. His slash line in 2015, his last year in the Majors, is .232/.315/.350.

 

A day later, the Marlins announced they claimed RHP Mike Morin off waivers from Milwaukee. Over a six-year MLB career, the righty Morin has appeared for five different clubs, posting a 4.65 ERA.

Marlins Latest Roster Additions

A busy day unfolded for the team on Thursday as well. The Marlins have reportedly signed utility infielder Logan Forsythe, as well as a pair of former Marlins in C Wilkin Castillo and RP Pat Venditte.

Forsythe is a 9-year MLB vet who’s played for five different teams. His career slash line is .246/.327/.360. In 2019 with the Texas Rangers, Forsythe struggled, posting a .227/.325/.678 slash line with seven HR and 39 RBI. He has 42 career steals in 58 attempts.

Defensively, Forsythe provided positional flexibility. He’s made 643 appearances at second base, 143 at third, 75 at first and 36 at shortstop. He has 21 appearances in the outfield as well.

Two Former Marlins Return

Wilkin Castillo’s signing signals the return of a former Marlin. Castillo spent most of 2019 with the Marlins’ Triple-A affiliate New Orleans, but he played two games for Miami. He went 1-for-7 with two RBI. His 6/22/19 start came nearly 10 years to the day (6/20/09) of his last MLB appearance.

Castillo’s primary position remains catcher, but he’s played every other position on the field during his career. He’s made five pitching appearances and has two career wins in the minors. He’s played at every position on the field as well. His addition provides depth at the position, considering prospect C Will Banfield remains on the IL.

For Venditte, his signing marks a return after parting ways with Miami earlier in the Spring. At 35-tears-old, Venditte remains one of the most unique players in MLB history. He’s a “switch pitcher,” meaning he has the ability to work off the mound with either arm, depending upon the handedness of the hitter.

Venditte’s career ERA sits at 5.03 over 68 innings pitched. He’s another MLB-experienced arm to add to a Marlins pitching staff that must have been decimated by the COVID outbreak.

These additions to the pitching staff could prove particularly valuable if and when the Marlins resume their season after the COVID outbreak is contained. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Thursday afternoon that the MLB and MLBPA on an agreement to adjust the length of double-headers to seven innings apiece. Double-headers will likely be a regular feature in any version of the schedule when the Marlins resume play.

This potential change comes on the heels of a change to the MLB’s protocols. The change to the protocol involves the use of surgical masks while traveling and the addition of a protocol compliance officer.

5 Key Moments from Media Availability with Spoelstra, Dragic, DJJ

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The Miami Heat had an earlier practice than usual on Thursday, while other teams are preparing for the first regular season game of the restart tonight. This was the first official practice for the Heat that will prepare them for these types of regular season games. Well, here’s what they had to say about their preparation for Saturday against the Denver Nuggets…

Post-Practice Comment #1:

Coach Erik Spoelstra talks a little about the preparation for these regular season games coming up. He says the plan is to “adjust and play the depth as necessary.” This is definitely a major advantage for the Heat, as mentioned many times. It seems pretty clear that depth is the biggest strength of their team. Sometimes it seems as if Spoelstra has a little too much depth to mess around with, but this is definitely a good problem to have in this format. He also says “I have to remain open to pivot as needed.” Spoelstra is one of the only coaches that have the ability to adjust quickly and succeed at it. As there’s been many different x-factors discussed for this season, Spoelstra may be the biggest one.

Post-Practice Comment #2:

Goran Dragic seems pretty excited to get back out their on the court with the team in games that count. He said, “I can’t wait to start.” He also mentions that today’s practice was really intense, which means they’re starting to ramp stuff up a little more. These practices are being utilized right now as a type of scouting format. The coaching staff is trying to find the guys that are in the best shape right now and who they can trust. This very well may be Goran Dragic. As mentioned before, it’s been very obvious that veterans are made for this format more than young guys. Plus, Goran is one of the Heat’s primary play-makers, which will begin to be needed more and more over the course of the next few weeks.

Post-Practice Comment #3:

Derrick Jones Jr got to talk with some media today after practice as well. He starts it off discussing the Heat’s primary struggle. Defense. He said, “We just got to get a little bit better rhythm playing together. Just getting locked in on defense.” Derrick Jones Jr is one of the few guys on the roster that has the ability to fix this problem. It’s been obvious that the defensive struggles have come from the lack of defense from the Heat’s guards. And well, DJJ has the ability to match-up against other guards, which he mentions, “I want to guard the best player every night.” But, there’s a lot of question marks around what he will be able to offer offensively. It seems pretty clear that Spo will have to make a decision on what he wants to prioritize.

Post-Practice Comment #4:

Spoelstra talks a little about the importance of these scrimmage games for this Heat team. He says, “We didn’t play particularly well in our last game, but there were moments in each game where we made progress.” The Heat’s final scrimmage game was definitely a bad note to leave on, but as Spoelstra said, they’re focusing on the positive moments. These scrimmages have helped Spoelstra find the right lineups, defensive schemes, and mainly the type of environment. Last game’s disaster may be the best thing that could’ve happened to the team, since that makes them practice that much harder and truly understand what it takes to win these games.

Post-Practice Comment #5:

The Miami Heat have just released some new shirts on the social justice issues. The team wore them in practice today, which include “Enough is enough,” “Silence is compliance,” and much more. Derrick Jones Jr talked a little about the shirts, saying “I love it.” He says there are some people that aren’t very comfortable speaking about this matter, so the shirt does the talking for them. Erik Spoelstra also spoke about these shirts, saying “This is the shirt that resonates with me,” when speaking about the “Silence is compliance” shirt he was wearing. This team continues to be vocal with their stance on social justice aspects, which is one of the main reasons they wanted to get back onto the highest stage possible.

ACC announces revised schedule model; season start date pushed to 9/7

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Amidst all of the uncertainty in college football having a 2020 season, the ACC announced a revised plan that will have each team playing 10 games in-conference as well as one with an out-of-conference opponent. The OOC opponent is to the ACC team’s choosing and each team’s OOC matchup will take place in the home state of the ACC team. It is 11 games over a span of 13 weeks, with two dates meant to be kept open. 

In a big but somewhat expected move, Notre Dame will “join” the ACC for scheduling this year and as a result, all teams in the conference will get a share of the TV revenue from the Fighting Irish. 

 

Essentially, instead of the ACC being originally divided into two, it is now one big conference of 15 teams. 

 

In addition, the schedules of all teams will now start on September 7th and the two teams with the best winning percentage will advance to the ACC Championship game in Charlotte. That game will take place on either December 12th or the 19th.

 

“Today’s decision was made after months of thoughtful planning by numerous individuals throughout the conference,” ACC Commissioner John Swofford said in a statement released by the conference. “The Board’s decision presents a path, if public health guidance allows, to move forward with competition. Our institutions are committed to taking the necessary measures to facilitate the return in a safe and responsible manner. We recognize that we may need to be nimble and make adjustments in the future. We will be as prepared as possible should that need arise.”

 

For Manny Diaz and the Canes, this involves quite a number of changes.

 

For starters, Miami’s home opponents in 2020 are now Florida State, Georgia Tech, Pittsburgh, North Carolina, and Virginia.

 

On the road, the Canes have to be ready for Clemson, Louisville, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, and NC State. 

 

Miami now loses its originally scheduled four OOC games against Temple, Wagner, UAB, and Michigan State, but it could reach out to any one of those teams as long as they are willing to meet the ACC Medical Protocol as well as play in the state of Florida. 

 

The official week-by-week schedule as well as broadcasting information will be released in the near future. 

 

Although it is a bit shocking that the ACC did not create a Miami-Notre Dame matchup, considering the long-storied history between the two teams, Miami AD Blake James brought up that the ACC was doing its best to ensure an even strength of schedule amongst the entire conference. 

 

In other news, some of Miami’s players are on campus and working out, including newly-named starting QB D’Eriq King and WR Mike Harley. 

Five Takeaways from Brian Flores (Including Tua Cleared)

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Earlier today, Brian Flores spoke with the media about QB Tua Tagovailoa, Covid-19, and the 2020 NFL season.

As players and coaches return to team facilities, one thing is clear. The beginning of the 2020 NFL season is officially upon us.

That’s right, folks.

Football is back.

And in an offseason without preseason, open practices, and other football activities–it’s going to be challenging to get a real grasp of this team and roster. This means we will have to rely heavily on the media and interviews with the players and coaches to dissect what is truly going on with this team.

So, today when Dolphins’ head coach Brian Flores met with South Florida media. Many were listening. What would the leader of the Miami Dolphins have to say about the many issues heading into the 2020 season? Covid-19? His rookie quarterback?

Here are five takeaways from Brian Flores press conference 

 

Takeaway #1

What coach said:

What I heard:

Tua is all systems go. Which is what we’ve heard over the last several months from Tua and his representatives. This, now being confirmed by the Dolphins, is enormous. Not only could he technically play IF he had to, but he’s ready to go out there and compete for the starting job. Which is exactly what he’ll do, according to Brian Flores. All that truly matters, however, is that Tagovailoa is ready to go.

Takeaway #2

What coach said:

What I heard: 

As we’ve become accustomed to, no job is truly safe. Flores wants the best players playing. And if a seasoned veteran gets dethroned by a hungry young rookie, the best player will play. That goes for every position, although all eyes will be on quarterback. Tua Tagovailoa will need to get acclimated to the system at a rapid pace, and Ryan Fitzpatrick will be right next to him every step of the way. Miami won’t rush Tua, but if the better talent is expected, it play. It probably won’t be very long before that’s the Hawaiian Prince.

Takeaway #3

What coach said:

 

What I heard:

Football players are just like the rest of us. This means for the 2020 NFL season to start, sacrifices will have to be made. That goes for every coach, player, staff, and employee of the Miami Dolphins. Everyone should be wearing a mask, social distancing, and taking precautions to keep the players and their families safe.

Takeaway #4

What coach said:

What I heard:

This offseason is going to be different. Like I mentioned before, there is no preseason. Hell, the roster was cut to 80 players before teams could even report. It’s a different time. And a lot of these players are going to make the roster based on their reps in practice, drills, etc… Players have to earn their roster spot. It won’t be easy. Only the best will survive.

Takeaway #5

What coach said:

What I heard:

Xavien Howard will not be rushed back and is currently slated to start the season on the PUP list. X is making progress and has been rehabbing all summer, but may not be ready to play. Could this be the reason Miami drafted Noah Igbinoghene? Is Nik Needham the next guy up to play opposite of Byron Jones? Or could the Dolphins bring in Logan Ryan, a player Brian Flores is very familiar with? If Howard isn’t ready to go by week 1, things are going to look much different in Miami’s secondary.

Brian Flores and the Miami Dolphins appear as ready as they can be for the 2020 NFL season to kickoff. And with lots of uncertainty surrounding the team, in the middle of a global pandemic, should make for one of the more memorable seasons in recent memory. Now, all we can do is sit back, relax, and get some popcorn ready. Football is here. And before we know it, the Tua Tagovailoa era will be upon us.

Marlins outbreak

Updates on Marlins COVID Outbreak

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The Miami Marlins are in uncharted territory. The team landed in Philadelphia last Thursday and haven’t left since. They could be there through Sunday considering MLB has paused Miami’s season as the Marlins deal with this COVID outbreak.

The details of this story continue to change, but here’s what we know so far.

15 of the 33 players on the Marlins roster, and two members of the staff, have reportedly tested positive for the virus. MLB Network’s Jon Heyman reported Miguel Rojas as one of the new positives. Rojas leads the NL with a .700 batting average, .750 OBP, 1.300 slugging percentage, 2.050 OPS and .476 OPS-plus.

The team remains quarantined in their Philadelphia hotel awaiting results of the latest round of testing. The Marlins took the opening series of the year against the Phillies 2-1. They won’t play again until at least next Tuesday.

MLB’s Statement

In a statement this afternoon, the league said: “Given the current circumstances, MLB believes that it is most prudent to allow the Marlins time to focus on providing care for their players and planning their Baseball Operations for a resumption early next week.”

MLB postponed this week’s series between the Phillies and the Yankees. New York will instead play the Orioles on Wednesday and Thursday.

The Marlins are scheduled to host the Phillies in Miami Tuesday, but it remains unclear whether they’ll be allowed to play.

Andy Slater reported earlier today that Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the Marlins should follow the quarantine protocols (14 days) upon returning to South Florida. However, Florida governor Ron DeSantis put an exception in place for sports teams to travel in and out of the state without quarantining.

 

MLB said in their statement that more than 6,400 tests have been conducted since July 24th and, other than Miami, no franchise has seen a positive test. However, to think this will be unique to one club seems naïve.

Marlins Roster Moves

If the Marlins get to their game next Tuesday and have to play, they’ll need to fill out their roster. Over the last few days, the team has claimed three relief pitchers off waivers and signed a minor league free agent. All four of these new players have been added to the team’s 40-man roster.

The Marlins will need to move additional players to the IL in order to create more space on the 40-man. So far, only Jorge Alfaro, Garrett Cooper, Harold Ramirez and Jose Urena have been placed on the 10-day IL.

The players added so far are: OF Travis Snider, RHP Justin Shafer, LHP Josh D. Smith and RHP Mike Morin.

Snider last played in MLB in 2015. He signed as a minor league free agent and could play either corner outfield spot. Over an eight-year career, Snider played 630 games and hit 54 home runs. His slash line in 2015, his last year in the Majors, is .232/.315/.350.

Miami claimed a pair of pitches off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds. Shafer is a South Florida native and played collegiately at the University of Florida. Shafer made 40 relief appearances for the Blue Jays over the last two seasons. He sports a 3.75 ERA with 41 K and 32 BB over 41 IP.

The other Red added to the roster is a former Marlin. Josh D. Smith pitched six games for Miami in 2019 and posted an 8.31 ERA. He surrendered four earned runs over 4.1 IP. The Marlins have another Josh Smith, Josh A. Smith, in the 60-man player pool as well.

Morin comes to the Marlins via Milwaukee. Over a six-year MLB career, the righty Morin has appeared for five different clubs, posting a 4.65 ERA.

Possible Call-Ups

A number of position players at the team’s alternate training site in Jupiter awaited a call-up. Lewis Brinson has worked out after missing all of the summer camp due to COVID-related issues. He’s almost certainly to be among the call-ups.

The same can likely be said of Jordan Yamamoto. A surprise option to Jupiter, Yamamoto started 15 games for the Marlins in 2019. He had a blistering start to his career, with back-to-back starts of seven scoreless innings, but he struggled to end the year. He finished 4-5 with a 4.46 ERA and couldn’t win the fifth starter spot out of summer camp.

Monte Harrison could make his MLB debut. One of the last cuts of summer camp, Harrison sports power and speed as an outfield prospect. A wrist injury late in 2019 kept Harrison from joining the team last September.

Among the other position prospects on the 40-man roster are 1B Lewin Diaz, RF Jesus Sanchez and SS Jazz Chisholm.

Marlins CEO Derek Jeter’s Statement

On Tuesday, Marlins CEO Derek Jeter released a statement as well.

“We continue to take this entire situation very seriously. All of our players, coaches and staff are, understandably, having a difficult time enduring this experience. After receiving additional test results on our Major League team this morning, we reached out to the Commissioner’s Office with concern for the health and safety of our team as well as our opponents.

“We have moved to a daily testing schedule while we isolate and quarantine appropriately, along with enacting additional preventive procedures with our traveling party. We look forward to safely returning to Miami where we conducted a successful and healthy Spring 2.0 before departing on the road and experiencing challenges. For the time being, we will remain in Philadelphia and gather information in order to make informed decisions and prepare for our return to action next week.”

Beyond all of this, another frustrating element of the coverage has been the lack of respect for the Marlins. Both ESPN and Twitter have published content with Miami’s old logo. The team switched its logo and primary colors in November of 2018.

Check out our discussion on YouTube from this afternoon:

5 Takeaways from Heat’s Loss in Final Scrimmage Game

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The Miami Heat had quite a rough showing in their final scrimmage game against the Memphis Grizzlies. Miami lost 128-110, which left the team with a negative note heading into the regular season games. Here are my five takeaways from this game…

#1: Defense continues to look problematic.

Miami’s defense has been one of the biggest questions for the Heat heading into the bubble. And well, this still stands. Perimeter defense has been the biggest problem since there’s a lack of defensive guards on this Heat team. Jimmy Butler and Derrick Jones Jr will definitely get a load of opposing team’s back-courts due to the lack of point of attack defense. There was also some trouble with interior defense since there was a physical big on the court in Jonas Valanciunas. But the biggest takeaway is something that Duncan Robinson said after the game, “defensive connection.” This seemed to be the major defensive issue in today’s performance.

#2: Turnovers are Miami’s biggest downfall.

Turnovers are just one of the issues in tonight’s performance, but it’s something we’ve seen in all three scrimmages. Most of these turnovers seem to come from costly and forced passes. This may be due to the fact that guys like Jimmy are trying to get everyone back in rhythm, since he had 5 turnovers in today’s scrimmage. It also may be due to the increased speed in these games in the bubble. These games are much like summer league games, which is a constant display of pushing the ball. More offensive possessions means more turnovers. Either way, this is something the Heat will need to touch up while they get closer and closer to the postseason.

#3: Veterans hold the Heat’s key to success.

There was a lot of discussion before play began in the bubble on whether veterans or young guys would benefit more. Well, these scrimmages have proved that its veterans definitely benefit much more. Many believe this is just an experience thing, but I think it may be due to no fans in the stands. These young guys are so used to feeding off of the crowd. One example would be Tyler Herro. Most of his impressive scoring stretches this year have been at home games, and at times when the crowd is into the game. This just proves that their should never be a time when one of Jimmy Butler, Andre Igyuodala, and Goran Dragic are not on the court.

#4: Spoelstra is still finding lineups with chemistry.

During these three scrimmage games, there’s been certain lineups that just don’t fit well together. Guys like Jae Crowder and Kelly Olynyk, or Duncan Robinson and Bam Adebayo, have proved to have natural chemistry and efficiency when on the court together. But, it’s been obvious that Goran Dragic and Kendrick Nunn don’t have the best of numbers when they share the court. This is definitely something that Coach Spo has kept track of. Also, the zone defense is definitely impressive at times, but should only be used with certain lineups. There’s been many times where they put their defensive wings up top, but leave Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic down low. This lead to many points in the paint, and will continue to be problematic if not utilized correctly.

#5: Jimmy Butler looked smooth on offense.

Although Jimmy Butler only played 22 minutes today, he put on one of his best offensive showings in a while. But the most essential part about it was the efficiency. Efficiency has been in question when talking abut Jimmy Butler, especially since he’s become more of a play-maker than a scorer with the Heat. This may be due to Bam Adebayo returning to the lineup alongside Jimmy, which they played most of their minutes together on the floor today. If Jimmy could keep this up on the offensive side of the ball and the Heat can polish up on defense, they will be a tough out come playoff time.

5 Main Comments from Media Scrum with Spoelstra, Adebayo, Crowder

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The Heat had another late practice Monday night, in preparation for the Heat’s third and final scrimmage game. Coach Erik Spoelstra gave a clearer outlook on the Heat’s lineup for the scrimmage game, while Bam Adebayo touched on a much more important topic. Here’s what they had to say…

Comment #1:

Erik Spoelstra talked about the return of Bam Adebayo to the lineup after he tested positive for corona virus. He said, “He’s had several good days of rock solid work.” This was one of the main reasons Bam didn’t play Saturday. He had just arrived and didn’t have a chance to get in game shape. But now, he’s starting to look like he’s in mid-season form since he stayed in shape during the hiatus. Spoelstra also adds, “He will play.” This is one of the biggest things Heat fans want to get a look at again. They want to see their developing superstar back out their on the court wearing that red and black.

Comment #2:

Spoelstra mentions that everyone will be available tomorrow for the scrimmage, except rookie KZ Okpala. This seems to clear up a lot of misconception for Heat fans since they’ve been waiting to see him get some minutes. It’s like fans fully expect him to be a star, and how can you blame them since it seems every young guy the Heat get turns into one. KZ will most likely not see the court during their time in the bubble, but it’s probably for the best. Not only give him time to fully heal, but also time to fully understand the league. Duncan Robinson didn’t see the court in his rookie year, which he spent doing exactly what Okpala is doing now. Don’t be surprised if KZ Okpala comes out of no where next year to be a key player off the bench.

Comment #3:

Spoelstra talks about how this environment has been treating them and what he expects from the team. He begins saying that he’s been telling players to leave their rooms or stop playing video games. This almost seems as if this was aimed at a particular person. Maybe not. But either way, as long as they are producing on the court, that’s all that really matters. He also says he suggested players to go out and play golf. Goran Dragic seemed to take advantage of the opportunity which he played golf for the first time ever. Spoelstra ends with, “It’s been easier to focus on your team. And even for the guys. Life is simple here.” Although it’s all focus for this Heat team, this may not be the case for every team in the bubble. The teams still here in October will be lead by guys that are the most mentally tough and “focused.”

Comment #4:

Jae Crowder got to discuss tomorrow’s scrimmage as well, which he seems to know a lot about. When Jae talked about playing his old team in Memphis, he said “I’m going to take it very serious.” He adds that they want to put it together as a team and play the right way in these games. Kelly Olynyk has seemed to “play the right way” in these games, which Jae said has really helped him out with the second unit. He raves about Kelly’s versatility since they can use different sets against other defenses. He also began to rave about Tyler Herro, which he said his confidence is what surprised him so much. What I took from what Jae said during this time is his positivity in himself with the second unit. Between his high praise in Kelly and Tyler, and his learning from Goran and Andre, he truly believes this will be a X-factor for this team.

Comment #5:

Bam Adebayo got to talk with some media tonight as well, but in a much different sense. He took the road of answering every question with getting justice for Breonna Taylor. Getting this message across to both media and fans is truly essential. He wants to make sure that this stays on people’s minds, especially since this is a much more important discussion than talking about how practice went. Bam and others have been vocally active on social justice issues since their arrival, which is the main goal for the NBA as a whole during their time in the bubble. Bam ends with the quote that everybody not only needs to support, but act upon. “Black Lives Matter, people.”