Heat do the impossible, deal Whiteside, get value

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“There are obstacles, but there are no obstacles.”

It didn’t make sense when Pat Riley said it a little over a week ago. In fact, it was so odd that it made some Miami Heat fans angry.

Anyone want to offer Riley an apology?

He told you that the Heat could move their worst contracts if necessary.

(He also told you that Hassan Whiteside would come to camp and compete and that  Goran Dragic was his starting point guard, but I told you to ignore all of that.)

 

Today, Riley and the Heat dealt one of the worst fits for their culture in recent memory, sending Whiteside to Portland for Meyers Leonard and Maurice Harkless. Who the Heat got back almost doesn’t matter, though both Leonard and Harkless are better complimentary fits here, provided neither is dealt elsewhere. The point here is, Whiteside had to go. It was long past time. And it was unfair to Erik Spoelstra to put him through another season of managing his situation.

We agree with that more than this…

 

It’s not surprising that the Blazers wanted Whiteside. They wanted to max him in 2016, when the Heat probably should have let them. And Jusuf Nurkic, their center, may miss significant time with a major injury. Whiteside is close with the Blazers’ elite backcourt, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.

It saves something else.

Us from having to watch players who didn’t care enough consistently.

Do you like the trade?

Apparently.

It’s polling 97-3 in favor on the @5ReasonsSports account.

The Jimmy Butler trade is now a Juwan-like mess

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There’s this perception that things comes easy for the Miami Heat, because of the historic coup of 2010.

That’s not really true, though.

Alonzo Mourning’s kidney disease, right as Pat Riley had given him an enhanced supporting cast.

Chris Bosh’s blood clots, on the very day Riley traded for Goran Dragic for pick-and-pop perfection.

And, of course, way back when, the time Riley said he had to go to a proctologist to get the 10-foot pole taken out of his rear, when David Stern took Juwan Howard away because of a salary cap technicality. The Heat did rebound well by scooping up Dan Majerle, and making some contending runs.

So here we are once more.

We thought Jimmy Butler was being sign-and-traded to the Heat, and he still might be, but there’s now a major snap. The Dallas Mavericks, the third team in the deal, weren’t on the same page as Miami. And reporters in Dallas say, because of it, the Mavericks’ current critical role in executing the overall deal is over.

At first, it appeared Goran Dragic was going to Dallas, though Dragic’s agent had not been informed.

But then…

And so…

This from the resident cap expert who focuses on the Heat:

 

More from other reporters, including the national guy who is most connected in Dallas:

But this is already so far down the road…

We will continue to update.

But the Heat appear to be stuck. They simply cannot allow the trade to be called off. Too much damage will be done to the fan base, but also to the players.

How do you bring your guys back now?

What do you tell Miami?

We, um, messed up?

Hey now, Sandy Alcantara is an All-Star

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The Miami Marlins called up Sandy Alcantara on June 28, 2018, for the first time since acquiring him along with Daniel Castano, Magneuris Sierra and Zac Gallen in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals for Marcel Ozuna.

One year later and he is heading to the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday, July 9, in Cleveland.

“I feel great,” Alcantara said. “I feel really happy to get to the All-Star [Game] and represent my team and my family.”

The 23-year-old right-hander has posted a 3.86 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in 13 starts this season and is the fifth Marlins’ rookie to make it to the All-Star Game, joining Alex Gonzalez (1999), Dontrelle Willis (2003), Dan Uggla (2006) and the late Jose Fernandez (2013).

“I’m really happy for Sandy,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said. “He’s a kid that we feel is getting better through the course of the season, from last year to this year. We still feel like this is the tip of the iceberg for him. Hopefully, it’s one of many.”

The fans picked the starters and the players voted for the reserves. The Commissioner’s Office was tasked with filling out both the National League and American League rosters, making sure that every team had at least one representative. The Marlins are in the middle of a rebuild under new ownership that centers around starting pitching so it was only fitting that one of their best pitchers received the honor.

Alcantara’s next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game.

Jon Berti

Jon Berti working his way back from injury but with no guarantees

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Jon Berti recently began his minor league rehab assignment in Triple-A New Orleans on Saturday and is expected to take it all the way into the MLB All-Star Break next week. He played centerfield and drove in a run his first game since injuring his quad. 

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said on Sunday that he read the report on Berti and received a text from New Orleans manager Keith Johnson first thing in the morning, saying that he played seven innings without setback.  

“He came out healthy and he looked pretty good,” Mattingly said. 

Just a few hours later, Berti hit two solo home runs to power New Orleans past Memphis 6-3. In 15 total games in the minors, Berti is hitting .302 with a 1.078 OPS. Those stats can be taken with a grain of salt, considering most of the players who had success in the Pacific Coast League received the call up to the big leagues and were unable to replicate that success.

Once Berti returns, his role is still a mystery. He was used as a utility infielder who has seen time at centerfield and slashed .268/.362/.463 in his last 15 games prior to his injury.

“Bert was good while he was here,” Mattingly said, “and it was unfortunate that he got hurt but now he’s got go get ready to play again and then we make decisions. So he’s going to have to be productive in what he’s doing. Obviously he’s on the IL but there’s no guarantee that he just starts here again. There’s different things you can do. I’m saying that in a bad way. It’s just that there’s no true plan. If Bert’s doing what he was doing before, he was having good at-bats for us, he was a spark in our lineup, a guy that could steal a bag. He knows how to play. There’s a lot of things to like but he’s got to get back to where he’s rolling again and then we can make a decision.”

JT Riddle was called back up to the Marlins on May 31. Through the month of June, he has batted .215 with a .647 OPS. All four of his home runs came in the final 10 days of the month, which counted for half of his hits. There isn’t a need for the Marlins to carry both Riddle and Berti so if he were to continue rolling through rehab a big decision will have to be made after the All-Star Game. 

Caleb Smith is ready to return

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Caleb Smith had his second minor league rehab start in Double-A Jacksonville on Sunday. He threw five innings, allowing four runs on four hits, including two home runs, and eight strikeouts in the Jumbo Shrimp’s 6-4 win over the Chattanooga Lookouts.

“He’s strong,” Jacksonville manager Kevin Randell said in his assessment of Smith. “Velocity’s good, location wasn’t as strong as the last outing, obviously. He gave up a couple home runs, no big deal. He’s out there just competing, getting his work in and he had good stuff tonight. He just left a couple pitches up.”

Miami Marlins manager Don Mattingly said the team wanted Smith to throw 90 pitches to build up arm strength in time for when he is activated from the 10-Day Injured List. Smith is likely to rejoin the team this coming week during their road trip at Washington and Atlanta.

“I’m not sure the exact day but his next (start) will be here,” Mattingly said.

Smith was one of the Marlins top starting pitchers until inflammation in his left hip sidelined him for almost a month. Up until June 7, he had a 3.41 ERA, a 1.02 WHIP, an opposing batting average of .198 and 82 strikeouts in 66 innings over 12 starts. He’d most like be an All-Star selection had it not been for the injury.

Elieser Hernandez has pitched in Smith’s place and has gone 1-2 with a 4.07 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 24.1 innings. Zack Gallen and Jordan Yamomoto have also been called up for the first time in their respective careers and pitched in place for Pablo Lopez and Jose Urena. Hernandez spent much of his rookie year in the Marlins bullpen so there’s a possibility that he has earned his place on the roster and is better served to return to the bullpen instead of going back to Triple-A New Orleans.

“It could be either way,” Mattingly said. “It’s been something that we talked about and it’s probably going to go back to what’s best for each guy and what’s best for the organization. Is it best for him to be in the bullpen not pitching very often or is it best for him to get the ball every five days and continue to grow? So that’s going to be the question that we talk about within the organization, development and what’s best for that individual’s development.”

One other factor is which of the young starters are under an innings limit. So far there have been no indication of such so if that’s not going to be used as a motivating factor to move towards the bullpen then a return to New Orleans for one of the three (likely Hernandez) is in order.

 

The Miami Heat are acquiring Jimmy Butler

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It took the length of a pregnancy term.

It took lots of lists — most of which were wrong early — about where Jimmy Butler wanted to play.

It took Butler getting traded to Philadelphia, away from Tom Thibodeau.

It took a remarkable farewell season from his buddy Dwyane Wade that impressed Butler mightily.

It took Pat Riley getting back on the beam.

We’ll find out what else it took, other than Josh Richardson, soon.

But for now, we know this:

Jimmy Butler is now the best player on the Miami Heat.

He wanted to be here. He didn’t want Houston, even though it was close to home. He didn’t really want LA. He didn’t want to be a third option in Philadelphia.

He wanted to be here.

He’s here.

And he’s here for a while, at a rich price, though not for five years at $191 million as it could have been.

The cost? We’re getting that. But it will definitely include Josh Richardson.

 

And we’re hearing the Heat aren’t close to done.

There was always a plan, and a plan after the plan. There was a belief that if Butler wanted to move to Miami, players and money could be moved.

How good will the Heat be?

Hard to say.

But they matter again.

I’ll be on WSVN-7 between 11 and 11:30 p.m. tonight.

Is it Lewis Brinson Time Yet?

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Lewis Brinson was known as the prized acquisition in the five player trade between the Marlins and the Brewers that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. Unfortunately, Brinson has not had the success the Marlins and their fans were hoping for when they acquired the former Top 100 prospect.

In 505 career major league at bats, Brinson is batting for a .190 average with 13 home runs, 49 RBIs, 26 walks, and a horrendous 165 strikeouts. His poor discipline at the plate early on in the 2019 season was enough for the Marlins to decide it was time for Brinson to reinvent himself in the minors. After 27 games, he was demoted to Triple-A New Orleans.

Since his demotion, Brinson is on a tear. In 51 games since going to New Orleans, he is batting .294 with 12 home runs and 46 RBIs and with a much better strikeout to walk ratio at 64 to 23. He has a much better approach at the plate as well as a new stance to help him make more contact against the breaking ball. (Picture of new stance via @PastyA_)

This demotion has definitely been good for Brinson. Helps build up his confidence and work on his mental approach as well as his plate approach in a stress reduced environment. He has made huge strides and it is in fact time for Brinson to get another shot in the bigs.

Why wouldn’t the Marlins call up Brinson when they have no true center fielder? Currently holding down center is JT Riddle who has been a shortstop his entire career. While he has been able to hold it down, it would still be better to have a true center fielder instead of a platoon between JT Riddle, Curtis Granderson, and Harold Ramirez. 

Granderson shouldn’t be on the field in my opinion, he is better served as strictly a bench bat. Harold Ramirez should strictly be a  corner outfielder. It’s time for Sweet Lew to hold down center field. He is faster and has a better glove than any of the three players mentioned above. Not to mention he just went deep again today for New Orleans, and it was a bomb. (via @DuseReport)

 

Hey now, who’s a Marlins All-Star?

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The starting lineups have already been decided by the voting public but the rest of the All-Star rosters for the American League and National League will be announced on Sunday on ESPN.

The fans picked the starters. The players vote for the reserves. There are 24 remaining roster spots for the NL and 23 for the AL due to the designated hitter. The player ballot will fill 16/17 available spots and the Commissioner’s Office will fill the remainder, mainly to make sure each team has a representative.

The Marlins didn’t have a player voted among the finalist in any position. It’s likely that none of the Miami bats will be selected as an All-Star but it would be fitting if one of their remaining healthy starting pitchers were to get the nod.

Sandy Alcantara has a 3.86 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP and is the most likely candidate to be selected. His next start is at Washington on Wednesday and would be on schedule to pitch during the All-Star Game, should he be one. With a minimum of 80 innings pitched, there are 17 starting pitchers in the National League with a lower ERA than Alcantara. There are 40 starting pitchers with a lower WHIP including fellow Marlins starting pitcher Trevor Richards. 

Relievers have been chosen before and sometimes used as the one-team rep, even when they weren’t closers. Austin Brice has a 2.25 ERA and would be the dark horse candidate. Same goes for rookie Nick Anderson, who is tied for third among National League rookies in strikeouts. 

But if you were to ask Miami manager Don Mattingly who should the representing the Marlins in the All-Star Game, it would be shortstop Miguel Rojas.

“If you ask me to say who I’d say our guy is, if you are to say we have to take one, without dismissing anyone else, I think Miggy is a great representative for us,” Mattingly said.

His reasoning is that Rojas would fit the mold to represent the organization at the Midsummer Classic on July 9 at Cleveland.

“I think Miggy best represents our club,” Mattingly said. “He’s a guy who plays every day, battles every day. He can play all over the field. He really knows how to play.”

Rojas’ statistics doesn’t necessarily jump out. He’s slashing .287/.350/.706 with 23 RBIs but no home runs. He’s been one of the best shortstops in the month of June, hitting .348 with a .885 OPS.

He’s got the intangibles and can provide a quality at-bat no matter where he is slated in the lineup. Mattingly said he sees Rojas as an All-Star utility pick, since he could come in and play anywhere on the infield.

The rest of the Marlins hitters haven’t been on the field long enough to warrant All-Star consideration compared to rest of the league, which makes the announcement all the more suspenseful.

Jimmy Butler is in Play for the Heat… Duh.

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When is news not news?

When we’ve been saying it for months.

Jimmy Butler has had the Miami Heat first on his list since roughly September, when we told you that, and others weren’t including them in his final four. It didn’t happen then, but it wasn’t because he didn’t want it to. It was because Thibs was playing the role of George in Seinfeld, wanting to get fired.

Butler is a free agent now, and it’s unclear why anyone is surprised he still may want to be here. (I would take out the “may” but I’ll hedge a little, until he meets with the Heat.)

Well, now that meeting is finally happening, and while the Heat aren’t in ideal position in terms of cap space, they’ve been signaling that if Butler just says he wants to play for them, they can figure something out. They have the best cap guy anywhere in Andy Elisburg, and Pat Riley was clear in his end-of-season presser that he was waiting for a star to get disgruntled and become available. After all, this is how he’s gotten nearly every core piece of his Heat tenure, with the exception of Dwyane Wade. Zo. Timmy. Shaq. Mash. And yes, Bron and CB. All wanted out of where they were, for one reason or another.

Riley is a scavenger more than he’s a nester.

And now he has an important ally.

Dwyane Wade is not only close to Butler, but he is no longer close to tampering trouble, since he is no longer employed by the Miami Heat.

So this came Friday night, with Wade somewhere in the Orient.

Hmm. That seemed out of nowhere.

Or maybe it’s not.

Maybe it’s calculated.

Because this was the response.

Just a little chop-busting between buddies on Twitter?

Nah.

The Heat know what they’re doing here. Wade knows what he’s doing.

Because today, Saturday, came this:

 

Because who the hell wants to play with Chris Paul?

Anyone in NBA history?

And this:

It’s all so remarkably coincidental.

We told you months ago “something’s coming.”

Just a little early, maybe?

 

Five Reasons doesn’t embarrass itself at media game

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We don’t watch well.

The Miami teams lose every time we hold a watch party.

But maybe we play better.

Five Reasons Sports and Miami Heat Beat each entered teams in the 2019 Miami Heat media challenge today at AmericanAirlines Arena. We had enough players — 14 — that we sacrificed David Friedman right after the birth of his boy Wade, giving him to CBS4 because they needed a player and we needed luxury tax savings.

Both teams started 2-0, with Chris Cochran (part-time producer of the Five Reasons flagship) anchoring the Five Reasons defense, and Alphonse Sidney and Giancarlo Navas being phased out of the Miami Heat Beat rotation.

But like the modern day Heat, both teams regressed to the mean right as they were set to clash in the semifinals, each losing its final two games and being eliminated.

Highlights?

You want highlights?!

You really don’t, but here are some:

Me doing my best Jax Show:

While also pulling my Coach Sko act:

And some more: