Tag Archive for: Justise Winslow

Goran Dragic, to no one’s surprise, opts in

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Point Guard Goran Dragic has informed the Heat of his decision to pick up his player option for the 2019-20 season.

The final year on Dragic’s contract is worth $19.2 million.

It was widely expected that Dragic would indeed opt in to the final year of his lucrative 2019-20 salary. What was much less expected is the timing related to the decision. 

Upon formally opting in, Dragic is now eligible to be traded. This is particularly interesting when you factor in the 2019 NBA draft being one week away. 

The NBA draft is typically accompanied by a flurry of trade activity and this decision by Dragic drastically increases the chances he could be dealt prior to next season. 

Dragic is still a useful veteran point guard on an expiring contract.

He will have interested trade suitors.

Have the Heat presented Dragic with trade scenarios that would require him to opt in but also give Dragic say in where he lands? Or did Dragic opt in because the Heat assured him he wasn’t on the trade block? And what does this mean for Justise Winslow, who showed promise as a point guard option, even if the Heat keep touting his versatility instead?

Plenty of questions remain as we prepare for next Thursday’s draft and free agency in July. 

Justise Winslow

Justise Not Served? Heat Linked to Point Guards

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The Heat don’t have a starting forward on their roster.

Not one.

Yes, Kelly Olynyk can play power forward, but he’s really best at center, where the Heat have Hassan Whiteside (who is likely not opting out) and Bam Adebayo (who needs to start).

Yes, Derrick Jones, Jr., played both forward spots last season, and he’s improving rapidly, but he’s not quite at the level where he would start for most teams either.

Yes, James Johnson is paid a lot. But, well, you know.

They do appear to have two starting quality point guards, however, and yet, oddly, they keep getting linked to any and every point who may be available. That’s with Goran Dragic likely to opt in for the final season of his contract — and with Justise Winslow showing last season that it is by far his best position.

So what’s happening here?

Both Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra made a point, during their end-of-season press conferences, to spotlight Winslow’s versatility. That was a telling, and somewhat troubling, sign. What is it going to take for them to see that Winslow is not suited to be a smallball power forward or a stand-in-the-corner wing as much as he is equipped to be someone with the ball in his hands, making plays for himself and others? That he feeds off that responsibility, gains confidence, and plays better?

My belief was the Heat should have taken that approach with their postseason talks. Tell Winslow and the world that he can be the guy there if he enhances certain aspects of his game. He’s a hard worker, and has already made great strides as a finisher and as a range shooter. Now get him running thousands of pick-and-rolls all summer long.

Maybe the Heat are.

And maybe they plan to deal Dragic, to clear more time for Winslow at the spot.

But why then are we hearing all of this, and is it just coming from the other side?

And this:

OK, that one was Brian Scalabrine, and apparently it was prior to Winslow’s point guard emergence.

That was our own Greg Sylvander (@Lefty_Leif) who reported that one.

And, finally, there’s this rumor, which has the most credibility, because the Heat have loved this player for a long, long time:

OK, now, the Conley thing makes some sense.

I’ve always been a fan as well.

One thing that isn’t well known is how much respect Dwyane Wade and Conley have for each other, and clearly Wade still holds some sway around these parts.

Here was Conley when I asked him at NBA All-Star Weekend about swapping jerseys earlier in the season:

He’s Heat Culture, through and through. Selfless. Determined. Consistent.

But again, would his arrival mean the departure of Dragic, the departure of Winslow or the shifting of Winslow to a position where he is not as naturally comfortable?

 

 

 

Voting (just Wade) shows how far Heat are from star

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Not as if we need a reminder.

But, the past few years, since the breakup of the Big 3, the Miami Heat have been nowhere near most NBA honors, whether All-Star Weekend of after the season.

That’s more true this season than ever.

Forty different players received at least one vote for one of the three All-NBA teams.

One Miami Heat player received one second place vote.

That, naturally, was Dwyane Wade, which was no doubt a sentimental selection — and may have been by one of the friendly local reporters.

Some teams with worse records, such as Washington and Dallas and Memphis, got more love from voters, and rightly so. You can make arguments for Brad Beal or Luka Doncic or Mike Conley. You couldn’t make an argument for anyone on the Heat, not if you had six All-NBA teams of five players each.

So that’s why you should take every rumor seriously. Brian Scalabrine says the Heat went for Washington’s John Wall, even with his awful contract, before he got hurt again? Sure. The White Mamba might know something. Conley, a long-time favorite of Wade’s, is in the Heat’s sights, according to some reports? Makes sense too.

The Heat may have a star-in-training on their roster. We just don’t know what Bam Adebayo in particular can become, once Hassan Whiteside is cleared out, and perhaps there are two more levels to which Justise Winslow can jump.

But for now, this is a star-less team in a star-less town.

And if you ever forget that, another face slap will come.

Chris Bosh to the Heat’s Kids: Lead

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In the morning, we will post my 35-minute conversation with former Heat forward Chris Bosh, on everything from cologne to controversy to glory.

And we will insert the link here, so you can listen to all of it, on Apple or Android.

But here’s one clip that may get some attention.

Bosh has never been shy about sharing his opinions; he doesn’t do it to create a stir, he just is incapable of anything but authenticity. So it wasn’t surprising that, when asked about the Heat’s “Kids” — generally classified as Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Bam Adebayo and recently Derrick Jones Jr. — Bosh shared his true feelings.

And it’s good.

It is.

But it speaks to where the Heat organization stands.

Here’s the clip:

And if you want an even shorter synopsis of that, here it is:

But listen to the whole podcast.

Bosh, as a talker, is still the best.

Justise Winslow thinks our shirt is #Better

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You’ve seen the hashtag:

#JustiseBetter ….

Last month, it was time for Justise Winslow to see the t-shirt in person.

Last month, we noticed that Justise Winslow liked an Instagram post by @ejskolnick showing off the shirts that Miami Heat Beat had created in his honor. So it was time to show him the shirt, and print up some for his teammates — and fellow Kids — Josh Richardson and Bam Adebayo.

Here was the reaction when Winslow got his:

This, of course, led to a hot streak by the Heat — four wins in five games.

Winslow didn’t make the trip to New York and Boston because he’s been dealing with a thigh bruise, but he did fulfill his promise Sunday.

He wore the shirt, and posted it as an Instagram story on @IAmJustise.

Oh yeah, and one other thing:

We will have those in our shop here shortly.

We #Better.

JRich, Winslow out for Heat trip

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The Miami Heat need just about every game from here out…. and would seem to need every key player.

They won’t have two of the Kids for the next two games, however.

Neither Josh Richardson (heel) nor Justise Winslow (thigh) traveled to New York for the opening contest of a short trip that finishes in Boston.

That means Goran Dragic will continue to start at point guard, with Derrick Jones Jr. also likely taking a spot in the lineup. It also means that the Heat will rely heavily on Dwyane Wade and Dion Waiters to provide offense.

That should be enough against New York.

Against the Celtics, who are trying to grab a homecourt seed in the East?

We’ll see.