Q: Names like Donovan Mitchell and Bradley Beal keep popping out there as players the Heat should get this off-season. In Mitchell’s case, why would Jazz take a contract like Duncan Robinson’s and what else would we need to do to woo him? In Biel’s case, he must have been spending a lot of money to sign with us, right? – Jake, Tallahassee.
A: Because you never know until you try. And it’s something where the heat takes hold when Pat Riley talks about harpooning the whales and they go blank. It takes a lot of harpoons until you land your prey. For years, before Jimmy Butler was involved, it was largely about the guys who turned away (though can you imagine the Heat landing Gordon Hayward either of those two times? ) So what you do is cast a mesh as wide as possible. Yes, most of the big fish will leave. But you’ll never know until you’ve at least set up your line.
Q: We missed a player like Precious Achiuwa against the Celtics. – Ben, Weston.
A: The Kyle Lowry trade could, in fact, prove to be one that deserves a second glance, and for over three years, it offered an $85 million contract in sign-and-trade with the Raptors. While Precious Achiuwa was arguably too raw to be part of a team rotation to advance to this season’s Eastern Conference Finals, he certainly showed substantial growth for a solid future with the Raptors. And based on the provenance of his 3-point shooting, he could emerge as the same type of 3-and-D big guy the Heat has been lured into. If the Heat doesn’t make it to the NBA Finals during Kyle’s tenure, it could be a deal with various final grades.
Q: The NBA has changed a lot over the past 15 years, in that the big guys now need to be able to shoot all three with consistency to spread the floor. Bam Adebayo’s offensive play is limited. The Celtics veterans packed the paint throughout the series and dared to shoot Bam. Unless Bam develops a consistent outside game, which includes the parity of a 3-point game, he will remain a liability for the Heat in the future. – Jonathan, Plantation.
A: No, he has to develop a variation of the offense, and maybe even more of an attack mode. But he doesn’t need to stray on the 3-point line. This does no one any good. Even great centers don’t have every offensive tool. If he remains an A-level center, the offense at B or, preferably, B+ level, will be fine.
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