Can the Florida Panthers be bigger than the Miami Heat in a crowded South Florida sports market? Can hockey not merely survive where ice is born to melt but thrive to a degree it surpasses basketball in overall stature? It is time to wonder that as a reasonable debate, and not as a maybe-someday hypothetical but as a tectonic shift that might already have begun to happen.
As we briefed here, the Miami Heat and Golden State Warriors cannot legally do a one-for-one swap between Andrew Wiggins and Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors are hard-capped below the second apron, and such a swap would put them over. The only feasible way is if the Warriors trim salary either 1.) in this trade or 2.) in a separate deal (as a salary dump). They are less than $300K away from the hard cap. There is little margin for error in what they can send out relative to what they can bring back.
While it doesn't look like it on the surface, the Miami Heat's 15-point win over the Atlanta Hawks was a good win. Miami got back to its identity, without two of its players in Bam Adebayo and Tyler Herro, snapping a three-game skid. Though it will have a quick turnaround on Saturday night, the second night of a back-to-back, facing the reeling, beleaguered Indiana Pacers inside Kaseya Center. Tip-off is expected to be at 8:00 p.m. EST.
Even through all the ups and downs, third-year Miami Heat forward Jaime Jaquez Jr. has fit seamlessly into the team's new free-flowing, up-tempo offense. Jaquez is currently fifth on the team in scoring off the bench, averaging 15.4 points on 51.2 percent shooting and 56.4 percent true shooting. He's been one of the league's best sixth men, adding 5.8 rebounds and 4.8 dimes per game. Plus, he's finishing at the rim at a career-best clip (70.4 percent) while developing more counters to create advantages.
Magic forward Franz Wagner suffered a high ankle sprain Sunday against the New York Knicks, his MRI revealed. An MRI conducted Monday showed that forward Franz Wagner suffered a left high ankle sprain. He sustained the injury during the first quarter of Sunday afternoon's game at New York.His return will depend on how he responds to treatment.
Before the season, I wanted the Heat to play faster. Well, they have done that, and then some. Through 20 games, the Heat are out-pacing the rest of the NBA, by a lot. They are first in PACE at 106.1, nearly two possessions per 48 minutes above the next-highest team (Bulls - 104.4). They are running and gunning by far the most of any Erik Spoelstra-led team behind their new free-flowing offenses that has all but eliminated ball screens from the equation.
Following two consecutive home wins for the Miami Heat, they are now heading back on the road- starting with a Friday night Emirates NBA Cup matchup versus the Chicago Bulls. Outside of placement in the NBA Cup standings, this is a crucial game for both teams. The Heat are currently the fifth seed in the East at a 9-6 overall record, but Chicago isn't trailing far behind them with an 8-6 record as the seventh seed.
If the Heat want to make a genuine run to the playoffs this season and be anything but an afterthought in the Eastern Conference, they're going to have to add some size to the equation. Unless, of course, the Heat believes Vlad Goldin could work his way to the point where he could factor into the rotation more during the second half of the season. However, considering he hasn't logged a regular-season minute for the Heat so far this season, that may be a stretch.
