Spoelstra on return of Ellington as member of Pistons: ‘It’s awkward. ... I love Wayne’
Life moves fast in the NBA.
Sharpshooting guard Wayne Ellington, 31, already knew that after playing for seven different teams during the first nine seasons of his NBA career. But Ellington was reminded things can change quickly after the Heat traded him and Tyler Johnson to the Suns on Feb. 6.
Once the Suns waived Ellington a few days after he was traded by the Heat, he signed with Pistons. Ellington returned to AmericanAirlines Arena on Saturday as the opponent, with Miami hosting Detroit.
“It’s awkward,” coach Erik Spoelstra said, with Johnson also set to return to Miami when the Heat hosts the Suns on Monday. “But it’s part of the business of being able to compartmentalize. We mentioned right after the trade, there’s a duality so often in this league and you have to compartmentalize different emotions. I love Wayne. He’s on the other side, so for two-and-a-half hours, it will be pretty easy to separate the two.”
What makes it even more awkward is Ellington joined a team that is competing with the Heat for one of the Eastern Conference’s final playoff spots. The eighth-place Pistons entered Saturday one game ahead of the ninth-place Heat in the East standings.
Spoelstra revealed the Heat worked with Ellington to eventually get him to the Pistons.
“All season long, I was trying to find him minutes,” Spoelstra said. “Then when it got to the 11th hour, it was a painstaking decision on his part, as well. He decided that at this point in his career, he wanted to go to a place where he could play the rest of the season and going into free agency. So we worked with him and his agent to make that happen.”
The Heat recognized Ellington’s return on Saturday with a video posted on the team’s Twitter account. The video featured some of Ellington’s highlights as a member of the Heat, with the message: “Tonight The Man with the Golden Arm returns to [AmericanAirlines Arena]. Thank you, [Wayne Ellington].”
There’s no in-game tribute video planned for either Ellington or Johnson, with the Heat instead opting to honor them through their social-media channels. Miami reserves video tributes at AmericanAirlines Arena for players who were on its championship rosters, like the ones LeBron James, Mike Miller and Mario Chalmers received when they returned to Miami.
Ellington, who re-signed with the Heat on a one-year deal last summer, had fallen out of the rotation this season and was an active scratch in 15 of his final 20 games with Miami.
But Ellington has found consistent playing time in Detroit, so far. He made his first start with the Pistons in Friday’s win over the Hawks, finishing with nine points on 3-of-9 shooting from three-point range in 37 minutes.
“I knew people inside the organization,” Ellington said of signing with the Pistons. “At the same time, I knew it would be a great fit for me. They showed a lot of interest. ... Everything was just a really good fit.”
Ellington entered Saturday’s game against the Heat averaging 8 points (23.1 percent shooting on threes), 2.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 29.8 minutes in three games with the Pistons. In two-plus seasons with Miami, he averaged 10.5 points on 38.4 percent shooting on threes in 164 regular-season games.
So how does Spoelstra game plan for Ellington, who set a career-high and Heat record with 227 made three-pointers last season?
“If I were to sum it up, it’s pretty obvious. Three words: No air space,” Spoelstra said. “But that’s easier said than done, obviously, because of his habits and his ability to shoot on the move.”
INJURY UPDATE
Justise Winslow and James Johnson did not play Saturday against the Pistons.
Winslow hurt his knee late in Thursday’s loss to the 76ers and is dealing with left knee soreness. An MRI on his injured knee returned “clean” Friday, according to Spoelstra, and Winslow is day-to-day.
Spoelstra added that Johnson will “need a little bit of time” after an MRI on his injured left shoulder revealed a slight left AC sprain. But considering Johnson removed himself from Thursday’s game in pain while grabbing his shoulder, the Heat is relieved it’s not a serious issue.
“When you see James Johnson asking to come out of a game and he can’t move his arm, he’s usually able to play through everything and pain,” Spoelstra said. “But once we got the X-ray and then the MRI yesterday, all of us felt a sigh of relief.”
Johnson said there isn’t a timetable for his return, as of now.
“I’m having a hard time lifting my hand over my head right now, vertically and parallel, so I just want to get that right,” Johnson said. “And like the normal bumping into people and feeling that pain I’m OK with.”
Point guard Goran Dragic played against the Pistons on Saturday after missing the past 31 games because of a right knee injury that required surgery in December.
▪ Heat center Kelly Olynyk is the first-ever athlete to partner with “Locks of Love,” a national organization based in West Palm Beach that assists children suffering from hair loss, either because alopecia or cancer, with hair pieces created from donated hair.
Olynyk invited recipients of “Locks of Love” hair pieces, who live in Miami-Dade County, and their family members to Saturday’s game.
“It’s awesome to give these kids and families something to look forward to, something to smile about, a reason to be happy,” said Olynyk, who cut his hair and donated it to an organization called “Wigs for Kids” last offseason. “They’re going through hard times, and times that not everybody can relate to. Any time that you have the opportunity and the power to make somebody’s day or put a smile on somebody’s face, it’s something that I believe strongly in.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2019 at 1:44 PM.
