Podcast: Can Bam, Jimmy sell Giannis? DJJ as Dunk Contest favorite? An All-Star preview
It was understandable for Miami Heat fans to spend last Thursday salivating. Giannis Antetokounmpo, one of the two captains for the All-Star Game, used his second reserve pick to take Bam Adebayo. He used his fourth to take Jimmy Butler.
Maybe the Milwaukee Bucks forward has a thing for Heat forwards and maybe it will mean something when he’s a free agent in 2021.
On the Heat Check podcast, David Wilson and Anthony Chiang, the Miami Herald’s Heat beat writer, sort through how much this matters to Miami’s long-term plan. The nation knows plenty about Butler, but this is finally a chance to introduce Adebayo’s magnetic personality to the entire NBA when the post player suits up for the All-Star Game on Sunday.
It could be a whole weekend dominated by Adebayo. He’s also competing in the NBA All-Star Weekend Skills Challenge on a Saturday which could be dominated by the Heat. After Adebayo goes, sharpshooting swingman Duncan Robinson will go for a win in the Three-Point Contest and then springy forward Derrick Jones Jr. will take center stage in the Slam Dunk Contest. Wilson and Chiang pick the winners, and debate which Miami player is the safest bet to win his competition.
The Heat was one of the best surprise stories of the first half of the season and the league is rewarding Miami with a potential showcase weekend in Chicago, beginning with rookie guard Kendrick Nunn’s unlikely path to inclusion in the Rising Stars Challenge at the United Center on Friday.
This story was originally published February 13, 2020 at 1:59 PM.
