An All-Star Game this season? Heat players share thoughts. And Beal on Adebayo, Butler
Not everybody in the NBA is in favor of having an All-Star Game in the middle of a season being played during a pandemic, and the list of those against that idea includes the league’s most high-profile star.
“I have zero energy and zero excitement about an All-Star Game this year,” Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James said Thursday night. “I don’t even understand why we’re having an All-Star Game.
“Short offseason for myself and my teammates, 71 days. And then coming into this season, we were told that we were not having an All-Star Game, so we’d have a nice little break. Five days [in March] from the fifth through the 10th, an opportunity for me to kind of recalibrate for the second half of the season. My teammates as well. ... And then they throw an All-Star Game on us like this and just breaks that all the way up. So, um, pretty much kind of a slap in the face.”
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association are expected to have a finalized agreement by next week for an All-Star Game to take place on March 7 in Atlanta, according to the Associated Press. The single-night event is also expected to include skills competitions, with the midseason break scheduled for March 5-10.
The Miami Heat had six players representing the organization at last season’s All-Star Weekend in Chicago. Heat guards Kendrick Nunn and Tyler Herro were voted into the Rising Stars Game, forward Derrick Jones Jr. won the Slam Dunk Contest, forward Duncan Robinson was part of the Three-Point Contest, center Bam Adebayo won the Skills Challenge and participated in the All-Star Game and wing Jimmy Butler also played in the All-Star Game.
“It would be a privilege, nonetheless,” Robinson said before Friday night’s home game against the Washington Wizards, when asked if he would participate if invited back to the Three-Point Contest this year. “It’s definitely a weird year. But we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. It’s a good problem to have, obviously, if you do get invited to compete in some of those competitions. But we’ll see.”
It’s still unclear when players would have to report to Atlanta and how COVID-19 testing will work there, or if fans will be part of the game. The Atlanta Hawks recently opened State Farm Arena to fans at 8 percent capacity (about 1,300 fans).
“If I’m going to be brutally honest, I think it’s stupid,” Sacramento Kings guard De’Aaron Fox said earlier this week of the league’s plan to hold an All-Star Game this season. “If we have to wear a mask and do all of this for a regular game, then what’s the point of bringing the All-Star Game back?
“Obviously, money makes the world go round, so it is what it is.”
In the first return of fan voting released Thursday, Butler stood fifth and Adebayo stood sixth among Eastern Conference frontcourt players behind No. 1 Kevin Durant, No. 2 Giannis Antetokounmpo, No. 3 Joel Embiid and No. 4 Jayson Tatum.
Voting by fans, media and players will determine the starters, with the top three frontcourt and top two backcourt vote-getters in each conference to be named All-Star Game starters.
No Heat guards were in the Eastern Conference top 10 in Thursday’s release of fan voting.
“We’re playing in a basketball entertainment business. Over basketball, sometimes comes the latter,” Heat forward Andre Iguodala, who is the NBPA first vice president, said Friday when asked why holding an All-Star Game is important.
BEAL ON ADEBAYO AND BUTLER
There has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding the Heat and Washington Wizards star guard Bradley Beal. But so far, Beal has made it clear that he’s still intent on trying to make it work with the Wizards.
The respect for the Heat’s duo of Adebayo and Butler is there, though.
“Jimmy is an unbelievable player,” Beal said following Wednesday’s win over the Heat in the first of the Wizards’ two consecutive games in Miami. “He’s a star in our league and true leader. He’s always competitive when we play. He always wants to win and is always taking the hardest defensive challenge. It’s always competitive, I have nothing but respect for Jimmy. Its feels good to come out with a win, especially against the Heat.”
As for Adebayo, Beal was trying to avoid him as much as possible Wednesday when the Wizards were on offense.
“Bam can guard 1-5, so we know he can switch,” Beal said. “I was trying to take advantage of guys who I feel like I could guard. Our guys did a good job at setting screens. My biggest thing was to keep Bam out of as many pick-and-rolls as possible and forcing the guys to come out and guard. The Heat did a hell of a job at defending everything that I wanted them to do.”
MORE SHOOTAROUNDS?
With losses in seven of its past eight games, the Heat held its first morning shootaround of the regular season in advance of Friday’s home game against the Wizards.
“Just in terms of continuing to be on each other and continuing to build, I think anytime we can get together in a setting like this and work and go over a game plan and just continue to build that connection is important,” Robinson said of Friday’s morning shootaround.
Shootarounds have been logistically challenging to hold because of the restrictions placed on teams by the NBA’s COVID-19 health and safety protocols, and testing requirements that break up the day. As an alternative, the Heat has been holding team walkthroughs at AmericanAirlines Arena about three hours before the start of home games.
“I think it’s good for us,” Heat center Kelly Olynyk said. “Obviously, we haven’t had time to do shootarounds. We haven’t had a lot of time to practice, haven’t had a lot of time together as a team with anything. Even team meetings. The more time we can spend together and just build those connections and those bonds keep growing, it’s going to be good for us.
“I think one thing that made us so great last year in the bubble is how connected we were on and off the court. I think it can only be good for us right now.”
INJURY UPDATE
The Heat will be without Avery Bradley (right calf strain), Moe Harkless (left thigh contusion), Meyers Leonard (left shoulder surgery) and Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) for Friday’s game against the Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena.
Bradley, who has played in just 10 games this season, is expected to miss about three to four weeks with the calf injury he sustained in Wednesday’s loss. He also missed eight games in January after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
“We’re all feeling for Avery,” Robinson said. “The consummate professional. Shows up everyday, takes care of business, takes care of his body. He checks all those boxes and he’s just a great person to be around. It’s tough to see him go through this, especially considering everything else he has gone through this year. But he’s in positive spirits, which is just a testament to who he is as a person.”
This story was originally published February 5, 2021 at 12:45 PM.
