A Herro/Leonard update and the plan for Hill. And one sign of Iguodala’s belief in Heat
A six-pack of Miami Heat notes on a Wednesday:
▪ Two Heat rotation players sidelined by ankle injuries face different timelines as the Heat moves into the All-Star break following Wednesday’s game at Utah.
Center Meyers Leonard’s absence from a severely sprained left ankle appears likely to extend past the All-Star break. But the Heat does not believe Tyler Herro’s right ankle soreness will sideline him longterm; tests ruled out a more significant injury.
Both have been out since the start of the West Coast trip last Wednesday, missing all five games. Leonard has remained back in South Florida during the entire trip. Herro returned to South Florida on Tuesday.
With Leonard, “I don’t have a timetable,” Erik Spoelstra said after the team’s shootaround on Wednesday at Vivint Smart Home Arena. “It’s a decent sprain. Those take time. That would take superhuman healing” to return immediately after the All-Star break.
Herro, meanwhile, “had a good appointment yesterday with the doctor. Everything is going well. He will still go to Chicago for part of [All-Star weekend]. We want him to enjoy that and see what it’s like to be around great players and a fun weekend.
“And then get him back to Miami toward the end of the weekend and continue treatment. Needs a little more treatment and some rest. This week will give him more opportunity to do that.”
Herro had to pull out of Friday’s Rising Stars game during All Star weekend.
The Heat’s first game after the All Star break is Feb. 20 at Atlanta.
▪ Forward Solomon Hill, who hasn’t appeared in a game since his acquisition from Memphis, said he won’t ask for a buyout and the Heat hasn’t broached the possibility of one.
“That hasn’t come across in discussions; I definitely want to be here,” he said. “This is an amazing place and winning culture. When you talk about winning, this is the definition of winning. To be in an organization like this and guys like this, this is a chance not only to try to force my way into some minutes but learn as much as I can.”
Hill cited Spoelstra, Iguodala and Heat president Pat Riley among those he wants to learn from.
“We really like him,” Spoelstra said of Hill. “I don’t want these last two games to be an indication of what his role will be. I’m not going to figure out that role for the foreseeable future. That’s not fair right now for the team. He’s a detailed defender, has size and quickness to guard multiple positions. He really has improved his shooting. Someone who fits with our style of play. He’s on my mind. He’s the next guy in line. He needs to stay ready.”
▪ Guard Kendrick Nunn, mired in a 17 for 67 shooting slump over the first four games of this Western trip, said: “I’m getting great looks. It’s the same shots I make. Going to continue to take those open shots.”
He said he’s not bothered by Achilles’ soreness that caused him to miss three games recently. He’s shooting 40 percent since returning.
▪ Andre Iguodala had such a strong conviction about the Heat organization that he agreed to the two-year, $30 million extension — prior to the trade from Memphis - without speaking with Spoelstra or Riley, Iguodala told me on Wednesday.
The second year of that extension (2021-22) is a team option.
“I pretty much knew, had a good feel for the team,” he said. “Playing against them in the playoffs, playing against them in the Eastern Conference and kind of seeing the scope of their organization, you pretty much know what it is.”
He said he read Pat Riley’s book, The Winner Within, “five, six years ago. So it was kind of funny, when the potential came up for that team, I was OK, opportunity to be with a solid team that’s growing that has some really good young talent. And I kind of knew the DNA already.”
He said the one person with whom he spoke, before the trade, was “a good friend who is pretty close with one of the former Heat Hall of Famers. We had a quick chat about it. I’ve been on him for 12, 13 years. We have a good relationship. He will [remain nameless]; no one knows him though; good family friend.”
▪ How did Iguodala stay in such good shape the past nine months without playing in the NBA?
“You’ve got to be active every day or just be smart about it,” he said. “I was doing boxing a couple times a week, pilates probably once a week and mixing basketball in every day or five out of seven days, mixing it in with bike riding.”
▪ We mentioned here last week that some Heat people thought it was a pain threshold issue with Justise Winslow’s back injury and wondered why he was out so long.
Winslow, in meeting with Memphis media after last week’s trade from the Heat, admitted: “The coaching staff thought I was able to play... You’ll see me at some point this year.”
Asked what he provides, he said: “Justise Winslow wins. That’s the bottom line. I impact winning.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 2:34 PM.
