ASK IRA: Does Pat Riley have his next leading man on deck?
Q: Ira, am I mistaken, or did you imply Pat Riley wouldn’t trade Jimmy Butler? There’s shouldn’t be any doubt: Riley would trade Butler, Bam Adebayo and his Malibu home for a shot at a dynasty. If the price is right and offers an upgrade, there are no untouchables in a Pat Riley run front office. -- Gabriel, Miami.
A: Here’s the deal: At some point you have to have a stable team that you build around. If you constantly are looking for the next best thing, the next better thing, you never will be able to maximize the things (or things) you have at the moment. When the Heat went through the salary-cap gymnastics necessary to acquire Jimmy Butler, it was with the idea of building teams for Jimmy Butler. If you constantly pivot, then you stand for no one and nothing. And then players don’t seek your team out as a landing spot. The way the Heat’s contracts are set up, you play it out as Jimmy’s team, and then find yourself with Bam Adebayo’s team, in the heart of his extended contract.
Q: Chris Silva seems redundant on this roster. He also can’t stay in a game longer than five minutes before fouling out, and has no range. Can he be waived, and then re-signed to the second two-way deal? They’d be on the hook for his salary, but it would free up a roster spot, and it’d allow them to keep him as part of the team. -- Max, Philadelphia.
A: I do believe that outside of Udonis Haslem (who we’ve dealt with already on this issue), the next spot on this roster that would shake free, if needed, would be that of Chris Silva. And, yes, there has to be more than we have seen to this point. The question is what the Heat are seeing behind closed doors. He can rebound and aggressively defend, but you are correct about the foul issue.
Q: The uniforms, Ira, the uniforms. What say you Halston? -- Andy.
A: Well, I couldn’t find an NBA player named Halston (although there is an American player by the name of David Holston out of Chicago State who plays in France), so I assume you are referencing the Halston of fashion fame. Considering his “minimalist, clean designs” (thank you Wikipedia), I am sure he would have had stronger opinions than myself.
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