ASK IRA: Is putting Tyler Herro on hold the prudent Heat approach?
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Q: Is Tyler Herro actually coming back? – Ted.
A: You do have to wonder, especially with Erik Spoelstra putting Tyler Herro’s medical clearance in question. Keep in mind, Tyler next season is beginning his four-year, $130 million extension. So the Heat also have an investment to protect. Plus, there are the stakes of the moment, which is not exactly the optimal time for a rotation transition after a seven-week absence. Even Sunday, when the Heat moved Caleb Martin, hero of the series against Boston, back to the bench in favor of Kevin Love as a starter, there was a buy-in from the entire roster. So the buy-in from Tyler, even after all the work he has put in, could be that he gets activated but does not play. If it ain’t broke . . . You could make the argument he could get Kyle Lowry’s minutes, but Kyle also has had his moments. Before Sunday, you could have said he could get Duncan Robinson’s minutes. The Heat playoff machinations are a whirl right now, which makes it hard to slow it down enough to work in a different piece. Based on how the Heat handle such matters, I would not expect much in the way of clarity until far closer to Wednesday night’s Game 3.
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Q: Ira, I read your Sunday piece about the Heat’s impending free agents. My question is about Gabe Vincent. You can only pay him like a starter if he is your starter. So is he your starter? – Stephen.
A: Well, he is now. And the reality is that Gabe Vincent’s anticipated free-agency pay grade, somewhere in the neighborhood of the $12.2 million mid-level exception, is in the neighborhood of what top-tier backup point guards earn. So it could be about more than money. It could be whether Gabe prioritizes being a starter when he signs his next contract. The elephant in the room is Kyle Lowry, and how the Heat plan to handle the $29.7 million due in 2023-24 on the final year of his contract. If the Heat plan to offload it, utilize it in a trade or perhaps waive it through the stretch provision, then retaining Vincent stand as more of a priority. In some ways, how the Heat handle Kyle could open a window to the approach planned with Gabe.
Q: Do you think there is any way we can get the Heat to put a 12 at the free throw line instead of the 5280 the Nuggets posted. – Dave.
A: Actually, Miami is listed as 6.6 feet above sea level. So you might be better off putting the relative humidity. Or perhaps better, don’t put anything – and make a statement about how it’s not about gimmicks. If anything, the Nuggets looked like the ones running on fumes for most of Sunday’s fourth quarter.
