From Hall of Famers to scouts to ex-players, Miami Heat drawing new level of appreciation

Appreciation and respect. That’s where it starts when people in the NBA talk about the Miami Heat and what these players and coaches achieved during three months in the Disney bubble.

“They may have lost a championship, but they gained a lot of fans in the process in regards to the respect level for how they play,” former Heat guard and NBA TV analyst Jim Jackson said.

Before we put this most unusual NBA season to bed, Hall of Famers and others discussed where the Heat specifically has gained an even higher level of appreciation and respect:

▪ Appreciation for Jimmy Butler:

Now, “we know at Jimmy’s very best, he can go toe-to-toe with the greatest players in the world,” ESPN analyst and former NBA forward Richard Jefferson said. “He has definitely moved up the rank of respected NBA players over this run. It’s something that should be applauded.”

A front-office official who has worked for a team that previously employed Butler put it this way: “Other teams couldn’t maximize that competitiveness like Miami did. He was first among equals with this team and that wasn’t necessarily the case in two of his previous three teams. He showed he’s a winning cog on a Finals team. That has as much to do with Miami as him.”

NBA Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas noted Butler, from a fundamental standpoint, “does everything correctly. He does everything classical that the modern NBA says you shouldn’t do — killing in the midrange, passes the ball with two hands. Jimmy overpowers you with great footwork.”

▪ Appreciation for the Heat’s player development, scouting and drafting:

An Eastern Conference scout: “Bam [Adebayo] and [Duncan] Robinson are much better than what I thought and I’m obviously not alone. Robinson, the fact he could maintain his proficiency — even if the overall [three-point] percentage was down — and maintain his major skill deep into the playoffs was more than people thought. Nobody is ever going to leave that guy [open] again. With Bam, he’s a better scorer than people thought. He’s more skilled than people thought.”

A second scout said both players likely would rise from late lottery picks to top-five picks (in Herro’s case) and top-three picks (in Adebayo’s case) in a hypothetical redraft.

▪ Respect for the Heat’s style of play and selflessness:

NBA Hall of Famer Thomas: “In this era, it’s good to see team basketball come back. This has been an era where we’ve glorified the individual more so than the team, and the Miami Heat has gone against the grain in terms of building a solid team [that’s] a throwback team to the ‘80s where everybody played team basketball, shared the ball, played together, one for all and all for one.

“And no one was concerned about being the glamorous superstar; everyone just wanted to win. I look at the Miami Heat right now and their basketball culture is so vastly different from the rest of the NBA... It’s been beautiful to watch.”

▪ Appreciation for what the Heat has found in Tyler Herro, as explained by ESPN analysts and former NBA players Richard Jefferson and Matt Barnes:

Barnes: “Please don’t take this wrong when I say this. I compare, at the end of [Game 4]... you would see Tyler miss a few shots, air ball a few shots but it really reminded me of Kobe Bryant, back when he was doing that against Utah [as a rookie]. He is learning on the biggest stage possible, playing well but still making mistakes; he is going to be a lot better for this.

“The Miami Heat is going to be a lot better for this down the road because this kid is handling pressure like no 20-year-old we’ve seen in the Finals before. I love Tyler Herro. He’s a dog. He doesn’t stop. He’s relentless. They really have a special player in Miami in Tyler Herro.”

And Jefferson made an interesting point: “Tyler Herro is a basketball player’s player. Old [guys] look at Tyler Herro and you’re like, ‘There’s something about this kid that’s fun to watch.’ I know fans love him. But it’s not just when fans love you. It’s when basketball players are texting each other, are respecting you and they’re like, ‘Hell, some of the stuff this kid is doing is unique and special.’ I’m a big fan.. He’s something special. He is going to be a problem for a long time.”

▪ Appreciation for the sum being better than perhaps the individual parts:

TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Charles Barkley can be stingy in praising the Heat but said the Heat “is a perfect example of it takes more than talent to win basketball games. That’s why we don’t play games on paper. That Miami Heat team is very well coached. They are tough mentally. They don’t make mistakes. You’ve got to give coach Spo a lot of credit. They’ve turned Duncan Robinson into a terrific player.”

▪ Appreciation for Goran Dragic, from ESPN analyst and Hall of Fame coach Hubie Brown:

“He’s one of most underrated players in the league and has been for years. Once he gets down underneath, he’s so dangerous; he plays the glass from behind the board or gets fouled or makes the right pass.

“With less than three seconds on the [shot] clock, he can get to an area where he can shoot at a high percentage. He does that night after night, whether a three or a midrange [shot] or taking you all the way to the hole. I really enjoy watching him play. And he’s so humble.”

▪ Appreciation for the Heat’s level of fitness:

Hall of Famer and NBA TV analyst Grant Hill: “You talk about [great] conditioning. Every possession they have to exert so much energy on the defensive end but also the offensive end, all the ball movement and player movement. They have a special spirit about them.”

▪ Appreciation for the Heat’s intangibles:

Hall of Famer and NBA TV analyst Kevin McHale: “There’s talent, toughness and togetherness. They’ve got the toughness and togetherness down. They’re not the most talented team I’ve ever seen, but man, they play together.”

▪ Respect for Adebayo:

Jackson: “His ceiling is as high as the moon.”...

ESPN analyst and former NBA center Kendrick Perkins: “To me, he’s one of the best three bigs in the league, right behind Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic.”

Former NBA All-Star Charles Oakley, to ESPN’s Rachel Nichols: “Bam plays defense like Alonzo Mourning.”

▪ Respect for Spoelstra:

Perkins: “He’s the best coach in today’s game.”

Oakley, to Nichols: “I told Spo one time he’s an OK coach. He’s [actually] a great coach.”

An Eastern Conference scout: “Spo’s stock went even higher. People knew how good a coach he is, but now they really know. To me, this cemented it. He absolutely got the most out of that roster. On paper, that wasn’t the best team in the East or maybe one of even the three best.”

Here’s my Wednesday piece with news from Brian Flores’ press conference.

Here’s my Wednesday Miami Hurricanes 6-pack.

Here’s my Wednesday Dolphins notes.