Heat’s Butler out again Saturday, Dragic questionable; Spoelstra addresses tough times for Nunn, Adebayo, Leonard
Jimmy Butler will miss his third consecutive game due to a sore right foot when the Miami Heat play the Phoenix Sunday on Saturday night, with Goran Dragic questionable with the sprained left ankle that kept him out of Thursday's loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
After what he termed a "mental work day" Friday in the quarantine setting of the NBA's bubble at Disney World, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra also said that the uneven start during his team's schedule of seeding games by starters Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo is a factor of the time the two missed in July.
In addition, Spoelstra addressed his "tough decision" in removing former starting center Meyers Leonard from his rotation.
Butler, after playing the Heat's first two games of their eight-game seeding schedule, a victory over the Denver Nuggets and a loss to the Toronto Raptors, has since missed Tuesday's loss to the Boston Celtics and then Thursday's loss to the Bucks. The Heat's next game after Saturday is Monday night against the Indiana Pacers.
"No new update. The status is the same. Both were here," Spoelstra said of Butler and Dragic after his team worked on a makeshift court at a Disney ballroom.
Butler was not available for comment following practice, but Dragic addressed his situation, having limped off in the closing seconds Tuesday against the Celtics.
"I mean, I was a little bit concerned. It was painful," he said Friday, in his first comments since the injury. "I did it twice in that game, so that's why I think the second one was so painful. Then when I walked it off a little bit, it felt better. It's day-by-day. Today I started shooting a little bit. It's a little bit sore, but it's going to the right direction."
Dragic declined to rule himself out for Saturday, instead planning on an additional workout.
"I'm not sure yet," he said. "I'm still coming back to this gym tonight and test it a little bit. I just want to be smart and see how my ankle is going to react. We'll see."
As for the uneven play of Nunn and Adebayo at Disney, Spoelstra said it is a work in progress. Both tested positive for COVID-19 last month and were unable to join teammates for two weeks.
"He just needs more time," Spoelstra said of Nunn, "very similar to Bam. I'm not making excuses for either one of 'em. But when you miss that kind of time, it takes guys different amount of five-on-five and games and practices to regain your rhythm."
He said he expects a turnaround from Nunn.
"Before the hiatus, he was playing really good basketball for a couple weeks before that," he said, with the NBA shut down for four months on March 11 due to the new coronavirus pandemic. "And in May and June, he was really working. And I loved the rhythm he was in then. So I have confidence that he'll get that back quickly. We need him, because he provides something that's different. And when he's really in rhythm, he really adds to our diversity."
Adebayo was candid about his uneven play.
"Mentally I feel like I'm ready," he said. "Physically, my body says otherwise sometimes."
With Leonard, Spoelstra said it has been a difficult decision.
"These are tough decisions." Spoelstra said. "I think, in a perfect world, I wanted to go with that lineup. That lineup was one of the most successful lineups all season long. And look, the reality is we're in a global pandemic, playing in a bubble in Orlando. Nothing is normal, and I had to treat this situation with an open mind.
“And I don’t love having to make those decisions, because Meyers is not only just a great team guy, he’s all about team dynamics, he’s selfless. But more importantly, he helped us win. This is what we feel is best for us right now, but I’m open to change, open to change if necessary, and he’s on my mind every day. But his approach has been great. He will keep himself ready, I know that.”
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