Do Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry work as Miami Heat starters?
Q: Ira, are we talking foolish pride? Kyle Lowry and Kevin Love are past the prime ages of NBA starters. Play them off the bench and you save them for the end of games. Erik Spoelstra knows that. – Nelson.
A: There also are plenty of 30-something starters in the NBA, including 34-year-old Jimmy Butler. So there certainly are no absolutes when it comes to 37-year-old Kyle Lowry and 35-year-old Kevin Love. Just ask a pair of 38-year-olds in LeBron James or even Chris Paul, who appears intent on starting with the Warriors. But in the Heat’s case, an argument could be made for the greater good of playing both Love and Lowry as reserves. With Love, it would offer a proven backup to Bam Adebayo at center, without first burning minutes with Love as the starting power forward. With Lowry, it would allow him to be featured at closing time, without first having to account for eight minutes or so at the start of each half. That said, it appears that Love and Lowry remain frontrunners to start, even with Lowry finishing last season as a reserve. It will be a delicate dance for Erik Spoelstra, but the priority should be having both players at their rested, healthiest best at the close of the season. And that could run counter to their preferences to start.
Q: Hi, Ira. Could Thomas Bryant be a younger PJ Tucker? As much as I like Caleb Martin and Nikola Jovic, the starting lineup could use rebounding, energy, toughness, attitude, and corner 3s. Regardless of what the backcourt looks like, having a guy like Bryant could give Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo a break from doing all the dirty work in the regular season. I feel like the key for him is consistency from those corners. –Eddie.
A: Actually, I’m curious to see if Thomas Bryant . . . plays. If, say, the Heat feature a starting lineup of Bam Adebayo, Kevin Love, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Kyle Lowry, then I would think the leading men off the bench would be, in some order, Caleb Martin, Josh Richardson and Duncan Robinson. So that would have Thomas Bryant as ninth man, at best. And that’s if he slots in ahead of Haywood Highsmith. So it is possible, with smaller lineups, ones that move Love to center when Adebayo goes out, that small ball again stands as the Erik Spoelstra preference.
Q: We haven’t heard much about Orlando Robinson in camp. How’s he doing? – Robert.
A: To be candid, with all camp sessions closed to the media it is difficult to get a read. I believe the required read will come during the preseason, with the priority of seeing whether he can stay out of foul trouble. For all Orlando Robinson can do with his scoring and rebounding, he has to find a way to keep himself on the floor.
