Are Miami Heat only remaining moves thinning camp roster?
Q: The question you should be asking is if you’re the Heat, should you take the best available player at any position or a player at point guard? – David.
A: This was in response to yesterday’s question about depth at point guard. The greater question is whether the Heat should or need to look externally when filling out their roster to start the regular season. The given are the 13 already under standard contract (Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin, Kevin Love, Kyle Lowry, Josh Richardson, Thomas Bryant, Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Orlando Robinson). Then there are the three under two-way deals who can be swapped out at any time: Jamal Cain, R.J. Hampton and Dru Smith. Plus the Heat can go no more than 28 days this season without a 14th player under standard contract. So at the moment the Heat essentially have the right to add one player to a standard deal and reconfigure the two-way mix. For the two-ways, the view here would be to go with Cain, Hampton and Cole Swider, if he would be willing to accept a two-way deal. Then the question becomes whether to sign an outsider, perhaps someone cut from another team at the Oct. 23 deadline, or choose among camp hopefuls Smith, Cheick Diallo or Justin Champagnie. At the moment, it might come down to Champagnie or an outsider.
Q: I am kind of surprised that the Heat have not considered bringing Kendrick Nunn back. I really liked his game when he was with the Heat. He is only 28 and when he was with the Heat he had a good shooting percentage from the field and from 3, and he averaged around 15 points per game. Unfortunately an injury derailed his career when he went to the Lakers. – Joel.
A: While the Heat’s commitment is to those already in camp, to give them a fair shot after the time those prospects have invested since August on the practice court, it certainly is not beyond the realm, as mentioned above, to fill the 14th spot on the standard roster with an outsider. Much of that deliberation could come down to whether the Heat believe they have the required depth at point guard, as well as whether such an outside candidate would be willing to accept a non-guaranteed contract.
Q: Jamal Cain is safe now? – Bert.
A: It depends on your view of safe. He likely assured himself of at least a two-way deal with Friday’s performance in San Antonio. But his goal remains to move up to a standard deal. And that hardly is assured, if only because of economics and roster management.
