Are Miami Heat aging out with a roster of 30-somerthings?
Q: Ira, Josh Richardson turning 30 on Friday tossed me for a loop. I remember him being a kid when he got here. Are the Heat too old? – Danny.
A: But when Josh Richardson arrived to the Heat in the 2015 second round, he did it after four seasons at Tennessee, as a polished and ready-to-go player, arguably more ready to go than Heat 2015 first-round pick Justise Winslow, who was one and done at Duke. But Josh’s game also has aged well. It’s not as if he solely has relied on speed and athleticism. Except for stepping out of bounds (and here’s hoping that part went away during his tours elsewhere), he plays an intelligent, measured game. As for the Heat fielding a team of older veterans, that long has been the Pat Riley way, and it also long has been a proven path to success. But there also is ample youth, at least at the moment, in Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Nikola Jovic.
Q: The Heat are clearly better with Damian Lillard than without him, as long as they don’t give up the farm. – Morgan, New Orleans.
A: And they won’t. The degree of what the Heat would be giving up has largely been overstated.
Q:Was curious what the feedback was from last year’s experiment to cut down on travel by having a team play two games in a row against the same home team? As a season-ticket holder, I hate it. Case in point, last year when Milwaukee came to town on January 12 and 14 and Giannis Antetokounmpo was out. He didn’t play in either game. If the two Milwaukee visits were spread out over the season, there would be an increased chance that Giannis would have been available for at least one of the two games. This back-to-back schedule devalues having a season-ticket account. It even jeopardizes a team’s season if a star player is out during these back-to-back series when playing a team that they are battling for a playoff spot, or better seeding for the playoffs. Did any NBA teams complain about this? – David, Fort Lauderdale.
A: I wouldn’t think so, simply because reducing the travel burden has been of paramount concern. That said, I agree that it creates an all-or-nothing viewing option for star players. The oddest element of the Heat’s 2023-24 schedule is that the Raptors’ only visits come during the Heat’s final two games of the season. So if you are hoping to catch a Kaseya Center visit by Deerfield Beach native Scottie Barnes, the Cardinal Newman and University School product, it means having to wait until April 12.
