Q: Ira, Pelle Larsson has gotten his playing time with Andrew Wiggins and Duncan Robinson out. What happens when they return? – Anderson.
A: Well, to utilize Erik Spoelstra’s parlance, I’m sure they Heat will be open to anyone and anything, Pelle Larsson certainly having made a case to remain in the rotation. Assuming the roster gets back to full health, the givens ahead of Pelle in the rotation would be Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins and, perhaps, Davion Mitchell. From there, Pelle, through his recent play, certainly has put himself in the conversation with the likes of Haywood Highsmith, Duncan Robinson and Alec Burks. So it could be as ninth man, it could be as more, depending on the need at the moment.
Related Articles
Q: Ira, I’m interested in the Celtics game because it will show if the playoffs are worth it. If they can’t beat Boston, what makes them think they can beat Cleveland? Lose Wednesday night, then shut it down. – Len.
A: Except that ship has sailed. If there was thought about improving lottery percentages, that effectively ended amid this winning streak. Portland and San Antonio appear to have accepted their lottery realities. That likely means no better than a No. 10 lottery seed for the Heat if they don’t make the playoffs. At this point, it appears the only lottery race with the Heat is determining whether they or the Bulls will get the No. 10 lottery seed and which will get No. 11 (the lottery chances are split in case of a tie, with a random draw to formally set lottery position). But make the playoffs through the play-in and no lottery pick for the Heat
Q: Can Terry Rozier be salvaged? – Eric.
A: That certainly sounds cold. But I appreciate where you are coming from, to see if the Heat could yet create value for and from Terry Rozier before the end of the season. At this point, any offseason trade involving Terry likely would be one with his contract going out to match salaries. But if an acquiring team that bides the final year of Terry’s contract while it expires also sees value in the player, that could ease such a transaction. For now, Monday night in Washington was more outlier than seemingly anything enduring. Plus you also have to consider the opposition and what it was playing for (or not playing for).
