Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem reacts to center Dewayne Dedmon after a basket against the Sacramento Kings during the first half at FTX Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022 in Miami. (John McCall, South Florida Sun Sentinel)
Q: At this point I think Malik Allen is ahead of Dewayne Dedmon in the Heat’s power rotation. Why throw the team under the bus to carry this grudge? – Ray, Deerfield Beach.
Q: How much longer will Spoelstra hold his grudge against Dewayne Dedmon? He was clearly rubbing it in by playing Udonis Haslem as the backup center while Dewayne sat. At some point, what’s best for the team must trump personal grudges. – Joseph, Lauderhill.
Q: I just watched the Heat-Knicks game, and although entertaining, what was Udonis Haslem doing in the game instead of Dewayne Dedmon? Yes, I understand he was sent to the corner of the room. But he has height, can shoot the 3. – Phil, Delray Beach.
A: Well, we clearly have a theme here. This is similar to when a player is ejected and, from the stands, you have no certain awareness of what exactly was said by the player. Except for Erik Spoelstra and those within that inner circle, we have no idea how that played out between player and coach. But when it comes to ability to contribute, Dewayne Dedmon clearly rates ahead of Udonis Haslem by the mere fact of how much he has played ahead of Udonis Haslem these past three seasons. It will be interesting to see the approach Saturday night in Milwaukee.
Q: Ira, Orlando Robinson’s injury is a perfect example of how flawed the roster is. There is no way an injury to a two-way player should submarine a season. – Ted.
A: First, Orlando Robinson’s thumb fracture does not put the Heat’s season underwater. The greatest setback when it comes to the Heat’s power rotation was the ankle surgery that has had Omer Yurtseven sidelined since the preseason. If Omer wasn’t injured, it is likely that Orlando would have remained in the G League. Also more impactful on the Heat’s overall season has been the disappointing play of Dewayne Dedmon, which has been a net negative. A case could be made that going the past month without Nikola Jovic also has torpedoed the possibilities of the power rotation. If the Heat cannot survive the loss of a two-way player who only had 10 NBA days remaining on his two-way contract, anyway, then they are not anywhere close to what we thought they were.
Q: I wish they would just start Gabe Vincent already, but the Heat organization is too slow to shake things up/too conservative, always thinking about the players’ veteran status. – Gordo.
A: I disagree, because there can’t be anything more humbling to a championship veteran than to consistently be benched at the close of close games. And this is not a 1 and 1A situation, where you have a pair of proven, big-time point guards, or even players with similar resumes. It’s not like Gabe Vincent is a definitive answer, either.
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Originally published at Tribune News Service