Q: Ira, the revelation that the Heat were not made aware of the gambling investigation prior to the Terry Rozier trade should put the onus on the NBA to deal quickly and fairly with a resolution. Now the Heat are stuck paying a salary for damaged goods and having lost a first-round pick to boot, while the NBA essentially punishes the Heat for a gambling fiasco which took place on Charlotte’s watch. Knowing that they will not act against a player under the assumption of innocent until proven guilty is a cop out. It could take years, including appeals, for resolution. The NBA and union need to do what is fair for the Heat first, and then they can deal with Rozier separately after the court resolution. Essentially they need to deal with each party separately. – Gary.
A: The logical initial move should be Terry Rozier continues to get paid until proven guilty – especially since the NBA said their investigation, as Adam Silver said during his televised interview, came up with nothing. But salary and the salary cap do not have to be one in the same. Common sense says to remove Terry from the cap/tax in what could be a very long interim. As for the draft pick, which would immediately unlock as many as four tradeable first-round picks, provide the Heat with a provisional 2027 pick – one that can’t be dealt, but one that would allow the Heat to bypass the rule forbidding teams to be without first-round picks in successive seasons. Then the Heat could trade their ’26, ’28, ’30 and ’32 picks if desired. Again, unique situations call for unique solutions – and decisive leadership. Adam Silver’s league already has issued an updated memo on gambling, dealing with that situation in real time. There also is another situation that necessitates real-time judgments.
Q: What in the name of Paul Westhead is going on with Heat? They play so fast and score so much! They are so much fun to watch. – Bernardo, Fort Lauderdale.
A: And by Paul Westhead you mean Mike D’Antoni?
Q: What took Erik Spoelstra so long to on how to score? I don’t ever want to hear “in the mud” again. – Roy, Miami.
A: You will, because there still will be times when the high-octane offense will sputter, when the quick-draw shots will be off, when fastbreaks will not be fed by ample rebounds and turnovers created. So, yes, defense still will have to win games for the Heat. It’s just the nature of an 82-game season.
