ASK IRA: Will the early-season Heat be a difficult viewing experience?
Q: I enjoyed the last four Jimmy Butler years, but there is a part of me that wished the Heat were moving on. I like watching the young guys who the Heat drafted play together. The Heat are not winning any rings with the various super teams, anyway. It would be nice to rebuild a younger, faster, less isolation roster. — Jon
A: Exactly how many teams go from the NBA Finals to blowing it up? With the current mix, you can have win-now talent, as well as a mix of youth. To turn solely to youth, would be to accept a fall to the bottom. And when was the last time the Heat allowed that? (2008 is your answer.) The reality is that Jimmy Butler is not an October (or November or December) player. So don’t get too caught up living in a moment that is not Jimmy’s moment. Now, if you take issue with the Heat’s playing style, that’s another story. And, agreed, this offense often can be a difficult watch.
Q: If there is no motivated Jimmy Butler (not saying he won’t be), then this will be a long, sometimes unwatchable regular season. — Douglas.
A: Sort of as last season’s regular season was. The good thing this year is that the Dolphins can take the focus off Jimmy Butler’s ramp up. The schedule says it’s an 82-game season. Jimmy obviously says something different. But would you trade in Playoff Jimmy in order to move off early-season Indifferent Jimmy? That’s the necessary compromise in the world of Buckets.
Q: Fans and media crack me up. Anthony Edwards is shooting 35% for the year, with a 113.7 defensive rating. Tyler Herro is shooting 37% for the year, with a 113.3 defensive rating. Fans/media say Anthony Edwards is a future face of the NBA and a great young player. Then they say Tyler Herro, what a low shooting percentage and such a bad defender and chucker. Unreal. – J. K.
A: The difference with the Heat is the expectation of winning, something that has not nearly been the case with the lost-in-the-wilderness Timberwolves. So the prism for Anthony Edwards simply is the box score. For Tyler Herro, it also is measured against the standings and playoff pressure. Simply put, to this stage more has been expected of Tyler. There is no doubt that if Tyler began his career elsewhere at the bottom of the standings, he could have become a stats machine. But to what end?