Winderman’s view: In wake of loss to 76ers, can Kyle Lowry save this Heat mess?
Observations and other notes of interest from Wednesday night’s 119-96 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers:
– So, basically, the scapegoat might have to be the savior?
– Because the Heat need a point guard.
– And right now, injured and all, Kyle Lowry is as good as it gets for the Heat.
– Because Gabe Vincent isn’t the answer.
– And Victor Oladipo isn’t a point guard.
– And it’s not fair to add even more to Jimmy Butler’s plate, when he often stands as the entire offense.
– But, instead, the Heat addressed their power rotation in the buyout market.
– Which is all well and good.
– But Kevin Love doesn’t play point guard.
– Nor does Cody Zeller.
– The Heat couldn’t get rid of Lowry fast enough at the trade deadline.
– Until they weren’t able to get rid of him.
– Now he might represent a last hope amid play-in seeding.
– Because it’s not as if Goran Dragic is anyone’s solution at this point.
– It again was Love in the starting lineup, along with Bam Adebayo, Butler, Tyler Herro and Vincent.
– That quintet entered 1-2.
– With the Heat yet to explore a starting lineup with Lowry with Love.
– Asked pregame whether anything had changed regarding Lowry, who now has missed a month with knee soreness, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra only would offer, “Same process, but he’s making progress.”
– Lowry watched from the Heat bench, again wearing a lower-back support.
– The team has not mentioned anything about a back injury.
– Max Strus played as the Heat’s first reserve.
– Followed by Zeller.
– With Oladipo and Caleb Martin entering together to make it nine deep.
– Making Duncan Robinson again the odd man out, until garbage time.
– Love’s third rebound moved him past Larry Bird for 55th on the NBA all-time list.
– Herro’s sixth assist tied him with Brian Shaw for 17th on the Heat all-time list.
– Spoelstra spoke pregame of the importance of this six-game homestand.
– “It’s important. Our guys are smart,” he said. “They’re also really competitive, so they know what’s at stake and know who we’re playing in these six games. But it’s also important that you don’t start getting ahead of yourselves.”
– The homestand continues with a single game against the Knicks on Friday night and then pairs of games against the Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers.
– Philadelphia coach Doc Rivers confirmed before the game that the 76ers had interest in Love before Love signed with the Heat on the buyout market.
– “We tried to get him, too,” Rivers said. “I know it was us and Miami, probably one other team. He’s just a solid player. More importantly, if it hadn’t worked here, if he hadn’t played well, you still want him in the locker room.”
– Love had confirmed that the 76ers had been one of his finalists.
– The 76ers instead wound up with former Heat center Dewayne Dedmon, who is sidelined with hip soreness.
– “He’s a pro,” Spoelstra said. “We really enjoyed our time with Dewayne. He was really important for us when we first signed him and then last year when he was healthy. He just gave us great minutes that fit who we are. He’s tough, he’s physical. He has a great defensive voice. He can really communicate well.”
– Spoelstra added, “You can see why they signed him, it gives them another guy with a presence in the paint and size. But he’s an enjoyable guy. He’s a really funny guy behind the scenes. Most people don’t really get to see that side of him. But we did.”
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