Q: There is so much upside for Bam Adebayo it's scary. The Heat are in a tough spot because Erik Spoelstra clearly would rather not play Hassan Whiteside. But at $25 million this and next year, if not traded, Hassan has to play. But with Bam, let him make mistakes this year. The Heat aren't going anywhere. -- Douglas.
A: This certainly is a tough spot for the Heat. And don't lose sight of the reality that just three games ago, Hassan had 23 rebounds and 21 points against the Nets. About the only good thing about having three centers with the opportunity to carve minutes for only two, is that Hassan tends to let you know early whether he is on or off. Granted, other players are allowed to play through rough starts, which certainly will be the case when Dion Waiters gets back (still operating under the assumption that has to happen at some point). But this situation is different, because Hassan, Bam and Kelly Olynyk each bring something unique to the court. It may have to come down to equal minutes for each in the first half and then the last two left standing based on productivity play the second half. Hassan still can provide plenty. The problem is that it tends to be all or nothing.
Q: Any further comparisons between Justise Winslow/Josh Richardson and Kawhi Leonard need to be put on hold for a couple more years at minimum right now. It was a good thing Erik Spoelstra decided to defer to Dwyane Wade in Sunday's game. Otherwise it would have been really ugly. -- Skip, Tampa.
A: In a league full of too-little, too-late rallies, don't kid yourself, Sunday was really ugly. And I'm not sure, at least in this space, that you've seen comparisons to Kawhi Leonard, who is so unique in build and explosion. Being the same style of player or even same type of player, doesn't mean being the same player. Two years ago the Heat were in a similar spot in the Eastern Conference and the Raptors found a way to something better. And this is not just about a single contract, considering the contract of Jonas Valanciunas might not be at the level of some with the Heat but still has been burdensome. And for as much as the Heat had to go with Dwyane, consider the Goran Dragic and Tyler Johnson (and Dion Waiters) were out. I'm not sure that type of opportunity might have been there otherwise.
Q: I don't see the Heat being anywhere near relevant for at least 10 years, especially considering the Heat's stubbornness to move away from acquiring non-shooters, defense first and Heat Culture. Am I wrong, or do you see any possibility of a silver lining? -- Julio, Cape Coral.
A: A decade? Tell you what, I'll schedule a Twitter post for Nov. 26, 2028 about the Heat's recent success and then we can see who is correct.
iwinderman@sunsentinel.com. Follow him at twitter.com/iraheatbeat or facebook.com/ira.winderman
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