Q: Ira, the Heat are in Houston on Friday. James Harden is in Houston, not with Philadelphia. Connect the dots. – James.
A: Actually, I’ll do you one better, I’ll connect dots that should give you all the perspective needed. The Heat’s City Edition jerseys this season will feature the word “Culture” across the chest. Can you think of a single thing more incongruous than James Harden in a Heat jersey that reads “Culture”? That would be the NBA definition of juxtaposition. (Besides, the Heat have made it known privately that such is not a direction the team is considering. Now, could it make sense as a one-year rental? Perhaps. But that would add a whole new element to culture.) Now, could the Heat enter the equation as part of a multi-team deal involving Harden? That’s another story.
Q: NBA players are the most delicate and injury prone of all time. – Oswald.
A: Let’s wait for the regular season to start before making such judgements about this season and this Heat roster. The Heat are doing what makes sense during the preseason, and that is err on the side of caution. The games are meaningless; the injuries are not. Now, if there are lingering concerns when it starts for real, when the Pistons visit on Wednesday, then there can be legitimate apprehension.What matters most to the Heat this season is the health of both Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo. There are no legitimate Plan Bs in either case.
Q: Who do you like most among the kids? – Phil.
A: I’m not sure he still would be considered “a kid,” at 26, but Haywood Highsmith continues to have the look of a rotation player. And if that is the case, he well could get in the way of a kid who was projected for a breakthrough, that being 20-year-old Nikola Jovic. Credit also should be given for the relentless minutes offered the past three games by Jamal Cain, who continues to chase a standard contract.
