Q: Ira, is EuroBasket too much for Pelle Larsson after he played summer league? With so many players being injured, why take the risk? – Sam.
A: First, international play is an individual decision, with the Heat typically in favor of such competition. Plus, the Heat hardly put Pelle Larsson through a grueling schedule in summer league, releasing him to return to the Swedish national team four days before the Heat were done in Las Vegas. And for the Heat, EuroBasket allows them to take stock of Pelle’s play as a leading man in big-time competition. By contrast, Kasparas Jakucionis skipping time with the Lithuanian national team at EuroBasket makes similar sense, allowing the No. 20 pick in last month’s draft to settle into the NBA lifestyle after working his way through the entirety of summer league.
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Q: Have the Heat discussed any of the veteran free agents who remain. They have to be better than the end of our bench? – Sandy.
A: First, they don’t have to be better than anyone, considering the Heat still have an open roster spot. At this stage, considering the Heat’s overall depth, they key will be a veteran willing to come in without a guarantee, as Nassir Little did a year ago. The Heat annually bring into camp somebody who used to be somebody. That certainly could happen again, particularly if such a player would be willing to potentially bide time in the G League. In fact, last year the Heat got Tony Snell to go directly to their G League affiliate.
Q: At Pat Riley’s press conference, I was led to expect more impactful roster moves. Is this all fans should expect or are you expecting more to come? – Brian.
A:The issue with all things Pat Riley is that the expectations tend to be as oversized as the additions of Shaquille O’Neal and LeBron James. And those only come along every so often. With the NBA at rest, I would not expect much in the way of drama, unless some executive wakes up one day and says, “I simply have to have Andrew Wiggins.”
