ASK IRA: Do the Heat, NBA have an injury-report reporting problem?
Q: Ira, I have an idea: If you are injured stay off social media and get healthy. The focus needs to be on who is playing, as Pat Riley has said. Either that or be like Patrick Beverley and given updates on exactly what your injury is and your exact timetable (like he did on his podcast and social media with his wrist injury). – Samuel.
A: I left out the smiley and non-smiley emojis that accompanied this, but you probably could figure the placement. But I also can appreciate someone like Tyler Herro feeling the need to clap back at the speculation by outsiders. Most injury timelines are not linear, with starting and finishing points. Erik Spoelstra noted as much after Thursday’s practice. So what is known is Tyler has been working relentlessly to return. He wants to play. So perhaps the best compromise here is we simply ask Patrick Beverely when Tyler is returning. The reality is that even if Tyler envisions a certain return date, others will also have a voice in the decision, as they did when he was activated, but did not play, in the final game of last season’s NBA Finals.
Q: Miami literally just needs to get healthy so they can see what they’re working with when they have a full deck of cards – Saadiq.
A: Which basically is what we have been saying since November. Now the question is whether there actually will be a time when that happens, amid a clock ticking to the close of the season.While some might say to set a cutoff day in order to instill cohesion, this roster is not constructed where it can afford to be without.
Q: I was privileged enough to watch the Florida Panthers vs Boston Bruins hockey game, which I watched instead of the injury-riddled Miami Heat-Golden State Warriors basketball game. The NHL game is more physical than basketball, and they play the same number of games. However, in a game where the Panthers clearly were not in danger of missing the playoffs, the Panthers did not rest players. Why is the NBA, and specifically the Miami Heat, so different than the NHL and the Florida Panthers? – Jeffrey, Miami.
A: It’s the culture of the games. When no less than championship-winning Gregg Popovich decided that load management and rest were good things, the championship envious followed. Perhaps if Toe Blake did the same, the NHL would have followed in lockstep.