South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Heat skip G League season
GM Elisburg calls move a ‘tough decision’
In the wake of the Miami Heat formally announcing that their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, will not participate in the upcoming season, general manager Andy Elisburg reiterated that the team’s commitment to player development remains resolute.
“It was a tough decision,” Elisburg said. “Obviously, we believe in the G League, we believe in the Skyforce, we believe in our developmental program. All those things we believe in, so it was not an easy decision not to do it.”
As it is, the G League will be limited to a single-site quarantine bubble at Disney World, with a limited schedule beginning in February.
The primary factor in the Heat’s decision, Elisburg said, was the quick turnaround between the Oct. 11 end of the Heat’s 2019-20 season and the Dec. 23 start of this season. Typically, the Heat seed their G League work during summer league, offseason workouts at AmericanAirlines Arena and then the preseason.
“For us, just for the quick turnaround, it just became a lot on everyone’s plate, and dealing with the fact that it’s an unusual season, managing the COVID,” Elisburg said ahead of the Heat’s fourgame road trip that opened Saturday night against the Washington Wizards.
“There’s a lot of different things that were on the plate. That’s where we made the decision.”
None of the four teams that competed in last season’s conference finals (Heat, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets) are fielding G League teams this season.
The Heat still can send either of their players under two-way contracts, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent, to work with other G League teams and are also allowed to similarly send out young players,
such as KZ Okpala, under the NBA’s flexible-assignment program.
“We’re open to everything right now,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “We think it is a unique year, where it makes sense to have your depth for unpredictable things that could happen potentially. But we’re spending a lot of time with that, developing them.
“Our two-way guys, Max and Gabe, along with our young guys, are getting a great deal of work. There are a lot of bonuses for them to stay here with us.”
Because of quarantines required to enter the G League bubble and then return to the NBA, shortterms assignments, such as Chris
Silva’s two-game stint last season with the Skyforce, seem highly unlikely.
“The amount of quarantining going in, quarantining going out, those will all be factors,” Elisburg said. “Players you have go back and forth during a normal season is not going to be able to happen this year.
“Certainly that opportunity will exist for teams who, maybe when they get into January and February if they have players who are not playing, say, ‘OK, I’m prepared to send them down for a longer period of time.’ ”
While Eric Glass, who coached the Skyforce until last season’s pandemic shutdown, has joined the Heat coaching staff, former
Heat player Kasib Powell remains as a Skyforce assistant coach.
Elisburg stressed the Heat remain committed to Sioux Falls going forward.
“We felt we just had to focus our attention on the Heat,” he said. “[But] we’re looking forward in being able to get back.”
Even without a Heat affiliate, the G League could still have a Heat flavor. Among those who have applied for Monday’s G League draft are former Heat players Michael Beasley, Mario Chalmers, Matt Williams Jr. and Shawne Williams, as well as former Heat camp prospects Skyler Flatten, Charles Cooke, Trey Mourning, Bubu Palo and Raphiael Putney.