Kelly Olynyk honored by Celtics for charity efforts.
Heat player chosen for charity work as ‘Heroes Among Us’ award recipient
BOSTON — It is a moment at TD Garden when the game takes as backseat, when players turn their attention away from the competition, when the Boston Celtics honor their “Heroes Among Us,” those who bring valor, comfort, caring, selflessness to the forefront.
Wednesday night was Kelly Olynyk’s turn, the Heat forward honored for the community and charitable efforts he provided during his four seasons with the Celtics before joining the Heat in the offseason as a free agent.
“It’s a true honor,” Olynyk said. “Over the four years, you see a lot of people do some un-human things. And we’re over there on the bench, a lot times, my first four years, looking at the situation this person went through or the situation that they endured to help somebody else, and you’re like, ‘If I’m in that situation, I’m not sure that you would do what some of these people do,’ whether it’s saving someone in a lake or whatever they’re doing, or just helping the communities in extraordinary ways.
“So it’s pretty special. It’s a real honor. I’ve seen a lot of people go through and receive that honor and it’s an honor to be with them.”
Olynyk arrived to Boston as a wide-eyed 21-year-old first-round pick out of Gonzaga.
“I loved this community,” he said. “Everything the Celtics did, it was just fun, fun to get out there, with the kids, especially. This community does a lot for this team.
“When I first got here, we weren’t very good at all. They support you no matter what you do. No matter what your record is, they’re going to be behind you. I wanted to be behind them the same way that they were behind us.”
Olynyk was forced to look elsewhere in free agency after the Celtics maximized their salary-cap space to sign since-sidelined Utah Jazz free agent forward Gordon Hayward.
“It kind of felt like you’re back at home, really,” Olynyk said of being back for the Heat’s lone visit to TD Garden this season. “It’s a special place, this place. And there’s a lot of places, but I grew up here, became a man here. This is a real special place in my heart and will be for the rest of my life.”
Pushing through
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra reiterated Wednesday that he will not allow a woe-is-we mindset to stand in the way of his objective of working toward a winning record, even as his team continues to play shorthanded.
“This is a world we live in,” he said. “Look around the league. It can be a lot worse. You have to deal with a lot of things in an 82-game season. Everybody goes through their moments at some point. We’re going through ours’ right now. We’re not making excuses for it.”
Spoelstra still remains unclear about whether he would need or want to see center Hassan Whiteside in a contact workout before a return, after missing his 11th consecutive game Wednesday with a bone bruise on his left knee.
“I mean -- ‘need,’ ‘want’ -- all these things, I don’t know if those will be absolutely possible,” he said, with the Heat to open a four-game homestand Friday against the Dallas Mavericks at AmericanAirlines Arena. “I want a lot things. I don’t know if that’s possible. But he’s making progress. He’s doing a lot of conditioning. He’s doing a little bit more court work. I see that all as a great sign. And he’s feeling less pain and discomfort each day.”
Forward James Johnson, who has missed the past two games with ankle bursitis and is expected to miss at least two more, remains limited on his tender ankle.
“His is all non-impact conditioning and treatment right now,” Spoelstra said. “But he’s making progress.”
In the interim, Spoelstra has found himself with an extended look at players such as first-round pick Bam Adebayo and offseason free-agent addition Jordan Mickey.
“You are playing more minutes right now that you weren’t getting the opportunities before,” Spoelstra said. “Both Bam and J-Mick have provided very productive minutes.
“As young players you always have the big picture to develop and grow players in your system. But the other side of that is development is now, and game minutes are more valuable than anything, and they’re both getting those minutes right now.”