A missing person again
Guard Dragic back on sidelines with another ailment
MIAMI —The Miami Heat tried to slow play Goran Dragic’s swollen right knee, but an extended absence now could follow for the veteran point guard.
After missing two games with the knee ailment and then returning for four, Dragic was held out of Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers at AmericanAirlines Arena, with further tests planned Monday.
“He’s sore still and a little bit swollen,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “He already has had an MRI, but we’ll check him out again [Monday] and then we’ll go from there.”
The Heat generally err on the side of caution with injuries, which is what Spoelstra indicated could come next with the only true point guard on the roster.
“We’ll find out,” Spoelstra said. “We’re going to re-evaluate him [Monday] and have those kind of discussions. We felt it was something we could get under control.
“There are no absolutes in this league and every case is different, and his knee hasn’t responded the way any of us had hoped when you’re playing games constantly.”
Dragic said after Friday’s loss to the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse that the swelling had returned. Spoelstra indicated the decision could be taken out of Dragic’s hands.
“When you’re as competitive as Goran, and he wants to be there for his team, we’ll evaluate that,” Spoelstra said.
Dragic previously missed a game for the foot soreness that had lingered since training camp, taking a cortisone shot for that ailment.
The Heat’s ballhandling deficit could be addressed this week with the return of guard Dwyane Wade, who has missed the past seven games, including Sunday’s, following the birth of his daughter. The Heat got a degree of ballhandling relief Sunday with the return of forward James Johnson, who had been sidelined since May surgery for a sports hernia.
The Heat are carrying 14 players, one shy of the NBA regular-season limit.
The starting point guard at their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, is Briante Weber, who was with the Heat during training camp and is eligible to be signed by any NBA team.
Maten, Robinson back: Both of the Heat’s two-way players were in uniform Sunday after playing for the Skyforce in a Saturday victory in Memphis.
For forward Duncan Robinson it has been somewhat of a whirlwind. He was with the Heat for Friday’s loss in Indiana, with the Skyforce for Saturday’s game in Memphis and then back Sunday.
“He might as well as have played instead of having a day off in Miami,” Spoelstra quipped before Sunday’s game.
Maten had been with the Skyforce since their training camp, averaging 25 points and 8.9 rebounds in his eight appearances.
“This is part of our holistic player-development program, where a major part of it is Sioux Falls,” Spoelstra said. “Yante spent a lot of time with us in summer league (and) training camp, and the rest of his development has been (at) Sioux Falls.
“He’s played very well. He’s been a big part of why that team is 7-1. We need him here as an extra body, but we’ll continue to develop him between the game days.”
Players on two-way contracts are limited to 45 days in the NBA between the start of G League camp and the end of the G League regular season.
A vote for Luke: Spoelstra confirmed that he spoke to Lakers coach Luke Walton during the offseason and said Sunday he can appreciate the expectations and pressures of coaching LeBron James.
“Every situation is different,” said Spoelstra, who coached James from 2010 to 2014, advancing to four NBA Finals and winning championships in 2012 and ‘13. “I was just trying to not screw it up and I was in survival mode. I found a way to get in the way and we lost our first year.
“But I did talk to Luke this summer and I told him the same thing I’ll tell everybody else: He’s the perfect guy to coach that team. He has purple and gold bleeding from him. He is a Laker.
“He did a tremendous job with Golden State when he had to take over for Steve [Kerr]. And if you look at his whole professional career, all he’s been involved with are teams like this: with great expectations, with a lot of pressure and a lot of noise. He doesn’t know any different. I don’t think you can find a better fit.”