Waiters has ‘seen the writing on the wall’
Johnson inactive, still fails to meet the team’s conditioning goals
MIAMI — The Miami Heat will start the season with $27 million in salary out of view.
The Heat announced hours before Wednesday night’s season opener that forward James Johnson will remain inactive, in the wake of failing to meet the team’s conditioning goals.
That comes in the wake of guard Dion Waiters being suspended for the opener against the Memphis Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena due to what Heat president Pat Riley previously termed in a statement, “a number of unacceptable incidents.”
Waiters, who is due $12.1 million this season, is scheduled to have his suspension end Thursday. Johnson, who is due $15.3 million, has been working with the team in practice the past two weeks but has yet to be in uniform.
There is the possibility that both could miss the upcoming trip for games Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks and Sunday against
While Johnson has vowed to reach the required conditioning thresholds, it apparently has gotten personal for Waiters, who again took to social media Tuesday amid his time away from the team.
This time, Waiters responded to an Instagram post that questioned his willingness to accept a reserve role, the role he had been cast in by coach Erik Spoelstra during the preseason.
In response, Waiters posted, “It’s not my ego. I’ll play whateva role it’s has nothing to do with basketball. I seen the writing on the wall.”
The Heat are aware of the post, but have not commented.
The Heat’s sanction came before Waiters’ string of pointed posts on social media, with Riley in his statement Saturday night that read, “There were a number of unacceptable incidents this week, culminating with his unprofessional conduct on the bench last night. As a consequence, I feel we had to suspend him.”
In the wake of his suspension, Waiters posted on his Instagram, “Eventually the truth will come to the
Minnesota
Timberwolves. the light.” Waiters’ account also responded elsewhere to an Instagram post with, “I would win if I had Bron & Wade plus Bosh.” That was in reference to Spoelstra coaching the Heat to four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals and 2012 and ‘13 titles with LeBron
James,
Bosh.
Spoelstra declined to comment on that Waiters’ post.
To a comment that read, “Herro as a rookie is far and away better than dion,” Waiters responded to the comparison to first-round
Dwyane
Wade and
Chris pick Tyler
“lol.”
Riley on the eve of the season addressed such disappointments in general terms.
“I hate complaining, gossiping and guys that don’t work hard,” he said.
Herro by commenting