Herro questionable for Hornets
Tyler Herro, who revealed that someone he lives with tested positive for COVID-19, didn’t practice Sunday and was listed as questionable due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols for Monday’s matchup against the Charlotte Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena.
He said he learned about the potential COVID-19 exposure during halftime of the Heat’s win over the Sacramento Kings Saturday.
Herro, who played 40 minutes en route to a 15-point showing against the Kings, didn’t know at the time if he’d have to be placed in the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
He had a seven-game absence due to neck spasms earlier in the season before returning to the floor in the Heat’s loss to the Los Angeles Clippers last Thursday.
Herro previously confirmed that he tested positive for COVID19 last summer while the 201920 NBA season was shut down, but players who’ve previously tested positive for the coronavirus aren’t exempt from having to face absences due to the league’s health and safety protocols relating to contact tracing.
Bam Adebayo and Kendrick
Nunn confirmed they tested positive last summer for COVID-19 and both missed a week of action earlier this month due to the protocols.
“We all know how crazy this time is going,” Herro said Saturday. “Hopefully, I don’t have to quarantine. It’s crazy what’s going on.”
Nunn didn’t play in the Heat’s win Saturday because he was wait
ing for a pre-game COVID-19 test result when the game started.
“It was just an unfortunate situation where the test didn’t come back in time,” Nunn said. “They told me I had to go the locker room until it came back. I stayed for about 10 minutes and I was available after that.”
He was cleared by the second quarter and could have played, but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was already into his rotation by then.
“It is what it is,” Nunn said. “I only try to control what I can. With the test coming back late, I just had to sit out and wait for it to come back. Not too frustrated with that, but just got to stay ready as well like I’ve been doing.”
COVID-19 has already significantly impacted the Heat’s season, with Miami entering Monday’s game versus the Hornets with a 7-12 record.
Jimmy Butler returned to the floor for the Heat after missing the team’s previous 10 games due to the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
The Heat had eight players enter the league’s health and safety protocols after their matchup against the Celtics scheduled for
Jan. 10 in Boston was postponed because Miami didn’t have the league-required eight available players due to contact tracing.
Those eight players were: Adebayo, Avery Bradley, Butler, Goran Dragic, Moe Harkless, Udonis Haslem, Nunn and KZ Okpala.
After the Heat dropped two games to the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center when Miami only had eight available players — the league’s minimum for a team to play a game — Adebayo, Dragic, Harkless, Haslem, Nunn and Okpala were available for the team’s loss to the Detroit Pistons on Jan. 16, suggesting their one-week absence was due to contact tracing.
The NBA doesn’t reveal which players are in the league’s health and safety protocols due to a positive COVID-19 test or contact tracing.
Players who test positive for the coronavirus are expected to be out for at least two weeks.
Bradley revealed he tested positive for COVID-19 and returned to the court last Wednesday in the Heat’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, with Butler returning to the floor three days later after being cleared from protocols earlier in the week.
No other Heat players were in the league’s protocols on Sunday, indicating nobody else on the team was deemed a close contact.
If Herro is ruled out due to contact tracing, then he’d expected to be out for a week.
The Heat had seven other players listed on their injury report for Monday’s game in addition to Herro.
Harkless (left thigh contusion), Meyers Leonard (left shoulder strain) and Chris Silva (left hip flexor strain) were listed as out against the Hornets. Bradley (right knee contusion) and Dragic (left groin strain) were listed as questionable. Bradley has missed the Heat’s last two games and Dragic their last three.
Andre Iguodala (neck spasms) and Gabe Vincent (right knee soreness), both of whom played Saturday, were both listed as probable for Monday.
“We’re living with the punches right now,” Adebayo said. “Going through that will be better for us along the road just because we’ve had so many people in and out of the lineup. It’s going to get to a point where everybody is going to be cohesive, comfortable and able to adapt to each other’s playstyle, even though nobody wants to have people sitting out during COVID.
“This is the way of life right now. This is the way we have to handle it. We always got to think next man up.”