Heat still awaiting free-agency payoff
Ailing Bradley, Harkless not yet providing return
The payoff for the Miami Heat’s two primary offseason moves in free agency has become stalled at nine appearances for Moe Harkless, 10 for Avery Bradley, each appearing in fewer than half of the team’s games.
While both have been deemed important enough to earn starts during their Heat debut seasons, both have been beset by injuries that has slowed their acclimation.
Friday night’s game against the Washington Wizards at AmericanAirlines Arena stands as the seventh consecutive game missed by Harkless due to a bruised left thigh, after he previously missed two in heath and safety protocols due to coronavirus contact tracing and one due to a bruised left forearm.
And now Bradley, who had missed eight consecutive games due to a positive COVID-19 test last month, is sidelined for three to four weeks with a calf strain, an injury that could keep him out until the March 5 All-Star break.
Bradley was injured during Wednesday night’s 103-100 loss to the Wizards.
“We’re all feeling for Avery, the consummate professional — shows up every day, takes care of business, takes care of his body, checks all those boxes — and is just a great person to be around,” teammate Duncan Robinson said Friday. “It’s tough to see him go through this, especially considering everything else he’s gone through this year.
“But he’s in positive spirits, which is just a testament to who he is as a person.”
It has been a rough go with the Heat for the 30-year-old defensive-minded guard since he signed a two-year free-agent contract in the offseason, with the second year a team option.
Similarly, Harkless, who signed a one-year deal, has found his acclimation constantly interrupted.
“I think they can get back into a rhythm,” Robinson said. “I think how they handle themselves, they’re always ready to go. I think they can fit back in seamlessly. Both of them have been showing up every day. So I doubt they’ll miss anything.”
All-Star ready
While some in the league have questioned the practicality of an All-Star Game amid a pandemic during such a condensed, compacted schedule, Robinson said if invited again to the 3-point contest that he would consider it an honor.
“It would be a real privilege,” said Robinson, who failed to advance out of the first round of last year’s contest in Chicago. “It’s definitely a weird year. I mean, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.
“It’s a good problem to have, obviously, if you do get invited to compete in some of those competitions. But we’ll see.”
The plan presented jointly by the NBA and player’s union to teams is to limit All-Star Weekend to Sunday March 7, with the All-Star Game and skills competition to be held during the same single session. Coronavirus testing would continue at the event, tentatively scheduled for Atlanta, as it has throughout the season.
Court time
The Heat pushed through the timing of the league’s coronavirus testing to hold a rare shootaround before Friday night’s game against the Wizards.
“I think it’s good for us,” center Kelly Olynyk said. “I mean, obviously, we haven’t had time to do shootarounds, haven’t had a lot of practice, haven’t had a lot of time together as a team, with anything, even team meetings and such. So the more time we can spend together, to help build those connections and those bonds and keep growing is going to be good for us.
“I think one thing that made us so great last year in the bubble was how connected we were on and off the court.”