Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Spoelstra says no need for roster replacement
Foot surgery will sideline White until midseason
WASHINGTON — Despite standing one player shy of being able to dress the maximum of 13 players on game nights, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Friday there are no plans for a roster move.
With forward Okaro White sidelined until at least midseason due to Thursday’s foot surgery, Spoelstra had left the door open for a possible shuffle, with the Heat holding the exclusive NBA rights to three players on their developmental-league affiliate, the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Spoelstra, however, said Friday that he has enough players for his primary rotation, which is his prime concern at the moment.
“I feel we have enough,” he said ahead of Friday’s game against the Wizards. “I’m not concerned about that at all. That’s more than enough. I’m having a tough time trying to play 10.”
Spoelstra has essentiality reduced his rotation to Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow, Josh Richardson, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, Kelly Olynyk, James Johnson, Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington.
That has left first-round pick Bam Adebayo largely as an outsider, without action in the four games leading to Friday night.
Spoelstra previously had mentioned the possibility of seasoning for Adebayo in the developmental league.
“I’m not at that point right now,” he said Friday. “But if it gets to a point where he’s not playing, I mean, he’s my next guy. That’s the thing. I’m still surprised he hasn’t found a way in.
“But we’re trying to find consistency right now in a nine-man rotation. That’s what we’re going with. But that doesn’t mean I won’t go differently as we go forward.”
In addition to White, the Heat also are without former starting small forward Rodney McGruder for an extended period, after his preseason leg surgery.
As it is, the bottom portion of the roster has seen minimal action, with Udonis Haslem without an appearance this season going into Friday and with Jordan Mickey going into Friday without a minute of action since Oct. 23.
The Heat have center A.J. Hammons and guards Derrick Walton Jr. and Matt Williams Jr. as their exclusive-rights players with the Skyforce, eligible to be recalled at any time. even worked together in practice.
“I don’t know man. I haven’t seen it enough,” Whiteside said at Friday morning’s shootaround of potential success with the two 7-footers paired together. “We don’t even practice together. I don’t know. I can’t really tell you. I haven’t seen it enough.”
Olynyk, who was signed in the offseason to a fouryear, $50 million contract, a year after Whiteside agreed to a four-year, $98 million deal, initially asked what Spoelstra had said of the two big men playing together before he offered his comments. Their potential combined productivity was dealt an earlyseason setback when Whiteside missed five games with a knee injury.
“I don’t think we gave it a very big sample size,” Olynyk said to a follow-up question of whether the alignment could work. “He got hurt there for a little bit. But yeah, I don’t control that. So I just go out there and play with whoever is on the floor at the time I’m out there.”