Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Sore elbow
Shooting sleeve too uncomfortable to wear, he says
Dion Waiters fighting through elbow injury.
MIAMI — Even after playing in attack mode, Dion Waiters said he continues to feel restrained by his hyperextended right elbow.
In the wake of a 4-for-5 shooting performance, the Miami Heat guard said the injury that has lingered for a week was exacerbated by a blow absorbed during Monday’s road victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.
“Going over a screen,” he said of the latest nerve jolt, “trying to fight over a screen.”
Waiters made his first four attempts at FedExForum before a 3-point airball that was wildly off the mark, a shot that also was his final attempt of the night.
“I don’t try to think about it,” he said of the discomfort. “Me, I’m a no-excuse guy. I’m whatever. It’s very uncomfortable. But if I’m out there, I’m out there.”
Waiters initially attempted to play with a shooting sleeve after sustaining the injury in last week’s road loss to the San Antonio Spurs, but found it too restrictive. He played Monday with kinesiology tape from the top to near the bottom of his right arm.
“I’d rather that than the sleeve,” he said. “The pad? I just don’t like it on my elbow.”
Coach Erik Spoelstra said he appreciated that Waiters did not settle for jump shots while dealing with the discomfort.
“His aggressiveness was very good,” Spoelstra said. “He got some switches. Bigs were on him and he just drove those right into the paint.
“That’s part of him learning. Before, that turns into a long three. But he made them pay for whatever coverage they were in. So I liked his minutes.”
Waiters said he did not concern himself with possible aggravation.
“When I’m out there, I don’t really think about it,” he said. “I can’t determine how the game is going to go. I just told myself I’m going to be aggressive. The time I was out there, I just tried to be aggressive and make the right play.”
He closed with 10 points, four assists, two rebounds and two steals in his 24:20 of action, with the team given Tuesday off before tonight’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers at AmericanAirlines Arena. “It hurts,” Waiters said. “It’s a nerve.”
Another stride
Rookie center Bam Adebayo again was able to produce a solid effort Monday despite being inserted on short notice. The firstround pick out of Kentucky entered with 9:01 to play in the first quarter after Kelly Olynyk was called for his second foul. Olynyk has been filling in for sidelined starting center Hassan Whiteside.
Spoelstra said he was impressed by Adebayo’s effort against crafty Grizzlies center Marc Gasol.
“You have to have a good head on his shoulders,” Spoelstra said. “You can’t just come out here like a wildman against somebody that’s so savvy, knows how to draw fouls, can take you in the post and also play pick-and-pop basketball out beyond the 3-point line. There’s a lot of things you have to negotiate and manage mentally.
“Usually, for a young player, you would shortcircuit. But Bam kept his head, even after some tough calls, but really used his technique, his energy, multiple efforts and his mentality stability to be in a lot of places that were pretty disruptive.”
Adebayo said it was another step in his learning curve.
“I was just careful with my hands, tried to be in the right place at the time,” he said, like Olynyk, forced to play through foul trouble. “With Gasol, I was just trying to be active. Most players don’t like an active defender. So it was just about being active and always moving my feet.”
Adebayo closed with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting and four rebounds in his 22:55.
The look
The Heat went 2-1 on their trip with the revised lineup in Whiteside’s absence that had Olynyk opening at center and James Johnson at power forward. But Spoelstra said the team’s uptick is about more than the starting five.
“The last time we made a change, a similar type of spike happened,” he said. “I think it’s less about that. It’s about more consistent commitment to our identity.
“Our guys have really committed to the tough things, the little things, the multiple-effort things defensively. It’s not an easy way, and that has to be the way for our team.”