Heat proceeding with caution with Winslow, who awaits his season debut

MIAMI — To appreciate just how close Justise Winslow was to making his season debut Wednesday night against the New York Knicks, consider the perspective of Miami Heat teammate Josh Richardson.

“I was under the impression in the locker room before the game that he was playing, Richardson said. “So when I saw him not suit up, I was like, ‘You out?’ He said, ‘Yeah.’ I was like, ‘Ahh.’ ”

Ultimately, after going through practice a day earlier and then Wednesday morning’s shootaround, Winslow felt that his sore right hamstring still wasn’t right. That means he still hasn’t played since agreeing to his three-year, $36 million rookie-scale extension on Oct. 12.

“I was feeling pretty good [Wednesday] morning and then went out there to warm up and it didn’t feel exactly how I wanted it to feel, just a little tightness,” he said.

“It actually felt good [Wednesday] morning. Usually, it actually gets better as I get warm, but it just kind of stayed a little tight and I didn’t want to push it.”

While Winslow’s salary is set going forward, his role remains anything but. He sets up anywhere from point guard to power forward in the Heat rotation, a process that remains muddled because of his own injury as well as those that have sidelined Dion Waiters, James Johnson, Wayne Ellington and Derrick Jones Jr., with all four also out Wednesday. Their status remains uncertain for Saturday’s game against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, the third game on this fourgame homestand that ends Monday against the Sacramento Kings.

“It’s not a setback,” Winslow said. “It’s continuing being cautious. Of course it’s a disappointment. Every game I miss it’s a disappointment, but you’ve got to think big picture and just continue to take all the precautions so that when I am ready, it wouldn’t be something that we keep going back to, go out there and maybe make it worse.

“So I just want to be ready, physically and mentally, when that day comes, to be out there.”

The fourth-year forward said he was surprised as Richardson over Wednesday’s turn of events.

“Kind of when I got back to the arena, usually, as I start to get warm, it gets a little looser,” he said. “And when I warmed up it kind of got tight on me.”

And, so, the wait continues, Winslow still yet to see action since the Oct. 8 preseason victory over the Orlando Magic at American Airlines Arena, when he started and played 30:39, with 11 points on 4-of-9 shooting.

“Whenever he’s ready to come back,” Richardson said, “we’ll be excited.”

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