Dragic expecting to return tonight
Swelling decreases around Heat guard’s bruised right eye.
MIAMI — Goran Dragic participated in Tuesday’s full practice after his right eye dramatically improved a day earlier, giving the Heat point guard confidence that he will be back in the lineup tonight against New Orleans.
“It’s still a little bit blurry, but it’s way better than it was,” said Dragic, whose eye was swollen shut Sunday. “I was doing massage all day, trying to remove the swelling. As you can see, it’s way better.”
When asked if he thinks he will play tonight, Dragic said, “Oh yeah, definitely.” He does not plan to wear eye protection.
Dragic was constantly massaging the swollen eye and applying cold water, which paid off Monday afternoon when the eye finally opened. Now the swelling is minimal but the eye remains badly bruised.
The Heat never were overly concerned once it was learned there was no structural damage to the eye.
“It was like a boxer’s trainer (Monday), all day long trying to get the swelling out,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It worked. It was much better.”
Dragic caught a Cory Joseph elbow early in the second half of Saturday’s home win over the Raptors.
Dragic immediately left the game and did not return. He traveled to Indianapolis that night but when the eye remained swollen shut Sunday, he did not play in that night’s 102-98 loss to the Pacers, just the Heat’s fifth loss in their past 26 games.
“He was missed,” guard Dion Waiters said. “He was missed for sure. He’s a big part of the team and what we’re doing. To have a guy go down like that. We did what we had to do. We just came up short. We’re glad to have him back.”
Josh Richardson started in place of Dragic and the second-year guard out of Tennessee continued to struggle offensively after missing 19 games with a left foot sprain. Richardson is averaging just 4.9 points on .302 shooting, including .111 on 3-point attempts in his 10 games since returning from the injury.
Teammates teased Dragic, calling him Rocky or Drago, as in Ivan Drago, the Russian boxer in “Rocky IV.”
“To hear him say, ‘cut me’ in his accent was pretty funny,” Spoelstra said.
Dragic — who said his teammates were playing “Eye of the Tiger” from “Rocky III” — still feels some pain around above the eye and said he has some blurriness but that is improving.
“I’ve been putting drops in,” he said. “How it was (Monday), I feel like (today) going to be even better, way better.
“If you touch it, it’s pain. But I’ve played with a lot of injuries (that were) hurting. The main thing is try to open the eye. Now it’s open, so I’m fine for (today).”
McGruder getting attention: The Heat’s recent success means more recognition when it comes to individual honors.
The most obvious is coach Erik Spoelstra, who is a strong candidate for Coach of the Year. And then there is rookie Rodney McGruder, the 6-foot-4 guard who was thrust into the starting small forward spot when Justise Winslow was lost for the season with a shoulder injury.
M c G r u d e r ’ s r i s e w a s a s unlikely as the Heat recovering from an 11-30 start to win 21 of their next 26 games. He is 25, was undrafted out of Kansas State and spent the past three seasons in Hungary and the D-League before making the Heat roster this season when he survived the final cut.
Now, McGruder is climbing in the Rookie of the Year rankings. Hoops Hype has him at No. 6 behind the 76ers’ duo of Dario Saric and Joel Embid, the Bucks’ Malcolm Brogdon, the Knicks’ Willy Hernangomez and Denver’s Jamal Murray.
McGruder will not overwhelm anybody with his stats. He is 14th among rookies with 6.4 points per game and a .413 shooting percentage. He is ninth in 3-point shooting (. 350), rebounding (3.2 per game) and steals (0.65 per game). And he is fifth with 25.4 minutes per game.
But Spoelstra has continually praised McGruder for his contributions beyond the box score, for his “winning plays” and defense while being asked to cover the opponents’ best wing player each night, a list that includes LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Paul George and Carmelo Anthony.
Spoelstra paid him the ultimate compliment recently, comparing him to another player who was defined by his toughness and contributions beyond the box score — Udonis Haslem.
“Rodney brings that toughness and the identity we have,” Spoelstra said. “How do we want to play? What’s our habits? What’s our identity? That guy. That’s what it is. What is UD in terms of his meaning on Miami Heat player and then culture? That’s him. Rodney is a 6-4 version of UD.”