In the lane

Position-less please: As forecast in this space two weeks ago, the Heat’s Jimmy Butler likely has been doomed to a reserve role by the NBA for the All-Star Game with his ballot designation as a frontcourt player. While that is where he has been listed this season on official box scores, the reality is he is just as likely to play as a guard and defend guards in Erik Spoelstra’s position-less approach. The problem is only three frontcourt players are selected as starters, with Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Pascal Siakam all having large built-in constituencies. Had Butler been listed as a backcourt candidate, the competition would have been along the lines of Bradley Beal, Trae Young and Kemba Walker for those two spots. The reality is that it is time to simply have the five best players start, regardless of position. The All-Star Game hardly is a competitive affair that needs proper defensive matchups, and the start of the All-Star Game is the least competitive part of the All-Star Game. As it is, with team captains (the player with the most votes in each conference) drafting their teams, a positional imbalance is possible with the opening lineups, anyway.

Here’s why: There was no denying Patrick Beverley played with a chip on his shoulder as his Los Angeles Clippers defeated LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Christmas Day. It is similar to the chip Beverley has played with against the Heat. In the spirit of the day, the feisty defensive-minded guard explained on Christmas. “I played for Miami, with LeBron. They cut me,” Beverley said of being released during the 2010 offseason by the Heat in favor of Eddie House. “I got drafted by the Lakers, they traded me to Miami. ‘Bron got there, they cut me. I remember like it was yesterday. So yeah, it’s a chip on my shoulder.” The Heat play the first of their two games against the Clippers on Jan. 24 in Miami, followed by a Feb. 5 game against the Clippers at Staples Center.

Christmas cheer: The sentiment was admirable, with Dwyane Wade‘s former and reemerging team left off the NBA’s Christmas Day television schedule. It also was somewhat misplaced. In advance of an uneven schedule of Christmas Day games that included the Golden State Warriors and New Orleans Pelicans but not the Heat, Wade noted on Twitter, “Proposal: Christmas games should be earned. Let’s have an element of surprise in the schedule. The teams that are playing well are the ones that needs to be playing on Christmas Day. Reward the teams just like we reward players with an in season All-Star Game.” The games are scheduled after the draft and free agency. The problem are the injuries and slumps that can follow. But from a fan perspective, the last thing someone with holiday plans probably would want would be to find out their Dec. 23 home game has been moved to Dec. 25. The only way around would be to schedule extra, non-national games for Dec. 25, but that would mean additional stadium workers and broadcast crews away from family for the holiday.

Back at it: Back from his 25-game suspension for a banned substance, Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins, the West Palm Cardinal Newman product, told The Athletic the most difficult part of the process “was just disappointment. All this work in the summer, all this work with the team and trying to build chemistry — it hurts, man. It really does.” The next step, Collins said, is earning back trust. “For me, I just want to let them know that I’m not a cheater,” he said. “This is something that will never happen again, if I can control it. I will be more aware of everything going on with my situation to be more secure about my career.”