Ellington tired of being a late starter to seasons
MIAMI — Wayne Ellington has been here before, stuck at the starting gate, with the rest of his teammates and the rest of the NBA off to the races.
He vows he won’t be left as far behind this time.
After missing the first 16 games of 2016-17 with a thigh contusion, Ellington has missed the entire preseason and the first three games of the regular season with what the Miami Heat have been listing as ankle soreness.
“I don’t really even need that reminder,” he said after being limited to noncontract work on the side during Monday’s practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. “But I’ve been talking about that already, that, ‘Man, I missed the first 16 games my first year here,’ but it’s nothing like that. It won’t be anything close to that.”
The goal, both Ellington and coach Erik Spoelstra said, is an unrestricted return to practice Tuesday for the 3-point specialist, in advance of Wednesday’s game against the visiting New York Knicks.
“What I’ve heard, Wednesday’s possible,” Ellington said.
Asked what the training staff is waiting for, Ellington said, “I guess just to feel nothing and make sure that when I get out there, there’s no setbacks.”
Forward Justise Winslow, who has missed the first three games due to a sore hamstring, also was limited to work on the side Monday, but also is expected to participate fully in Tuesday’s practice.
“That’s my intent, to practice [Tuesday] and to go from there,” Winslow said. “[Monday] we just wanted to give it a little more rest.”
Also missing from practice Monday was forward Udonis Haslem, due to illness, and center Hassan Whiteside, due to a groin issue.
James Johnson, who has been out since May hernia surgery, participated in Monday’s practice.
Asked if Johnson might return Wednesday, Spoelstra said, “No. I don’t anticipate that.”
The state of the roster for Tuesday’s practice likely will determine the course of action with twoway players Duncan Robinson and Yante Maten, with the Heat’s developmental-league affiliate, the G League Sioux Falls Skyforce, opening training camp this week.
Amid the injuries, the Heat have explored the possibilities of Rodney McGruder and Derrick Jones Jr., with favorable results.
“I think the guys who have been playing have done a good job of being ready for that,” guard Josh Richardson said.
Moment noted: Spoelstra said Saturday’s fight between the Los Angeles Lakers and Houston Rockets could stand as an early-season talking point, considering the resulting suspensions. “That might be something that we need to address,” he said. “That was a scary scene, obviously.” . . .
Dwyane Wade, a diehard fan of his hometown Chicago Bears, discussed Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the New England Patriots that ended with a potential game-tying Hail Mary reception being stopped at the one-yard line. “That lets us know that we can do that,” the Heat guard said of his solace. “And it lets us know that our quarterback has the arm and our receiver can make the catch.” ...
Charlotte’s Kemba Walker, who scored 39 points Saturday against the Heat, on Monday was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Kansas is No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. Bill Self’s Jayhawks earned 37 of 65 firstplace votes, nearly double those of second-ranked Kentucky. Gonzaga is No. 3, followed by Duke and Virginia to round out the top 5. The rest of the top 10 is: No. 6 Tennessee, No. 7 Nevada, No. 8 North Carolina, reigning national champion Villanova at 9 and Michigan State at 10. The ACC has seven ranked teams, the most for any conference . ... Alabama transfer Braxton Key has received a waiver from the NCAA and will be eligible to play for No. 5 Virginia this season. Key has two years of eligibility remaining . ... A jury has begun deliberating the fate of three men charged with conspiring to cheat major college programs by paying young athletes to sign with schools sponsored by Adidas. Attorneys for the defendants say their clients broke NCAA rules but no laws. The defendants are Adidas marketing manager Jim Gatto, aspiring sports agent Christopher Dawkins and Merl Code, a former Adidas consultant.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: There will be no quarterback controversy for TCU: Starter Shawn Robinson is facing surgery that is expected to end his season. Two days after a midgame switch, coach Gary Patterson said his sophomore quarterback will have surgery and former Penn transfer Michael Collins will get his first start Saturday at Kansas. ... TCU receiver and standout returner KaVontae Turpin was suspended indefinitely from the team after his arrest over the weekend on an assault charge for an alleged altercation with his girlfriend.
SOCCER: Speaking publicly for the first time since being accused of rape, Cristiano Ronaldo defended himself against the allegation and said he is confident the truth will come out. Kathryn Mayorga filed a civil lawsuit last month in Nevada claiming Ronaldo raped her in his Las Vegas hotel room in 2009. “I’m not going to lie in this situation,” Ronaldo said at a news conference ahead of a Champions League match between his Italian team, Juventus, and former club Manchester United on Tuesday. “I’m very happy. My lawyers, they are confident and of course I am too.
TENNIS: Sloane Stephens beat Naomi Osaka 7-5, 4-6, 6-1 at the WTA Finals in Singapore in a matchup of the last two U.S. Open champions. Both players are making their debut appearances at the seasonending round-robin tournament for the top eight players in the world . ... Three-time Grand Slam champion Stan Wawrinka ended his season by withdrawing from the Swiss Indoors in Basel with a back injury.