Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
McGruder grateful for opportunity
Heat guard Rodney McGruder had been in the situation twice before and both times was met with bad news.
He didn’t have to deal with a disappointment for a third time after earning the Miami Heat’s final roster spot.
“I was just excited and fortunate enough to be in the position,” McGruder said after Sunday’s practice. “Just to come to training camp, not too many guys get that experience. To get that experience and make that final roster, I’ve been in this situation twice and I’ve been the guy who was waived. Just blessed and thankful the Heat believe in me.
McGruder was waived by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013 and a year later by the Boston Celtics. After playing one season in Hungary, his dream of playing in the NBA is finally a reality. The Heat chose McGruder ahead of veteran Beno Udrih and guard Briante Weber.
“They reached out to me, congratulating me,” McGruder said of Udrih and Weber. “I reached out to them because I know they’re NBA players for sure. Beno has been in the league for a lot of years. Briante showed that he can play in the league, coming from the D-League. Those guys belong in the league.”
McGruder said his difficult journey to this point helped mold him into a better person. He never thought about quitting despite the bumpy road.
“Those times helped build my character,” McGruder said. “I learned so much from those two different teams that I’ve been on. Everything helped build up to the person and player I am now.”
McGruder learned the news Saturday morning while watching an FIU basketball practice. After receiving a phone call from his agent, his nerves were able to settle.
“You know it’s news,” McGruder said. “It’s nervewracking a little bit. I was just hoping for the best when that call comes and it was. It came with some great news.”
McGruder went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2013. He spent last year with the Heat’s NBDL affiliate in Sioux Falls, helping the Sky Force win the championship. The team won a D-League record 40 games.
“You love his perseverance his fortitude, the grit, these” things you can’t teach, you have to go through life experiences to develop it,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “The way he came through almost textbook in how you would want to develop a player. Go overseas, learn how to handle more responsibilities. You also grow as a person when you play overseas.”
Spoelstra said he was also impressed with McGruder’s development during training camp. The 6-foot-4 McGruder gives the Heat another versatile player who can play multiple positions.
“He just pushed through and persevered and worked on just getting better as a basketball player and you really root for guys like that,” Spoelstra said. “By the end of it he really felt like a veteran Miami Heat player through all those experiences but a lot of guys don’t have the type of makeup to be able to go through all those experiences without getting discouraged.”