Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Anderson seeking revival with Heat
Veteran forward hoping to find role after being acquired from Suns
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — An argument could be made that newcomer Ryan Anderson is the second coming of both Hassan Whiteside and Luke Babbitt for the Miami Heat. In each case, with no disrespect, it is a perception he hopes to change.
Acquired Wednesday by the Heat from the Phoenix Suns on the eve of the NBA trading deadline in exchange for Tyler Johnson and Wayne Ellington, Anderson said he appreciates that his contract and style of play have weighed heavily in perceptions, some of which he hopes to alter with this opportunity.
Like Whiteside, Anderson was able to cash in on the free-agency free-for-all in the 2016 offseason, agreeing to a four-year, $80 million contract with the Houston Rockets two days after Whiteside agreed to his four-year, $98 million deal with the Heat.
While there has been productivity in interim, it hasn’t been commensurate with those initial expectations.
“Unfortunately, that’s kind of the way the league is now,” the affable 30-year old said. “Fortunately and unfortunately.”
Then there is Anderson’s playing style, with the 6-foot-10 forward thriving as a floor-spacing 3-point shooter until the NBA moved more and more to smaller ball, often leaving him without a workable defensive matchup.
In that respect, there is the similarity to the Heat’s move at last year’s trading deadline, when Babbitt was reacquired from the Atlanta Hawks in hopes of recapturing the success he had at the close of the 2016-17 season. Instead, with coach Erik Spoelstra unable to find workable assignments, Babbitt either didn’t play or was inactive by the end of his comeback, seeing only three minutes of action in the Heat’s fivegame playoff demise.
Anderson appreciates the changing times from his best days with the Orlando Magic and New Orleans Pelicans, but arrived hoping to restore his stock.
“When I first got to Houston, we had a style of how we wanted to play, obviously built around James [Harden], to spread the court, shoot threes,” he said as the Heat prepared for Friday’s game against the Sacramento Kings at the Golden1 Center. “That was my job, to shoot it from halfcourt pretty much. I liked that job, I was comfortable with that job.
“Things changed. The league obviously is getting smaller. I got injured. They played a small lineup and it was hard to come back from that. I have respect for everyone I’ve played for. Coach [Mike] D’Antoni is a great coach, but he sticks to his seven guys, especially in the playoffs. Unfortunately I did what I could to get back from the [ankle] injury, but it wasn’t the best timing. The rest is history from there.”
That led essentially to a banishment to the Suns, in a trade based as much on his contract as his diminished statistics.
“Obviously where it came from in Phoenix, there was a lot of figuring things out, a lot of young-player development,” he said.
And then came Wednesday, and the very same type of hope that Babbitt expressed when he arrived from the faltering Hawks a year earlier.
“This came out of nowhere to me,” Anderson said. “I was just sitting in bed, about to head over to the game and this happened. I can’t tell you how excited I am. Obviously it’s a shock. Anytime a player gets traded, it’s a whole life shift.”
Albeit one likely temporary, with a prime incentive for the trade being the ability to release Anderson by July 10 and save $5 million against his 2019-20 salary.
That he understands as part of the game, as well.
“For me,” he said, “I just want to be as professional as possible, be ready whenever my name’s called. Yeah, just be a pro. I’m not in control of everything. I can only control so much.”
Nonetheless, he said it is a trade that represents a family homecoming of sorts.
“My wife, she’s having a baby the beginning of April,” he said. “So that’s going to be a shift. But she’s really excited. She’s a Gator — I don’t know if that’s good for Miami. So she’s used to Florida living. And so she’s really happy, so I’m happy.”