Q: Victor Oladipo is not and never will be a point guard. He should not be a primary ball handler, period. Too slow and poor decision making. Given that he also cannot make shots, unfortunately he no longer is NBA level offensively. I suppose he might play as a defensive stopper, but that effectively makes the Heat 4 on 5 on offense with him in the game. When Lowery comes back, Oladipo should be out of the rotation. – Andrew, Coral Gables.
A: , or even for most of the season. And he has been taking the wrong shots. While the Heat need to launch 3-pointers, it does not mean that he has to be the one launching. But it’s not as if any of the Heat’s reserve wings have been lighting it up, which makes it all the more curious why they didn’t address that element on the buyout market. Maybe it’s not too late for a move to Will Barton. As for Oladipo, he has a $9.5 million option for next season, which the Heat could wind up being saddled with, after initial thinking he would walk for something more significant in terms of cash and years.
Q: Tyler Herro can score all the points he wants, but I believe he has totally wrecked the chemistry of our starting unit and as a result, has sapped all the confidence out of Max Strus, as well as Duncan Robinson. Herro should have stayed on the bench anchoring our second unit where he could improvise with the ball in his hands. – Greg, Jacksonville.
A: I’m not sure it is fair to blame a player for the failure of others. Tyler Herro had every right to take the next step in his development. The problem is that his next step coincided with Bam Adebyo also spreading his wings on offense. So now it becomes a case of competing elements in that first unit. With the proper tablesetter, that still could work. The problem is that the veteran tablesetter brought in for that very reason, in Kyle Lowry, has so struggled this season.
Q: What is your starting lineup? Who is your point guard? It is time for Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro to start putting this thing on their back. – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.
A: But the reality is that those three, alone, aren’t enough. Milwaukee, even without Giannis Antetokounmpo for almost all of Friday night’s game, was better because of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez. Same thing Saturday with the Hornets, with Lonzo Ball, Gordon Hayward and, gulp, Mark Williams. It is why the Heat went out and spent all that money on Kyle Lowry. The fact that the return on that investment has been so minimal is a large part of why this has headed south. Like in life, bad investments drain a team’s portfolio in the standings.
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