Q: Ira, I read Mark Cuban on Twitter and how fans would understand if you don’t make the playoffs every year. Have the Heat ever explained this to their fans? – Susan.
A: Quite the opposite. When the Heat have spoken, publicly, on the record about their basis of operation it has been about solely striving for the playoffs, attempting to give their fans a postseason to at least create hope. And that also has been a large part of their reality, that they have made some of the NBA’s most unlikely climbs out of low playoff seeds to quality and deep playoff finishes. But the rules also have changed – a lot – since the start of the Arison/Riley era, and sometimes that means the mission statement has to change. I think all fans require is to be educated, as Mark Cuban attempted on his string of posts on X. The rules of the game have changed from a business/operational standpoint. It doesn’t seem like too much to ask, or at least become informed, of how the Heat are adapting.
Q: Ira, I remember how much the Birdman helped us when we added him. Can the Heat get a player like that on the buyout market? This time needs some life. – Michael.
A: That was a different place and time, when the Heat were mere complementary components away from title contention, which Chris Andersen certainly augmented. At this point, it’s not as if the Heat are a single, complementary addition away. If a player could help – actually assure – of making it out of the play-in and into the top six in the East, then certainly go for it. Otherwise, the prudent approach seemingly would be developmental, to build for a better future.
Q: The 6th seed was our original expectations before the season and it was a low bar. Now it looks like we might not even make it. – M.D.
A: Correct. It would be difficult to call another season in the play-in anything but a failure, even while acknowledging that Tyler Herr barely has been available.
