Spoelstra addresses Whiteside, Winslow, Chalmers and many issues on media day### On Hassan Whiteside: “He’s is in tremendous shape. Even for a player that has great strength and power near the rim, he also has the potential for versatility and speed and quickness to where the game is going. His body fat is at a career low. He can run up and down the floor and not get tired, like a guard would do it. He can leverage his strengths near the basket. He has worked on his game as consistent as anybody this summer.”
### On Goran Dragic: “A player who’s a rhythm player, attack player, a player who tries to facilitate, it’s really going to be an exciting experience for him. I was able to see him in July and then he came back after he and his wife had their first daughter. All of that will help him feel more at ease. He knows how we want to play. Goran is a guy that likes to feel comfortable in his environment…. You will see that translate into more comfort and success on the court.”
### On Justise Winslow: “I told him you don’t have to wait, you don’t have to get in line. What he has going is he has youth. He has a great conditioning level right now. He has an approach he’s going to attack this camp and respect the veteran players by showing them no respect on the court. I want him to attack it. Production will ultimately tell [his role].”
### On Chris Andersen: “He came in arguably in as good a shape for a training camp as he’s been with us. He lost some weight, which is so essential as you get further in your career [37]. He’s quicker. We love his contagious motor.”
### On Mario Chalmers, who has a more clarified role (backup point guard) after alternating between both guard spots and starting and backing up last season: “He’s had a very good summer too. He’s had work in conditioning, weight work. He’s motivated to be part of a team that has an opportunity. Clarity always breeds confidence. Hopefully Rio will wrap his mind and arms around the clarity. I care about Rio. We’ve been through so much as a rookie player, a rookie head coach to now we’re both veterans. I’m excited about his embracing this new role. I’m open to changing for more, better, wherever it could possibly go.”
### On the offense: “The operative word I’ve used is pace. We want to play at a pace that gets us up the court quickly. I have to leave room to adapt. The team will ultimately tell me.”
### Do they have enough three-point spacing? “We do feel comfortable with it. We may not be the most conventional and traditional of 3-point shooting teams that are out there. Who cares? Space and pace will be critical for this team. We have proven shooters. So while there may not be the type of 3-point shooting that will be competing in an NBA 3-point shooting contest, you don’t want to leave some of our guys open. They have enough of our resumes to make enough 3-point shots that hurt you. We’ll see if we can have some career-high shooting percentages. I’m not married to they have to be 3-point shots.”
### Overall: “We’re excited about this team and the expectations we have. I’m starting my 21st year here and every single year I’ve worked for Micky Arison and Pat Riley, we know what we’re trying to play for. We’re excited about the depth. We've added the essential and needed depth you need to compete for a title."
### As far as his rotation: "We’ve had some guys penciled in and we have four weeks to see how that plays out. This year we had time and focus and tremendous amount of energy going into this offseason.
"Our team has a nice blend of veteran experienced players, guys in their prime athletically and to have youthful exuberance. We like the roster. Most teams do right now.”
### On why they’re going to Boca Raton for training camp for five days: “This is a great opportunity to set the foundation for this season and get away. I like to spend all the in-between times together. This group will need it. We have new faces coming to camp.”
### On rest for older veterans during camp: “Any veteran player over 30 I’ll keep an eye on. I’ll be aware of Chris and all the players over 30 to move them forward. We have done an inordinate amount of planning. I’ll adjust as necessary. Communication will be at an all-time high among the coaching staff, training camp and players.”
### On recovering emotionally from a lottery year: “The pain of last year is about two weeks. You’re in a hole. You’re depressed. You throw on a playoff game and have so much regret.”
http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/2015/09/spoelstra-addresses-whiteside-chalmers-and-many-issues-on-media-day.html
