2025 Offseason Thread Vol.6

[lastb1ckman]

Stranger things have happened, but Miami isn't a franchise that tends to give big minutes to rookies. Rookies who are that bad in the summer league usually don't get much run on teams that already have a pretty established roster and are looking to compete for a playoff spot.

Even if you think he can come in and be ok if given minutes, I just don't see him getting much run with Herro/Mitchell/Powell/Larsson/Rozier?? in front of him.

Personally, I think people overplay Spo's resistance to playing rookies. Its a matter of the rookies being competent at the basics. You know, being where he needs to be on defense, playing a role etc.

In general, rookies who are 20yrs old are not ready for the NBA. And if they are, they usually go higher than 20. And defense is probably the area where rookies are the most prone to error and lapses.

I didn't see the summer league games, but a guy who is generally ready to play regular minutes in the NBA should be pretty dominant in summer league. That said, I do remember Trae Young struggled at first in the summer league, then did better in his the second half of his summer league games.

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

I didnt like how they kept playing him off ball in the summer league. He had all his bad games playing mostly off ball. In college he had star usage, so going into offball for summer league against nba level athletes was asking for a tough time. I also don't like how so many places want to put him as an off guard. There's nothing special about him as a sg or wing. As a pg hes a big pg with two way potential.

[SA37]

Spoiler:

Personally, I think people overplay Spo's resistance to playing rookies. Its a matter of the rookies being competent at the basics. You know, being where he needs to be on defense, playing a role etc.

In general, rookies who are 20yrs old are not ready for the NBA. And if they are, they usually go higher than 20. And defense is probably the area where rookies are the most prone to error and lapses.

I didn't see the summer league games, but a guy who is generally ready to play regular minutes in the NBA should be pretty dominant in summer league. That said, I do remember Trae Young struggled at first in the summer league, then did better in his the second half of his summer league games.

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

I didnt like how they kept playing him off ball in the summer league. He had all his bad games playing mostly off ball. In college he had star usage, so going into offball for summer league against nba level athletes was asking for a tough time. I also don't like how so many places want to put him as an off guard. There's nothing special about him as a sg or wing. As a pg hes a big pg with two way potential.

For the foreseeable future, it seems as if Herro is going to be the ball-dominant player and, if Miami is thinking of continuing to use Bam/Jovic in some facilitator capacity, being able to play off the ball is going to be a must-have skill for Miami's system.

[twix2500]

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[twix2500]

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A player the Heat are keeping an eye on

[twix2500]

Stranger things have happened, but Miami isn't a franchise that tends to give big minutes to rookies. Rookies who are that bad in the summer league usually don't get much run on teams that already have a pretty established roster and are looking to compete for a playoff spot.

Even if you think he can come in and be ok if given minutes, I just don't see him getting much run with Herro/Mitchell/Powell/Larsson/Rozier?? in front of him.

Personally, I think people overplay Spo's resistance to playing rookies. Its a matter of the rookies being competent at the basics. You know, being where he needs to be on defense, playing a role etc.

In general, rookies who are 20yrs old are not ready for the NBA. And if they are, they usually go higher than 20. And defense is probably the area where rookies are the most prone to error and lapses.

I didn't see the summer league games, but a guy who is generally ready to play regular minutes in the NBA should be pretty dominant in summer league. That said, I do remember Trae Young struggled at first in the summer league, then did better in his the second half of his summer league games.

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

I'm not expecting him to be a fixation in the 9 man rotation. However I am hoping he improved enough since the summer league to play as a reserve while Herro is out. Its early in the season, its the best time to give him some regulated burn.

Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk

[Flash4thewin]

If Bam isn’t the 1st option getting 17-18 shots a night trade him.

Im wondering if the FO will stay level headed with a lot of likely losing to start the year with the bigger picture of the schedule in mind or if they will react emotionally. My guess is they won’t do anything but several teams are waiting for a Bam trade, it won’t be hard to get better value for Norman than you sent out from him and he and Wiggins are both big expirings where you could take on same long term money for assets if we ever decide to go that route (I know we won’t). Will be interesting to see how it all plays out. If Norman busts his ass defensively and Jovic uses his size right we may not have a single negative defender in the rotation. That alone can win you some grind it out games.

Honestly this should be Bam’s moment to shine. Its so strange and borderline insulting to see post after post for people saying player XZY should be the focal point of the offense instead of Bam. Bam has all the physical tools for that role. Bam is under contract for the foreseeable future with his max extension kicking in, so why in the world would we want Wiggins or Powell to be our leading scorers when they are expiring contracts or a player with an opt out clause.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

If Bam isn’t the 1st option getting 17-18 shots a night trade him.

Im wondering if the FO will stay level headed with a lot of likely losing to start the year with the bigger picture of the schedule in mind or if they will react emotionally. My guess is they won’t do anything but several teams are waiting for a Bam trade, it won’t be hard to get better value for Norman than you sent out from him and he and Wiggins are both big expirings where you could take on same long term money for assets if we ever decide to go that route (I know we won’t). Will be interesting to see how it all plays out. If Norman busts his ass defensively and Jovic uses his size right we may not have a single negative defender in the rotation. That alone can win you some grind it out games.

Honestly this should be Bam’s moment to shine. Its so strange and borderline insulting to see post after post for people saying player XZY should be the focal point of the offense instead of Bam. Bam has all the physical tools for that role. Bam is under contract for the foreseeable future with his max extension kicking in, so why in the world would we want Wiggins or Powell to be our leading scorers when they are expiring contracts or a player with an opt out clause.

We’ll see what Spo cooks up but I’d love to see it. Lean on the Bam we saw @Cleveland this year when Tyler was out and I believe Wiggins was out as well. Wish we had better perimeter playmaking to complement but it is what it is

[3ammy3uck3ts]

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[Jstock12]

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

Unfortunately, Kasparas didn't really play at the pro level in Europe... It's easy to mistake this with how confusing the European bball landscape must seem for people who don't follow it. But yeah, Kasparas was mainly only on Barcelona's youth team and was playing against other prospects of his age or even younger. It's true that he did have some practices with the main Barcelona team, but as far as playing time goes, he only played 6 total minutes in the Spanish league, and 2 minutes in the Euroleague. He spent 95% of the time with the Barcelona's youth team. This is very different from someone like Luka who was already a key guy for Real Madrid's main team since he was 16-17 years old.

[contract]

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Fred VanVleet (knee) suffered a torn ACL.

With the offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, there has been plenty of optimism surrounding the Houston Rockets. Their hopes of winning the loaded Western Conference took a significant hit with Monday’s news regarding VanVleet. While the veteran point guard shot just 37.8 percent from the field, the lowest mark for VanVleet since his rookie season, he remained a key figure for a team that finished with the second-best record in the West. Also, the low field goal percentage did not prevent VanVleet from offering close to top-50 value in fantasy basketball. His absence means Houston will need second-year guard Reed Sheppard to hit the ground running, with Aaron Holiday providing additional depth at the point. Sheppard is well worth the risk in standard leagues, while Holiday is someone to target in deeper formats. However, Amen Thompson’s fantasy value may receive the most significant boost, especially after he filled in well as Houston’s primary playmaker when VanVleet missed time last season.

[twix2500]

Watch on YouTube

[HeatFan_NC]

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Fred VanVleet (knee) suffered a torn ACL.

With the offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, there has been plenty of optimism surrounding the Houston Rockets. Their hopes of winning the loaded Western Conference took a significant hit with Monday’s news regarding VanVleet. While the veteran point guard shot just 37.8 percent from the field, the lowest mark for VanVleet since his rookie season, he remained a key figure for a team that finished with the second-best record in the West. Also, the low field goal percentage did not prevent VanVleet from offering close to top-50 value in fantasy basketball. His absence means Houston will need second-year guard Reed Sheppard to hit the ground running, with Aaron Holiday providing additional depth at the point. Sheppard is well worth the risk in standard leagues, while Holiday is someone to target in deeper formats. However, Amen Thompson’s fantasy value may receive the most significant boost, especially after he filled in well as Houston’s primary playmaker when VanVleet missed time last season.

Perfect opportunity to offload Rozier to HOU.

[Wiltside]

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Fred VanVleet (knee) suffered a torn ACL.

With the offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, there has been plenty of optimism surrounding the Houston Rockets. Their hopes of winning the loaded Western Conference took a significant hit with Monday’s news regarding VanVleet. While the veteran point guard shot just 37.8 percent from the field, the lowest mark for VanVleet since his rookie season, he remained a key figure for a team that finished with the second-best record in the West. Also, the low field goal percentage did not prevent VanVleet from offering close to top-50 value in fantasy basketball. His absence means Houston will need second-year guard Reed Sheppard to hit the ground running, with Aaron Holiday providing additional depth at the point. Sheppard is well worth the risk in standard leagues, while Holiday is someone to target in deeper formats. However, Amen Thompson’s fantasy value may receive the most significant boost, especially after he filled in well as Houston’s primary playmaker when VanVleet missed time last season.

Perfect opportunity to offload Rozier to HOU.

Doubt it. Reed Sheppard has a huge opportunity now.

[SA37]

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

Unfortunately, Kasparas didn't really play at the pro level in Europe... It's easy to mistake this with how confusing the European bball landscape must seem for people who don't follow it. But yeah, Kasparas was mainly only on Barcelona's youth team and was playing against other prospects of his age or even younger. It's true that he did have some practices with the main Barcelona team, but as far as playing time goes, he only played 6 total minutes in the Spanish league, and 2 minutes in the Euroleague. He spent 95% of the time with the Barcelona's youth team. This is very different from someone like Luka who was already a key guy for Real Madrid's main team since he was 16-17 years old.

Thanks for making that distinction. I was under the impression he had been with the 1st team.

[VaDe255]

Read on Twitter

It already is a vet. max extension (thought it was still the smaller one at 25% max), but he can't get the 30% max, never could regardless.

There are 2 rules in play here:
i) Can't exceed 140% of your salary in the last year of your contract -> 33m * 1.4 = 46.2m
ii) Can't exceed 30% of the 27/28 projected cap -> 174m * 0.3 -> 52.1m

So the most Herro can get is 46.2m (~26.6% of the projected cap) in his first year and 8% annual raises, hence the projected ~150m (~46.2m/~49.9m/~53.9m) from Bobby Marks.

[Jstock12]

One reason to be a bit more optimistic with Kasparas is because he has played at the pro level in Europe. I still think he's more of a project than a guy ready to step in a give Miami 15-20mpg. I'd love to be wrong.

Unfortunately, Kasparas didn't really play at the pro level in Europe... It's easy to mistake this with how confusing the European bball landscape must seem for people who don't follow it. But yeah, Kasparas was mainly only on Barcelona's youth team and was playing against other prospects of his age or even younger. It's true that he did have some practices with the main Barcelona team, but as far as playing time goes, he only played 6 total minutes in the Spanish league, and 2 minutes in the Euroleague. He spent 95% of the time with the Barcelona's youth team. This is very different from someone like Luka who was already a key guy for Real Madrid's main team since he was 16-17 years old.

Thanks for making that distinction. I was under the impression he had been with the 1st team.

No problem. I think that Barcelona youth system still gave him a lot, as he was competing against guys like Egor Demin, Hugo Gonzalez etc. He pretty much dominated every time he faced them. I think getting to practice with the 1st team also gave him a lot as a player. Learning from ex-NBA guys like Mirotic or Jabari Parker... And in those main team practices he got coached by the Euroleague's coach of the year and his countryman Sarunas Jasikevicius who's considered the 2nd best basketball mind in Europe after the legendary Zeljko Obradovic. So while Jakucionis barely played at the pro level, he still has more pro experience than an ordinary rookie.

[al bondiga]

Does Anybody remember
An offseason being so
"news poor" for the heat (before we got news of tyler injury)???

[SA37]

Unfortunately, Kasparas didn't really play at the pro level in Europe... It's easy to mistake this with how confusing the European bball landscape must seem for people who don't follow it. But yeah, Kasparas was mainly only on Barcelona's youth team and was playing against other prospects of his age or even younger. It's true that he did have some practices with the main Barcelona team, but as far as playing time goes, he only played 6 total minutes in the Spanish league, and 2 minutes in the Euroleague. He spent 95% of the time with the Barcelona's youth team. This is very different from someone like Luka who was already a key guy for Real Madrid's main team since he was 16-17 years old.

Thanks for making that distinction. I was under the impression he had been with the 1st team.

No problem. I think that Barcelona youth system still gave him a lot, as he was competing against guys like Egor Demin, Hugo Gonzalez etc. He pretty much dominated every time he faced them. I think getting to practice with the 1st team also gave him a lot as a player. Learning from ex-NBA guys like Mirotic or Jabari Parker... And in those main team practices he got coached by the Euroleague's coach of the year and his countryman Sarunas Jasikevicius who's considered the 2nd best basketball mind in Europe after the legendary Zeljko Obradovic. So while Jakucionis barely played at the pro level, he still has more pro experience than an ordinary rookie.

Yeah, Barcelona is one of the premier basketball teams outside of the US and, generally, the Spanish league is probably tops in Europe.

[HeatFan_NC]

ESPN’s Shams Charania reports Fred VanVleet (knee) suffered a torn ACL.

With the offseason acquisition of Kevin Durant, there has been plenty of optimism surrounding the Houston Rockets. Their hopes of winning the loaded Western Conference took a significant hit with Monday’s news regarding VanVleet. While the veteran point guard shot just 37.8 percent from the field, the lowest mark for VanVleet since his rookie season, he remained a key figure for a team that finished with the second-best record in the West. Also, the low field goal percentage did not prevent VanVleet from offering close to top-50 value in fantasy basketball. His absence means Houston will need second-year guard Reed Sheppard to hit the ground running, with Aaron Holiday providing additional depth at the point. Sheppard is well worth the risk in standard leagues, while Holiday is someone to target in deeper formats. However, Amen Thompson’s fantasy value may receive the most significant boost, especially after he filled in well as Houston’s primary playmaker when VanVleet missed time last season.

Perfect opportunity to offload Rozier to HOU.

Doubt it. Reed Sheppard has a huge opportunity now.

Rozier can backup Reed.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

Amen Thompson is Houston’s starting PG now