twix2500 wrote:We have been hearing this before last season ended, that Spo ideally wants Waiters to be a sixth man. And Waiters continues to express he wants to start. Then Add that Dragic knee appears to not have healed and Herro has been very impressive, some interesting decision will have to be made.
I think there's a lot of Spo/Riley looking at who can fit together(Leonard, some of the bench players) enough to allow others to be moved in trade offers(like Olynyk, he's a better asset then Leonard as of now). To me it's simple, you either showcase players or sit them so they don't get injured. I'd have to believe there are/have been trades talked about at the GM level that Riley could be talking himself into offering more IF he feels comfortable with the "next man up".
Duncan Robinson starting has been interesting, Spo could have easily moved Butler to the 3 and started Waiters(or even Dragic) but having that spread the court wing with Butler seems to be something he's wanting to look at. You have to admit that makes more sense then tossing Duncan in as the starting 3 if you're even considering putting Butler there for the season. You'd think getting your best player comfortable for his long term role would be one of the most important things as of now on a new team.
The contracts that Miami have been rumored to possibly move (Waiters, Dragic, Olynyk, JJ) didn't start game 1 and were showcased or didn't play game 2, it might mean something, it might mean nothing. If we're talking CP3 or even Beal, neither team is a contender but could quite possibly turn around and trade players they acquire to contenders for draft picks, possibly just 2nd rounders but still an asset.
Waiters
- Waiters is being fed some conditioning logic for keeping him out of the starting rotation(I don't think he fits in Miami's plans anymore, too ball/shot dominate). Think it's just something to say to keep Dion out of the starting lineup without being too angry and causing issues(which hurts Miami if they're looking to trade him) since he'll be a guy the other team knows they want to move.
- Showcased in the 2nd game, he is still young enough to be in a team's long term rotation plans and with that, an asset in a trade.
JJ
- Isn't even in camp for being out of shape... although Dion is in camp. (showcase vs sit out)
- Either you trade him to a contender or to non contender's he's just a contract to absorb. Even if a non contender trades for him, they could still trade him later to a contender for a 2nd rounder or so?
Dragic
- Didn't start game 1, held out of game 2.
- Although a borderline starter at this point, if a contender loses a starting PG, he'd be a nice short term solution.
I think Riley is looking to add another star and this season isn't important enough where a trade during preseason or the regular season that disrupts the team isn't that big of a concern.
