Miami Heat Roundtable: So many questions to be answered

Lastly, is anything bothering you about head coach Erik Spoelstra’s current lineups?

Rahming: In a general sense, no. I went into the season knowing there would be a minutes crunch for all players not named Dragic or Richardson. All signs were pointing to there being more minutes and opportunity for Hassan Whiteside, but when push came to shove, he’d find himself in the minutes grinder once again. And here comes my only gripe with the rotations so far… In the Heat’s most recent loss to the Charlotte Hornets, Whiteside only logged a few minutes in the fourth quarter during Charlotte’s stretch run. Watching Tony Parker slice and dice our defense while was tough; especially knowing our bruising paint protector wasn’t down low to save us. Every time the Hornets got an offensive board, I cringed. By the time Whiteside entered the fourth quarter, it was too late. He’s got to get in there sooner.

Eyrich: I have a lot of respect and trust in what Spoelstra wants to do. With that being said, I have really wondered why we haven’t seen Ellington until last night’s game, and even then, he had limited minutes. Maybe he’s not completely healthy? In that case, don’t rush it. If he is healthy, it seems like he could be a huge help as a great wing player, that would better fit a faster style of play that the Heat are pushing for. He also would have been a huge help in the last couple of contests, where Miami was in need of some quick points to get them back into the games. The biggest question for me so far this season is why Tyler Johnson is playing ahead of Ellington.

Gewirtz: Not in particular. I have been trying to not be too critical because Justise Winslow just came back and Johnson and Waiters have yet to return still. At this point, it is still early in the season, and I think things will get more consistent once everyone is back as an option to play.

Nurse: Everything about Spoelstra’s coaching rotations have bothered me from the first year of the Big Three era, until now. He gets stuck in not riding the hot hand and takes way too long to get the ice cold players out, usually leaving them in until the lead is blown. Too bad his seat will never get warm enough to make changes.

Fingers crossed that things turn around soon.