Tyler Herro may not miss the first month of the season after all, and if that is indeed true, there's an argument to be made that the Miami Heat would be making a huge mistake. According to an Atlanta Hawks play-by-play announcer, some of the Heat's personnel told him that Herro will be ready for the season opener.
There's a lot to unpack here, and this is probably the first we've heard of this. Could the Hawks broadcaster have heard or understood incorrectly? Absolutely. Could there have been some bad insider information passed along? Almost certainly.
However, if there's even a small chance that Herro will be ready for opening night, and if the Heat's team doctors would give him the necessary clearance, it will have a chance to be one of the worst short-sighted decisions in recent history.
There's no need to rush Tyler Herro's recovery
It's understandable for Herro to do everything in his power to come back quicker than expected, but if he were to shave a whole month off his recovery timeline, it would mean that he's either Wolverine or that he may be rushing in a very unnecessary way.
Even though the Heat are likely going to struggle without Herro in the lineup, rushing to make it back for the start of the season is not a smart move. The NBA season is long, and if Herro misses the first 15 or so games, it won't make that much of a difference.
The move would make even less sense if Herro rushes back knowing he won't be 100 percent. At that point, he's probably better just taking the extra month off.
Again, we don't know how credible this "rumor" or "whisper" is, and it could end up being a complete misunderstanding.
But if there's any truth to it, there's a chance this all ends pretty badly for both the Heat and Herro. And that's the last thing that either side wants.
Herro should take the time he needs to fully recover and return at 100 percent when he's ready. There are times when it does make sense for athletes to rush back from injuries. This is certainly not one of them.