ASK IRA: Is Heat decision time looming for Erik Spoelstra with Terry Rozier?

Q: Ira, why does Erik Spoelstra continue giving high minutes to Terry Rozier when he has been a turnover machine and an erratic shooter? Monday night Rozier singlehandily took the air out of the balloon late in the first quarter and the team lost their momentum.  – Daniel, Boynton Beach.

A:  It had been easier before to gloss this over by saying, well, if not Terry Rozier, then who? But now there are other options, including Davion Mitchell, who at least provides something of quality on the defensive end. And while Terry technically did not have a turnover on Monday night, some of his drives to nowhere wind up as the same sum total. Put it this way, Terry played 25:21 in Monday night’s loss to the Celtics.

If Tyler Herro returns on this two-game trip, he takes those minutes and more. So something has to give. It would seem with it now being a combination of go-time and desperation time, that Erik Spoelstra might soon have to pull the plug.

Q: When you were a lower seed and .500 but you had playoff Jimmy Butler, you still believed. But we don’t have that elite player. We are probably a one-series, maybe a second-round team at best. The Bulls haven’t won since Michael. Jordan, the Rockets since Hakeem Olajuwon, the Spurs since David Robinson, the Heat since Dwyane Wade. – Kristopher, Oceanside, Calif.

A; First, I’m not sure I would put Jimmy Butler in the same heady company you mention. But sometimes you also have to see what you have in order to learn what to do next. Tyler Herro proved he was good enough to win a playoff game last season.

Now playing at an All-Star level, is he good enough to win a series? Yes, small steps. But that is where the Heat are at the moment. As for Monday night, with Tyler, the Heat simply lacked the needed scoring.

Q: I wasn’t expecting much from Davion Mitchell or Kyle Anderson, but Andrew Wiggins was a disappointment. Where was the dynamic athleticism, attacking the rim? The Heat have done a very credible imitation of the Washington Generals recently. – Ray, Deerfield Beach.

A: First, if you are expecting a dynamic, attacking presence in Andrew Wiggins, then I believe you are overstating Andrew Wiggins. What he is is a complementary piece. So first let’s get Tyler Herro back in the mix before any rash generalizations.

But, yes, the Heat offense is beginning to resemble something the Harlem Globetrotters might be used to facing. At the moment, they can’t score.

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