(Photo via Imagn Images)
When the Miami Heat pulled off the under the radar acquisition of Norman Powell from the LA Clippers over the summer, it seemed like a brilliant move from the start.
All it cost in a three-team deal between the Heat, Clippers and Utah Jazz to add Powell was aging veterans that had inconsistent roles last season with Miami in Kevin Love and Kyle Anderson. No draft picks were involved from Miami’s side.
And the move is already turning heads as yet another steal pulled off from Pat Riley.
Powell has immediately emerged as the Heat’s leading scorer at 23.3 points on elite shooting splits of 50% from the field and 52% from 3-point range. Fans were expecting an efficient and established veteran scorer once he was acquired, and Powell has been even better than advertised thus far. Not to mention that the talented backcourt duo of Tyler Herro and he have yet to hit the floor together, only making the team’s upside this season that much more intriguing.
At 32 years old, Powell is at the peak of his prime, and his addition to the lineup has been refreshing. Miami lacked a reliable scoring boost to supplement Herro and Bam Adebayo for the entire second half of last season since the post-Jimmy Butler trade. With Herro’s sudden offseason injury news right before the start of the season, Powell’s addition was even more needed to help shoulder the offensive responsibilities until he returns.
Luckily for the Heat, this perfect fit with Powell has been felt mutually— as the talented guard spoke to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald recently on how he’s been enjoying the time with his new team:
“I love it here. I love everything about the Heat. … I loved them before. They were on my list before I signed my extension in Portland. I wanted to come here and play for the Heat. So I’m excited. I like the culture. I like what they have going on here. I like the mentality and the approach. I feel like they take guys to the next level. They push them past their own expectations, they have high standards.
“I always like being around people that have high aspirations and high goals for themselves. It fits who I am, so I want to be here. Hopefully they feel the same way.”
— Norman Powell (via Miami Herald)
It’s been great to see Powell be so vocal about his excitement towards this new chapter of his 11-year NBA career.
Prior to the Heat’s bounce back win against his former Clippers squad on Monday, he had missed three straight games with a minor groin injury. His presence was missed in the lineup, and magnified even more with Herro remaining sidelined still. Miami had gone 1-2 without Powell, and improved to 3-1 with him after that statement Clippers victory.
Powell was coming off a career year last season for LA stepping in for the injured Kawhi Leonard offensively. And he has carried over that valuable scoring capability to South Beach. He has picked off right where he left off from a season ago and continues to build on strong offensive numbers.
The Heat newcomer is playing for a new contract as well, as Powell is extension eligible before becoming a free agent at the end of the season. If things continue to go well and he stays healthy, Miami should be heavily interested in bringing Powell back into the fold longer term.
He is currently on a bargain price tag of a nearly $20 million salary for this 2025-26 season.
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- Heat escape with 136-131 win over Trail Blazers behind Nikola Jovic’s career night
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I retired from a company known globally for customer service. We all were aware that customers are quicker to voice complaints than compliments. On HHH, some of the same esteemed peers who are now having joyous bromances with Jaquez, Mitchell, and Pelle, are the same ones who were the most vocal critics of the same players in recent months.
Now it’s the same with Jovic. Do I think he’s playing well? Absolutely not. I focus on him at times during the game and see a player who appears tentative, sometimes passes up shots he should take, needs to box out better, and needs to rebound commensurate with his 6’10” size. He also needs to bulk up for more strength. My expectation was 15/5/5. He is currently at 8.7/4/2.6. Definitely must improve. But have I given up on him as others have? No, not yet anyway, and he is still on a rookie contract. Those that point to this being his 4th year and he should be better are right. But he’s missed a lot of time. I’m still giving him a flyer. If Jaquez and Davion can improve, he can too. As I often say, we’ll see, and I won’t be ashamed if I’m wrong.
And oh, by the way, I am still looking forward to seeing what Kaspar can provide. Has anyone seen any updates on his groin pull situation? If 32 year old Powell could return within a week, what’s up with the 19 year old?
We are all free to voice our opinions, hopes and frustrations. None of us is ever always right or wrong. However, as others have said, we should enjoy this year’s journey. I think this team can keep getting better as the players learn the new offense and adjust to playing together. Hopefully, early season setbacks will motivate players such as Ware and Jovic to address their areas of weakness and continue working on the things they do well.
P.S.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSFPCIRNhHe2mOkwOHwrsMwxndeUJKrgb-uOWnSuPYg8tv8D-bZAZZ1bU4oZhBgIscjjBw&usqp=CAU
I would never suggest anything but that we are all free to voice our opinions. If some want to make premature judgments, that’s perfectly fine and up to them. I just like to get a clearer picture over time.
I think sometimes we tend to focus too much on the ultimate destination. In doing so, we neglect living in the moment and enjoying the journey.
That’s true. It’s sad that some feel anything short of a championship is a failure. In any given season, the odds are more than 90% that you won’t win a title. Like you, I look for the bright spots.
Amen brother.
I understand the knee-jeek reaction when players perform poorly. Some “customers” want instant gratification by virtue of total or near perfection that results to winning. Its hard for them to enjoy the process. Also human nature to seek fault, blame non performing “employees” by the customers. And ask for the manager. Pat where you at? lol
I figure, if you put an opinion out there, you can’t get upset about when others disagree. So, I hear what you’re saying and accept it. But, I also won’t let negative responses deter me from stating my well thought out positions. That’s what this forum is for. We all just want our favorite team to have success.
And I will say about my assessment on Jovic that I did give him a long period of observation before taking my position, which is that he is the only player, currently in the Heat rotation, that makes more detrimental plays than good ones. He is our weak link, but not too bad of one as we have had so many worse players in the rotation over the years. Calling Ware our weak link is just not the case, as he contributes so much in ways that no one else in our line up can give us, such as rim protection, and contested rebounding, lob conversions (often from Nico, his one strength), and about every other game, a decent amount of scoring, including some threes. And he is also a player who has had far less time to develop than Nico and will definitely improve. Those plus minus statistics are merely skewed early due to small sample size.
Time will tell who is right, so let’s revisit this down the road. And, as with any Heat player, if they contribute to winning I will always cheer them on.
But it’s really not about who is right or wrong, but just that we all want to see players develop for the benefit of the team and its fans. You see, I totally agree with your statement of not letting negative responses deter you from stating your position. I’m doing exactly the same thing, perhaps from the other side of the spectrum. If I disagree with you, hfl, SM, Sharkey, whoever, I will state my case. I will do that with the Paul Newman absence of malice. I will continue to give players the benefit of the doubt. That has worked with Jaquez, Davion, and Pelle. The jury is still out on Jovic for me. It seems I was wrong about Keshad. But when, concerning certain players, someone writes “boy, who saw that coming?”, I will say I did if that is true. I believed Jaquez could have a bounce back season. But this? It has been a happy surprise. When we got Powell, I called him Butler lite. I knew Simone could shoot, but did I expect this skill set plus defense? No way! Hfl asked my prediction and I said 45-37. Of course, as of today, I have no idea, but it wouldn’t surprise me. I WOULD, however, be genuinely surprised by a much better record, and equally so, a sub 500 record.
Let’s go Heat! Beat Denver!
That’s cool, we all should have an Abscence of Malice. That film, shot mostly in Miami, just happened to have my Uncle as an extra at the next table to Paul Newman and Sally Fields in a restaurant scene. That was an excellent movie that maybe ties in here a little as the written word is powerful and needs to be responsibly expressed.
Funny, of all the movies I could have referenced……..
A lot of the scenes from that movie were shot in the old Miami Herald building, on the Miami side of the Venetian Causeway. I worked in that building for the Miami News, on a job between my college years as a copyboy. It was the city’s second newspaper back then. Despite the unassuming title, they let me do a lot of things, like write movie reviews, run a column that made pro football predictions, and edit and write headlines at the metro desk. I wrote headlines for a lot of articles pertaining to the Watergate investigation.
Very interesting, no doubt.
Young players require accountability, encouragement and moral support. For many players, this is a period of attitude adjustment. Centers generally take longer to develop than other position players. Ware is still not consistently playing at a level that warrants a starting position in the rotation. He will get starts, depending on the opponent and plenty of minutes playing with the second unit when he doesn’t start.
I still believe Miami needs another rotation caliber PF/C, especially while Ware is learning his craft. The sooner the better.
There are a few teams that look like they are already headed to the lottery. Who knows what trade opportunities may develop for Miami among those teams and others between now and the deadline.
Improved to questionable for Denver game, I read somewhere just an hour ago.
Agree totally on Jovic. He is like the most criticised player in a long time. He is bad, but not that bad.
I know. I’m sorry Vagi, as I know you root for him. I will promise you this, I stated my case about Nico, no more needs be said about it going forward. I much prefer cheering players on.
I root for every Heat player.
But personally I like versatile, hard nosed and smart point guards or forwards.
That’s why a prefer watch players like Dru, Mitchell, Pelle, Nico, JJJ, KJ over shooting guards like Powell or Herro, or centers like Bam and Ware.
I also had a thing for Goran, Dunc (after he learned his second trick) and KO, not so much for Wade, for example.
Dont stop talk about Jovic, he is a good topic right now.
What is frustrating is that he has so much potential. He needs to regroup and get back to basics. He has to find a way to elevate his game to the next level. He needs to slow down and let the game come to him rather than trying to do more than what he is currently consistently able to do. When the light finally does go on for him, I expect to see a much improved player. When that is going to happen is anybody’s guess. Hopefully it happens soon.
I agree. Patience is needed right now.
To those proposing to get Zion…
https://www.espn.ph/nba/story/_/id/46850131/zion-williamson-least-7-10-days-hamstring-strain
injured again
I was, but then I snapped out of it. A few of us were getting desperate for a minute during the unimpressive preseason. I mentioned Zion, Ja and Dejounte Murray as possible trade candidates.
Zion and Ja Morant have trouble playing 80 games (between them). Plus more attitude issues than this group of mellow dudes needs to deal with. They are still dealing with the PTSD from the shit show the quitter stirred up and walked away from when he forced a trade out of Miami.
It’s so refreshing to have a team of players who work hard, get along great (on and off the court) and aren’t squabbling with management. Not a prima donna in the bunch.
We need to be patient with this group until Herro returns and they have had the time needed to mesh. I think late December may be a good time to do a thorough team and player by player assessment. Remember there are new players on the team and players who came to the Heat last season after the trade deadline. I
If Herro is able to adjust his game to meet the team’s needs, the Heat can be very competitive. That may also be the solution to the additional scorer and playmaker this team needs. If Herro isn’t able to adjust his game, as needed, then the option is clear.
P.S. There isn’t a formal process for Miami to “sue” the NBA or the Hornets for compensation regarding the Rozier trade. However, there are ongoing internal discussions within the league and the Heat are exploring options to mitigate the fallout. Some lawyers and insiders suggest the Heat may have grounds for a “rebate” or to get their 2027 draft pick back, citing a precedent where the NBA ordered the 76ers to pay the Pelicans $3 million for not disclosing an injury history.
I’m for it actually, but vet minimum. Is Zion considered a vet already?
The Heat is moving on and looks “healed” or healing already from the Butler toddler saga. And im fairly optimistic the league will do good for Miami with that Rozier dilemma.
Zion is currently under contract with the Pelicans until 2027-2028 for $126.5M ($42M plus per season).
I believe the pace will be a perfect fit for Herro. He strikes me as someone who will love a run and gun approach.
I’ve always thought Herro and Bam could be excellent run & gun players. However, I realized that was not Miami’s style, especially with the “quitter’s” preference for the slow down half court game. I too am eager to see how Herro adjusts to the faster pace and how he meshes with the new and improved team when he returns. It looks like he may be ready to play by mid-late November (somewhere between games 13-20).
Did not realize this until I watched the highlights…Heat downed A-listers in Kawhi, Harden, Beal! Well, we can argue about Beal but hey…definitely a great win, b2b games, on the road and after 2 losses. Good for Powell getting this W on his return and against his former team. This will be a happy west trip if we win this last stop. Go Heat!
It was the first time the Heat beat Kawhi in a regular season game since 2013!!
Wow! Did not know that thanks!
Kings, Precious Achiuwa agree to one-year deal
On second thought, with all his baggage, injury problems, suspensions, declining stats (ppg, fg%, 3pt%, rebounds and assists) and his strong dislike of Miami’s current run & gun offense, Ja Morant would not be a good trade idea. He’s still owed $126M over the next 3 seasons. Herro is probably a better deal all the way around, until someone better at an affordable price comes along. A strong PF/C, a young prospect and a pick would also work.
See today’s articles and Morant’s career stats below.
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/grizzlies_may_struggle_to_trade_disgruntled_star/s1_13132_43009072
https://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/miami_heat_may_be_best_fit_to_help_ja_morant_recapture_his_joy/s1_16619_43013859
https://www.espn.com/nba/player/stats/_/id/4279888/ja-morant
If he stays healthy and continues playing at his current level by the end of December, Riley should consider extending him for 3 years. The same with Jaquez.
pelle 2
Yup and maybe Fontecchio.