(Photo via NBA.com)
In the Miami Heat’s latest loss to the Denver Nuggets, they didn’t just lose the game— but they also lost their All-Star big man.
Bam Adebayo had suffered a foot injury early in the first half of the game, only to eventually leave to the locker room and never return. The Heat and Adebayo were vague when it came to any updates postgame, mainly stating that they will have to await the results of Thursday’s tests and MRI to see the severity of the sudden injury.
It turns out, Adebayo suffered a left big toe sprain, according to Miami Herald’s Anthony Chiang. The timetable of his return is unknown, but he is currently listed as out for the team’s Friday night matchup versus the Charlotte Hornets.
Miami was instantly shown just how valuable Adebayo’s two-way versatility is to the roster as the night progressed in Denver without him. For starters, Nikola Jokic had a field day throughout the night with no real option for the Heat to put on him defensively. The multi-time league MVP cakewalked his way into an uber efficient 30-point triple double on route to the Nuggets win. The Heat remain without a regular season road win in Denver since all the way back to November of 2016.
But they also remain without any stable big man depth this season, either.
Coach Erik Spoelstra has raved about the roster depth and versatility heading into this new 2025-26 campaign. To some degree, he is right, as the Heat are loaded with rotation caliber guards and wings that are capable of providing a real impact. However, their bigs are limited to a three-man rotation of Adebayo, Kel’el Ware and Nikola Jovic— who isn’t even a natural big man.
On Wednesday night in Denver, Spoelstra was forced to lean into heavy Ware minutes, despite showing rebounding struggles and lackadaisical play at points throughout the game. And behind Ware wasn’t any prettier.
The Miami Heat front office opted to sign Keshad Johnson to a standard deal this summer over adding another big.
With Adebayo out, and when Ware was on the bench, the Heat’s tallest man on the court was Jovic. Over the seasons it’s been clear that Jovic is not a big man, and much more comfortable as a natural forward with ball handling abilities. The worst part of it all was seeing the painful Keshad Johnson backup big minutes.
Johnson— who was mostly a g-league player with the Sioux Falls Skyforce a year ago— has yet to provide much of any impact whatsoever on the court as a member of the Heat. And he was forced to guard the likes of Jokic on several possessions in the loss. Of course, Johnson is only 6-foot-6, but that’s just how limited Miami was in the depth chart once Adebayo went down.
The only other third-string center on the entire roster is an extremely raw Vlad Goldin, and he was away from the team last night with the g-league.
This lack of center depth is something that should’ve been addressed by the front office a long time ago.
Going into a full 82-game season with just two natural bigs on standard contracts (Adebayo/Ware) is just clearly not feasible. As soon as an injury or foul trouble occurs, like last night, the Heat find themselves in a very limited and difficult position. It appeared that the reunion signing of Precious Achiuwa at the start of training camp could’ve helped solve this, but the front office wasn’t willing to take the luxury tax hit to have Achiuwa on board.
He was cut before the start of the regular season in a salary shedding move. Luckily, the Heat can finally revisit the idea of landing a much needed center addition soon, according to Bleacher Report insider Jake Fischer.
Until then, Miami can only hope that Adebayo’s toe sprain doesn’t cause him to miss too much time.
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Hey, just to be clear, I would be very happy if Vlad turns out to be the next diamond in the rough.
Hopefully, he is at least a high quality manufactured diamond in the rough…not cubic zirconia.
ware w/o bam is fine whats behind ware is not
It’s funny. Before the season started, some here felt the Heat might go 1-7 or 2-6 in the first 8 games, instead, they’re 4-4 and the makeup of the team is clearly better than last season.
I agree with all of you, however, that the failure to get a decent backup center has hurt. I am hoping that Vlad can fill that role with some seasoning. We likely will get our first glimpse tonight. He has size and some good post moves.
Maybe he’s the next Ivica Zubac.
I’d settle for the next Nurkic or Poetl
im not sure how contracts aprons and that stuff work but from a basketball standpoint if they think keshad johnson is a better player than precious gentleman weve got a problem.gentleman if they think goldin couldn’t have helped more on joker and valuchunas than keshad thats a problem.there is a problem thats been going on for to long its called midget ball .no answer for ad to small no answer for joker to small.every fn position we are smaller than our opponent just about every night and im sick of it.if jimmys teams had a quality big to go at ad or joker id have known by now what rc 30 big look like at the parade.thats just poor gm ing and one of the main reasons quitter quit because of the lack of size.what is up with this philosophy of my teams smaller than your team pat
Quitter went to a team that has been playing small ball for a decade. Green at C and quitter at PF what’s that? It was more about the money and Riley damaging his fragile ego . At this point even Orlando, Yurtseven or Leonard look good.
What about Zeller?
yurts get u 12 rebounds in his sleep.very large hands ball looks like a tennis ball in his hands.no butterfingers on that man
That’s why he just got that max contract here in the NBA. Oh, wait.
Ugh
when u have steph curry u could play center.ability kind of counts little bit 2 sun
Hmm?
Well there’s the option of rooting for the Rockets. Or Nuggets. If we don’t get what we want from this franchise 😁😁😁
Keshad was signed last December. Signing or not signing Precious had nothing to do with Keshad. As far as waiving, the Precious contract was not guaranteed. It cost the Heat nothing to release him. I distinctly remember you looking at Keshad early on and noting how athletic he appeared and that he should get minutes.
A raw, green rookie playing against arguably the best player in the league? The best centers in the league have trouble against Jovic. He averages a triple double. As I wrote, yes, Vlad would do better. Vlad would totally suck against Jokic. Keshad would totally suck worse. You’re right. Congratulations.
As SM points out, don’t try to change the narrative on quitter. He quit because of the money, PERIOD. In his entire career, his best years, by far, were here.
how the f u know vlad would suk have u seen it before thats just not fair.ive seen bam he suks vs joker vlad on defense vs joker ???
If Jokic was a player who was strictly a post player, maybe Vlad would do okay. But Jokic does a lot of his damage away from the basket. The best centers in the league have struggled against him for years, but you expect Vlad to do well? That seems unrealistic. I hope he’s fine in the long run. We can definitely use his size and skill s.
i want to find out i know bam cant guard him too small
I’m with you there. I definitely want to find out too. We will start to find out tonight.
Nobody can guard him.
Kindly list available big men here that fits and is not costly. Thanks.
A good PF/C is not going to come cheap. Heat will probably need to give up a rotation player at minimum. There are a few teams that may be looking to trade a big, however, Miami will probably need to wait until mid-December to find a suitable trading partner.
The pickings of free agents are slim. That’s why we tried Precious as he was probably the best one left. So you pretty much can only get a serviceable big man by trade. Trades are always complicated so the Heat were reluctant to do it as you often weaken your team in one area to strengthen in another. Now they are apparently trying Goldin and hopefully it’s only short term. It will be interesting to see how he does. Goldin is certainly a space eater and he is strong. But, is he fast enough to play in the nba? We might get a chance to find out.
Using Goldin is better than putting Jovic or Johnson out there and expecting them to bang with the big boys until a better option comes along. Beggars can’t be choosers. The Heat could have used Goldin vs Denver to sub for Ware.
org fk up .murray johnson and braun were pretty bad.jamals on his last leg.cama johnsons been a bust so far.brauns mediocre.our bench is much better.
Maybe, but they are 6-2 and in 4th place in that tough western conference.
okc houst run denver off the ct,no bench they better fortify that terrible bench or else they got no shot for jewely.but who gives a f.point being if we had a big dude that could have matched up with joker just from size point of view prob would have won that game.we have no bulk to contend with big teams.thats on riley.jjj is playing so well now u cant be playing any better ditto norm,theyre playing at butler level now and we got 2 of them,pgs are ok just need a good bulky big.josef nurkic come on down wherever the f u are
Hard to say. Maybe we win that game, maybe not. It was close. Yeah, I don’t see Denver or GS winning the title this season.
OKC, Lakers, Houston, Cavs or Knicks?
Sure, Vlad would have possibly done better than those 2. But Jokic would have totally schooled him
Thank you! That’s what I’m talking about. They can get anyone just to “fill in” the need but we all know that’s not how this franchise works. Its their own curse of being “picky” for quality and its even harder when the field is so scarce of big and able men.
Maybe Kai Jones or bol bol
Bam is day to day. So nothing serious.
cam j stepped on his toe
Strong words, but the team definitely left itself vulnerable. They probably will get a big man, as they already tried to. Sadly didn’t work out with Precious. So, ț
I fell asleep as I was writing this. Not sure how I hit the post comment button.
Haha, that’s hilarious. You dozed off in the middle of the sentence and yet somehow managed to post it
That is exactly what happened. Perhaps I did it in my dreams.
Hysterical! I have done the same. Fortunately, I didn’t hit the post button or it would’ve looked like this – rvimfsrhjgshlkhg,,.
Sorry Dan, I disagree with something you wrote here. Miami DID NOT sign Keshad this summer! He was signed in December 2024, 12/26 specifically. Dru was supposed to get that spot, but once he was injured, they went with Keshad. Keshad appeared to be an athletic forward with a solid NBA type body who seemed like he could be a factor on defense and the boards. So far, that hasn’t worked out.
We hate to tell you we told you so Pat, but…
Per The Sporting News
Heat’s Norman Powell says he will provide leadership to second-year center
The Miami Heat are looking to get the most out of big man Kel’el Ware, and with Bam Adebayo potentially facing time missed with a foot injury, getting Ware going will be even more important.
Ware was drafted with the 15th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, and has experienced some ups and downs so far in his career. Last season, he averaged 9.3 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, and is averaging 10.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game so far this season. Despite some occasional glimpses of greatness, Ware’s work ethic and attitude have been continuously called into question by Miami’s coaching staff.
In light of Bam Adebayo’s recent injury, it could mean increased playing time for Ware. Guard Norman Powell talked about the importance of Ware stepping up, and how he will help push the second-year big man to reach his potential.
“I told him when I first got here ima be on him all year, I’m trying to unlock the greatness in him,” Powell said. “Everybody has great belief in him…I’m going to stay on him and continue to push him to reach his level of greatness.”
Ware and the Heat will be back in action on Friday when they play host to the Charlotte Hornets.
Bam Adebayo is considered day-to-day. He underwent an MRI Thursday and was diagnosed with a left big toe sprain, per Anthony Chang and Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
Adebayo exited Wednesday’s loss in Denver and will not play Friday against the Hornets. But it does not appear the All-Star center will miss extended time.
Miami recalled two-way center Vlad Goldin from a G League assignment. First-round pick Kasparas Jakucionis will also be available. It could be the NBA debut for the former Illinois guard, who missed the first eight games with a groin strain.
The Heat also announced Erik Spoelstra will coach Friday — one day after the reported fire damaged his South Miami-Dade property.
ROZIER UPDATE
NBA staffers were in Washington, D.C. yesterday to meet with lawyers and aides for the U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee in a discussion about the recent gambling scandals connected to the league.
In addition, a separate bipartisan Senate committee has asked for a briefing in writing that covers many of the same topics. It is also questioning why Terry Rozier was cleared by the league when the federal investigation was still ongoing and, in fact, has since resulted in Rozier facing criminal charges.
A source in the league office has stated that while the NBA didn’t find any wrongdoing when it looked into Rozier, it also never formally closed that investigation.
If the NBA’s investigation was technically ongoing since they hadn’t closed the case and the NBA (Adam Silver) was also aware of an ongoing federal criminal investigation, Silver had an obligation to inform Miami of these facts before approving the January 2024 Rozier trade to Miami. His failure to do so was detrimental to the Heat.
It is incumbent upon Silver to correct his error and make Miami whole again. This should include returning Miami’s 2027 first round draft pick and reimbursing the team for the tens of millions of dollars paid to Rozier. If the NBA refuses to do so, the Heat should take the matter to court.
YES!
Preach the gospel 🙌 🙏 👏 💯
I’ll preach. You, heat, 30 and RC do the praying and sing gospel songs Amen!
Thanks for the update on the Rozier situation. That thing may take a long time to get resolved. But, if they do right by us, the Heat could make a move that would be really exciting. It’s just when. A great Florida musician once said, “the waiting is the hardest part.”
Riley needs to appeal to Silver’s sense of fairness regarding the Rozier situation. He signed off on the trade and withheld critical information from the Heat which he should have provided. Charlotte is just as complicit. By delaying a decision regarding resolution of this matter, Silver is compromising Miami’s ability to field a competitive team. $26.6M would easily pay for a back-up PF or C or could be included as part of a trade package for a ss. Then there’s the issue of the draft pick.
Tom Petty. One of my favorite.
As long as Silver doesn’t take the “I won’t back down “ approach.
Riley just has to put his foot down and tell Silver “don’t do me like that” but if you do “don’t come around here no more.”
At the time the Rozier trade seemed like a steal, we flipped Lowry who was unplayable for their best player at a cost of a first round pick. Now it makes sense. We were deceived. Hopefully we will get compensated one day, but it will likely drag on due to the investigation. We need another big man now.
If Riley does not come up with a solution soon, the team may have difficulty competing for a playoff spot. I don’t know what he was thinking going into the season with a team full of guards and small forwards and no depth whatsoever at power forward and center. This one is on Pat and it’s up to him to fix it.
It seems the main goal was to get below the luxury tax no matter what. And another problem was that the available cheap bigs were either not good enough or do not fit the current play style of the team. This is not surprising, there is a reason why they are cheap. But still, this is not an excuse, the situation with bigs should have never gotten so extreme. It is threatening the play off potential of an otherwise competitive team. I just hope that by the time we get a servicable backup big (because eventually we will) it will not be too late in regards to our play off aspirations.
Yes, there have been restrictions on our trades this year due to having to avoid the repeater tax that have limited our flexibility in finding solutions. Making trades is complicated enough without that issue. And then there is the Rozier saga. It could be that nothing will get done this year and we will just have to accept it and keep rooting for our team best we can.
I do hope we can make a trade that makes us even better though. Because, I have had so many pleasant surprises over the first eight games that I am really fond of this team. Powell has been terrific, but Wiggins and Mitchell have been doing very well too. And Bam always is quality. But, Jaime has been shockingly good. And Simone and Dru have had some real impressive moments too. And it seems like any day Ware could turn it up a notch. Pelle is useful and you never know if Nico will figure things out. And we still got Ty and KJ coming. My opinion is that we are just one good trade away, and maybe we could trade a guard to get that big man and we would still be fine at guard. That’s my perfect world scenario.
That’s what happened, we were deceived. When you go back to the time and context of that trade, it was almost as unbelievable as the Powell for Anderson and Love trade. Perhaps there is more to the story on that trade also.