Heat vs Bucks - 28th November at 8:30 (?)

[Wiltside]

Lillard revenge game. Bucks been on a roll lately, gonna need some soldiers byk.

[DayofMourning]

Lillard revenge game. Bucks been on a roll lately, gonna need some soldiers byk.

In for the win.

EZ dub.

[Wiltside]

Lillard revenge game. Bucks been on a roll lately, gonna need some soldiers byk.

In for the win.

EZ dub.

Jaime will lead us to the promised land, DoM.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/jaime-jaquez-jr-first-offseason-trade-rumors-welcome-to-the-league/

Nice little interview with our guy. Can see why the Heat love him.

[DayofMourning]

Lillard revenge game. Bucks been on a roll lately, gonna need some soldiers byk.

In for the win.

EZ dub.

Jaime will lead us to the promised land, DoM.

https://hoopshype.com/lists/jaime-jaquez-jr-first-offseason-trade-rumors-welcome-to-the-league/

Nice little interview with our guy. Can see why the Heat love him.

Lmao!

I just copied that to paste here!

Love his comment bout the ROTY race. He dgaf. My kinda guy.

[KingDavid]

Trouble in paradise for Jovic. This was after the nets game.

https://www.reddit.com/r/heat/comments/184c3ih/jovic_interview_for_serbian_media/

Jovic interview for Serbian media

I just read it and was surprised how frustrated he seems right now. Here is the original text: https://www.maxbetsport.rs/nikola-jovic-majami-hit-nba-liga-481910/ I have put the English translation below:

Nikola Jovic finally played for Miami, which lost to Brooklyn on the night between Saturday and Sunday in New York. The Serbian spent 16 and a half minutes on the court and during that time he recorded one point, six rebounds and five assists, which is a quite good performance considering that he did not play excessively this season.

After the game, Jović gave an interview to "MaxBet Radio" on the show "60 minutes with Vlad and Aco", in which he expressed his dissatisfaction with the role he has in Miami:

It's not easy, it's really not easy. It's even harder for me than last year. I mean, I kind of feel like I can play and I deserve it. They think I'm not ready yet and I totally understand. There is nothing there. I don't know where this is going, and all I'm trying to do is be on the field as much as possible. Somehow, even when I'm playing, I feel like maybe I'm being misused. I hope that some things will change, I will continue to work... I really support everything they do for me and it will get better for sure - Nikola said with sadness in his voice.

Interestingly, coach Erik Spoelstra used him at center against the Nets, which is kind of the wrong position for Jovic. Was that place on the field more about defense or in general?

More on the defensive game. Everything I'm good at, they don't seem to use, and what I'm worse at, they seem to force it. Those things make me not feel the best on the pitch. What do I know, it will get better.

Jović had two attractive passes during the match. When asked if he sees his strength in that, his versatility, he answered:

I know that I can play in several positions and in several ways, but they simply seem to be trying to limit me in some way. I'm really coping and trying to make the best of this, but it's not easy. It's really not easy.

He then revealed that he himself insisted on going to the developmental G League:

I insisted. There is no point in sitting out the whole season after a good summer. I even like the G league, but there I play in the "five" position. Somehow, it's like there's no way out for me right now. I still don't see the light at the end of the tunnel, but I'm sure there will be.

Of course, the inevitable question was whether he gained confidence after his performance at the World Championship in Manila:

Well, it gave me confidence. That's why I was ready for the new season. I thought everything would look better. I thought I showed that I can play at the highest level, but there you go. It seems that it was not enough for them and I hope it will get better.

Then he spoke again about the "five" position, this time about whether he expected to play it:

I didn't expect it, but here it is... It seems that the only thing I could have expected and that I will have to think about it a lot more in the future.

Finally, he compared being in warm Miami to cold Sioux Falls, where he played while on the development team:

I mean, it's good. I'm there for basketball and that's how I think about it - concluded Nikola Jović.

Woy!

Some info about Jovic being disgruntled to keep everyone up to date and facilitate conversation.

[DayofMourning]

Good stuff KD.

Hes def not a five. Hes a small forward. Point forward.

I really think we need to find another big who can actually cover ground and hit the J and defend the rim. Sarr is that guy this year. Ware might be as well. I really liked the kid from Duke who went to Dallas. He fit the mold.

[Tony15]

MIL defense is *** so if we get some of our horses back, we have a good shot. Will be a toughie regardless.

[gom]

There is no position in basketball where you can afford to get 5 personal fouls in 11 minutes. He needs to get back to work.

To be fair, he did not get a foul in the last 5:25 AND he did get more rebounds than he has been getting. Not a great performance though.

[Bourne85]

Jovic isn’t good enough to be talking like that. Expect Spo to sit him a few games in a row now for these misguided comments. He’s been given a few chances to impress and he simply hasn’t. To say we aren’t using him correctly is deflecting the blame for his own shortcomings. Hit the gym and get better, stop pointing fingers. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s shipped outta here by the deadline tbh

[Bishop45]

[insfo]

All I get from that Jovic interview is that the Heat are trying to make him a more well rounded player by giving him reps in areas he himself knows he's not good at. What's the problem here? Seems like it's all going according to plan. Expect Jovic v2 to be unleashed next season. Until then, sporadic minutes and more woy interviews

[KingDavid]

Oh yay! I'm officially a Heat Mod now too! I just noticed a few moments ago.

[KingDavid]

All I get from that Jovic interview is that the Heat are trying to make him a more well rounded player by giving him reps in areas he himself knows he's not good at. What's the problem here? Seems like it's all going according to plan. Expect Jovic v2 to be unleashed next season. Until then, sporadic minutes and more woy interviews

It's messing with his confidence because he's playing bad and he knows it. Seeing the bigger picture at 20 years old is no simple task. So he fears he's being set up for failure because he knows, or thinks he has NBA skill that isn't being utilized properly and the team is trying to make him into something he isn't. I think the team sees more of Jovic's potential and are trying to get him there and he just wants to stick to what he's good at and develop from that point.

Might have to trade him if he doesn't want to defer, two different philosophies clashing here.

[Tim_Hardawayy]

All I get from that Jovic interview is that the Heat are trying to make him a more well rounded player by giving him reps in areas he himself knows he's not good at. What's the problem here? Seems like it's all going according to plan. Expect Jovic v2 to be unleashed next season. Until then, sporadic minutes and more woy interviews

It's messing with his confidence because he's playing bad and he knows it. Seeing the bigger picture at 20 years old is no simple task. So he fears he's being set up for failure because he knows, or thinks he has NBA skill that isn't being utilized properly and the team is trying to make him into something he isn't. I think the team sees more of Jovic's potential and are trying to get him there and he just wants to stick to what he's good at and develop from that point.

Might have to trade him if he doesn't want to defer, two different philosophies clashing here.

In his mind, he probably looks at himself as good enough to be a 20/5/5 guy already (probably true) and that is usually enough in this league for a big payday. I hope that’s not his only motivation, but these guys are only human.

That said, if he were 20/5/5 now, it would be empty stats on a bad team.

[Wiltside]

Oh yay! I'm officially a Heat Mod now too! I just noticed a few moments ago.

Officially official. Glad to have you on board, KD.

[VaDe255]

This is the final IST game for the Heat. Not gonna lie, their chances to advance look really bad. Group winners and the best 2nd place team advances.

(A) Pacers are 4-0 and already qualified
(B) Bucks are 3-0 with +39 Diff
(C) Magic are 3-1 with +22 Diff
(B) Knicks are 2-1 with +18 Diff
(B) Heat are 2-1 with +11 Diff
(C) Nets are 2-1 with +8 Diff
(A) Cavs are 2-1 with +6 Diff
(C) Celtics are 2-1 with 0 Diff

Their path to advance is:

i) Beat the Bucks by 15+ points that puts them at +26 and Bucks at +24 (it's not 14, because Bucks scored more points overall so have the edge).
ii) Beat the Bucks by 8+ more points than the Kicks beat the Hornets

However, even if they do it, they could still be out even with +26 (although unlikely), if Knicks have a better Diff and Nets, Cavs or Boston have a better Diff than them as well.

I think they get the W, but it won't be enough to advance in the IST.

[Tim_Hardawayy]

The tournament is such a stupid idea, you don't make the regular season matter more by emphasizing a select few games, you make it matter even less while those select few games might matter a tiny bit more. How about a new policy instead, players forfeit game salaries for each game they miss that isn't a medically cleared injury, by a third party doctor. And if you're worried about the games still being competitive, take all the prize money for this tournament, and divvy it up to winning teams in regular season games. Sure might end up only being a few hundred bucks each win when its all said and done, but you'd be surprised what guys would do for that alone.

[3ammy3uck3ts]

This is the final IST game for the Heat. Not gonna lie, their chances to advance look really bad. Group winners and the best 2nd place team advances.

(A) Pacers are 4-0 and already qualified
(B) Bucks are 3-0 with +39 Diff
(C) Magic are 3-1 with +22 Diff
(B) Knicks are 2-1 with +18 Diff
(B) Heat are 2-1 with +11 Diff
(C) Nets are 2-1 with +8 Diff
(A) Cavs are 2-1 with +6 Diff
(C) Celtics are 2-1 with 0 Diff

Their path to advance is:

i) Beat the Bucks by 15+ points that puts them at +26 and Bucks at +24 (it's not 14, because Bucks scored more points overall so have the edge).
ii) Beat the Bucks by 8+ more points than the Kicks beat the Hornets

However, even if they do it, they could still be out even with +26 (although unlikely), if Knicks have a better Diff and Nets, Cavs or Boston have a better Diff than them as well.

I think they get the W, but it won't be enough to advance in the IST.

They did it to themselves choking the way they did against the Knicks. An absolute embarrassment

[insfo]

Oh yay! I'm officially a Heat Mod now too! I just noticed a few moments ago.

Officially official. Glad to have you on board, KD.

meh, the rich getting richer

So is KD pulling in double salary and double perks now, or has the GB modship been revoked?

[eddieheatfan]

Oh yay! I'm officially a Heat Mod now too! I just noticed a few moments ago.

congrats