Getty Donovan Mitchell of the Cleveland Cavaliers shared some thoughts on some Miami Heat players.
The Miami Heat were able to pick up an impressive win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday. The January 31 matchup saw Miami edge out the Cavs in a tight one, holding on for a 100-97 victory. More importantly, they were able to improve their cushion over the seventh seeded New York Knicks to two games.
Following the hard-fought battle, Cleveland star Donovan Mitchell had some praise for the Heat, describing what makes them great.
“You saw a team that’s been there, and you saw a team that hasn’t been there as a group,” Mitchell said during the postgame press conference.
“The level of consistency, that’s what ultimately makes a great team. You look at the Heat for example. Tyler’s (Herro) had games where he’s had it late, Jimmy’s (Butler) had it late, Bam’s (Adebayo) had it late, and we’re still figuring that part out.”
Mitchell had a rough night against the Heat, by his standards. He finished with just 16 points on 6-17 shooting from the field and 3-13 from beyond the arc. The former Louisville star did find other ways to impact the game, though, dishing out 9 assists and grabbing 4 rebounds.
Bam Adebayo Clears Air on Donovan Mitchell to Heat Rumors
There was plenty of speculation that Mitchell was being recruited by Adebayo last summer before he eventually was dealt to Cleveland. In a January 31 interview with the Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman, the Heat star cleared the air about his relationship with his Miami Pro League teammate.
“The media saw that and magnified that,” Adebayo told Winderman. “To me, it was just playing with one of my best friends.”
Adebayo said Mitchell never mentioned to him any interest in joining him in Miami the for 2022-23 campaign.
“The connection with him wasn’t even trying to recruit,” he stressed. “If he wanted to be here, he would have said that. And that’s the bottom line. I respect the fact that he was up front during the process.”
Even if the former Utah Jazz star had wanted to take his talents to South Beach, he wasn’t a free agent. The decision was ultimately left to Utah CEO Danny Ainge.
“I don’t think the way it happened was in his control, anyway,” Adebayo added.
Bam Adebayo Hopes to Lure Free Agents to Heat
While Adebayo wasn’t trying to lure Mitchell to South Beach, that doesn’t mean that he’ll never try and recruit stars to join him.
“It depends, it depends,” he told Winderman when asked whether he would actively recruit for the franchise. “I don’t know how to answer. But for the greater good of the team, if we needed this one guy, I’d reach my hand out because it’s for the greater good of the team, and I’d want to make that situation better.”
“So, for me,” he said, “it would be if it results in winning, and not, ‘Oh, we just want to be on a team just so we can play together.”
He again stressed the importance of team success.
“No, I’m not built off of that. I’m built off of if you’re going to buy in, buying in to win and see some greater good than you see in your previous situation, then yes, I’m there for that.”