Getty Cody Zeller is fouled by Kevin Knox during a 2021 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New York Knicks.
Much has been said and written about the Miami Heat making a play for a new floor general. However, that chatter has reached a fever pitch recently amid Kyle Lowry’s injury and uncertain standing with the team overall (after getting shopped at the trade deadline).
There also happens to be a glut of veteran facilitators either already out there on the buyout market or expected to join the fray soon in Russell Westbrook, John Wall and Patrick Beverley.
Despite those circumstances — not to mention the fact that the Heat have weighed adding at least one of the aforementioned point guards to the mix — team president Pat Riley and GM Andy Elisburg apparently have bigger fish to fry.
Tweeted the South Florida Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman on Thursday: “Have been told Heat are prioritizing something big over Russell Westbrook or Patrick Beverley, after examining those options. So Kevin Love or Serge Ibaka appear to be priorities. As of now.”
Regardless of which players are the “priorities,” though, the Heat may end up looking in another direction entirely.
Insider: Heat Brought Former Hornet/Blazer Cody Zeller in for a Workout
Even if Miami does ultimately go big, the team could end up signing someone outside the Iabaka-Love tier of players. To that end, Riley and Co. recently auditioned an ex-lottery pick with nearly 500 games worth of NBA experience in former No. 4 overall pick Cody Zeller, per a Friday report from HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto.
Now, 30 years old, the Indiana Hoosiers legend and consensus second-team All-American never lived up to his draft status during his eight-year run with the Charlotte Hornets/Bobcats (who drafted him in 2013). What he did do, though, is develop into a solid hand down low.
Over his nine years in the Association with Charlotte and, later, the Portland Trail Blazers, the 6-foot-11 Zeller has averaged 8.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 22.2 minutes per contest.
Alas, while a coach like Erik Spoelstra could undoubtedly find some use for Zeller if the Heat did end up looking his way, one has to wonder if he’s the best fit for the team. The conventional wisdom has been that Miami covets a big who can play alongside Bam Adebayo as well as back him up, but Zeller doesn’t space the floor or protect the rim.
In the end, he may just be a less versatile Dewayne Dedmon (who the Heat just sent packing for a reason).
Heat Hold Firm in New NBA Power Rankings
The folks over at Bleacher Report just put out the All-Star Weekend edition of their NBA power rankings. And after following a near-miss against the Denver Nuggets up with a less-than-awesome loss to the Brooklyn Nets on February 15, the Heat failed to move up the list, coming in at No. 12 as they did last week.
That said, B/R’s Andy Bailey was optimistic about the team’s future in his write-up, backing said optimism with stats:
If the All-Star break gives them enough rest to be back at full strength in a week, Miami could be a team to keep an eye on down the stretch.
When Lowry, Herro, Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo are all on the floor, Miami is plus-4.4 points per 100 possessions, with a 95th-percentile defense.