This is good reporting by Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
I mentioned the Dion Waiters and James Johnson situations briefly in an earlier post. Waiters was suspended for one game, opening night, and it was the management's decision that he not accompany the team on this Saturday-Sunday road trip. Sounds like a three game suspension but he will get paid for this weekend's games but not for the opener. That is the difference. When the suspension was announced by Pat Riley in a written statement last week the reasons that were given were unprofessional conduct toward coach Erik Spoelstra on the bench in the last preseason game against Houston and "a number of unacceptable incidents." Johnson was sent home during the preseason for not being in shape. Was he suspended? I don't think so but I don't remember. He returned, chastened and blaming only himself, but has not played in a game, today's was announced as a "Coaches Decision-Conditioning." So that is the back story to Barry Jackson's article today:
▪ One Heat basketball person in regular contact with Pat Riley described the team president as visibly angry in the aftermath of the James Johnson and Dion Waiters conditioning shortcomings and Waiters’ “unprofessional” behavior.
That is entirely credible. Riley being pissed is...yeah, Riley would be super-pissed.
▪ Here’s more background on what we’ve been told on the Waiters situation: During the preseason game against Houston last Friday, Waiters was complaining aloud about Erik Spoelstra and not getting a chance to play more, clearly within earshot of coaches and players.
OH OH OH! Rank insubordination, inspirational of mutiny. Unforgivable, just unforgivable.
Here’s the gist of the message Riley conveyed firmly and directly to both players, per a league source: I upheld my promise to you. I made a commitment to you. But you didn’t uphold your promise to me or live up to the commitment to me.
That was a reference to the sizable four-year contracts awarded both players in 2017 after nomadic, uneven careers, plus allowing them to play last season despite not being in optimal Heat condition after returning from injuries (sports hernia for Johnson; ankle surgery for Waiters).
This was personal for Riley, and understandably so. After giving both players the most lucrative contracts of their careers (four years, $60 million to Johnson and four years, $52 million to Waiters), the least Riley could expect was that both meet the conditioning requirements established for both players. And in Waiters’ case, behave like a professional.
And besides his behavior on the bench, a source with direct knowledge said Waiters also did not agree to do one mandatory weigh-in last week, angering Heat officials.
Wonder why? Dion Weighters, why did you refuse to be weighed? Again, it is entirely credible that Riley would take this personally,that he and other Heat officials would be angry and I agree with Jackson that it is "understandably so." This was man-to-man. Riley himself made those deals with Waiters and Johnson, deals that, as Barry Jackson said, were with "nomadic, uneven" performers. Riley believed them when they signed and committed and he believed in them. The contracts hamstrung the "Heat" financially, they are still under a "hard cap," the players didn't even get in required shape and had poor years in 2017 and 2018. Riley has taken withering criticism, deservedly so in my opinion, for those contracts while Waiters and Johnson took the money and ran--to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts or head shop.
▪ One person in touch with the Heat’s front office said Miami has not found a team eager to trade for either Johnson or Waiters.
“That’s a hard sell to trade Waiters; they overvalued him initially when they paid him that and you would have to be desperate to trade for him,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “It would be hard to see a team saying this guy is going to help us win, with the maturity issues. And he’s a totally inconsistent player. The money isn’t [huge], but it’s a deterrence,” with two years and $25 million left on his contract.
That quote is all about Waiters but Jackson writes that both are basically untradeable. Riley is stuck with them. Or is he? Probably so but Riley has seen first hand the danger of having malcontent Waiters sitting on the bench. Riley is aware that there is risk of contaminating the rest of the team in having Waiters there, maybe even JJ, I don't know. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinal responded to a reader questioning whether Spoelstra was in danger of losing the team. I thought Winderman would have responded something like, Not a chance. Spoelstra is coach for as long as he wants to be. He just signed a new contract. Instead, Winderman said that the optics are not good with two guys suspended so early in the season but that the key is Jimmy Butler. As long as Spoelstra keeps a good relationship with Butler, he's not going to lose the team. That sort of takes it out of Spoelstra's control! Winderman did not say, Even if Butler bailed on him Spoelstra would not be in danger. He implied exactly the opposite. My own view is that Riley is going to let Waiters and Johnson come back, to see if they can, and have the will to contribute, but if he sees moping or bitching he will pay them (which he has no choice but to do), but to sit their fat asses home rather than contaminate this team.
I mentioned the Dion Waiters and James Johnson situations briefly in an earlier post. Waiters was suspended for one game, opening night, and it was the management's decision that he not accompany the team on this Saturday-Sunday road trip. Sounds like a three game suspension but he will get paid for this weekend's games but not for the opener. That is the difference. When the suspension was announced by Pat Riley in a written statement last week the reasons that were given were unprofessional conduct toward coach Erik Spoelstra on the bench in the last preseason game against Houston and "a number of unacceptable incidents." Johnson was sent home during the preseason for not being in shape. Was he suspended? I don't think so but I don't remember. He returned, chastened and blaming only himself, but has not played in a game, today's was announced as a "Coaches Decision-Conditioning." So that is the back story to Barry Jackson's article today:
▪ One Heat basketball person in regular contact with Pat Riley described the team president as visibly angry in the aftermath of the James Johnson and Dion Waiters conditioning shortcomings and Waiters’ “unprofessional” behavior.
That is entirely credible. Riley being pissed is...yeah, Riley would be super-pissed.
OH OH OH! Rank insubordination, inspirational of mutiny. Unforgivable, just unforgivable.
Here’s the gist of the message Riley conveyed firmly and directly to both players, per a league source: I upheld my promise to you. I made a commitment to you. But you didn’t uphold your promise to me or live up to the commitment to me.
That was a reference to the sizable four-year contracts awarded both players in 2017 after nomadic, uneven careers, plus allowing them to play last season despite not being in optimal Heat condition after returning from injuries (sports hernia for Johnson; ankle surgery for Waiters).
This was personal for Riley, and understandably so. After giving both players the most lucrative contracts of their careers (four years, $60 million to Johnson and four years, $52 million to Waiters), the least Riley could expect was that both meet the conditioning requirements established for both players. And in Waiters’ case, behave like a professional.
And besides his behavior on the bench, a source with direct knowledge said Waiters also did not agree to do one mandatory weigh-in last week, angering Heat officials.
Wonder why? Dion Weighters, why did you refuse to be weighed? Again, it is entirely credible that Riley would take this personally,that he and other Heat officials would be angry and I agree with Jackson that it is "understandably so." This was man-to-man. Riley himself made those deals with Waiters and Johnson, deals that, as Barry Jackson said, were with "nomadic, uneven" performers. Riley believed them when they signed and committed and he believed in them. The contracts hamstrung the "Heat" financially, they are still under a "hard cap," the players didn't even get in required shape and had poor years in 2017 and 2018. Riley has taken withering criticism, deservedly so in my opinion, for those contracts while Waiters and Johnson took the money and ran--to the nearest Dunkin' Donuts or head shop.
▪ One person in touch with the Heat’s front office said Miami has not found a team eager to trade for either Johnson or Waiters.
“That’s a hard sell to trade Waiters; they overvalued him initially when they paid him that and you would have to be desperate to trade for him,” an Eastern Conference scout said. “It would be hard to see a team saying this guy is going to help us win, with the maturity issues. And he’s a totally inconsistent player. The money isn’t [huge], but it’s a deterrence,” with two years and $25 million left on his contract.
That quote is all about Waiters but Jackson writes that both are basically untradeable. Riley is stuck with them. Or is he? Probably so but Riley has seen first hand the danger of having malcontent Waiters sitting on the bench. Riley is aware that there is risk of contaminating the rest of the team in having Waiters there, maybe even JJ, I don't know. Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinal responded to a reader questioning whether Spoelstra was in danger of losing the team. I thought Winderman would have responded something like, Not a chance. Spoelstra is coach for as long as he wants to be. He just signed a new contract. Instead, Winderman said that the optics are not good with two guys suspended so early in the season but that the key is Jimmy Butler. As long as Spoelstra keeps a good relationship with Butler, he's not going to lose the team. That sort of takes it out of Spoelstra's control! Winderman did not say, Even if Butler bailed on him Spoelstra would not be in danger. He implied exactly the opposite. My own view is that Riley is going to let Waiters and Johnson come back, to see if they can, and have the will to contribute, but if he sees moping or bitching he will pay them (which he has no choice but to do), but to sit their fat asses home rather than contaminate this team.
