…Brutally blunt Heat film session: ‘Things were said that needed to be said’
“We heard the communication loud and clear; it provided a lot of clarity for all of us. We walked out with a lot of clarity and a lot of confidence.” [Bam] Adebayo spoke of players “being vulnerable” during the film session.
“Things were said that needed to be said. I really do think we’re on the same page.”-Caleb.
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Highlights of what Spoelstra and players told reporters afterward:
▪ Asked if he wants to give the starting lineup more time, Spoelstra said: “Yeah. Right now this is about our house. We have got to get our structure right and live up to our standards, which we set at the beginning of the year…. We have a group fully committed to getting this back on the right track. Everybody is extremely frustrated, angry, despondent.”
▪ Asked the solutions, Spoelstra said: “Toughness — mental, physical, emotional competitive toughness. … That’s what we worked on today, finding solutions that are really none of your business, and I say that respectfully.”😂
Asked what he saw from his players during a film session, Spoelstra said: “That’s for me to know.” 😂
Man, I am glad to see Spo being this negative. He always puts a positive spin on things. As I wrote in a game recently, the first seven-game losing streak ever under Spoelstra required some blow torches and chain saws, not happy talk. And it worked. We were a different team last night and got a different result.
Asked about the decision to watch tape and have a discussion instead of practicing on the court, Spoelstra said: “That’s semantics. We had a very productive day.”
Barry Jackson, the writer here, is asking all the right questions. Spo’s testy responses are testament. This is Jackson’s tweet on presser:
Bam said there was film session today with candid communication among everyone in which players were "vulnerable" with each other and they now have clarity. An intense, resolute Spo said nothing discussed today was any of our business (none of us were offended by that obviously)
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▪ Asked if there’s anger, frustration or disappointment, Adebayo said: “All of the above.
▪ Adebayo — who has taken much of the leadership mantle from the retired Udonis Haslem — was asked if he’s comfortable angrily confronting teammates if the effort is unacceptable.
“One hundred percent,” he said. …
▪ Martin said “what bothers me most right now” is “the fact what we’re known for, that’s our identity, the fact we’re not doing that, we’re not being felt on the defensive end, whether it’s energy… effort, doing what we’re capable of doing.”
▪ Rozier, who has lost his first four games with the Heat, said “it has been devastating, with a seven-game losing streak. This organization, when you lose, it bothers them.”
▪ Rozier noted: “I’ve never been told in a full week this many times to play my game…”
So we heard from Spo, Bam, Caleb, Terry…Who didn’t we hear from? Jimmy, prominently.
