As the Miami Heat face the Houston Rockets Monday night to start a four-game home stand, it harks back to the tenure of guard Victor Oladipo. The former Miami player is now a member of the Houston Rockets, but there are a lot of “what if” questions surrounding the 31-year old.
At the end of the day, it was a business decision from the Heat to let go of Oladipo, but he made some long-lasting friendships with people in the organization. To Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, he reflects on the player's time with the team and wants to see the comeback from Oladipo according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel
“He’s had so many of these setbacks, but he has dealt with each one of them with such inspiring grace, that you really root for him,” Spoelstra said. “We still keep in touch with him. And you just want to see him get out there, be healthy, so he can contribute.”
He was a productive scorer with the likes of the Oklahoma City Thumder, Indiana Pacers, and Rockets until the Heat signed him in March of 2021. His tenure with Miami was a disappointing one as while he showed flashes of his former self, he would be plagued with injuries, an aspect about him before he stepped foot in a Heat uniform.
Spoelstra calls the move away from Oladipo a “tough decision”
Oladipo would suffer from a torn patellar tendon in his left knee in Game 3 of the first round of the playoffs last season which kicked off the Heat's miraculous playoff run that led them to the NBA Finals. He would be traded back to the Thunder, but never played for them until he was dealt to the Rockets.
Spoelstra talks about the relationships Oladipo made with the Heat and said the move to deal him away was a “tough decision.” However, the head coach views the former Miami player as “Heat family.”
“Those are tough decisions an organization has to make, particularly when you have great relationships with people,” Spoelstra said via The Sun Sentinel. “That’s how we view Vic. He’s Heat family. We want to see him get back out there one way or another.”
The team even catches up with him through texts and even a facetime session where the Heat touched base with Oladipo. The best trait about the former Miami player according to Spoelstra was his “positive spirit.”
“He has the fortitude and he has this incredible positive spirit that you could only understand if you’ve been around him,” Spoelstra said. “Texts and we all FaceTimed him earlier in the season.”
Spoelstra said if any player can comeback from adversity, it's Oladipo
Oladipo spent three seasons with the Heat, but the games played was miniscule as he played in 12 games through his first two seasons before participating in 42 last year. Spoelstra mentioned how he worked himself back up to be a reliable option off the bench.
“He finally worked himself back with us, where he was really contributing,” Spoelstra said. “That game that he injured himself, he really was putting his fingerprint on that.”
While some people might be ready to call it quits on Oladipo's career, Spoelstra is not as he said the University of Indiana product is still “young” at 31. He stressed if there is a player that can overcome the obstacles and make a comeback, it is Oladipo.
“He’s still young. And he has that fortitude,” Spoelstra said. “Not many people could handle that kind of adversity and still find a way to push through. Vic is one of those guys. So he’ll be back and we’re rooting for him.”
In the meantime, the Heat are preparing to get back in the winning column and play their next 13 of 18 games inside the Kaseya Center. It starts tonight when they face the Rockets as Miami is 20-15 which puts them at eighth in the Eastern Conference.
Follow Us
Subscribe