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As the Miami Heat start training camp to prepare for a loaded East in the Bahamas, head coach Erik Spoelstra spoke about more than just basketball Tuesday. He would talk about the Miami Dolphins after their brutal loss to the Tennessee Titans, 31-12, and give advice to fellow South Florida head coach Mike McDaniel.
There is no doubt that McDaniel has been through adversity this season, encapsulated by the injury to Dolphins star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa where he suffered another concussion. If there is another head coach that has been through hardships and overcome them, it's Spoelstra who speaks on how McDaniel can do the same according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
“Yeah, I think he probably feels most alive within the adversity,” Spoelstra said. “That's what this profession is, it's not sunshine and roses, and there are things you cannot predict. And you know, we were watching the game last night, a lot of us after our team meetings. What we really just want in those scenarios is to somehow to quiet all of the chaos and noise from the outside.”
“Everything just starts to ramp up, and that's the nature of the business we signed up for,” Spoelstra continued. “I recognize the noise when I hear it, when I see it, it's probably, you know, what's makes me feel alive. Probably what makes fan bases and inexperienced people really super uncomfortable. But this is the nature of pro sports. There's adversity it's how you respond to that, about finding a silver lining and ultimately finding a benefit from that.”
Erik Spoelstra on Mike McDaniel and the Dolphins. pic.twitter.com/7hJgB6wAQo
— Ira Winderman (@IraHeatBeat) October 1, 2024
Dolphins' Mike McDaniel on message to fans amidst lackluster start
Speaking of adversity for the Heat, the team has been through massive injury spells the past few seasons, especially in 2023 where they ranked towards the top of the league in missed games from players resulting in more than 30 different starting lineups. McDaniel would speak Tuesday to the media about what he would tell the fans amidst a rough start for the team that had massive expectations going into the season.
“I guess it didn’t hit me with surprise,” McDaniel said via the team's transcripts page. “I think people invest and have to go and believe in a team that has bottom-line, the droughts that this organization has incurred, I don’t take that lightly. So I would be dishonest if I told you that I didn’t expect that. The worst part about all of that is you have people that I can relate where weeks are ruined with losses and the worst part about it is you don’t have any control. So that’s not a fun place to be in. I know sporting events where I’m rooting for a team and I’m not coaching in it, I get much more angry when there’s failure than when I’m coaching and I can actually problem solve something. It’s to be expected. This is the big leagues.”
Mike McDaniel’s message to Dolphins fans pic.twitter.com/oUrGSi2O7T
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) October 1, 2024
Dolphins' Mike McDaniel echoing the sentiments of Heat's Erik Spoelstra
There is an expectation that Tagovailoa will be available for the Dolphins in Week 8 in the hopes of turning around the season. Until then, McDaniel and company will look to keep the ship afloat and win some games.
“I think you have to go to work, problem solve and try to fix things as best you can,” McDaniel continued. “And I don’t think we’re necessarily owed anything I think people believe when you give them reason to believe and if people jump off the bandwagon – I’m not really villainizing the people who are jumping off the bandwagon; it’s more we gave them reason to. So that’s to be expected. I don’t think people pay what they pay to go to Hard Rock Stadium to watch us lose, so whatever results incurred by our game day failure, we deserve.”
At any rate, the Dolphins will look to bounce back this Sunday against the New England Patriots as the Heat prepare for the start of the season on Oct. 23 facing the Orlando Magic.
