Miami Heat News

It’s a fun idea in theory but a bad idea in reality. Teams are still incentivized to lose to get into that tournament, especially teams on the play-in bubble. And it’s unlikely players will take those games seriously. Plus getting a high pick might be bad for some of their jobs.

Jazz fined $500K, Pacers fined $100K. They are not the only tanking teams though. But it’s hard to prove… -If the Bucks are milking the return of Giannis -If Memphis is doing that with Edey and Morant -If Trae is healthy enough for his Wizards debut -If the Bulls, Mavs, Nets,

"...the Jazz removed two of the team's top players...before the beginning of the 4Q and did not return them to the game" 1) Ok so if Will Hardy sits Markkanen the entire 3Q and plays him in the 4Q instead, is that acceptable? 2) They won that Heat game! 3) They won that Heat game because Brice Sensabaugh is nails and came through with several big shots. Is he not permitted to be the focal point of an offense without the presence of 'stars' on the floor concurrently? I have more questions now than before they addressed/penalized this.

On the ZL Show today, @FredKatz also implored the NBA to simply enforce its rules. It appears they have done so here. It will be interesting to see how high the fines have to get before teams care.

And finally -- is there anything to Denver's blah record since Joker's return (and my booming Strawther Straits property values!) New ZL Show -->

Long pod for a long NBA weekend -- and lots of news in the air!

I don't know what the answer is. I am confident of what the league/owners will do (if anything) in response to this wave of tanking. I also know that history suggests teams find ways to game around any/every tweak to the lottery system.

I look back at the draft Wheel -- a concept of @mikezarren's I first wrote about way back in 2013 for @Grantland33. The idea of severing draft order from team record is uncomfortable for NBA owners (and me!) -- but it's worth at least gaming out on a holistic level.

Early returns on Harden in Cleveland, Vooch in Boston, JJJ in Utah (it was fun!), new Chicago guards, Alvarado in NYK -- new faces in new places! New ZL Show -->

Plus: Details of JJJ's upcoming surgery/what led to it -- and the uncomfortable tanking conversation the league may not be ready for (and I may not be either): If tweaks don't seem to work, is it time to consider broader systemic changes to the draft and beyond? New ZL Show -->

Newsy reactions: CHA-DET brawl/suspensions, Tatum practicing/potential return/Boston's season, Embiid alarms?, Dillon Brooks suspension, Sochan, All-Star replacements, much more. New ZL Show -->

A filthy block like this turning into points is such a game changer. That’s what DPOY candidates do! Most Explosive Play of the Game // @c4energy

Just my take: It’s not enough if the NBA stops there with anti-tanking rules changes. 1. If only 1-4 protections are allowed, sure you won’t necessarily have teams tank to keep top 8 or top 10 protected picks. But wouldn’t those teams tank anyway for higher odds of keeping a top 4 pick? Yes. And if picks can only be protected 1-4 but not 5-14, you could end up with the same amount of protected picks traded and more teams feeling like they need to tank harder to increase their odds of keeping their picks. 2. If the standings are frozen on, say, February 1st, wouldn’t teams who want high odds just tank early in the season? Obviously yes. I’m also told the NBA has considered keeping the date a secret until after the season. As opposed to everyone knowing about it in advance. So in theory, the league could choose random dates, or make it so games from January through April count toward the lottery. But if there’s uncertainty about when games are going to matter, wouldn’t teams who want a high pick just tank the whole year? Yes. Just like nine teams are tanking right now. I don’t think these ideas change behavior in the slightest. I felt the same when odds were flattened. Many execs thought it’d only make the issue worse because teams wouldn’t have go full Process Sixers. That’s what has happened. Teams can just get into the mid-lotto range and be satisfied with their odds. The only way to truly stop team from losing purposely is to sever the link between record and lottery odds. That is the direction I believe that Adam Silver should be considering the most, if his goal truly is to put an end to tanking.

Sources: Potential changes to the NBA Draft that have generated interest at the ownership level include limiting protections after the top 4 & freezing the lottery standings on an early date mid-year. Nothing is set in stone but changes to limit tanking is a key discussion point.

I’m told that Jaren Jackson Jr.’s surgery is preventive to avoid future serious issues and JJJ wanted to play a few games with new teammates before going under the knife.

Thanks for having me on @_JasonLT

Cleared for takeoff… it’s SHOWTIME 🎥

In case y’all were wondering about the profile pic 🤣

San Antonio Spurs guard De’Aaron Fox has been named by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to replace injured Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game (Sunday, 2/15, 5pm/et, NBC & Peacock). Fox will join USA Stripes, while Miami Heat guard Norman

That's our Rising Star ⭐️👏 Congrats, Jahmir!

The calm before the storm ⛈️

🏀 WEDNESDAY'S FINAL SCORES 🏀 Bam's double-double powers the @MiamiHEAT to victory! Jaime Jaquez Jr.: 23 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, 2 BLK Kel'el Ware: 16 PTS, 12 REB, 2 BLK

Sending off our All-Star weekend crew…and with a W!🔥

#HEATWin Final: HEAT 123, Pelicans 111 🔥 Adebayo: 27pts, 14rebs, 4asts, 4blks 🔥 Jaquez Jr.: 23pts, 8rebs, 4asts, 3stls, 2blks 🔥 Ware: 16pts, 12rebs, 2blks 🔥 Fontecchio: 15pts, 2stls 🔥 Jakučionis: 11pts, 4asts

Got it done 💪 Winning Shots // @mph