Can Heath play both Omer Yurtseven and Nikola Jovic? – Reading the Eagle

Q: If Omer Yurtseven is ready for significant minutes, will he replace Dewayne Dedman and allow Nikola Jovic to focus his minutes as a back four. Do you see Erik Spoelstra giving Jovic non-garbage minutes when Jurtseven is ready? – Michael, Boca Raton.

A: If you had asked before the season if it was possible that Omer Jurtseven and Nikola Jovic would both get rotation minutes, that opinion would have been dismissed. With Dewayne Dedman struggling, the question is whether it was due to his current foot injury or something deeper. First, of course, we have to see Omer Yurtseven take the court and show if he can be fit. But based on early returns with Nikola, it would be interesting to see him continue, at least in spot minutes.

Q: Ira, was the loss to Golden State a one-off or a disaster? – Jesse.

A: Have to admit, enjoy the wording. It used to be thought that when the Heat ended a long Western stretch with a game high in Denver, it was written off as a clichéd “schedule loss.” That was the feeling on the second night of the meeting against a Warriors team that had been idle the day before. Look, even on the Heat’s best nights, winning at Chase Center is routine. Perhaps the stat that best summed up the night was this: The Heat were outscored 10-8 in second-chance points in the first half. . . and then 17-0 in the second. Legs are tired. The irony is that one of the toughest games on the NBA schedule could be the first after a long road trip. And was Heath the first to return after that trip? On Tuesday at FTX Arena against . . . Warriors.

Question: Hello, Ira. Besides the fact that we need a true power forward in the starting lineup to complement this team, Tyler Era needs time to adjust his game to better match Kyle Lowry, Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler. Forcing Herro back into a sixth man role will only stunt his growth. I think we need a little patience. Even Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and LeBron James took time to adjust to their games when they first got together. – Carlos, West Park.

A: Fair consideration. But the Big Three always knew they would secure a quality seed and be well positioned for the playoffs. In this season’s Eastern Conference, there are no guarantees that a bumpy start will be as easy to overcome.

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