Erik Spoelstra had to move on with his rotation, because the Miami Heat coach was left with no choice, no option.
But even with the decision to move past Markieff Morris in his initial playoff mix, Spoelstra acknowledges the inequity of it all when it comes to the veteran power forward.
Although it is rare for Spoelstra to look back, let alone to do it during the playoffs, he did just that ahead of Friday night’s Game 3 against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena, when discussing the November episode that derailed Morris’ season.
On Nov. 8, after a flagrant foul by Morris late in a Heat blowout road loss, Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic responded with a blindside shove in the back that was so severe it whiplashed Morris. Jokic was suspended one game by the NBA. Morris, fined $50,000 by the league for his role, wound up missing the next 58 games, requiring league clearance to return due to the severity of his neck injury.
Through it all, Jokic emerged as a leading candidate for NBA Most Valuable Player, currently featured in the Nuggets’ 0-3 uphill battle against the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs, his season apparently to end before Morris’ gets truly restarted.
“Markieff’s story also has been probably frustrating,” Spoelstra said, “to something that shouldn’t have happened, and it’s only a one-game suspension for that, and he had to miss months of time.
“It makes no sense, but he’s handled that with great grace and class.”
That, of course, did not necessarily soften the blow of being reduced to spectator as the Heat moved to a 2-0 lead against the Hawks at FTX Arena in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference series.
“He’s got himself in shape and ready and available,” Spoelstra said. “One way or another, he’s going to contribute. His voice is very good in our group.”
Spoelstra likened the situation to Morris’ time with the Los Angeles Lakers, including an uneven role in 2019-20, when he was part of the Lakers’ roster that defeated the Heat in the NBA Finals.
“He was in a similar situation with the Lakers, before,” Spoelstra said. “And all of a sudden, when he was called upon, he was ready and was able to produce.”
Spoelstra’s comments came when asked about Morris and Victor Oladipo having had to bide their time despite NBA resumes worthy of postseason consideration.
“There’s a human side of it,” Spoelstra said. “You have empathy for what they’ve had to go through.”
In Oladipo’s case, Spoelstra spoke of the guard’s relentless rehabilitation from May quadriceps surgery to a March 7 return that ultimately may prove to have been too late, even with a showcase 40-point performance against the Orlando Magic on the closing night of the regular season.
“I remember walking down to the locker room after Vic got injured last season, and you just knew it was probably going to be something significant,” Spoelstra said. “But his positive spirit and attitude from that time in the training room to the next day to six months later, that’s what fuels him and inspires all of us, that he’s able to just keep an incredible positive outlook.
“And he’s had to overcome quite a bit. There are a lot of players that probably would have just set this aside ‘til next year. But he’s made himself vulnerable and available for us.”
Noting injuries around the league, and even foul trouble for his rotation players, Spoelstra cited that remaining ready could ultimately still provide a playoff payoff. He used Caleb Martin’s emergence with a rotation role in Tuesday night’s Game 2 as an example.
“You see how quickly things can change,” Spoelstra said. “All of sudden Caleb played and had really significant and important minutes in that second half. I anticipate the same thing will happen for Vic and Markieff.”
()