The Miami Marlins engaged in a 14-inning pitching duel with the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday afternoon, but failed to win their first series of the season. Wei-Yin Chen allowed his fifth home run in the same number of innings pitched this year off the bat of Jean Segura, and the Phillies took the third game of the series, 3 to 1.
The Marlins, who scored 10 runs on Saturday night, came back to their old ways scoring only once in 14 innings, with only four hits. Marlins’ lonely run came thanks to Brian Anderson’s solo shot. One of the positive news of this series…
The other one, was José Ureña, who finally had an ace-like start, allowing one run in seven frames.
However, all the effort by Ureña, Steckenrider, Anderson, Kinley and Conley was not enough to get the win.
And then, there was Chen.
The owner of the worse contract in Marlins’ history had allowed 10 runs in his last appearance, in a blowout against the Reds.
Nothing left to do with Chen at this point. Waiting 14 innings to use him, and still gives up bombs. I think they gave it their best effort to build some value but like Tazawa, end has come.
His ERA got better after Sunday’s inning of work, despite getting rocked by McCutchen and Segura (McCutchen hit a moonshot foul ball right before hitting it to the wall before Segura’s homer).
How much more time will the Marlins wait to release Chen?
Screenshot photo from Games of Zones on Bleacher Report.
Eighteen months.
That’s how long it’s been since the last episode of HBO’s Game of Thrones, during which time South Florida’s various major athletic teams have won a grand total of one postseason contest — that thanks to Dwyane Wade, who wasn’t even here when that last episode aired.
There’s always been some crossover between sports fans and Thrones fans, except in our network, in which a surprising number of millennials have never seen the show. This is where I would compare Giancarlo Navas of Miami Heat Beat to Reek if I wanted to be mean. But I don’t.
But we did feel it was appropriate to ask the question above.
We already know that Pat Riley is Tywin Lannister — no, we don’t expect Riley to die on a toilet. Bleacher Report made the comparison in a brilliant Game of Zones video, and others have come to the same conclusion:
Pat Riley = Tywin Lannister – "The Godfather" figure – The resemblance tho – Led a dynasty (House Lannister / the Miami Heat) – Manages LeBron/Cersei and DWade/Jaime pic.twitter.com/EqBqqZYoOa
LeBron is Stannis. Wants conflict, but can't prevail. Comfortable taking credit for things that he had little/nothing to do with, and while probably being the character that should have ruled over all let outside influences cost him that throne.
Of course, #JustiseBetter was associated with a couple of series favorites…
Daenerys is Justise. Young character from a historic lineage (Duke) that has 3 dragons that we grow along with as the show progresses (Bam,Jrich,DJJ) and wants to rule over the kingdom. TELL ME IM WRONG!
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Image-1.jpg12962048Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-04-14 15:42:592019-04-14 17:54:23The Game of Thrones, Miami Sports match game
The most important things Pat Riley said today, tweet by tweet….
First, this, in response to our question…
Pat Riley on whether he will finish with the Heat, in light of Lakers situation:
"Absolutely."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
"Absolutely" — Pat Riley's immediate response when @EthanJSkolnick asked if Riles would stay with the Heat for the rest of his career https://t.co/l1mH8FvBYw
Pat Riley opens: "The only thing I can say that hasn't been said by you or by coach…." Divides players into AOT, SOT, or NOT. All of the Time, Some of the Time or a Not (which you don't want to be)…. He's split the roster those 3 ways.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley has a L3GACY t-shirt with him.
"This was an All of the Time player. We drafted one in my 23 years, and thank God for that. As we look forward to the future, we've been at this a long time, we know how to do it."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley says he doesn't want to get into the backstory of "why this team was built for a short term run."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley says he had planned on a 2-3 window with young players they drafted, and "on-the-brink-to-make-it-veterans." Says they learned that they had a competitive team, "but it was a Some of the Time thing, and very rarely was it an All of the Time thing."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley says "we're going to figure it out…. Whether you believe me or not, we're right at the launching pad right now. It took us a couple years to pay back our student debt, or loans." Mentions borrowing to get the Big 3, with picks and money.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley mentions having 7 of 8 first round picks and 4 of 8 second round picks.
"And possibility of deciding if you want to be a room team in 2020."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley: "There are a lot of different ways you can go, in terms of rebuilding the team fast… or having the patience and adding to our young players."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley calls it very disappointing.
Doesn't blame coaches. Says they put everything into it.
Is taking 10 notebooks to Malibu to figure out what went wrong.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley on getting the 1st pick:
"My favorite emoji is to throw out shamrocks to all my friends. Just type in Irish and there it is."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Does Riley feel the Heat are positioned to acquire a star who says he wants to move.
"It doesn't make any difference what we have the ability to do. We can want anything but it doesn't make any difference. It's up to the player. It's up to them to choose where they want 2 go."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley asked if culture is eroding.
"No, I don't. I really don't. 1st of all, our culture, I set the template for it back in 1995, is academic. It's a culture that every professional team should start with. And they do. They want their players to be world class athletes 1st."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley acknowledges there was some slippage in culture.
"Tightening the screws…"
"There will be some change next year."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley: "The people on the business side were probably more crushed than us. Because they have to sell the product. We sell the culture. We sell on-court performance, especially at home. How we lost games at home at times REALLY upset me."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley praises the #OneLastDance marketing campaign.
Says it was better than Kareem's.
"This was pure love. And you know what it did, it muted the emotional disappointment on the part of the organization and the staff."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley is saying what we said on several podcasts about Wade's retirement providing a distraction (the squirrel).
"Now it's back to reality."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley says he isn't for being bad for several years.
"it's hard to really finish in the bottom 5. I'd have to go everybody in the G-League."
Acknowledges he did it in 2003 and 2008.
"And that was in the best interests of the organization."
Time for that again?
"No."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley:
"We have done this since 1995. I don't want to sit here for 30 minutes and give you a litany of the transactions."
Says most were trades.
Says not to use the word "obstacles" around him.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley praising the same 6 players as Erik Spoelstra did…
Bam Justise Josh DJJ Yante Duncan Robinson
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley on "tightening the screws" with Waiters and others.
"I won't be using a single screwdriver. I'll be using a Black and Decker."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley says it would be foolish thinking to say "that we can't get out of certain contracts."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley says every great team needs "2 transcendent superstars."
Either grow them or steal them.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley says if Bosh doesn't sick the day they acquired Dragic…
"I think we could have beat Cleveland."
"That locked us up financially, but now we're free, or getting there. There are no obstacles, there are only opportunities."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley says he wants Haslem to take his time to make a decision, but would like UD in the locker room.
On Dragic…. says he will discuss with agent and Goran about whether Goran plans to opt out….
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley acknowledges that when they were negotiating with Gordon Hayward, "I didn't want to be left with nobody."
Uses that to explain James Johnson re-signing.
Would have gotten 2 years if they had signed Hayward.
Says JJ had another deal out there.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley points out that other teams are stuck with worse contracts.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Riley calls Justise one of the players who "can get the Heat into offense."
"He has REALLY improved."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
Pat Riley: "It was a great year. It really wasn't a great year, but this guy (D-Wade) made it very, very special."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 13, 2019
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/IMG_5471.jpg480640Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-04-13 13:59:552019-04-14 07:38:43The best of the Pat Riley press conference
Philadelphia Phillies catcher JT Realmuto made his return to Miami on Friday for a three-game series with the Marlins. Like former members of the fightin’ fish last year, he came, said how much he loves the Marlins organization (despite asking for a trade in back-to-back offseasons) and how happy he is now.
What makes this year different is now he got to voice his approval of the new changes to Marlins Park. Like a former fling who leaves only to return and see how everything has changed since.
“It’s great — a lot better than the sculpture,” Realmuto said. “I wasn’t a huge fan of it.”
The Marlins traded Realmuto to Philadelphia for catcher Jorge Alfaro, pitching prospects Sixto Sanchez and Will Stewart, and $250,000 in international bonus money. Even though MLB Pipeline named Sanchez Miami’s top prospect and Stewart flirted with a no-hitter in his most recent start at Single-A Jupiter, Alfaro’s production is what will determine whether or not the Realmuto trade is a winner.
Both catchers were on display in the Phillies 9-1 victory. Realmuto went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a couple runs scored. Alfaro went 2-for-4 with a run scored as well, thanks to sac fly by right fielder Austin Dean.
Alfaro has been the lone bright spot in the Marlins’ lackluster lineup. The 25-year-old Colombian catcher leads the team with a .286 batting average, a .342 on-base percentage and .543 slugging percentage.
“If he will stay with the approach and the plan, he’s going to be dangerous,” Marlins manager Don Mattingly said of Alfaro. “He will swing at way more strikes, and hit a lot more pitches. He just has to stick with it daily, and stay with his work. I think he understands what we’re trying to get to. I honestly think, if he sticks with it — and he’s not a kid who is afraid of anything at all. You can see it. He’s not afraid of the ball in any way, shape or form. He’s going to be dangerous, if he will stay with the plan and the approach on a daily basis.”
Realmuto made the All-Star Game last year by hitting .310 in the first half of the season and finishing with 21 home runs. Mattingly has said repeatedly since the trade that Alfaro’s power is off the charts. After hitting 10 home runs in 108 games as a rookie last year, clearing the 20 homer benchmark this season seems realistic.
That alone will make the trade a winner for the Marlins.
Tony Capobianco is the lead photographer for FiveReasonsSports.com
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/7C8C90B7-79B0-4ED1-964D-09A17D8A5A9A.jpeg13021302Tony Capobiancohttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgTony Capobianco2019-04-13 13:25:582019-04-14 07:39:40Jorge Alfaro’s production determines winner of JT Realmuto trade
JT Realmuto will play for the first time in his career against the Miami Marlins.
However, he doesn’t expect much of a revolution in Marlins Park’s stands today when he steps up to the plate.
The All-Star catcher knows it will be a quiet atmosphere.
The best hitting catcher in baseball, along with Buster Posey and Willson Contreras, who crushed two balls out of Wrigley Field today, knows Miami and the fans here.
Will he get a big ovation? Probably not.
And not because he doesn’t deserve it, because he does, but because as usual, Marlins Park will look like an empty mall (which doesn’t happen here in Miami).
“It will be just like any other at-bat. I don’t expect too much out there for me,” were Realmuto’s words before the first of the three-game series between the Marlins and Phillies.
Miami struggled a lot swinging the bats during the road trip, scoring only eight runs in six games, getting swept by the Cincinnati Reds.
But for Realmuto, life is beautiful right now. He forgot about playing for the losing Miami Marlins and is finally playing for a competitive team.
There, with Bryce Harper and company, he is having the opportunity to play in a pennant race.
Harper wanted him in Washington, as he publicly confessed, and he even whispered a couple of times in Realmuto’s ear when he was a member of the Washington Nationals.
Now, they can both be happy slugging for a city that loves baseball and supports their team.
JT Realmuto’s comeback to Little Havana will get most of the headlines, but we will come back to reality soon to realize this team had the best catcher in baseball, the best outfielders in baseball and the best pitcher in baseball at some point, and the stands were empty.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/WhatsApp-Image-2019-04-12-at-5.43.34-PM.jpeg10701600Alejandro Villegashttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgAlejandro Villegas2019-04-12 17:11:372019-04-14 07:40:11JT Realmuto knows comeback to Miami will be quiet
Dion Waiters, by the way, said the photos of him looking fat in Mexico were because he was wearing double sweaters. Says his body fat percentage is 6 percent. I’ll have more later. #Heat
We all know how Pat Riley feels about conditioning. Miami Heat shape. World class shape. He forced Tim Hardaway to meet a certain weight, even after Hardaway was a multi-time All-Star. He briefly banished Antoine Walker and James Posey after the 2006 championship, after Walker promised to keep drinking all offseason and seemed to diligently fulfill his promise. He has nearly killed men in practice; just ask them.
So it was a matter of time before the team snapped. The Heat tried to put on a good face about this, as they typically do, when there’s something they’d like to not make a public issue — particularly when they’re paying a player $52 million guaranteed over four years to overeat and underperform.
For instance…
Spoelstra said Dion Waiters "recently" passed his conditioning test.
“Very close," Spoelstra said when asked if Waiters is back to where he was a few years ago. "In terms of his weight and body fat. He’s passed virtually everything up to this point."
Recently, roughly two weeks ago, Spoelstra said that Waiters was getting into better condition and that’s why he was playing better. There wasn’t much of the season left.
It is not like Spoelstra to call players out publicly. That’s a Riley thing. That’s what made Friday’s Spoelstra press conference so remarkable. He basically spoke for both of them, with more pointed words for Waiters than anyone else on the roster. Actually, Waiters was the only player targeted with even a tinge of negativity, as Spoelstra waxed poetic about Dwyane Wade, gushed over the Heat’s kids (especially the clearly beloved Bam Adebayo) and even said he believed in Hassan Whiteside.
Waiters?
Well.
Here are some tweets.
Erik Spoelstra mentions how Dion Waiters can help down the stretch, after "getting healthy, getting to the right weight and body fat."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
And this…
Erik Spoelstra on Dion Waiters:
"I have not forgotten the player he was 2 years ago. It's time to get back to that player."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
And this was the money quote…
Erik Spoelstra's quote of the day:
"He knows, I know, Pat knows. He simply has to get there. That's it. This is a really important summer for Dion Waiters. He's healthy now. He HAS to work. That's it."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
Just in case no one understood…..
That was a clear message sent to Dion Waiters.
Erik Spoelstra kept saying "Pat and I are on the same page on this."
Riley will call out guys publicly.
Spoelstra doesn't do that often.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
“Pat and I are on the same page on this.”
That’s a message they meant to deliver. Together.
This time, there’s no Good Cop.
Just Bad Cop and Worse Cop.
Expect Riley, if he ever speaks to the assembled media again — we’re expecting next week — to deliver it even more sternly. They have two years left on Waiters’ contract and he has been difficult if not impossible to deal. They need to try to make something work.
So it will be interesting to see what happens if he can’t make weight.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Dion-Waiters-1-scaled.jpg17072560Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-04-12 16:49:422019-04-12 16:52:15Heat to Dion Waiters: Time to Shape Up or….
There will be no playoffs this season for the Miami Heat, so Clean Out Day came early. Some players and Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra are meeting with the media and, as of this writing, big men Kelly Olynyk and Bam Adebayo have already done so.
Adebayo, in particular, is interesting because he had a bit of a breakout this season, especially in the 28 games he started, while being the only player on the team to play in all 82. He developed his ballhandling and his defensive versatility, and has shown glimpses of a jumper if he’ll just be more aggressive.
Erik Spoelstra: "The other positive of this season are the growth of our young players. Bam, from his rookie year, to his second year, measured out to one of the top centers in the league, particularly after the New Year." @5ReasonsSports
But here’s what is most promising about Adebayo, who is mature for his age (22 in July):
He facilitates.
This is something, of course, that the other Heat center is loathe to do.
And Adebayo wants to do more of it.
Bam Adebayo says he can average 5 assists per game:
"I like getting my teammates involved."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
Adebayo averaged 2.2 in just 23.3 minutes this season.
That’s solid for a center, and as he develops more chemistry with his teammates, that should improve. As Erik Spoelstra noted, Adebayo had at least five assists in 14 games.
He also says he can play with the guy he calls “H.” They played only 14 minutes together this season, with Spoelstra preferring to pair either with Olynyk or James Johnson.
Bam Adebayo says he can play with Hassan Whiteside…
Does not demand to be a starter. Says he is OK either way.
"H is one of those guys, when he wants to work with somebody, wants to grow, and we've had those moments before. You never know."
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
But this is the way Adebayo speaks, and this is what is so encouraging. Miami’s Kids are all quality people, but the question is whether they are players to build around, or just build with.
Bam Adebayo: "I want more. I want to get better. I want to be a leader."
If his game catches up to his disposition, the Heat have something here.
— Five Reasons Sports Network (@5ReasonsSports) April 12, 2019
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Bam-3.jpg5621024Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-04-12 12:05:032019-04-12 12:35:22Bam Adebayo wants the burden
It was kind of a foregone conclusion, when we selected 52 of the least popular sports figures in South Florida history — split into Sports Figures and Athletes brackets — that the frugal, former owner of the Miami Marlins would eventually tear down the nets like he tore down baseball in this market.
Still, we went through it anyway, and Jeffrey Loria was the big winner… or loser.
(We won’t show his face because, well, why?)
He was never really challenged, not against another former Marlins owner (John Henry), not against former Dolphins GM Mike Tannenbaum, not against the destroyer of the University of Miami football program Nevin Shapiro, not in the Futile Four against former Dolphins coach Nick Saban — who upset Loria’s son-in-law David Samson in the Awful Eight — and certainly not in the Final against the person you oddly deemed the worst athlete (former Dolphins offensive lineman Jonathan Martin).
This was a rout.
And why not?
Loria did win a World Series as owner, but he also made decision after decision to destroy the Marlins franchise. (Oh, and he called me a “piece of crap columnist” once, so I’ll acknowledge some bias.
He’ll probably take this condemnation as a compliment.
What was strange was the other side of the bracket, where four former Dolphins (Martin, Dion Jordan, Mike Wallace, Jay Cutler) were the last four left, not exactly the quartet we expected. In fact, Dolphins kept beating Heat, Marlins, Panthers and Hurricanes players in terms of how much you disliked them.
But no one beats Loria, not at this game.
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/Jeff-Loria-head.jpg635635Ethan Skolnickhttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgEthan Skolnick2019-04-12 10:09:252019-04-12 10:09:25Jeffrey Loria: Your worst person in Miami sports history
On the winding road of the minor league journey, Jonathan India has found his way back home.
While Daytona Beach, the Florida State League affiliate of the Cincinnati Reds, is about a four hour drive from where he played high school ball, the trips to Jupiter to play the Hammerheads and Palm Beach Cardinals will have to do for now.
The Reds drafted India with the fifth overall pick in last year’s MLB Draft and MLB pipeline has him listed as their No. 4 prospect. In the midsts of the JT Realmuto trade sweepstakes, the Reds made India a key part of their proposed trade package before the Marlins decided to trade their star catcher to the Philadelphia Phillies.
India, who grew up a New York Met fan, was well aware of the trade rumors thanks the Twitter, but was told by the Reds’ management not to worry about it and so he did.
“You never know what can happen in this sport,” India said. “It’s a business. One day you can be Red, one day you can be a Marlin. It almost happened to me. I try to honestly not think about that stuff and just play the game. There’s no point in digging into that and worrying about it because it just puts more pressure on yourself. Why think about that when you have the game right in front of you?”
India played high school ball American Heritage-Delray. There’s a lot of players currently in the minor leagues or big leagues who were once high schoolers in South Florida. In fact, in the same draft where the Reds took India with the fifth overall pick, the Boston Red Sox drafted third baseman Triston Casas — who played third base at the American Heritage School in Plantation — with the 26th pick.
“There are plenty of kids who I played against and have played with who have a shot of making it,” India said.
While Casas was taken out of high school India was drafted out of the University of Florida. You may be able to spot as many Gators in a baseball field somewhere in America as you would on Alligator Alley. India’s teammate at Single-A Daytona, catcher Mark Kolozsvary, was also a teammate with him at UF.
“Going through there for three years taught me how to be not only a baseball player but also a professional on and off the field,” India said. “It helped me a lot going into minor league ball.”
The Gators have been in the College World Series in each of India’s three seasons. The ecstasy of championship triumph was sandwiched in-between the agony of defeat. India called winning the 2017 College World Series, “A dream come true for me and one of the best feelings I ever had.”
“I think it’s the best baseball experience a kid can dream of,” India said. “Like they say, It’s the greatest show on dirt. That’s their slogan.”
After the 2018 College World Series, India quickly went from the greatest show on dirt to just a show on dirt. His professional career began just as soon as his collegiate career ended, split among Tennessee, Montana and Ohio. While he was a Mustang for three days, he found the city of Billings, MT to be quite pleasant.
“It didn’t feel like we were at Montana,” India said. “I actually felt Montana was a beautiful state, with all the mountains and everything. Being from Florida, you don’t see mountains. I enjoyed it there. It was fun.”
Life as minor leaguer is like a traveling road show. Nevertheless, India considers this endeavor, “a fun experience.” The most grueling part of it is the long bus rides. While it may be a bit mitigated in the Single-A Advanced Florida State League, it was still a nearly three hour drive from Daytona to Jupiter. If they’re not catching up on sleep, the team is at least trying to have some fun on the bus.
“We’ve had some funny bus rides,” India said, “singing karaoke, just messing around as a team, hanging out but nothing too crazy.”
India may have not ended up as a Marlin but at least he will get to play in Florida and learn under a former Marlins in Daytona hitting coach and 2003 World Series champion Lenny Harris.
Tony Capobianco is the lead photographer for FiveReasonsSports.com
https://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/India-scaled.jpg19682560Tony Capobiancohttps://www.fivereasonssports.com/wp-content/uploads/FiveReasonsWebsiteLogo.svgTony Capobianco2019-04-11 23:00:392019-04-11 21:06:31Broward native Jonathan India’s baseball career circles home
With the 2018-19 NBA regular season wrapped up, the Miami Heat have begun shifting their focus onto the offseason after falling out of playoff contention. Here’s a breakdown of the many key dates and deadlines over the next few months leading up until the tip-off of the 2019-20 season.
May 14
NBA Draft Lottery 2019 (Chicago)
May 14-19
NBA Draft Combine 2019 (Chicago)
June 10
Deadline for all early entrants (including international players) to withdraw from the NBA Draft (5 p.m. ET)
June 20
2019 NBA Draft (Barclays Center, NY)
June 29
Deadline for all player and team options, unless individual contracts specify otherwise.
July 30
NBA Free Agency (negotiations) and July Moratorium Begins (6:00 p.m ET)
July 5-15
2019 MGM Resorts NBA Summer League (Las Vegas, Nevada)
July 10
Ryan Anderson’s $21.26M salary for 2019-20 becomes fully guaranteed. Salary reduced to $15.6M if waived by deadline.
August 31
Last day for teams to waive players and apply the stretch provision to 2019-20 salaries.
Late September (specific dates TBA)
Training camp opens.
October 22
Start of the 2018-19 NBA Regular Season (NBA Tip-Off 2019)
The 2019-20 NBA season will move back one week next year and begin October 22, per league sources. This means the playoffs will also begin a week later. The change is to prevent opening night from occurring too early moving forward each year. The FIBA World Cup was also a factor.