Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat
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Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat
First it was ankle surgery, and for the Miami Heat, even that was frustrating. Because star guard Tyler Herro was bothered by pain in his ankle and foot during the summer, and could have had surgery in August or so that would have kept him on track to be ready for the start of the season (or thereabouts). Instead, Herro waited until September 19 to have the surgery, and he missed Miami’s first 17 games.
Then it was his bruised toe. Surely, that was painful, but after playing five games following the ankle surgery, with a subsequent brief attempt at a return, Herro went down again, this time with a contused toe. Somehow, that kept Herro out for a month.
Now it is Herro’s ribs, in what the NBA injury report described as, “Right Costochondral;
Injury the the Ribs.” Essentially, that’s a bruise to the cartilage where the chest bone and the ribs connect. That bruise has now kept Herro out for 14 games, the better part of a month.
Tally it all up and you get a late surgery plus two bruises causing Herro to miss 44 of the 55 games the team has played thus far.
Miami Heat Ready to Replace Tyler Herro
There is no doubt, as one assistant coach said, that the Miami Heat are about fed up with Herro’s lack of availability. A franchise that has historically prided itself on having the top conditioning program in the NBA and developing the toughness of its players is watching Herro show up in street clothes day after day, while being paid $31 million per year, with $33 million coming next season.
“They can’t admit it but the frustration level with Herro is off the charts there,” the coach said. “They can’t get rid of him, there is really no market for him out there. But what’s the use of a guy who shows up ready to play like 20% of the time? And they have young players who can replace him pretty easy.”
Indeed, rookie KasparasJakucionis has proven to be much more useful to the Miami Heat this year, and as a 6-foot-5 combo guard, it seems Miami already has a Herro replacement on hand.
Still No Timeline for Return
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked before the team’s Monday night meeting with the Jazz at Kaseya Center, and repeated what has become a tired refrain, as frustrating for Heat fans as for folks within the organization. There is no timeline on next steps for Herro.
“I don’t have a timeline, but I can tell you he is making progress and he is doing what he needs to do behind the scenes,” Spolestra said. “We are going to continue to treat him and when there is an update, I will let you know.”
The Heat have one more game, on Wednesday in New Orleans, before the team breaks for the All-Star game. Assuming that Herro’s rib is still too bruised to be in uniform for that one, we won’t see Herro back on the floor until after the break–February 20 in Atlanta, at the earliest.