Ouch.
That's about all you could say when the doors to the AmericanAirlines Arena practice courts opened to the media Saturday afternoon. At first glance, there was no Dwyane Wade. No Jermaine O'Neal. No Quentin Richardson. No Dorell Wright. No Chris Quinn.
OK. So maybe the absences of Wright and Quinn don't necessarily rise to the level of national concern. But still. Upon further review and scanning of the court, the aforementioned group was together, sitting on chairs alongside the court watching practice.
They are now the M.A.S.H. unit. Officially. Wade sat out practice and will miss Sunday's game against San Antonio with what the team is calling a left intercostal strain. What that means is unexplained soreness in the tissue and muscles within his left rib cage.
Wade insists the injury he sustained during the third quarter of Wednesday's loss at Orlando isn't serious. He said he would play Sunday if it were a regular season game. He said his breathing is relatively painless. But just the thought of Wade suffering anything close to an injury should make anyone in the Heat organization struggle to catch their breath.
"It's a precaution," Wade assured of his ailment, one he never mentioned after the Orlando game or before he underwent an MRI test Friday. "It's nothing real serious. I've got a long season ahead of me. I'm not trying to be a hero right now."
OK, cool. For the Heat's sake, the hope is that Wade's pain goes away in short order. Because the first thing I thought about after finding out about his ailment was he's had a rib issue before. One that hit during the 2004-05 season and lingered into the playoffs. Maybe those were two separate rib issues. But still.
Now, Wade is at the top of a long list of Heat training camp injury concerns. That process of trying to bounce back from two sluggish performances in losses to Detroit and Orlando has taken a bit of a detour.
Not only will Wade miss Sunday's game, Jermaine O'Neal (foot) is expected to miss his second straight game and backup guard Chris Quinn is now out for at least a week with a sprained right foot. That one was courtesy of Michael Beasley, who fell on Quinny's foot during Friday's practice. Quinn (pictured left) was in a walking boot Saturday. His absence further weakens the Heat's depth at point guard.
And it was a spot where the Heat could least afford any losses. But if you've followed this blog the past few days, you'd know that this sort of falls in with the last topic in the previous post. Is there a silver lining in here somewhere? Perhaps. Because now, the Heat almost certainly has to address the point guard spot.
Heat president Pat Riley sat beside owner Micky Arison during Saturday's practice. Chances are, the need to put out a want ad came up during their conversation. The Heat is reluctant to plunge further into the luxury tax (it is $3 million deep right now) by adding a veteran free agent on anything other than a non-guaranteed contract. But this opens the door for a potential trade, something Riley would consider before he digs through the PGs-on-the-street scrap heap.
You've heard the names. Bobby Jackson. Ty Lue. Brevin Knight. Jamaal Tinsley. Stephon Marbury. Perhaps the Heat would be better served swinging a deal for a reunion with Skip Alston (pictured below right) or Keyon Dooling. The Heat does have options. There are $4.2 million and $800K trade exceptions. There are the $5.7 mid-level and $2 million lower level exceptions. And there is an assortment of expiring contracts.
Certainly, the Heat could pawn off a spare small forward in exchange for a spare point guard. Or maybe, just maybe, John Lucas III can make the most of his opportunity and make the roster in the process.
The Heat has reached critical condition with its point guard depth. And not even emergency options such as Daequan Cook (thumb), Wade (ribs) and Richardson (ankle) are readily available. At least not right now. Yes, the official word is that the injuries are far from being considered serious. None are expected to threaten anyone's availability for the Oct. 28 season opener.
But still. It's why one word came to mind when those doors to the practice court opened Saturday and the injury news was delivered.
Ouch.
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
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