Overview
- Two days after benching Kel’el Ware for the second half against Boston, Spoelstra walked back his postgame critique and said his wording was unfair.
- The coach had said Ware was “stacking days in the wrong direction” and suggested some young players may “subconsciously play poorly” to affect minutes.
- Heat legends Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem questioned the implication about intent while endorsing the franchise’s demands for consistent effort and growth.
- Ware called the earlier comment “crazy,” noted he has not discussed it with Spoelstra, and said he would focus on controlling his effort within fluctuating minutes.
- Miami sits around .500 and continues to sort rotations, with Ware’s role influenced by matchups and lineup fits after he logged nine first-half minutes in the 119-114 loss to the Celtics.