ASK IRA: Is Jimmy Butler at power forward a potential Heat solution?

Q: I can see a lot of variations from Erik Spoelstra on both the guard spots, testing Jimmy Butler at power forward, testing Omer Yurtseven at starting center, with Bam Adebayo at the power forward – Moodi.

A: The idea of Jimmy Butler taking significant minutes at power forward has been floated since P.J. Tucker departed and no replacement was added And, yes, in many permutations, it certainly could work, particularly as teams downsize later in games. The question, though, comes down to Jimmy and how much he would be willing to play at the four, banging against bigger players. But it would be a means of unlocking more of the Heat’s perimeter potential in Kyle Lowry, Tyler Herro, Victor Oladipo, and even Max Strus, Gabe Vincent and Duncan Robinson. Jimmy at the four can get three of those others on the court at the same time.

Q: Omer Yurtseven appears to be putting in quite a bit of work at AmericanAirlines Arena. – Lash.

A: Actually, the work has been at FTX Arena (same place, different name). But, yes, his effort has been noticeable, and he certainly has made it noticeable with his posts on social media. Both efforts (the work and the publicizing of the work) appear to come with intent on putting pressure on Erik Spoelstra for playing time. Omer Yurtseven’s role will be one of the more intriguing elements of training camp, including how he is utilized in various rotations.

Q: Retiring numbers is usually for people who spend the majority of their careers on said team. People who when you think of them, it’s in that team’s jersey. With the way people switch teams now, retiring every jersey for every star who won a title with them would be crazy. – D.S.

A: This was in response to the likelihood of the Heat retiring LeBron James’ No. 6 in addition to the Heat and the rest of the league retiring No. 6 for Bill Russell. The issue here is precedent. The Heat retired Shaquille O’Neal’s No. 32 after he spent 3 1/2 seasons with the Heat, went to the NBA Finals once, and won one title with the team. So if you do that, how do you not honor No. 6 after James spent four full seasons with the team, went to four NBA Finals and won title titles? As with various halls of fame, once precedent is set, it is difficult, if not impossible, to walk back the standards.

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Source: Berkshire mont