‘Either way, I think we’ll be able to compete.’

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MIAMI — Well, this was awkward.

Appearing Wednesday at the Miami Heat’s basketball camp at Slam Miami Heat school, Josh Richardson was asked the usual assortment of questions from the assembled youth, from how tall he was to how old he was to what position he played.

And then came one seemingly as benign.

“Who’s the best player you’ve played against?”

The answer created a palpable pause.

“It’s funny you asked me that,” the then-and-again Heat guard said with a smile. “Damian Lillard.”

From there, Richardson detailed the unique skill set of the Portland Trail Blazers guard who is seeking a trade to the Heat, mentioning the offensive aggression and deep shooting range of the 33-year-old All-Star.

“It’s the truth.” Richardson said privately later of his candor. “I’m not going to lie about it.”

A name publicly unspoken in Heat circles due to the realities of Lillard not only being under contract to the Trail Blazers but also of heightened league inspection of the process, Lillard has become somewhat intertwined with Richardson.

Having worn No. 0 during his previous Heat tenure, Richardson has been forced to put his numerical decision on hold. In fact, for Wednesday night’s appearance throwing out the first pitch ahead of the Miami Marlins’ game, Richardson settled on wearing No. 2.

“It’s life,” Richardson said of being digit-less at the moment. “I mean I’m not really pressed about it. I mean, I don’t have a number right now, we’re not playing games. Once training camp starts, then I’ll have a number.”

For now, Richardson’s impending role with the Heat remains in flux amid the uncertainty of a potential Heat trade for Lillard.

In the void of a Lillard trade, Richardson potentially could be cast either as a sixth man or further down the rotation behind a starting lineup of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry and either Caleb Martin or Kevin Love at power forward. Should Heat coach Erik Spoelstra elect to play Herro at point guard and keep Lowry in the reserve role where he closed last season, that could open the possibility of Richardson, 29, or Martin…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/lillard-heat-mind-richardson-had-202700898.html?src=rss

Author : South Florida Sun Sentinel

Publish date : 2023-08-02 20:27:00

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