Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Iguodala getting in full swing during break
The message from coach Erik Spoelstra was both unsaid and clear as the Miami Heat headed into this six-day NBA All-Star break: Stay the course.
As in maintain pandemic-protocol vigilance. As in keep in mind what contributed to the team’s run of 11 victories in the 15 games before the break. And for veteran forward Andre Iguodala, a specific message of staying the course, “He can use a few days to play good rounds of golf.”
Already into their second year together since Iguodala joined the team at last season’s NBA trading deadline, Spoelstra is well aware of what fuels Iguodala’s off-court fire.
As Iguodala put it, golf was one of the championship perks of his time with the Golden State Warriors, allowing him to hone skills in duel interests simultaneously.
“When you win, you know, you can pull some things off,” Iguodala said of one of the elements he relished with the Warriors. “So we took our clubs everywhere, we took our clubs everywhere. Everywhere.”
With former Warriors teammate Stephen Curry with the obligation of Sunday’s All-Star Game in Atlanta, it meant finding new challenges, and challengers during this break, all while maintaining a perspective of the sport where he truly excels. In South Florida, there always is the Plan B of former Heat guard Ray Allen.
“I played with Steph all the time,” Iguodala said. “Steph’s better, but not by that much.
Ray’s really good. Now, I’ve never held Steph up, so I know how to keep up. I’m probably about an 11 handicap. Ray’s probably a one or two.”
As for his day job that will continue when the Heat resume their schedule Thursday night at AmericanAirlines Arena against the Orlando Magic, Iguodala stressed perspective of the challenge ahead, one that will have the Heat playing five games in seven nights upon their return.
“We’re a team of guys who lean on one another in normal circumstances, when we can decompress around each other in normal situations. Games every other day is just taking a toll on the entire league,” he said of the league’s compacted 72-game schedule that opened Dec. 23 and concludes May 16. “But that’s just the curse of the business, and guys are just trying to figure out ways to weather it mentally more than anything.
“I just try to keep upbeat, try to keep my perspective in good place. Because there are a lot of people that are struggling right now, a lot of small business having to shut down. A lot of people are struggling, people are searching for stimulus checks and the whole nine. But at the same time, you can’t put a price on mental health no matter what your income is.”
As first vice president of the National Basketball Players Association, second in the hierarchy only to NBPA president Chris Paul, Iguodala is among those who signed off on this pathway through the pandemic.
“The beast of the business is kind of leaning on us a little bit hard,” he said, “and we’re just trying to weather that storm, as well. So just trying to be a good teammate, trying to help the guys, trying to figure out ways to interact with them.”
Tee time will give way to team time soon enough, with this a point in the season that well could determine whether there is to be another deep playoff run, with Iguodala having been to the NBA Finals in each of the past six seasons, including the Heat’s 2020 NBA Finals loss to LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the
Los Angeles Lakers.
“In terms of seeding and where we’re at and just trying to get things right,” he said, “we’ve had so many lineups this year, just trying to get some continuity, consistency, with just guys getting on the floor together at the same time, building a solid base and getting closer to that. I think that’s our focus.”
Just as the Heat have been focused on positioning the 37-year-old veteran for the impending moments of truth.
“He’s getting younger as the season goes on,” Spoelstra said, “so let’s just keep him going in that direction.”
In other words, staying the course.
“The early part of the year,” Iguodala said, “there might have been some bumps and bruises, but I only missed two games. So just trying to get through the year without missing too many. I want to be out there every night and try to enjoy the game.”