Saying goodbye to Dwyane Wade and taking a dip in the standings might have been part of a greater vision for the Miami Heat and their future. But losing forward Justise Winslow for the rest of the 2016-17 season seems a little like overkill.
The Heat announced that Winslow, their second-year forward from Duke, suffered far more than a simple “stinger” to his right shoulder on the final play of Miami’s game at Boston Friday:
Justise Winslow will undergo surgery tomorrow to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder & is likely out for the remainder of the season.
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 5, 2017
Spo on Winslow: "I really feel for him because I know how much time he put in this summer. He's put in as much time as anybody."
— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) January 5, 2017
No one has expressly said that the Heat’s plan for this season was to, y’know, tank with the intention of improving their draft possibilities. But only Brooklyn (8) and Philadelphia (9) had won fewer games than 10-26 Miami heading into Wednesday’s action.
And Winslow is one of several Heat regulars sidelined and left behind with Miami in the midst of its longest trip of the season. Center Hassan Whiteside suffered a retinal contusion when he was poked in the eye Friday. Forward Josh McRoberts is out indefinitely with a foot injury.
The Heat just got guard Goran Dragic back after he missed three of four games with back spasms, and Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Tyler Johnson all were sidelined from Miami’s game at Phoenix Tuesday. All-Star forward Chris Bosh (blood clots) has not played all season.
Winslow averaged 10.9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.7 assists in his 18 appearances, while shooting just 35.4 percent overall and 20 percent on 3-pointers. He missed 16 games earlier this season with a sprained wrist.
