Victor Oladipo Getting Hurt Again Is Potentially A Huge Blow For The Miami Heat
Well this stinks out loud. I can't help but feel for Oladipo after everything he's been through when it comes to injuries. Ever since his All Star season he's been cursed. The hope is that these additional tests bring some good news, but a non contact injury like that followed by not even making the trip sure doesn't sound great. The Heat brought Oladipo in at the trade deadline to help bolster their roster for the stretch run and the playoffs, and there's now a chance that might not even be a possibilitu. To add insult to injury, it came in a game where he actually looked pretty good!
The timing of this is also pretty tough for the Heat. Heading out West for a 4 game trip of POR/PHX/DEN/MIN is no joke, and then come home and immediately play the Nets. At 27-25 they sit 1 game ahead of BOS for the 6 seed and 2 games ahead of the Knicks. I wouldn't say their chances to stay in 6th totally rely on Oladipo, but it certainly doesn't help to be without him even if he got off to a slow start in Miami. Things are so close in the East that any sort of rough patch even if it's only for a handful of games can have real implications. Everyone wants to avoid that play in, so heading into that gauntlet on the West Coast with a main guy out is some shit luck.
The good news is Jimmy Butler is used to putting this team on his back, so if he has to go up a few levels to keep the Heat above water, chances are he will. He's one of the few stars in the league that always seems up for the challenge.
If this does end up being really serious, the double whammy is Oladipo is about to hit the market this summer. What does that mean in terms of his market price? Do the Heat still offer him a big time extension? Remember, he kept turning down big extensions with the Pacers and Rockets, so the whole thing just sucks.
Hopefully, he's not out for long because the NBA is better when it has a healthy Oladipo in it. Guy was a two way monster at the height of his powers, and that shit was fun to watch.