MIAMI – At the midway point of the regular season, the Miami Heat (11-30) have the second-worst record in the NBA, but captain Udonis Haslem said the team is focused on staying positive.
"We don't have any energy vampires," Haslem said.
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The Heat just returned from a 1-5 road trip that included their airplane making headlines when it slid on the runway in Milwaukee on Wednesday.
You could say the team itself is also sliding on thin ice with multiple injuries which has forced Erik Spoelstra to experiment with multiple starting lineup changes.
The Heat are getting ready to host the Houston Rockets without Justise Winslow who is out for the season after shoulder injury and Josh McRobers who is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left foot.. Willie Reed (bruised sternum) and Josh Richardson (sprained ankle) may also miss that game.
Spoelstra said Richardson is still in a walking boot and will be evaluated week-to-week instead of day-to-day, but the coach said there's a chance Reed will return for Tuesday's game.
"It's challenged us as a coaching staff to get better, to learn how to be more efficient, to learn how to try to get this group connected and on the same page and playing to our identity and the standards that we want," Spoelstra said of the injuries. "You can always find a positive out of every season."
Haslem said the Heat are not looking for any sympathy.
"Nobody feels sorry for us," he said. "We don't feel sorry for ourselves. As a captain, I'm proud of the way these guys compete every night, regardless of the situation or the record. We competed today in practice, and Tuesday they're going to compete again."
Point guard Goran Dragic, the team's leading scorer at 19 ppg, said the team is going to "fight to the end."
"I think we have to, especially how the season is progressing," he said. "Nobody is gonna feel sorry for us. That's why we need to compete every minute, every hour, every practice and try to get back."
If you think the Heat are going to tank for a better draft pick, then think again, guard Tyler Johnson said.
"The guys here aren't trying to do that," he said. "You got guys here on one year deals who can't afford to do that. People are gonna say whatever they want about tanking. You can't really listen to all that outside noise. I think if you did, you'd go a little crazy. We're trying to get as many wins as we can. If you get eight wins in 10 games, the way the East is shaping up, you could be back in the hunt."