Reports: Miami Heat suspend Dewayne Dedmon 1 game for conduct detrimental to the team
Miami Heat veteran Dewayne Dedmon was suspended on Tuesday night during their game against the OKC Thunder.
Dedmon got upset at the coaches for subbing him out of the game. Going back to the bench, the heated center argued with Erik Spoelstra and the rest of the staff. Clearly unhappy with the coach's call, Dedmon took out his frustration by throwing a massage gun toward the court.
Dewayne Dedmon's actions were very disrespectful to the Miami Heat organization. Not only did he yell at his coaches, but Dedmon also disrupted the ongoing game. Honestly, if the massage gun landed on someone's head or near someone's foot, he might've seriously hurt one of the players. As a result, the big man was suspended for one game.
According to NBA.com, the suspension will cost him $32,414. Considering that he's only making $4.7 million this season, that's a hefty price to pay. However, there's nobody else to blame but himself. Dewayne Dedmon will be eligible to play again on Sunday against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Heat's second consecutive game against them.
Is the Miami Heat still a worthy contender in the East?
Ever since losing in the 2020 NBA Finals, the Miami Heat have struggled to remain worthy contenders in the Eastern Conference.
As of this season, they are currently seated on the eighth seed with a 22-20 record. While many believe that the Western Conference is superior, that doesn't seem to be the case this year. Many teams in the East have better records compared to their Western rivals.
With that being said, the Miami Heat are somewhat in a tough spot playing against a stacked conference. The only teams the Heat are truly competing with are the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers since they're all just one game apart from each other. But climbing to the fifth seed and beyond won't likely happen, especially with just 40 games remaining.
Miami is also dealing with injury problems at the moment. The majority of their starters have been sidelined, which is a huge handicap on their end. According to sources, Bam Adebayo could potentially return for their game on Thursday against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, other fellow starters Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Caleb Martin will remain sidelined.
With that in mind, it'll be more difficult for the Heat to win their games since they are currently undermanned. If Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler can lead Miami to victory, then there's still hope for them to climb the ranks for the remainder of the season.