Miami Heat's Erik Spoelstra Explains Decision To Keep Tyler Herro Sidelined

Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra will likely think about his decision all summer.

Injured guard Tyler Herro was cleared to play in Game 5 but Spoelstra chose not to play him against the Denver Nuggets in the NBA Finals. The Nuggets closed out the Heat Sunday night.

“There’s no perfect answer to that,” Spoelstra said. “But certainly, yes, I do have empathy for Tyler. He’s a competitor, so I know how he felt after the game."

Herro missed nearly two months with a broken hand. Many felt he could have contributed.

“He’s like all of our guys in our locker room. They want to contribute," Spoelstra said. "They wanted to do whatever they had to do to try to help the team win. And he is a great competitor. I did not have to ask him how he felt after the game. That’s what makes him who he is, and that’s the part I love about him.”

In the end, Spoelstra chose safety and felt the Heat had enough to remain alive in the series.

“It’s also my job, as the head coach, to protect him, and do what we think was best for the team,” Spoelstra said. “And if he were to play, I wanted to also make sure that he would have been his best version to be able to help the team. And there’s no knowing for sure, but I do know that that was just a totally unusual circumstance that you can’t compare to anything else. “But the good news is he’ll have a great offseason and he’ll be fully ready to go next year.”

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