Q: Ira, Tom Thibodeau burned out his bench and he’s gone. Erik Spoelstra didn’t trust his bench and he lost in the first round. Is there a lesson there? – Wes.

A: I know where you’re going with this, with Tom Thibodeau’s lack of bench trust clearly an issue in the Knicks’ demise and assuredly a factor in his dismissal in New York. But I would put Erik Spoelstra in a bit of a different category when it came to bench play in the playoffs, considering many of what had been considered key components weren’t components at all, when taking into consideration Terry Rozier, Jaime Jaquez Jr. and even Nikola Jovic. Think about how much better the Heat could have been if those three were contributing, healthy and available when needed most. Instead, it turned into a patchwork, calling on the likes o

See Full Page