Miami Heat center Dewayne Dedmon was ejected during a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.
The nationally broadcast TNT game was won by the Heat, who narrowly escaped by a 112-111 score thanks to a spectacular performance from Jimmy Butler, who went 23-for-23 from the line as he scored 35 points. Miami set an NBA record by going 40-for-40 overall from the line, the most free throws a team has ever made without a miss.
Unfortunately, Butler’s gem was overshadowed by the explosion by Dedmon after a heated argument with head coach Erik Spoelstra.
Why Were Dewayne Dedmon and Erik Spoelstra Arguing?
Apparently, the Miami Heat only had nine players available for the game, Dedmon being one of them. Just under 3 minutes into the second quarter Dedmon had been subbed out, which might have caused the argument between him and Spoelstra.
The 33-year-old big man obviously wasn’t content with the results of his conversation with Spoelstra. As he was going to the bench, Dedmon added a little bit more flair to his departure, and proceeded to slap the Theragun sitting on the bench. The massage gun, used to stimulate the muscles and blood flow of players during the game, flew into the court during live action, startling both teams.
Dewayne Dedmon got ejected for launching a Theragun onto the court after an argument with the coaching staff
(via @BleacherReport)pic.twitter.com/TtZP2OJN5O
— Dime (@DimeUPROXX) January 11, 2023
The refs had no choice but to eject Dedmon for unsportsmanlike conduct.
What Did Erik Spoelstra Say About the Theragun Incident?
Even though the Heat picked up the win, Spoelstra tried to remain even-keeled throughout the process.
Fox Sports quoted Erik Spoelstra as saying “We’re all a bunch of gnarly personalities, that part was unfortunate. Everything before that, that’s the Miami Heat. That part was unacceptable.”
More Disciplinary Action for Dedmon?
Dedmon may also face more disciplinary actions for his actions in the game.
After all of the commotion, Dedmon only finished with 2 points and 3 rebounds in the win, after only playing 5 minutes in the game. This isn’t far off from a typical Dedmon game, because he’s averaged 5.9 points per game, and 3.7 rebounds per game, in 29 games.
He was already halfway through his season averages a few minutes into the second quarter, so maybe he was in line for a big game, also signifying why he was so upset at being pulled from the game so early.
Nonetheless, the tantrum gave fans the lane to troll and clown Dedmon, a journeyman who’s spent time on seven different teams since entering the league in 2013. NBA Twitter was suggesting that he might be out of a job in Miami, and maybe even the league. Many fans on social media reacting to the news of him swiping a massage gun onto the floor were saying that Dedmon might have to go play basketball overseas.
“He better hold on to that massage gun, with his stats, he might be the new trainer,” one fan said on Twitter.
Does Erik Spoelstra Lack Communication Skills?
But on the other end of the spectrum, some Twitter users are alleging that Erik Spoelstra, a two-time championship coach, doesn’t know how to communicate with his players, saying: “It would appear that Eric Spoelstra needs to learn how to talk to his players to get a better response out of them when he is coaching on the sidelines. I don’t know him but maybe he doesn’t know how to relate to his players, or he is just cursed with hot-headed players.”
That last comment most likely alludes to the viral moment when Erik Spoelstra and the Miami Heat’s superstar Jimmy Butler got into a heated exchange last year.
With passionate personalities like Butler, Haslem, Dedmon and Coach Spo, the Heat are always like a kettle about to bust. But when everyone is working on the same page they have the potential to beat anybody.
Regardless of whether the finger is pointed at Spoelstra or Dedmon, this will not be the last time a player has a tantrum like that on the sidelines.
