Winderman’s view: Without a fully engaged Jimmy Butler an outlook as bleak as loss to Pacers

Observations and other notes of interest from Thursday night’s 128-115 loss to the Indiana Pacers:

– No, we’re not going to go through the Heat mantra that last season was painted on the court during City Edition nights.

– You know, the one about, “Hardest working . . . ”

– But do consider each one of those touchstones and then consider Jimmy Butler’s performances the past two nights.

– Yes, illness can sap.

– And 13 days off requires a degree of build up.

– But after missing 10 of the season’s first 30 games, something more could, would and should be expected.

– This, of course, comes after Tuesday’s comments about trade speculation.

– With no clear statement of commitment at that stage.

– Which certainly is within his rights.

– And then these two games following.

– With lots and lots and lots of standing in the corners.

– In other words, hard not to read between any lines.

– Yes, a career resume superior to Bam Adebayo at this point.

– And to Tyler Herro.

– But also the team’s highest-paid player.

– So therefore expectations.

– Significant expectations.

– Pat Riley addressed the trade rumors.

– Is it time to address this, as well?

– Because a trade simply cannot be off the table.

– At least while this is being served up.

– The Heat need Jimmy Butler to be present.

– And engaged.

– Not 48 hours of this.

– This isn’t about whether Butler wins with a potential trade.

– This is about the rest of the roster.

– And the rest of the season.

– And the future.

– The Heat stayed with their preferred starting lineup of Butler, Herro, Adebayo, Duncan Robinson and Haywood Highsmith.

– Entering with a 9-4 record with that group, including Wednesday night’s victory over the visiting Pelicans.

– The Pacers opened with a lineup of Tyrese Haliburton, Andrew Nembhard, Bennedict Mathurin, Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner.

– Kel’el Ware and Terry Rozier were the first two off the Heat bench, entering together.

– Those two entered when former Heat center Thomas Bryant entered for the Pacers.

– With Bryant then promptly draining a 3-pointer.

– Nikola Jovic and Jaime Jaquez Jr. then entered together, third and fourth off the Heat bench.

– With Alec Burks making it 10 deep.

– Pacers coach Rick Carlisle was effusive in his praise of Herro during his pregame media session.

– Asked how to stop Herro, Carlisle said, “Hope he misses.”

– Carlisle added, “There’s a lot of talk for him for All-Star, and it’s all deserved. The things that he’s pulled off at the ends of games, consistently over the first two and a half months of the season, have been pretty breathtaking.”

– Carlisle continued, “He’s special. There’s something else. He just has a different look in his eye. He’s a big problem.”

– Thursday was the 25th anniversary of the first Heat game at what then was AmericanAirlines Arena and now is Kaseya Center.

– “I do remember walking over here from the Miami Arena when they were breaking ground,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “They had us walk over there and look at the sites and everything. I couldn’t even picture like how it was going to look, sitting on the bay and all of that.”

– The game closed the Heat’s seventh of the Heat’s 15 back-to-back sets this  season, after defeating the Pelicans on Wednesday night,

– The Heat oddly entered 2-5 on the first nights of such sets and 3-3 on the second nights, including Sunday’s loss in Houston.

– Spoelstra downplayed the back-to-back concerns.

– “These guys are rested, they feel fine,” he said.

– The game also was the close of the second four instances this season with home games on consecutive days, having won against the Suns and Cavaliers at Kaseya Center on Dec. 7-8.

– The Heat have played home games on consecutive days 39 previous times in the franchise’s 37 seasons, winning both games 13 times, splitting the pair 17 times and dropping both on nine occasions.

– Herro extended his career-best streak of games scoring in double figures to 62. His previous high was 38 in a row.

– Herro extended his career best streak of games with at least one 3-pointer to 66, three games off Robinson’s franchise record.

– Herro also has now converted a 3-pointer in the season’s first 32 games, having previously broken the longest such Heat 3-pointer streak to open a season, of 28 set in 1998-99 by Tim Hardaway.