"Mike Bibby is a suspect defender, isn't a dynamic playmaker and doesn't convert a great rate of his few free throws.

And still, if you're the Heat, you should take him without thinking twice.

That, according to an NBA source, is what Pat Riley is prepared to do. The Heat is expected to try sign the 32-year-old to the prorated veteran minimum once he clears waivers, as expected on Wednesday. This comes on the heels of Monday's less expected news: Bibby sacrificing more than $6 million to negotiate a buyout with the Washington Wizards, the team that acquired him Thursday from Atlanta as part of a package for Kirk Hinrich.

That speaks to Bibby's desire to win, something he's done often since his first team (Vancouver, which drafted him No. 2 overall in 1998) traded him to Sacramento in 2001.

Bibby played in 51 post-season games for the Kings, and averaged 17.9 points in them. Atlanta acquired him before the 2008 trade deadline, and he started for the Hawks the past three post-seasons. His minutes have decreased as his quickness has diminished.

Yet, even while he's averaging a career-low 3.6 assists, Miami - especially considering its solid history with veteran point guards - can't afford to pass. Many deemed Gary Payton (37), Rod Strickland (35), Jason Williams (30) and even Tim Hardaway (29) well into their down cycles, but three had productive Heat stints and Hardaway earned a place in the rafters.

Williams and Hardaway never had reputations as elite defenders, nor had healthy knees, but the Heat managed to hide their limitations in the team scheme. Plus, it's not as if either Carlos Arroyo or the quicker-but-undisciplined Mario Chalmers reminds anyone of Payton in his prime.

Where Bibby can help the Heat is on the other end, especially down the stretch. There and then, he can help relieve two of the team's trouble spots, both glaring in Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Knicks: the cluttered lane that often awaits LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, and the tendency of both to try to self-will victories rather than letting them develop from a natural flow.

Start with Bibby's shooting, which can spread the floor and unclog the paint. He's crafty enough to still find open spots, and is hitting a career-high 43.5 percent of his three-pointers. That's a touch lower than Arroyo (43.8 percent), who deserves credit for improving his accuracy. But this is about trusting a track record. Bibby hasn't shot worse than 36 percent in any of his past 12 seasons, while Arroyo's career average is 33.5 percent. The difference in career three-pointers made? It's 1,450 to 134.

Chalmers is 35 percent for the season and his career. His real issues, however, are poise and clout. It's clear that, while he has become fast friends with James, he isn't capable of instructing or admonishing Wade and James when either becomes too individual."