October 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Guard John Lucas was released Thursday by the Miami Heat, shortly before non-guaranteed contracts for the coming season began requiring partial payment. The Heat, however, retained power forward Shavlik Randolph, leaving its roster at 15 players, the maximum teams can carry during the regular season. Lucas, Randolph and point guard Carlos Arroyo were the only players on the roster without contracts guaranteed for the entire season. Despite solid performances off the bench early in the preseason, Lucas' role became minimized once Arroyo was acquired last week to provide veteran depth. "It was tough," coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He made it all the way to the last day. He's a great kid. He ..."
October 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Apparently Dwyane Wade can turn it on when he wants. Wednesday night, in the Heat's home exhibition finale, Wade wanted. So he scored 14 of the Heat's first 20 points and had 19 by halftime of what turned into a 99-93 victory over the Grizzlies at AmericanAirlines Arena. "I wanted to be aggressive, get my rhythm," he said. Feisty to the point that he was arguing with replacement referees who likely will be replaced by the real thing in time for next week's season opener, Wade pushed and prodded his teammates all the way back from what was an 18-point first-quarter deficit. Wade entered with a 16.3 preseason scoring average on 38.6-percent shooting, coming off of a bruised left calf that ..."
October 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Heat moved in advance of the league's Oct. 31 deadline when Tuesday it picked up the 2010-11 rookie-scale options on the contracts of 2008 first-round pick Michael Beasley and 2007 first-round pick Daequan Cook. Had the Heat failed to make such a move, each would have become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. With both working on relatively low-cost contracts, the Heat, even with its desire to maximize its salary-cap space for 2010 free agency, decided to move forward with the options. Beasley, who will earn $4.6 million this season, his second in the league, is now guaranteed a $5 million salary in 2010-11. Cook, who will earn $1.4 million this season, is now ..."
October 16
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Returning close to his college roots, Miami Heat forward Michael Beasley spoke before Thursday night's 97-81 exhibition victory over the New Orleans Hornets about maturity and opportunities lost. Asked by those who covered him during his lone college season at Kansas State whether he might have been better off staying on campus for at least one additional year, Beasley did not necessarily disagree. "Now that I look back on it," he said, "maybe that would have helped. But I can't look back." A year removed from an uneven start to his pro career, Beasley said he is comfortable where he is in his second season with the Heat. "I'm just living my life right now, letting everything fall into ..."
October 13
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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In search of veteran depth at point guard, the Miami Heat didn't have to look far. Instead, after short drive from his Pinecrest home, former Florida International standout Carlos Arroyo joined the Heat in time for Monday's practice at AmericanAirlines Arena. "The opportunity kind of came quick," said an enthused Arroyo. "Ever since I was in college, I always wanted to be a part of the Heat. I went to school here. My wife's from here." Out of the NBA since ending the 2007-08 season with the Orlando Magic, Arroyo spent last season with Euroleague power Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel. Determined to stay closer to home and get back into the NBA, he agreed to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract, ..."
October 8
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Jermaine O'Neal immediately made sure to quell the concerns. "Not the knees," the Heat center before Wednesday night's 90-86 preseason loss to the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena, "it's not the knees." But it was a game played in the injury absence of O'Neal, and considering the 14th-season veteran's history, that's always a concern. "I'll be back at practice ready to go on Friday," O'Neal said, with the Heat expected to be given Thursday off, before beginning preparations for Sunday's home exhibition opener against the Spurs. "I have no doubt in my mind that I'll be ready to rock and roll at a high level come Sunday." O'Neal has been limited since being kicked in the left foot during the ..."
October 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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"Nothing," he says, "surprises me. I've seen it all." Really? Someone this youthful, someone born in the '80s, this whirl of energy who has made Heat training camp so lively? That, behind the barely-filled-out beard, scarcely can be the face of experience. But it is. And it has seen plenty. John Lucas III hardly is the oldest or most-experienced player on the Miami Heat's preseason roster. But combine the stories of each of the 17 others in the group and you would have a difficult time matching what the 26-year-old point guard has lived. A father whose brilliant NBA skills were ravaged by alcohol and cocaine, his whereabouts often unknown for days by his family. A college teammate gunned ..."
September 25
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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wo weeks after Miami Heat President Pat Riley said the team may have to hold veteran center Jermaine O'Neal out of some practice sessions this season, the team added two more big men to its roster for training camp. With O'Neal likely to be given time off during two-a-days to rest his legs, the Heat has added former San Antonio Spurs center Anthony Tolliver and Georgia Tech rookie Alade Aminu to its roster for camp, which opens Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena. Tolliver, 6-9, went undrafted out of Creighton in 2007, splitting 2007-08 between the NBA Development League and the German League. He appeared in 19 games last season with San Antonio, averaging 2.7 points. He also had a 10-day ..."
September 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Heat appears on the verge of completing its training-camp roster, with plans to sign 6-foot-9 forward Andre Brown to a one-year, non-guaranteed contract. Brown, who appeared in four games early last season with the Charlotte Bobcats, after playing for the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007-08 and Seattle SuperSonics in 2006-07, worked out for the Heat for two weeks earlier this summer. Agent Mark Bartelstein said Heat President Pat Riley had expressed continued interest in getting Brown into camp, which opens Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena. "They've liked him for a while," Bartelstein said. "Pat and I have talked about Andre quite a bit for years." Bartelstein said he placed Brown with ..."
September 23
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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John Lucas III, son of former NBA guard John Lucas, is on the verge of receiving a contract from the Miami Heat to attend the team's training camp. The younger Lucas, a 6-foot point guard who went undrafted out of Oklahoma State in 2005, has been working out at AmericanAirlines Arena along with journeyman forward Shavlik Randolph, who also is expected to receive a contract in time for Monday's start of camp. Lucas split last season between Colorado of the NBA Development League and a team in the Spanish League. He played the previous season in the Italian League, but the two seasons before that he played for the Houston Rockets, including 47 appearances there in 2006-07. Lucas attended ..."
September 11
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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The Miami Heat's will-work-for-food portion of its personnel process included tryouts recently by two players vying for a spot in the team's power rotation. Former Arkansas center Steven Hill, who appeared in one game last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and center Paul Davis, who spent the past three seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers, are the latest to receive auditions. Despite the presence of Jermaine O'Neal, Jamaal Magloire, Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley on the roster, Heat President Pat Riley said he is looking to add at least one more power player before the Sept. 28 start of training camp at AmericanAirlines Arena. Even with O'Neal spending recent weeks ..."
September 10
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Addressing the extension offer the Miami Heat has on the table to star guard Dwyane Wade, agent Henry Thomas stressed Wednesday that it remains something his client can reconsider at any point before otherwise opting for free-agency next summer. "As long as the extension offer is there," Thomas said, "he can accept it at any time." Thomas stressed that his client would remain open-minded should the Heat move to satisfy Wade's desire for an upgraded roster by the mid-February trading deadline. "It is something," Thomas said, "he will continue to evaluate." With Wade hosting his charity weekend in Chicago, former Heat center Alonzo Mourning will bypass Thursday night's Basketball Hall of ..."
September 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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If you're squeamish about Dwyane Wade's future and a possible 2010 defection from the Heat, you may want to steer clear of anything coming out of Chicago this week. Starting Thursday, the Heat guard will be hosting his inaugural Wade's World Weekend in Chicago, a charity event resembling the Summer Groove he co-hosts with Alonzo Mourning in South Florida. That has meant plenty of face time in his hometown, ranging from media to promotional appearances, a schedule that figures to be even further amped in coming days. And that likely will be accompanied about speculation of a homecoming next summer with the Bulls, who could be in salary-cap position next July to add a top-tier free agent. ..."
September 4
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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One point to touch on and one touching moment worth noting. First the look ahead. Yes, Allen Iverson sent out more signals Thursday. But from a Heat perspective, it appears to be little more than smoke. From his Twitter feed, Iverson offered "I will really be glad when this is done! It feels like the summer before my draft day! But its all good! I want to get on the court!" and then added "I'll be working out again today in ATL. Spoke with a couple teams this week, and I think we are getting real close to a deal. I hope so!" As for the Heat? Word is that none of that contact came from Pat Riley's staff. A month ago, Iverson send out similar signals about being on the brink. And still, he ..."
August 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Two things to consider before any hyperventilating: Dwyane Wade is very, very rich, and very, very rich athletes have plenty of money to spend. And the Heat guard long has spent his summers in Chicago. Why the disclaimer? Because according to the real estate blog at ChicagoMag.com, Wade recently purchased a $1.4 million townhouse in the Kinzie Park area of Chicago. Granted, for most (all?) of us, that pretty much is the price tag on a fulltime residence, and there certainly is something to be said about a four-story residence on the riverfront. But also understand that NBA players own multiple homes, often keeping ties ..."
August 10
Miami Herald
columnist Israel Gutierrez
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We've officially entered Stage Three of the Miami Heat offseason. The first was the ``Umm, is trading for Chris Bosh really an option?'' stage, and had it not been shot down so quickly it would have made this among the splashiest summers in franchise history. The second was the ``Oooh, maybe there are a few tricks left in Pat Riley's sleeve'' stage, and had New York native Lamar Odom not sold his soul to SoCal long ago, maybe that would have been the final stage of the summer, with an Odom-Carlos Boozer tandem making the Heat elite again. Instead, we're stuck here in the third phase, the ``Eh, what's the point?'' stage, which kind of feels like 15 minutes before last call and you're ..."
August 1
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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Not at a stage where it is willing to move forward with a concrete offer, the Miami Heat has called off a scheduled weekend meeting with free-agent point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Heat President Pat Riley, who was to meet with the former Indiana Pacers starter, made the announcement through a team spokesman Friday. A 6-foot-3 playmaker, Tinsley, 31, was asked to remain away from the Pacers, with full pay, last season after a series of off-court incidents. Those incidents could leave him playing for the veteran's minimum of about $1 million this coming season. He earned $6.8 million last season, with a buyout from the Pacers of about $10 million. After losing out on Los Angeles Lakers ..."
July 26
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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A Lamar Odom reunion with the Miami Heat apparently is not the ultimate longshot, even for a player coming off a championship season and facing a significant pay cut. Yahoo.com reported Saturday that the Los Angeles Lakers forward is "leaning strongly toward accepting" a Heat offer that would start next season at the $5.9 million mid-level salary-cap exception. Odom, who earned $14.1 million last season, on the final year of the deal he signed with the Heat in 2003 before being dealt a year later to the Lakers in a package for Shaquille O'Neal, entered the offseason aware he would have to take a reduced salary. However, amid negotiations with the Lakers that have included an offer limited ..."
July 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
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For weeks, Allen Iverson was The Answer, in fact, just about the only answer when it came to the Heat's lack of proven productivity at point guard. Now? Now the field is growing. First there was Jamaal Tinsley working out a settlement with the Pacers, with Indiana waiving the point guard who sat out all of last season. Now there is word from ESPN.com that former Heat guard Jason Williams will be granted his freedom from the Clippers, after his misguiding signing there last summer and his ensuing retirement. In many ways, Tinsley is what the Heat is trying to distance itself from, a player who hardly has shown that basketball is a passion or priority. On the other hand, if Tinsley is ..."