June 24
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
The Miami Heat is on the verge of having to put out a no-vacancy sign. Heat President Pat Riley said last week the team likely would be only able to carry 13 players at the start of next season to avoid the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax on excessive payrolls. Tuesday, the Heat moved to 11 players under contract for 2009-10, with the announcement that reserve point guard Chris Quinn has invoked his player option for next season. Quinn, who earned $973,000 last season, had to make a decision in advance of June 30 for his $1.1 million guarantee for next season. Quinn played sparingly last season, with the emergence of 2008 second-round pick Mario Chalmers as the team's starting point guard. He ..."
June 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
Dwyane Wade spent Friday in Washington with President Obama. But apparently the Miami Heat guard also is in a show-me state. A day after Heat President Pat Riley said the team could not go forward with a major personnel overhaul without his star guard first agreeing to an extension this summer, Wade indicated he might seek such action by the team before making such a commitment. "I'm there. Why not fast track this thing anyway while I'm there and let's not give it a chance to get to 2010?" said Wade, who can extend his contract starting July 12, or can opt out an become a free agent following next season. "I'm in my prime right now, playing the best basketball I've ever played, and I feel ..."
June 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ira Winderman
"
A weekly look at five talking points that have the league buzzing: 1. Bosh: Let's talk in 2010. Good for Chris Bosh. He took a stand. There will be no extension this summer, the Raptors power forward declared last week. Instead, his next contract move will come at the July 1, 2010 start of free agency. LeBron James and Dwyane Wade have not been nearly as definitive, even though it is unlikely either would entertain an extension when they become eligible this summer, with July 12 the first day Wade could close such a Heat deal and July 18 the first day a Cavaliers extension agreement could be reached with James. The reality, though, is Bosh's preemptive statement preempts nothing. If ..."
June 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
More than a month after the Heat's final game, forward James Jones remains uncertain about the approach he will take with the right wrist that kept him out for the first half of the season. During the latter stages of the Heat's first-round playoff series against the Hawks, Jones said he planned to have another surgery on the wrist to regain 100 percent range of motion. Jones, however, said Monday that such range of motion could trigger the same pain that led to last October's surgery for a ruptured tendon. Instead, the 3-point specialist said he might play next season with the wrist at 80 percent. "To get my range back," he said, "I would have to have the surgery. But regaining that type ..."
May 31
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Ira Winderman
"
A weekly look at five talking points that have the league buzzing: 1. Not doubting Thomas. It is no coincidence that Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Raptors forward Chris Bosh, to the dollar, hold similar contracts. Wade will earn $14,410,581 in 2009-10. So will Bosh. Both can opt out after the coming season. Or both could earn $17,149,243 in 2010-11. Such is the measure of having the same agent, in this case Chicago-based Henry Thomas. While an amiable sort, Thomas also tends to remain low key to the point of reticence. When it comes to the two following a similar free-agent path, he leaves the talking to others. So Dwyane, for all the renewed speculation about a Wade-LeBron free-agent pairing ..."
May 30
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
Although the June 25 NBA Draft could prove to be a waiting game for the Heat, Vice President of Player Personnel Chet Kammerer said the team has put an early-detection system into place. Despite holding only the Nos. 43 and 60 selections, Kammerer said the team is looking at prospects ranked significantly higher. Heat President Pat Riley said earlier this month that the Heat is considering trading into the first round. The team's first-round pick was dealt to Minnesota in the 2007 deal for Ricky Davis. But Kammerer said the team's vigilance is mostly protection against players unexpectedly dropping into the Heat's range. "From 15 to 30, we definitely are focusing in on them, as well as the ..."
May 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
The commitment to South Florida, Dwyane Wade said Thursday, remains strong. His commitment to a long-term future as a member of the Miami Heat? That, the high-scoring shooting guard said, will come down to factors beyond his area charitable concerns. Still, if Thursday was any indication, Wade's plans for civic involvement in South Florida transcends both the remaining two seasons on his contract, as well as his July 1, 2010 opt-out window. Wade joined former Heat teammate Alonzo Mourning at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino for Thursday's formal announcement of the annual charity weekend Mourning founded 13 years ago. The difference this year is the event no longer is known as Zo's ..."
May 9
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
Heat President Pat Riley has clarified his comments regarding extension negotiations with Dwyane Wade. After saying during his Wednesday media session that the issue has "been broached," Riley stressed Thursday he meant that there have been internal discussions with owner Micky Arison regarding the guard's contract. According to the NBA's Collective Bargaining Agreement, negotiations on an extension cannot be consummated until the three-year anniversary of the initial contract being signed. For Wade, that was July 12, 2006. "Nothing's happening right now," Wade's agent, Henry Thomas, said Thursday. "There is no conversation." By having to wait until July 12 with Wade, the Heat might have ..."
May 7
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
columnist Dave Hyde
"
When Pat Riley said signing Dwyane Wade was the top priority this offseason — "Absolutely," the Heat president said Wednesday — that's all I needed to hear about Michael Beasley's future. Start packing. Enjoy Toronto. Sorry it couldn't work out, because watching you grow would have been fun. That's why part of me hates to write this: Trading Beasley for Chris Bosh this summer becomes the safest, smartest, simplest move for the Heat to make. Maybe it's even the best move, though it's not the one with the biggest upside. This all will take some explaining and connecting of dots. Let's start here: This is about Wade, not Beasley. Wade drives the franchise. Wade sells the tickets. Wade is the ..."
March 12
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
MIAMI - Stephon Marbury started Wednesday night for the Celtics at AmericanAirlines Arena. Plan B could have had him playing for the opposition. Marbury confirmed he had spoken with Heat President Pat Riley before signing with Boston following last month's buyout from the Knicks. "They came in at the tail end," he said. Heat guard Dwyane Wade also stayed in contact with Marbury throughout the buyout process. "I think everybody knew he was going to go to Boston or try to go to Boston, so it wasn't a surprise to anybody," said Wade, who was a Marbury teammate at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Wade said he envisioned Marbury as someone who could mentor the Heat's young point guards. The Heat's ..."
February 9
New Orleans Times-Picayune
"
With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, the rumors are increasing, and several possible deals involve Hornets starting center Tyson Chandler. However, Hornets General Manager Jeff Bower declined Sunday to say whom they might be shopping or could have an interest in obtaining before the Feb. 19 trade deadline. Bower did say he has made a number of phone calls and has received several inquires from general managers. Chandler has been rumored in possible trades since December, when Sports Illustrated mentioned Chandler in a possible exchange for the Detroit Pistons' Rasheed Wallace. The latest rumor has Chandler going to the Miami Heat in exchange for power forward Shawn Marion, ..."
February 9
Miami Herald
columnist Israel Gutierrez
"
Let's ignore for a moment how ridiculous the Phoenix Suns would look by taking back Shawn Marion and giving up their best player and essentially announcing they haven't made a single correct move since Steve Kerr starting making personnel decisions. Let's ignore for a second the fact that, should Phoenix trade Amaré Stoudemire, the team would immediately have to trade an angry Shaquille O'Neal, bid farewell to any thought of retaining Steve Nash and declare that its future is in the hands of Michael Beasley -- and Michael Beasley alone. Let's ignore all of that and assume the Suns are, indeed, in conversations with the Heat about a possible trade that would send Stoudemire to Miami for ..."
February 2
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
Miami Heat guard Daequan Cook is expected to miss time this week due to a bruised left thigh suffered late in Saturday's loss to the Dallas Mavericks at AmericanAirlines Arena. Cook, who caught a knee from Mavericks forward James Singleton with 4:05 to play in the 111-96 loss, took treatment Sunday and displayed enough flexibility that it was determined there was no need for an MRI. The Heat is listing Cook as doubtful for Monday night's game against the visiting Los Angeles Clippers. "It's a deep bruise, contusion right now," Cook said after Saturday's game. "It's a lot of pain right now. "It was above the knee, right were the kneepad cut off at. It's a tough spot.""
January 22
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
The Miami Heat has scheduled a major announcement for 12:30 p.m. today at AmericanAirlines Arena. Amid increasing speculation about a trade involving the team, with conjecture in recent days centering on forward Shawn Marion, the Heat is instead expected to address the status of center Alonzo Mourning, who in recent days has spoken of moving on to the next stages of his life. Mourning has spent the past year attempting to come back from a severe knee injury sustained in December 2007 in a game against Atlanta. He currently is an unsigned free agent. In recent days, though, Mourning, a kidney-transplant recipient, has spoken of getting on with his life, particularly his charitable efforts. ..."
January 21
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
With his players back at work at AmericanAirlines Arena for the first time since Jan. 5, Erik Spoelstra had more than just two weeks' worth of jet lag to deal with. "It seems," the first-year Heat coach said, "like there's a new storyline every day." Tuesday's practice offered three more: The continued push to complete health for his roster. The imposing upcoming schedule that includes consecutive home games against the Celtics, Magic and Hawks, beginning with tonight's visit by Boston. And the lingering rumors about forward Shawn Marion possibly being dealt to Toronto for Jermaine O'Neal or elsewhere by the Feb. 19 trading deadline. "There's been so many things swirling around," Spoelstra ..."
January 20
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
If the Miami Heat moves forward with a trade for Toronto Raptors center Jermaine O'Neal, it might have to make the move sight unseen. Held out for a second consecutive game and the 11th time in the last 12 games due to what the Raptors are calling a sore right knee, O'Neal was again reduced to spectator for his team's 87-84 Monday road loss to the Atlanta Hawks. O'Neal said last week, after his lone appearance since Dec. 29, a 17-minute stint in a Friday road loss to the Indiana Pacers when he did not make a basket, that he could envision being dealt to the height-challenged Heat. Just as O'Neal has been inactive since Saturday, so have Heat forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks, ..."
January 19
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
Heat President Pat Riley, in his first public comments about a potential trade for Toronto's Jermaine O'Neal, cautioned that the deal is not imminent. While not denying interest in O'Neal, Riley said in a team statement released Sunday that reports about the potential trade were premature. "It's typical this time of the year in the NBA that people put the cart before the horse," Riley said. "Whoever is saying that is putting the cart before the horse." The Heat is considering sending forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks to the Raptors for O'Neal. But Riley is concerned about O'Neal's immediate availability after he recently missed nine games with a sore knee. O'Neal, 30, played 17 ..."
January 18
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel
"
The Heat is discussing a trade that would send Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks to Toronto for forward/center Jermaine O'Neal but the deal is on hold as the Heat continues to monitor O'Neal's health. Toronto President Bryan Colangelo would like to complete the deal soon. However, it may not happen until closer to the Feb. 19 trade deadline due to Heat president Pat Riley's concerns about O'Neal's immediate readiness with the Heat in contention for a playoff berth. O'Neal recently returned after a nine-game absence due to a knee injury. O'Neal, though injured often during his 13-year career, would fill the Heat's glaring need for a low-post scorer. With $45 million due over the next two ..."