This is a very subtle move that will go very much under the radar. I doubt it will even appear on SportsCenter's bottom line, much less devoting a few minutes to talk about the move. The move appears particularly odd, especially considering the logjam at the small forward position. Recently drafted Michael Beasley, recently signed James Jones, Shawn Marion, Dorell Wright (who has been offered a qualifying offer), and Kasib Powell (a free agent, but was impressive during Miami's summer league run) could all be back. There is certainly the possibility Pat Riley will use Jones as a third-string three and have Beasley play primarily the four, have Wright sign with another team, and wave goodbye to Kasib Powell. Or it could be a part of an imminent trade.
During his college career at the University of Washington and with his brief stint with Miami, Jones has established himself as a tough-as-nails defender who could hit the three from beyond the arc. It is a little too immature to compare him to Bruce Bowen, but he is definitely a Pat Riley-type of guy. It is important not to immediately assume that he will be part of a big trade.
Miami does have plenty of other holes to fill. However, Riley may want to go with a small forward lineup of Marion, James Jones, and Bobby Jones while having Beasley exclusively a power forward. That still leaves open the possibility of using Dorell Wright in a sign-and-trade. At 22 years old, there may be a team willing to sign Wright. At the very least, Jones has found his niche in the League: defense. Dorell Wright has been playing in the NBA for four years and we still don't know what he's best at.
With the 2008 Beijing Olympics right around the corner, Pat Riley may have a move up his sleeve that will not get the traction that some other big trades will get, but teams may realize they should have. I'll go out on a limb and say a big trade is coming. But I've been wrong before.
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