Standing Pat ... Or Something More?

On the front page of HoopsWorld.com today, a picture of Pat Riley and Dwyane Wade is accompanied by the title, "Morning Report: Miami Not A Player." The brief article states that Ben Gordon coming to Miami is unlikely (no surprise there). It goes on to mentioned unnamed sources that say Miami will stand pat unless a team is willing to take on Mark Blount's bloated contract. The article then goes on to state that the game plan for Miami to wait until next year and try to entice a top-tier free agent to Miami.

Whether this article is authentic or just a bunch of guessing is simply speculation. There may be a lot of talks behind the scenes. Miami was mentioned as a possible destination for Ron Artest, but reports never said anything more. It wasn't until yesterday's issue of The Miami Herald that revealed that the Heat had discussions with the Kings about Artest. Unfortunately, the Maloof brothers found Dorell Wright and other pieces "unappealing" (in just a few years, Wright has gone from the next T-Mac to unappealing).

One thing about the article on HoopsWorld that I agree with is that Miami will stand pat at the one. Marcus Banks, Mario Chalmers, and Chris Quinn would be adequate as a deep lineup of young point guards. The center position is a different story. Alonzo Mourning has played well despite his age and his rehab is progressing. His return will be inspiring, but the Heat will need to look into longer-term solutions. The Heat have been linked to Jake Voskuhl or Jamaal Magloire, both standing at 6'11". Voskuhl plays with intensity and runs the floor well. Magloire, by comparison, has a great wingspan and is very aggressive. The problem is that both of them won't do much in terms of the stat sheet. At this point, I'd take Magloire ahead of Voskuhl because he can block some shots and give Miami some interior defense.

Both Voskuhl and Magloire would be cheap options at the center position. Miami would be a very deep team with a starting five of Banks, Wade, Shawn Marion, Michael Beasley, and Magloire/Voskuhl. Quality players such as Mario Chalmers, Daequan Cook, James Jones, and Udonis Haslem would be coming off the bench. As presently constructed, the Heat would sneak into the Eastern Conference off-season. But some tweaking could give them an actual run. But that's easier said than done.