I will be the first to admit, I am not the biggest J-Will fan out there. The one thing I can't get out of my mind whenever I remember Jason Williams in his Heat days was when Miami had a four-on-one break and J-Dub chucked up a three. It went out of bounds. Williams has not been known for making the right decisions. I'm sorry, but I don't think that his performance in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals in 2006 (which was excellent) compensates for a multitude of bad decision-making. But his mishaps and ordeals with Miami is not all his fault. His knee tendinitis were a real nuisance for the team. It's unfortunate that his injuries got the best of him and he wasn't able to be the point guard Pat Riley wanted.
This now leaves Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem as the lone members of the 2006 NBA Championship under contract for Miami. I'm not upset about that. Because when the Heat brought back their entire championship team, they became complacent and got swept out of the playoffs.
Pat Riley has been making very odd moves. His latest infatuation is apparently with small forwards. Just three days after claiming Bobby Jones off waivers, the Heat signed free agent Yakhouba Diawara this afternoon. Diawara was a bencher for the Denver Nuggers last season, appearing in 54 games while averaging 10 minutes of playing time. Diawara has been known for his perimeter defense, like Bobby Jones.
What do I anticipate Diawara's future to be with the Heat? I expect him to compete with Bobby Jones for the position of an insurance option at the three during training camp.
Miami's small forwards are currently: Shawn Marion, James Jones, Bobby Jones, Yakhouba Diawara, Dorell Wright (whom the Heat have given a qualifying offer of $2.4 million), and free agent Kasib Powell. Riles has signed both Joneses and Diawara all in the past month. I'm thinking a few of Miami's forwards are going to be leaving via trade.
As I have said, I do not mind Williams leaving. What I am getting concerned about is that Pat Riley may do the same thing he did last off-season: waive goodbye to mediocre players, and sign D-League players. With the recent signing of Bobby Jones and Diawara, it is sure looking to be more like the 2007 summer by the minute. These moves have some Heat fans scratching their heads, saying "Diawara? Uh...What?" I know that was my first reaction when I heard this news.
While Miami has a glut of small forwards, they also have vacancies at the center position. Joel Anthony is still an unknown commodity at just 6'9", Alonzo Mourning is months away from full recovery, Mark Blount is a perimeter-oriented guy, and Udonis Haslem is not a center. Pat Riley does not need to get himself a star center, but at least someone who can rebound and block a couple shots.
I look to Oklahoma City, a team with seven players 6'10" or taller on their roster. Miami has mentioned interest in Luke Ridnour, and he could be a nice stopgap starting point guard for the next two seasons while Mario Chalmers and Chris Quinn develop. He's not very cheap, but at least his contract ends before the 2010 free agent frenzy.
A trade consisting of Marcus Banks and Udonis Haslem in exchange for Ridnour, Johan Petro, and Mouhamed Sene works under the rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. Petro is a seven-footer who can rebound the ball and maybe get a block or two. He's similar to DeSagana Diop in that he won't do much on the stat sheet, but he's a big body that has great mobility.
Mouhamed Sene was the 10th overall pick in the 2006 Draft, but had microfracture surgery earlier this summer and will probably not play at all this season. The good thing is that he is still in his rookie contract. He could be a very low-risk guy with the potential for a lot of reward if the Heat are willing to develop this guy.
Luke Ridnour would fit nicely into a starting point guard next to Dwyane Wade. I know he lost his starting job to Earl Watson, but he still has that sweet shooting stroke and still can get teammates involved. A starting five of Ridnour, Wade, Marion, Beasley, Petro with Chalmers, Cook, James Jones, Blount, and Anthony off the bench is not bad. Chris Quinn, Bobby Jones, Kasib Powell, Stephane Lasme, and Alonzo Mourning filling in the obligatory third-string positions is a very deep team. That is a very solid squad that would probably get the Heat into the playoffs, maybe even get a fourth or third seed.
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