Saturday, January 17, 2009

Movin' On

Hello all,

Thanks for all of your continued support. I recently was contacted by someone who works for the independently-owned sports Web site, Most Valuable Network. I was offered the position to write about the Miami Heat, and I have agreed to write for them.

The new blog will be located here. I will continue writing my normal articles, only in a different place with more opportunities.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Marion to go North of the Border?

In a column published yesterday, Miami Herald beat writer Israel Gutierrez gives a number of strong convictions regarding the oft-mentioned possibilities of trading Shawn Marion.

Gutierrez, among other things, writes, "the chances of Shawn Marion remaining with the Heat for the balance of this season are quite slim," also adding that, "Marion badly wants to be traded," and that, "Marion's agent constantly is talking with management from other teams, attempting to gauge their interest."

Gutierrez goes on to say that "league sources" have told him Heat President Pat Riley is considering making a trade for Jermaine O'Neal, the six-time NBA All-Star. With O'Neal's contract giving him about $44 million over the next two seasons, Shawn Marion would have to be a part of the deal in order to satisfy the NBA's trade rules.

Is this credible information? League sources apparently told Yahoo! Sports that a trade involving Marion in exchange for Anderson Varejao and Wally Szczerbiak was brewing. High officials for both Miami and Cleveland quickly shut down that rumor. If no one says anything about this, then the rumor may lead to a move right before the trade deadline.

Toronto, expected by some to challenge Boston in the Atlantic Division, is currently at 16-24 and the 12th best team in the East. There is no doubt that Raptors owner Brian Colangelo wants to make a move. Jermaine O'Neal has missed the past nine games with a knee injury, and is putting up sub-par numbers of 14 points and seven rebounds per game. Colangelo, who was invovled with the Phoenix Suns, however, may like the idea of playing again with Marion.

Marion, who has contributed two straight double-doubles, hardly plays like a player who "badly" wants out of Miami. He recently spoke of his willingness to get more involved in the Heat's offense. While he has posted career lows across the board in his contract year, it has seemed as though Marion is beginning to get more accustomed to the half-court style of offense.

Is Marion in Miami's long-term plans? No. If Riley makes a trade for Jermaine O'Neal, will he be in Miami's long-term plans? No. The move to acquire O'Neal would probably be to add some size to this team over the next one-and-a-half seasons and part ways with him before the anticipated summer of 2010.

As I have said repeatedly, I don't see Riley moving Marion until he gets more of a read on James Jones. Daequan Cook is only 6-foot-5 and moving him into the starting lineup would significantly hurt Miami's bench production. Michael Beasley, while standing at 6-foot-9, does not have the lateral movement to keep up with players such as LeBron James; and would also hurt Miami's bench production. On ESPN, people are talking about the San Antonio vs. Los Angeles Lakers game. And both teams have one of their key contributors, Manu Ginobili with the Spurs and Lamar Odom with the Lakers, coming off the bench.

Therefore, we could see Riley pressure Coach Erik Spoelstra to get Jones into the rotation with the trade deadline 35 days away. Jones is a player who can fit right into the starting lineup if he works his way back from his injury. Throughout his five-year career, he has shot three-pointers at a 39.8 percent clip. Additionally, his long arms could give Miami some perimeter defense; and Riley may have found the closest thing to another James Posey.

O'Neal is due about $21 million at this season's end. Marion's expiring contract will give him approximately $17 million this season. That still leaves $4 million that Miami has to give in order for this trade to work.

Last season, the Shaquille O'Neal for Shawn Marion deal also needed a throw-in to work. Phoenix General Manager Steve Kerr agreed to add Marcus Banks in the deal. Well, this time Banks could find himself again as a throw-in in a deal involving the other O'Neal. Banks is owed $4.2 million, and his contract goes beyond the 2009-10 season. A deal involving Banks and Marin for O'Neal does satisfy the trade rules.

Shaun Livingston is reportedly leaning towards a Miami return, according to an Arizona Republic article. If Riley still feels there is an investment to be made in Livingston, this trade may give Livingston an opportunity, seeing as Chris Quinn will be a free agent this summer. Of course, there still remains the prospect of signing Alonzo Mourning, as well as the prospect of dipping into the luxury tax.

Looking strictly at the trade, though, it appears as though O'Neal is suited for a half-court style of offense and Marion is suited for a full-court type of offense. Both are 31 years old and both are looking to play as they used to perform a few years ago. From that standpoint, it looks like a pretty even-handed trade.

Not many stars are washed up when they are in their late 20s, but O'Neal has gotten that thrown around at him as many as three seasons ago, and some would argue even longer. Since 2004, the 6-foot-11 forward/center has missed 133 games. For the early years of the 2000's, O'Neal was a consistent 20-point, 10-rebound threat. Now, he averages about two rebounds less than Marion does.

O'Neal averages 14 points for the Raptors, and a moderate increase will be as good as one can hope for the South Carolina-native gets traded to Miami. At best, we'll see someone who will average around 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocks per game. That's not the ideal sidekick for Wade. As I said, O'Neal won't be in Miami's plans for more than a one-and-a-half seasons. But if it's the best thing Riley can get for Marion, it makes a whole lot more sense than letting his contract expire and signing Carlos Boozer (not even a center) or Mehmet Okur (a perimeter player) in the off-season.

We'll see if this is merely speculation or something more. But you can count me tentatively on the bandwagon for this trade.

Cook Bails Out Heat

If only everything was as economical as the Daequan Cook bailout plan.

Cook was coming off a scoreless performance in Miami's win against Minnesota. But Dwyane Wade continued to trust his young teammate. The former Marquette Golden Eagle usually finds Cook for open three-pointers after driving to the hoop, and it was no different Wednesday night.

And Wade needed Cook to step up.

In a rough return to Wade's college town, Cook stepped up and connected on his first six triples before ending up with a career-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting in 27 minutes of action. Cook's lethal three-point shooting helped Miami get back in the game after Milwaukee jumped out to an 18-8 lead. His free-throw shooting helped the Heat stave off a late Bucks surge.
Wade's collection of missed jumpers and turnovers allowed Milwaukee to take advantage, eventually cutting the once 13-point second half lead to 97-95 with 86 seconds remaining. Both teams turned the ball over before the Bucks had a chance to tie the game with 30 seconds left. Richard Jefferson attempted a runner in the lane, but Shawn Marion blocked the shot before Cook grabbed the ball. Jefferson intentionally fouled Cook, and the former Ohio State Buckeye knocked down two free throws.

Joe Alexander's layup with 16 seconds left on the clock made it a 99-97 lead for the Heat. After Michael Redd fouled fellow Olympian Wade, and the League's leading scorer connected on one free throw. Luke Ridnour's runner made it a 100-99 game for Miami with just nine seconds to go, but the Heat fed the hot hand, Cook, who calmly connected both free throws. Alexander's three-pointer to tie the game got nothing but air as the clock expired.

Wade was only 5-for-20 from the field for 17 points and turned the ball over four times, but dished out 13 assists.

In addition to Cook's resurgence, Beasley also picked up the slack for Wade. The talented rookie out of Kansas State had 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting, four rebounds and just one turnover in 28 minutes of play. Cook and Beasley, Miami's usual spark-plugs off the bench and Wednesday night's leading scorers for the Heat, combined for 45 points on 15-for-22 shooting.

Wade had no problem sharing the wealth, and five Heat players attempted 11 or more field goals. Udonis Haslem shot 8-of-13 from the field for 18 points while also collecting eight rebounds. Shawn Marion contributed 14 points on 7-of-13 shooting, 10 rebounds and the aforementioned key rejection.

Coach Erik Spoelstra opened the second half with Chris Quinn and Jamaal Magloire taking the places of Mario Chalmers and Joel Anthony, respectively. It worked for the Heat, as Miami put up nine unanswered points to start the third quarter. To me, these were a couple of common sense Spoelstra moves. Anthony did have three blocks last night, but Spoelstra went with more size in Magloire. And Chalmers has had a brutal road trip, with two scoreless nights in his last three games, so it makes sense for Quinn to get more minutes.

Quinn, however, struggled with a one-for-five shooting performance from the field. The 6-foot-2 guard out of Notre Dame also let Luke Ridnour constantly beat him off the dribble, who scored a game-high 25 points. Spoelstra couldn't go to Marcus Banks late in the game, who was again in street clothes. If Banks isn't back on the active list after Chalmers' continued struggles and Quinn's defensive liabilities exposed against Minnesota and now Milwaukee, I don't know what will.

James Jones did not even get off the bench last night. Spoelstra opted to play Yakhouba Diawara for seven minutes, and it appears that Jones' return will be a slow process.

Miami is now 3-2 on its seven-game road trip with a hurtin' Houston team up followed by the lowly Oklahoma City Thunder. The Heat, a team that has beaten top teams and lost to lowly ones, knows that every game is up for grabs. Nonetheless, it's possible that Miami could make a run at the Pistons for the fifth seed. Detroit, which occupies the fifth seed, is only one-and-a-half games above Miami and in the midst of a three-game losing streak. Atlanta, the fourth seed and only two games above Miami, has lost four of its last five games.

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wade Out-duels Foye, Wolves

In a must-win game of sorts for the Miami Heat, Dwyane Wade was his usual self and carried the Heat past the Minnesota Timberwolves, a team that didn't have enough to win its sixth straight game.

Rodney Carney's jumper with four minutes and 23 seconds left in the game put Minnesota up 91-86. But on Miami's ensuing possession, Wade made a fade away jumper, while also receiving contact from Kevin Love. Wade made the free throw, and it was suddenly a two-point game. After the Timberwolves came up short on the offensive end, Wade found rookie sensation Michael Beasley for a jumper to tie the game with about three-and-a-half minutes left. On Miami's next possession, Wade turned the ball over, but Beasley took it right back. Miami's 6-foot-9 sixth man gave the ball to Shawn Marion, who lobbed it up for an easy Wade dunk. The Heat had taken the lead and the momentum from Minnesota.

But the game wasn't over. Not by a long shot.

Randy Foye, who finished with 29 points, nailed a three-pointer to put the 'Wolves up 96-95 with just under two minutes to go. After some sloppy execution by both teams, Marion drew a shooting foul on Ryan Gomes.
And so, Coach Erik Spoelstra was counting on free throws from a player who brings the ball up to his chin before releasing a shot to deliver clutch free throws. Fortunately, Marion made both free throws to give Miami a 97-96 lead with 22 seconds to go.

Minnesota coach Kevin McHale set up a play to feed the hot hand, Foye, who made 12-of-21 shots from the field and 5-of-10 attempts from downtown. This time, Wade made a clean block on Foye's jump shot with 13 seconds left. After an errant Carney three-point attempt, Minnesota was forced into a fouling mode. Wade and Beasley hit a pair of free throws to close out the game.

Wade had 31 points on 15 shot attempts, was 13-of-16 from the free throw line, eight assists, three steals and three blocks. Foye nearly matched Wade's numbers, but he couldn't shake free of the League's leading scorer when he went up for a shot with 13 seconds left.

Beasley had 14 points and seven rebounds in 23 minutes. But what was most impressive was that Beasley had six points and five rebounds in the fourth quarter, a stanza he played all 12 minutes in. The talented rookie out of Kansas State out-dueled fellow rookie Kevin Love, who finished with eight points and nine rebounds.

Udonis Haslem and Marion each contributed a double-double for Miami. Haslem finished with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds while Marion had 16 points on five-of-nine shooting, 11 rebounds and a pair of clutch free throws to put the Heat up for good.

James Jones only played six minutes against Minnesota, and still has not scored his first points as a member of the Heat. This allowed Yakhouba Diawara to play 15 minutes off the bench, who finished with eight points and two connections from beyond the arc.

Rookie Mario Chalmers had another tough night, going just one-for-nine from the field in 30 minutes. Chris Quinn got 18 minutes of playing time, and added seven points off the bench for Miami. Quinn's defensive liabilities were magnified, however, against Minnesota.

Does this mean we'll get another go-around with Marcus Banks? Banks had to wear street clothes last night. But keep in mind that Quinn came out of the rotation for a couple of weeks because Jordan Farmar took him apart in the Lakers' visit to Miami. It's more likely that Quinn will stay in the rotation because of his shooting and steadiness, but a return for Banks is certainly plausible.

Spoelstra had his team play Al Jefferson well, holding him to nine points on 4-of-14 shooting. The Heat did allow Minnesota to connect on 11 three-pointers, but Jefferson's high-percentage shooting around the basket is a key component to Minnesota's offense. Last night, Miami was able to take that away.

Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire combined for 16 minutes and 12 seconds of action, and Spoelstra instead went with a three-forward lineup of Marion, Beasley and Haslem late in the game. I still see Beasley coming off the bench as the punch of Miami's second unit, but he will be on the court in crunch time.

Daequan Cook, who was tied in sixth place for three-pointers made at 82, went scoreless last night.

Miami improved to 2-2 on its seven-game road trip and will face Milwaukee tonight at 8. The Heat earned its 20th win of the season and is two games behind Atlanta for the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta is in the midst of a four-game losing streak, and Miami can take advantage. Two of Miami's next three games are against below-.500 teams; and the one team above .500 is Houston, who will be without Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Suggestions for Spoelstra

The Miami Heat currently stand at 19-17, and is only one-and-a-half games above the New Jersey Nets for the sixth seed. Fortunately for Miami, three of the team's four games to close out its season-long seven game road trip are against below-.500 teams.

Except the Heat's opponent tonight, the Minnesota Timberwolves, is on a five-game winning streak; and Miami's next opponent will be against the Milwaukee Bucks, a team the Heat failed to defeat at home in December.

Tonight's game against Minnesota is a must-win. And although Miami played tough against the Los Angeles Lakers Sunday night, it is 2-4 in January and 1-2 on this road trip. Moral victories just don't do it.

Coach Erik Spoelstra has done a fantastic job with his team, already four games better than last season's 15-67 abomination. But he needs to make a few changes.

Joel Anthony has been non-existent recently. We knew that he never had an offensive game, but his defense has now wavered (a product of his frequent foul trouble, maybe). After limiting Andrew Bynum to four points in Miami's first meeting with the Lakers, Anthony gave Bynum everything he wanted at Staples Center. The undersized, undrafted center for the Heat is a hard worker, but he doesn't deserve his starting spot anymore.

Jamaal Magloire, on the other hand, deserves to be the starting center for Miami. In his past two games, Magloire grabbed 16 rebounds in 31 minutes. He is 6-foot-11 and 265 pounds, easily the Heat's biggest player in the rotation. He isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and will give the Heat some toughness in the middle. Like Anthony, Magloire doesn't have an offensive game, but his rebounding and toughness is what should put him in the starting lineup.

Al Jefferson, a man in the company of Dwight Howard and Tim Duncan as the only players who average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, will be a challenge for the Heat. I'm not saying that Magloire will lock Jefferson down, but he will be physical with him and he will never back down.

Staying with bench players, Michael Beasley should be playing more. Against Sacramento and L.A., as well as in the first quarter in Denver, Beasley has shown flashes of stardom. There is no question that Miami's first round pick has untapped potential. Wade can form a dynamic duo with Beasley in the future. Beasley can undoubtedly put up better numbers for the Heat than Shaquille O'Neal did in his first two seasons with Miami. Wade needs some help to carry the offensive load for the Heat, and the 6-foot-9 Washington, D.C.-native can do a bulk of the scoring.

I am not necessarily opposed to the idea of Beasley coming off the bench. Every successful team needs a punch coming from its bench and I have no qualms about Bealey as that role for the Heat. What I am opposed to is playing Beasley just over 20 minutes for Miami. How can he and Wade form chemistry if Beasley isn't even on the court for half the time? Shawn Marion should not be playing 37 minutes per game with the sub-par season he's had so far.

Spoelstra should, in certain situations, play Beasley as a three. This would allow the talented rookie to go to his post-up game against people who are giving up an inch or two on him. I view Beasley as more of a power forward than a small forward, and hope he will continue to get stronger. But I'd like to see the former Kansas State standout to develop his post game so that it will come more naturally to him when he does it as a four against some of the bigger players in the NBA. It's a move for the development of Beasley's game, but it shouldn't hurt the team when it is used in specific positions that will not allow the opponent to exploit Beasley's lack of lateral movement and defense.

Those were the two main things Spoelstra should adjust. I'd like to see James Jones' minutes continue to increase, though. In his two games with the Heat, Jones' playing time has gone up from three minutes to seven. At this point, it's difficult to say whether Spoelstra is working Jones into the rotation or simply giving him token minutes.

Heat News

Several teams, including Minnesota and Atlanta, have inquired into Udonis Haslem's availability. I don't see Pat Riley making any type of move with his forwards until he sees what James Jones can do. Additionally, with Shawn Marion's plausible departure this coming summer, is the Heat willing to give away its starting forward lineup? Haslem won't get Al Jefferson in a Heat uniform.

The New York Knicks offered a deal for Shawn Marion that included center Eddy Curry. The deal was swiftly declined by Riley, who doesn't appear willing to let go of Marion for center with questionable work ethic and a contract that goes beyond the 2009-10 season.

Monday, January 12, 2009

In Thriller, Lakers Get Best of Heat

The Miami Heat failed to become the first team in the NBA to defeat the Los Angeles Lakers twice this season, but sure put up a fight.

The Lakers went up by 13 with three minutes left to go in the third quarter on a Derek Fisher three-pointer. But the Heat went on a 13-4 run to close out the third period, including two three-point plays, to make it a 73-77 game heading into the final stanza of play.

Dwyane Wade's finger roll with 7:24 left to play made it an 84-88 game, but it would be Wade's last points of the game. It is hard to believe that one of the League's best fourth-quarter performers would not score for the final seven minutes of a tough ball game, but Miami's superstar guard still made an impact in other ways.

An example? Wade's transition alley-oop pass to Michael Beasley gave the Heat a 90-89 lead with 5:32 left to go. The Lakers made a mini-run to make it 100-93 with just under three minutes to play. But when Wade didn't score, it was Beasley picking up the slack for him. That's something you want out of a sidekick.

Beasley scored Miami's next 10 points to pull within 100-102 with less than a minute to go. On the Lakers' ensuing possession, Wade stole the ball from Kobe Bryant after he tried to set up a pick-and-roll play with Pau Gasol. Udonis Haslem dove towards the hoop for a slam that tied the game at 102 all with 38 seconds left. Coach Erik Spoelstra's team could force a miss and have a chance to win it at the buzzer, if only one red shirt could grab a rebound.
Bryant missed a shot with 18 seconds left to give L.A. the lead, but Andrew Bynum's long arms tipped the ball back in to put the Lakers up 104-102.

Wade got a first step on Bryant and drove into the paint. The L.A. defense collapsed on Wade, and the 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette dished it to a wide open Chris Quinn in the corner. Quinn's attempt to give Miami a 105-104 lead with seven seconds left went off the rim. Haslem intentionally fouled Vladimir Randamovic, and the L.A. 6-foot-10 forward sunk both free throws. It was a four-point game with six seconds left.

Daequan Cook nailed a triple two seconds later to make it a 105-106 game with four seconds to go. The Lakers got the ball to the reigning season MVP, Bryant. He made both free throws after Haslem intentionally fouled him; and Cook's contested three-pointer to tie the game at the buzzer got nothing but air to end the game with a 108-105 decision.

Wade finished with 27 points on 10-of-22 shooting, five rebounds, nine assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Beasley added 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting, five rebounds and two steals in only 22 minutes. I would have liked to see more of Beasley than just 22 minutes, and feel that he is playing well enough on both sides of the court to start.

Cook finished with 17 points on five-of-nine shooting from three-point range. Shawn Marion added 12 on 6-of-12 shooting, eight rebounds and two steals. Mario Chalmers struggled offensively, getting into early foul trouble and only playing nine minutes. Therefore, Quinn played major minutes (32 in all) and finished with 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting, just one turnover and seven assists. That three-pointer to potentially give Miami the lead, however, will be what most people remember from Quinn last night. Defensively, the athletic Jordan Farmar was injured, and Quinn's defensive liabilities were masked.

Overall, the Heat played good defense. Kobe Bryant shot just 5-for-14 from the field and Pau Gasol shot 4-of-15 from the field. Already without Lamar Odom, one could argue that the Lakers' three best players did not play well. Unfortunately for the Heat, Radmanovic hit four triples and Bynum took advantage of Miami's lack of size. The Lakers out-rebounded the Heat 53-38.

I would have liked to see more of Jamaal Magloire in this game. The Heat's tallest, biggest player grabbed seven rebounds in just 16 minutes. When he played last night, Miami was + 7. With Joel Anthony's productivity diminishing steadily, there is no question as to who should be starting at center for the Heat. If Spoelstra doesn't want to go with a three-forward lineup, he should at least get some size and rebounding with Magloire in the starting unit.

James Jones only played seven minutes last night, attempting only one shot. It was a three-pointer from the right corner that barely grazed the rim. It is not be overstated, even with Jones' preseason wrist surgery. Jones' minutes should steadily increase, and his production will be a key factor in where Shawn Marion will end up after the trade deadline.

The Heat will get a day off before engaging in its only back-to-back sequence of the seven-game road trip, starting Tuesday in Minnesota.

Heat News

Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson said that Dwyane Wade gets an assist from officials after his team's win over Miami. He specifically spoke of traveling and carrying violations that, he says, the referees turn a blind eye to.

"What he's really been able to do is that pick-up move, that the Europeans really have brought in," Jackson said. "We all would consider that a walk move: Pick up the ball, take two steps, that's two and a half steps. And he's been able to get a long distance on that.

"His ability to carry the ball right now, he's getting away with that. He [carries] left to right, right to left, but he just does it fast, so nobody sees it, I guess."

Jackson, of course, coached Michael Jordan, who was also accused of taking an extra step or two during his Chicago championship days.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Wade, Beasley Lead Heat Past Kings

In a dramatic showdown in Sacramento, Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley continued to look more and more like a duo, combining for 64 points in a 119-115 overtime win.

For the first three quarters, this game looked eerily similar to the game against Denver. Miami again played poor defense in the first half, allowing 62 points through the first 24 minutes. The Heat managed to make a few mini-runs in the third quarter, but a late surge by Sacramento to close out the quarter had Miami down eight entering the final stanza of play. Former Florida Gator John Salmons made two free throws to start the fourth quarter, putting Miami down by 10 with just under 12 minutes to play.

Beasley, who turned 20 years old Friday, scored eight unanswered points before finding Jamaal Magloire for a nice dunk. Within 1:58, the once 74-84 deficit was only 83-84. It seemed as if this game would go down to the wire until Miami opened up a 99-94 lead with with 115 seconds to go after Wade made a nice dish to Udonis Haslem for a layup. But Bobby Jackson nailed a three, cutting the lead to 99-97 with 68 seconds left, still anybody's game. The Heat would need to dig a little bit deeper for this win.

Mario Chalmers has hit contested threes in crunch time. This time he did it again, but in a red Miami uniform. The rookie out of Kansas State nailed a triple with Jackson all over him with 46 seconds to go. With 12 seconds left and the score at 102-99, Wade picked Kevin Martin's pocket for a steal. He was immediately fouled, and could've given the Heat a 104-99 lead.

But he didn't.

Wade made only one of two free throws. Spencer Hawes hit a three on Sacramento's ensuing possession to make it 104-103 with just 10 seconds to go. Mario Chalmers was fouled and made one of two, and Hawes made another jumper to force overtime.

Wade made the first two field goals of overtime to give the Heat a four-point lead. Unfortunately, Magloire was charged with a flagrant foul on Sacramento's ensuing possession. Hawes hit both free throws, and Sacramento would retain possession. Kevin Matin got free for a wide open jumper to tie the game up. Miami's 6-foot-11 center did a good job on the glass, but that flagrant foul ended up as a four-point possession for the Kings.

Wade and Haslem hooked up for a pick-and-roll that ended up getting the 6-foot-8 power forward a three-point play. But Hawes' reverse layup with 2:14 left to go cut the Heat lead to 111-110. On Miami's next possession, Wade's teammates were able to get him an open lane to the bucket before Hawes came over and pummeled Miami's superstar guard to the ground. Wade immediately grimaced and grabbed his right elbow, and took a few moments to get back up.

Hawes was assessed with a flagrant foul, and Wade connected on one of two. The Kings got possession after a Beasley miss. Daequan Cook was called for a foul on a Martin three-point attempt that didn't have much contact at all. Nonetheless, Martin made all three shots from the line to give Sacramento a 113-112 lead. After Wade turned the ball over, Hawes hit another jump shot to give the Kings a 115-112 lead with just 56 seconds to go.

Those were the last points scored by Sacramento. Miami would go on to score seven.

Wade made a contested three-pointer to tie the game at 115 all (and he did it just after getting a blow to his right elbow). After good Miami defense that forced a 24-second shot clock violation, Wade took another hard foul, but this time, he hit both free throws. The Heat had a 117-115 lead with just five seconds left to go.

Hawes missed on a jumper with .8 seconds left to tie the game. Cook leaped for the rebound and was subsequently fouled. The sophomore guard out of Ohio State sunk both free throws to ice the game for Miami.

Wade struggled early on, missing 11 of his first 16 shot attempts. But the League's leading scorer connected on six of his final 10 field goal attempts on his way to 41 points, 24 trips to the foul line, five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and two blocked shots. Wade knew exactly when to take over the game, but had help from Beasley to spark Miami's comeback in the fourth quarter.
The 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas had his second double-double this week with 23 points on 10-of-19 shooting, two connections from beyond the arc and 10 rebounds. Throughout the first two months of the season, Beasley hadn't managed a double-double. I was pleased that Coach Erik Spoelstra stuck with Beasley in crunch time. The talented rookie played 35 minutes for the Heat.

Another player off the bench got major minutes Friday night. It was Cook, back from his knee injury that held him out against Denver. While he didn't have the best offensive game, he played tough defense on Martin. During the crucial 24-second violation the Heat forced, Cook stayed his ground and forced Sacramento's leading scorer into an air-ball.

Udonis Haslem had 11 points and eight rebounds while Magloire grabbed nine rebounds, four of which were offensive, in just 15 minutes. All of Magloire's rebounds came in the fourth quarter, highlighted by a sequence in which the 6-foot-11 center from Kentucky stayed with his shot, grabbed two of his own misses before earning a trip to the foul line. Although Joel Anthony had six quick points for the Heat, he got in early foul trouble (again). I don't see Anthony's starting position safe right now.

The biggest news before the opening tip was that James Jones was back on the active roster. Jones, a free-agent acquisition last summer, had wrist surgery on his shooting hand Oct. 18 and was finally back. The former Miami Hurricane played three minutes, with a foul and turnover. It was good to see Jones back, though. He's going to have to continue to work his way into the rotation. Hopefully Pat Riley will see the small forward who is a dead-eye three-point shooter and can provide lengthy defense on the other end of the court for the Heat.

Miami (19-16) will head down to Los Angeles to meet with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Sunday night.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Heat Can't Find Gold in Denver

When the Miami Heat flew to Denver to play the Nuggets, the team must have been happy that Denver's leading scorer, Carmelo Anthony, was out with a fractured hand.

Maybe a little bit too happy.

That was the case Wednesday night against Denver. From the get-go, Miami played atrocious defensive effort and allowed 59 points in the first half against a team without its leading scorer. A couple of standoff second-half quarters ultimately ended with a 98-107 loss at the Pepsi Center, an arena Miami hasn't won in since 2002.

Not even the commentating of Hall-of-Famer Dick Vitale could get the Heat to play with some effort, as Denver constantly took Miami defenders off the dribble and took wide open jumpers. The Nuggets also employed a full-court type of offense. The Nuggets outscored Miami in fastbreak points, 35-13. While the Heat is a half-court team, there is no excuse why the players could not get back on defense. Miami's roster is filled with young, athletic guys that should be able to run to the other side of the court quickly. Unfortunately, Linus Kleiza, Chauncey Billups and J.R. Smith scored 21 points each, mostly off of defensive breakdowns on Miami's part. For the second consecutive game, the Heat has allowed 30 points from beyond the arc.

Simply put, Miami's effort wasn't there. The Nuggets out-hustled the Heat, highlighted by a second-quarter sequence in which Denver grabbed two offensive rebounds before getting a three-pointer. There weren't any defensive rotations, and there were too many times when a Nugget had an easy two points. Joel Anthony got into early foul trouble (he had two fouls in the first 44 seconds of play), only to have Jamaal Magloire commit five fouls in 11 minutes of play.

The closest the Heat got in the second half was cutting Denver's lead to three in the third quarter off a Shawn Marion hook shot. The Nuggets came right back and strung together eight unanswered points. Whenever the Heat would get the lead to five or six points, Denver would just make a mini-run and it was back to square one.

There were some silver linings in the game, though. Dwyane Wade had 31 points on 13-of-23 shooting and two blocks last night. Wade did give Vitale the "dipsy-doo dunkaroo" he promised the ESPN announcer before, but his highlight of the night came off a contested turnaround three-point shot as the shot-clock expired early in the third quarter. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette did, however, finish below his average in both rebounds and assists, only made it to the free-throw line four times and turned the ball over four times. Wade's backup, Daequan Cook, did not play Wednesday night after his knee bruise against San Antonio, leaving Wade to play 45 minutes. Coach Erik Spoelstra went really small, with a backcourt of Chris Quinn and Mario Chalmers, but the rookie coach couldn't leave that tandem on the court for too long.

The fifth pick of the 2003 NBA Draft only had a deuce through the first 12 minutes of play. The Nuggets followed the lead of other recent Heat opponents and doubled Wade constantly. Fortunately for Wade, Joel Anthony's two quick fouls gave way to Michael Beasley early on. The second pick of the 2008 NBA Draft had 10 points in the first quarter alone. Beasley's offensive aggression, therefore, gave Wade more room to operate. The 6-foot-9 forward out of Kansas State got in foul trouble later on and only scored two points after the first quarter.

Shawn Marion continued to assert himself offensively, scoring 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds and two steals. I liked that the 6-foot-7 forward out of UNLV looked to create his own shot, something we have not seen from Marion in a long time. And even though Denver did run a fast-break offense, most of Marion's points came in the half-court setting. A good thing about Miami's offense was that it did not get caught up in the fast style of the Nuggets.

Mario Chalmers added 12 for Miami, and hit two of four shots from downtown last night (he also had a career-high seven turnovers against Billups). Udonis Haslem added 10 on 5-of-10 shooting, thriving off of open looks as the defense sucked into the paint on Wade's drives. The Heat's problem wasn't the offense, though. Miami put in a respectable 97 points. The Heat's problem was its defense, which was non-existent, especially in the first half.

If this loss has proved anything, it is that Miami cannot come into games thinking that it will be a cakewalk. Hopefully, this team will not come out lackadaisical Friday night against Sacramento. And 1-3 in the month of January, this is a game the Heat needs badly. After Friday's meeting with the Kings, the Heat goes down to Los Angeles to face off against the Lakers.


Heat News

In my last post, I stated that Heat guard Shaun Livingston was released after Monday's loss to San Antonio. That is essentially true; Miami has traded Livingston to the Memphis Grizzlies and cash for a conditional 2012 second-round pick. The pick is protected until the last five picks of the '12 Draft, meaning Memphis would need to be one of the five best teams in 2011-12 for the Heat to get the pick. The move puts the Heat about $400,000 below the luxury tax because Livingston was traded before the NBA's guarantee deadline.

Hours after Memphis acquired the lanky 6-foot-7 guard, the team released him.

The added luxury-cap flexibility on this deal has Alonzo Mourning's name written all over it. The longtime Heat center knows that the Heat is a rebuilding team, but doesn't want to end his career limping off the court, even if it was better than being carried off a stretcher.

Jamaal Magloire's contract, meanwhile, became guaranteed for the rest of the season.

Heat forward James Jones said he could return to the active roster as soon as Jan. 12 or somewhere around that time. Jones has been rehabbing for the past few months after undergoing wrist surgery on his shooting hand in October.

Daequan Cook is expected to return against Sacramento.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Heat Can't Spur to Victory

Get back Shawn Marion, and his shot? Check.

Dwyane Wade and Michael Beasley (finally) look like a tandem of the future? Check.

Hold Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili to sub-par games? Check.

Sweep the San Antonio Spurs for the 2008-09 season? Well...


The Miami Heat was close but no cigar Monday night against the championship-contending San Antonio Spurs. Miami was right in the game for about 46 minutes of the game before a late surge by the Spurs put the nail in the coffin against the Heat, leading to a 91-84 loss at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Shawn Marion's transition dunk with 44 seconds left in the third quarter tied the game at 60 apiece. But Matt Bonner made a three-pointer 13 seconds later to push the lead back up to three. After a poor offensive play for Miami that resulted in an errant hook shot attempt by Jamaal Magloire, Manu Ginobili's driving layup just before the buzzer sounded made it a five-point game heading into the final stanza of play.

The Heat was quickly able to tie the score, off of a jumper by Beasley and a triple by Chris Quinn. From then on, the San Antonio lead always stayed between three to five points, with Miami missing on several opportunities to cut into the deficit.

With 96 seconds to go and Miami down 81-84, Wade stole a pass by Tony Parker and looked for a transition bucket. He managed to get his layup attempt over Parker, but Ginobili came out of nowhere and repelled the shot to the half-court line. Roger Mason hit a jump shot six seconds later to extend the lead to 86-81 and all but diminish the Heat's morale. Beasley would only score again on the Heat, on a three-pointer with just 13 seconds left.

Even before the blocked shot, it wasn't Wade's night. He missed 16 of 26 field goal attempts, made it to the free throw line five times and turned the ball over five times. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette was constantly doubled after a pick-and-roll. Wade did have 12 assists, but his teammates could've shot better from the field.

Udonis Haslem, who frequently sets picks for Wade, converted on only four of ten shots from the field. Magloire was zero-for-five from the field, hardly showing any offensive upgrade over Joel Anthony. And Marion missed all three of his attempts from downtown.

That's not to say that Marion didn't have a good game. He had one of his better offensive games, with 14 points on 7-of-14 shooting. Marion was really aggressive with the ball, but also converted on a couple of jump shots.

Miami's too rookies also showed up to play last night. Mario Chalmers looked to be more aggressive with the ball after going cold from beyond the arc, finishing with nine points on four-of-seven shooting, five assists, no turnovers and a nice block on Spurs forward Bruce Bowen. Michael Beasley, meanwhile, finished with a double-double of 15 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 12 rebounds in just 30 minutes. As I mentioned, Wade and Beasley looked like the duo of the future for the Heat. Having two offensive weapons on the court makes things tougher for the opposing team.

But that gets to the reality of it all. The Heat is rebuilding, looking to form that chemistry between Wade and Beasley. The Spurs have a goal of winning an NBA Championship, a plan San Antonio has had for the past decade.

The three-point shooting by the Spurs hurt the Heat the most. In total, San Antonio had 30 points from downtown. Matt Bonner and George Hill each knocked down three triples for the Spurs. If you don't follow basketball closely, you probably haven't heard of those two. But it was the role players who did the most damage from beyond the arc.

Inside the arc, Tim Duncan had his way with Anthony and Magloire, finishing with 19 points and nine boards, four of which were offensive rebounds. Anthony didn't know Duncan's moves and Magloire wasn't quick off his feet. I wouldn't have minded to see Udonis Haslem on the 6-fott-11 power forward out of Wake Forest a little bit more. Haslem has guarded Duncan in for the past few years and could've brought that knowledge, something Anthony simply didn't have. He's giving up three inches and 25 pounds to the four-time NBA champion, but he would've contested every shot.

The Heat has lost three of its last five heading into the start of a seven-game road trip. All those losses came against either Cleveland, Orlando or San Antonio, three of the League's dominant teams. But each game had a fourth quarter full of missed opportunities. Coach Erik Spoelstra will try to get his team ready against the Denver Nuggets Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on ESPN, with Dick Vitale commenting. Carmelo Anthony is not expected to play, with a broken bone in his shooting hand.

Injury Report

Daequan Cook left the game in the second quarter after bruising his left knee. X-rays were negative, but Cook did not return and was held out of today's afternoon practice. He is listed as a game-time decision for Wednesday's game.

A spokesperson for the Heat announced earlier today that the team had released Shaun Livingston, the 6-foot-7 guard originally drafted No. 4 overall in 2004. Livingston is still recovering from a gruesome knee injury he sustained in Feb. 2007 that left him with three torn ligaments and a dislocated kneecap.

I, for one, don't think this was purely a salary-cap move. Some were envisioning a point guard future of Chalmers and Livingston. But the lanky guard hasn't shown that he still has promise in the limited minutes he has received, with reduced mobility and confusion. But this was, surely, also a salary-cap issue. If President Pat Riley released the player whom he wanted to, it would probably be Mark Blount, but his contract is so bloated that it makes a buyout difficult. Livingston's contract only guarantees him $370,000 this season, keeping the Heat below the dollar-for-dollar luxury tax. The vacant spot on Miami's roster can be filled by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Alonzo Mourning, who has spoke of his willingness to return to the Heat.

Dorell Wright will not travel with the team during the seven-game road trip after surgery in November to clear loose cartiledge from his knee. James Jones, however, will travel with Miami. Spoelstra has been mum on whether the three-point specialist will get off the injured list during the trip.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Heat Escape Late Against Nets

Coming off a disheartening fourth quarter performance against the Orlando Magic Friday night, a Miami Heat fan would have hoped that the team would play like a bat out of hell and run away with against a Devin Harris-less New Jersey Nets team.

Well, things don't always go as planned.

The Nets went up by as many 16 in the first quarter. New Jersey was getting everything it wanted, while Joel Anthony had Miami's lone field goal over the first 5:40 of play. But this young Heat team came all the way back and completed its biggest comeback victory of the season.

Miami slowly but surely cut into the Nets lead, eventually cutting the deficit to two at the end of three quarters of play on a three-pointer by newcomer Yakhouba Diawara, who finished with a season high 19 points. Coach Erik Spoelstra had his team withstand the run, but it would take 12 more minutes of good basketball for the Heat to come away with a win.

Or 17.

Miami and New Jersey see-sawed the lead throughout the final period in regulation, but Dwyane Wade made two free throws to put the Heat up, 85-83 with just 32 seconds left. It seemed like Miami would win it when Wade blocked a potential game-tying layup by Vince Carter with 17 seconds left. New Jersey retained possession, however, and Keyon Dooling made a floater with eight seconds left to tie the game. Wade missed a jump shot just inside the arc as the buzzer sounded. The game would go into overtime.

Wade and rookie Michael Beasley did it all for Miami early on in the extra period. After Beasley converted Miami's first two field goals of overtime, the NBA's leading scorer took it in his own hands. Wade made a bank shot while taking contact from New Jersey's Yi Jianlian. Wade completed the three-point play, and the Heat would take a 96-88 advantage with just 37 seconds left to go.

The Nets managed to make one late last run, cutting the lead to two with just 10 seconds left on a pair of free throws by Dooling after Wade had missed his pair just moments ago. But Miami's two rookies, Mario Chalmers and Beasley, made three key free throws to give the Heat a 101-96 victory.
Wade finished with 29 points, eight rebounds, six assists, three steals and four blocked shots.Three blocked shots came in the fourth quarter and overtime, highlighted by a block on Brook Lopez's attempted dunk. The 6-foot-4 guard out of Marquette did shoot 8-for-23 from the field and committed four turnovers, but made it to the free throw line 17 times, converting 13 of them. Wade had two points on one-of-four shooting through the first quarter, but delivered when it mattered for Miami.

Leading rebounder Shawn Marion was in street clothes against New Jersey. The four-time NBA All-Star suffered from back spasms early Saturday morning and the Heat medical staff decided that it would be best for Marion to sit out on the second night of a back-to-back. He is expected to be available Monday night against San Antonio.

Sophomore Daequan Cook started in place of Marion, and finished with 15 points on 5-of-12 shooting and three-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc. Cook fouled out after 38 minutes of play, but it was Diawara and Beasley who got the most minutes due to Marion's absence.

And they both delivered.

The French-born reserve made five of eight attempts from downtown and grabbed five boards, keeping Miami in it while Wade was off with his shot. Additionally, Diawara spent a lot of time on Nets star Vince Carter, who struggled through a 5-of-21 shooting, five turnover night. The second overall pick in last June's NBA Draft, meanwhile, logged a career high 41 minutes. Beasley didn't look timid or confused, he just played basketball. It worked out well for the first-round rookie, who finished with an economical 17 points on 7-of-12 shooting, seven rebounds, two steals and a late block on Lopez.

While Miami shot just 40.8 percent from the field, Spoelstra's supporting cast did a lot for the Heat. Udonis Haslem grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for the Heat. Chalmers had six rebounds, five assists, two steals and late free throws that iced the game. Chris Quinn was back as the backup point guard and finished with seven points on three-of-five shooting and only one turnover in 18 minutes of action.

Even against a below-.500 team without its leading scorer, this was a big win for the Heat. After going 1-2 over its last three games, Miami needed this win before a Monday night meeting with San Antonio before going on a seven-game road trip. Though it wasn't always aesthetically pleasing, the Heat got the job done. And that's all that matters.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Wade Pulls Disappearing Act

Fresh off receiving Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors, Dwyane Wade was doing it all for Miami. He had 33 points on 16-of-22 shooting through three quarters and was the sole reason the Miami Heat was keeping it a battle with the Orlando Magic.

But then, Wade missed his last seven field goals and went scoreless in the fourth quarter, and the Heat only scored 11 points in the final 12 minutes of play en route to a 86-76 loss in a possible playoff preview.

This time, Wade's teammates were not there for him like they were against Cleveland. Mario Chalmers, who shot six-for-seven from downtown just three nights ago, shot one-for-seven from downtown tonight and 1-for-11 overall. Shawn Marion did not continue to be more aggressive with the ball, instead going one-for-five from the field for just four points.

Wade started a fourth quarter in which Miami was down two on the bench. Coach Erik Spoelstra usually has his star guard rest at the commencement of the fourth quarter, but broke from that in the home game against Cleveland. Spoelstra, however, stuck with his usual rotation and watched Orlando jump out to a quick five-point lead early on.

Even with Wade in the game, Miami's offense either hoisted up a prayer or turned the ball over. By the midway point of the fourth quarter, Hedo Turkoglu extended Orlando's lead to eight on a pair of free throws. And while Daequan Cook hit a three-pointer with 5:30 remaining to make it a 72-76, Miami couldn't get much offense after that. Orlando shot 32 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, but its defense simply stifled the Heat.

It is beyond my knowledge why Spoelstra did not put in Michael Beasley after seeing Wade struggle. Orlando did a good job of defending the pick-and-roll, and closed out nicely to open shots by Udonis Haslem and Cook. Why wouldn't Spoelstra put another offensive threat on the court to make things easier for Wade? Beasley's offense would have been useful in Miami's fourth-quarter scoring drought.

Beasley finished with eight points on four-of-nine shooting in 13 minutes.

Udonis Haslem had 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting and eight rebounds, but his shot went cold late in the game. Wade never forced anything in the final stanza of play, and found Haslem for open looks. Haslem didn't deliver, and maybe Wade made a mistake by deferring to his teammates so much.

Cook was the only other Heat player to score in double figures, with 10 points on four-for-nine shooting. Cook has worked hard to get the "streaky" label off him as a shooter this season. Chalmers, however, will have to keep that label with him, after he followed a great night with a deplorable one.

Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire did a good job on Dwight Howard, holding him to 15 points, five below his season average. Rashard Lewis, however, made Miami pay for leaving him open, with four triples and 17 points in total. And although Turkoglu had a rough shooting night, he did make it to the free throw line eight times. Wade, by comparison, only made two trips to the foul line. Orlando as a whole shot 30 attempts from the line, while Miami only went for freebies 10 times.

Marcus Banks may have gotten the backup point guard role just recently, but he may have given it up tonight. The 6-foot-2 journeyman shot zero-for-two from the field, committed two fouls and turned the ball over two times. With 11 seconds to go in the fourth quarter, Banks fouled Jameer Nelson about five feet away from the three-point line. Only the Heat didn't have a foul to give, and Nelson went to the line for a pair. I know Chris Quinn couldn't get past half-court and couldn't contain Jordan Farmar against the Los Angeles Lakers two weeks ago, but at least he could offer some shooting and steadiness.

The Heat will have little time to regroup after this loss, as the team will fly down to Miami to host the New Jersey Nets. Miami has beaten New Jersey twice, albeit barely both times, this season. And this is a win the Heat needs, with San Antonio coming up next, followed by a seven-game road trip. With Detroit on a five-game winning streak and Atlanta already 10 games above .500, this wasn't a good way to start January for the Heat if they want to go up in the standings.