Heat sign talented, troubled Woods

In a move somewhat reminiscent of the Lamar Odom signing, where a talented, but troubled young player was brought into Miami, the Heat scooped up Qyntel Woods yesterday.

Woods, 23 and 6'8", was the 21st pick in the 2002 draft by the Trailblazers out of Northeast Mississippi Community College where he averaged 32.3 points, 10.0 rebounds, and 1.8 assists in 23 games.

Currently, there has been some off-court trouble with Woods. After pleading guilty to abusing his pit bull (over an investigation into dog-fighting), he was sentenced to 12 months probation and 80 hours of community service. Woods is also due to serve a 5 game suspension for failing his drug test. The suspension could not be served while he was dismissed from the Trailblazers, so it began when he reported to the Heat for the first time last night, against the Raptors. He will be available Feb. 5th against Chicago.

"This gives us an opportunity to go after somebody that we were very high on three years ago when we drafted Caron [Butler]," Riley told ESPN Radio 790 (WAXY-AM). "We feel like we want to replenish the youth a little bit too here. He's a very talented kid. He's a legitimate small forward with loads of talent. We're willing to take a shot at it."

With Riley on board, Stan Van Gundy feels confident that Woods will get his act together. "Pat Riley has tried his hardest in Miami where guys are treated like adults and professionals and expected to act as such, and most guys fall in line," Van Gundy said. "Qyntel was a very young guy when a lot of this stuff happened...As guys get older, they learn some things and they tend to mature. I don't think that there's anything there that people should be overly alarmed at."

As for the rest of the roster, Jerome Beasley was waived and Wesley Person was moved to the IR. Beasley has been somewhat of a project and has never seemed to progress enough for the Heat, who selected him 33rd overall in the 2003 draft. As for Person, he has fallen out of the rotation and may be dealt - but a team would have to swallow his $1.6M salary.

With frustration mounting, Heat about to define season

Every championship team has a toughness about it, a quiet confidence that is almost tangible. It radiates somehow, someway, that the job will get done.

This toughness Riley associates with teams like San Antonio and Detroit. Do the Heat have this quality yet? Not quite, but maybe, that is about to change.

Riley said, almost prophetically, that these teams develop this quality of toughness out of some sort of 'debacle'. "What you need is you need some debacles along the way. We haven't had any." That was from an interview on Jan. 23rd. A 'debacle' seems to be brewing with the Heat, however.

Recently, an article claimed that Shaq was calling out Eddie Jones in the press. "Some of the guys on this team have to take it personal. When your man leaves you to go double on somebody, you have to take it personal. Because other teams are hitting shots when we double, so you have to hit shots."

That quote by Shaq came on the heels of a frustrating loss to Philadelphia which saw EJ shoot 3-12. It's speculative, at best: Damon Jones wasn't exactly setting the net on fire (2-6), either, and Wade hobbled his way to a 3-13 performance on a sprained ankle.

Yet, the history of EJ and Shaq may prove too tantalizing to ignore. The 'soft' comments begin to resurface. Perhaps Shaq's lack of confidence in EJ is looming and when things go bad, he will be quick to point the finger at EJ.

Stan Van Gundy will have none of it though. "When we get our focus on those things, on making effort and on playing harder and defending better and rebounding better and doing all those things rather than saying it's all about shooting, then we'll be headed in the right direction." That is the truth and a subtle, yet bold, stance for Van Gundy who continues to impress as a coach in this NBA and its all-about-me atmosphere.

Shaq has come forward and said he was not targeting anyone in particular, that he was "...not in the business of calling my team out. We all need to play better. That's what I said." There seems to be some backpeddling going on, which actually is a good sign that this team is on the same page. Stan Van Gundy, with the shadowy figure of Riley looming in the background, will see to it that this team stays focused.

The Heat is in the midst of a slump losing 6 of its past 11 games. Wade is banged up as is Eddie Jones and Laettner. Coupled with the mumblings of a frustrated superstar, which have a historic precedent (but seem to have been controlled for now), that 'debacle' Riley may be looking for seems to have surfaced. "Quit looking for all the different excuses and places to point the finger. Point it at ourselves and be responsible and go out and get the job done." Van Gundy may prove to be the most prophetic of them all.

Wannabes?

The Heat lost last night to the Pacers in OT 106-100 and a Pacer team that has seen so much adversity - although self inflicted - has a reason to smile again. Under manned, the Pacers came into the Heat's house and stole one from them in front of a disappointed home crowd.

How? Why? "The big thing is free throws," Van Gundy observes. "If we make some free throws we're not sitting here talking about any of this." This is definetly a part of the problem. The Heat shot 47% as a team last night from the charity stripe. Shaq was horrible - even for Shaq - at 4-13. Wade wasn't much better at 8-12 and Haslem shot 4-7 - normally an 85% free throw shooter himself. In fact, he missed a big one at the end of the 4th quarter which could have prevented Tinsley's shot from tying the game at 93.

But that isn't all. There are other reasons why Van Gundy should look like a prophet, calling the Heat "wannabes" before last night's game. There was also the 21 points the Pacers scored off of Heat turnovers - in which the Heat answered with only 9 points themselves. That is a -12 difference right there. Couple that with terrible free throw shooting and it is amazing the Heat were in this game altogether.

That should bring us to another point, though. Should the Pacers really feel good about themselves? Tinsley, after hitting a shot, jogging back down court with a smirk on his face jawing at anyone that will listen - this is the image the Pacers left town with. And the 30 Tinsley dropped on the Heat. So, what, Pacers? You beat the Heat at home - sure. But did you beat the Heat? Or did they do it to themselves?

The Heat didn't help their case at all last night. The best illustration is a play made by Dwyane Wade and Damon Jones. A pass was made and seemingly out of nowhere, Wade leaps up and takes the ball right out of the sky. Something special in the air, indeed. Wade then lobs the ball ahead to a breaking Damon Jones who, in an interest to provide entertainment over substance, decides to bounce the ball hard off the backboard where Wade would catch it and dunk it. Would have been one of the most spetacular plays all season. But Fred Jones leapt up from behind Damon Jones and snatched down the rebound before a flying Wade could get to it. The Heat watched as their game was taken right from them because they failed to play good enough to beat the Pacers and instead opted to go for style points.

The verdict is certainly in - the Miami Heat, at this stage, are pretenders. They have a questionable record against the West - which I contend means nothing until they play a Western team in the playoffs. And even then, it means nothing. Yet, the way they choose to play against opponents seems more like play than business. Much has been said, within the Heat's own organization, about this team lacking a killer instinct and putting a team away when they need to. Until we see that happen, until we see the Heat step on the neck of a team and put it away early, I think it is safe to say that the Heat are not legitimate contenders. At least, not yet.

Pacers still provide strong test for Heat

Don't be fooled by their record of 19-18. The Pacers are still going to challenge for the East title and will definetly still make the playoffs. The 'BasketBrawl in Detroit' may have slowed down both Detroit and Indy, but rest assured that both teams will have plenty of weapons to overcome the adversity.

Tonight, the Pacers come to face Miami in a nationally televised game down at the AAA in what seems to be a fight among contenders. Jermaine O'Neal is already back as is Anthony Johnson (and Stephen Jackson will be back January 27th). But it is obviously the return of O'neal that means the most to this team and he has helped put Indiana back on track immediately. The Pacers were 5-10 without him but are 8-5 since his return.

The Heat will be faced with a strong test tonight and definetly are aware of this. "Their record is a result of what happened in the brawl," Van Gundy said. "But they're going to get close to whole again, and they'll be a major force."

The Pacers remain very talented and deep and will try to expose the Heat's weakness of rebounding. Van Gundy has been critical of the Heat's efforts in this area. "Right now, I think we rely way too much on one guy to rebound the ball," Van Gundy said, referring to O'Neal. "If you look down the league stats and look at rebounds on a per-minute basis, Shaq's good at his position...But everyone else is middle-of-the-pack or lower, particularly at the defensive end. Everyone else is way down. We have to get more guys involved on the boards, and we have to get more guys taking responsibility to rebound the ball and not leave it to one guy...We just don't have a lot of guys in there mixing it up and grabbing the ball." You can be assured that Jermaine O'Neal will look to bang down low against the Heat's power forward rotation of Haslem and Laettner.

The question is, will the Heat respond and put forth the energy and intensity necessary to dominate this game like they should? The fact is Indiana is still a strong team but not nearly as strong as before the Detroit incident. With no Artest and no Jackson, will the Heat slacken in their focus for tonight's game? If Van Gundy has his say, the Heat will be ready and waiting for the Pacers tonight. On the line is the Heat's 21-2 record against Eastern Conference foes and a shot to stay ahead in the standings and hold on to that home court ticket throughout the playoffs. A lot has changed in a year.

Flash in M.A.S.H.?

The chart reads, "bruised ribs, bruised left knee, sprained left ankle and back spasms". Is this a boxer? Or perhaps a crusty old vet making his way through the regular season on his way to that allusive title? The pain before the glory, sweetening the fruit that can be quite bitter when plucked too early.

Nope, this is the medical status of one rising young superstar, Dwyane Wade.

He has missed all of four games this year; his team's record being 1-3 in which there was no presence of Shaq's notable sidekick. An double OT loss to the Clippers being the most recent example.

Recently turning 23, Wade has talked about the pain he has gone through, quite literally. "It gets frustrating because I can't explode all the time the way I want for different reasons. It gets frustrating, but I continue to keep pushing and keep pushing." Suffering a headache, which is only the least of how his opponents would describe his growing game, Wade seems worn. Not so much that he is any imminent danger, no. He is too young for that. But, caution must be taken if this superstar wants to have a long career and not be the flame that burns quickest.

This is from a recent article detailing Wade's new rise to national attention, found in the recent copy of Sports Illustrated, "Many of Miami's plays begin with Wade coming up from near the basket to set a hard screen on the outside, then bouncing off and getting the ball to initiate the attack. That's how the Utah Jazz offense often ran when John Stockton was at the point, and Stockton garnered a lot of respect because he wasn't afraid to give up his body. Ditto for Wade."

Now, you can see where I am going with this. Sure, Stockton had a long career almost injury free. But Wade is different; he is demanded - no, expected - of more. He is the catalyst to this Heat team, the new power in the East. I remember Jordan, when getting established in the league, decided to work out more and build up his body. He also developed his game more to take away from some of the punishment he put himself through every night during the regular season. Perhaps it is not irony that as he got older, he got better because he played smarter. A lesson Wade could certainly benefit from.

But there is more - it involves more than just Wade adjusting his game, but the team as well. Reading the quote from SI helps illustrate what has to be done. The Heat needs to find a less jarring way to generate their offense through Wade. He is the catalyst, yes, but if he takes that much punishment each night, he won't be around to be the catalyst for long. Perhaps another player landing on this team - with more offensive skill - could help alleviate some of the abuse Wade puts up with. Or maybe, run different plays that demand less on Wade's person.

Whatever the case, these past 5 days of rest will give momentary relief to Wade as an oasis amid the torturous NBA regular season.

A Deal on the Horizon?

The latest sources are heating up over rumors involving the Heat and some possible trades. There is talk of Latrell Spreewell coming to the Heat, involved in a four team trade, which would entail the Heat trading away team captain Eddie Jones. The Sun-Sentinel has reported this deal has fallen apart.

Also, there is a rumor (from the Toronto Star) that Donyell Marshall may be on his way to Miami, too.

For the latest breaking news on these or any other Heat news, visit us at MiamiHeatZone.com.

Suns loss is good for the Heat

122-107 was the final score and the Suns outshined the Heat. But I contend that this is a good thing. Why? Well, first of all, you will lose games. It is just going to happen. No team has ever gone 82-0. There is more to it than that though. A loss here shows the Heat what they need to work on in order to vault closer to that elusive NBA title.

Yet, before we wax on that topic, let's really take a look at last night's game and find something positive - that the Heat did a better job than the box score indicates.

If you take out the first quarter, where the Suns shot a blazing 61% and scored 40 points, the Heat pretty much matched the Suns offensive output and even slowed them down a bit. The second quarter saw a 30-27 run favoring the Heat. The third watched the Suns answer with a 33-25 output that pushed the game ahead some but the Heat answered in the 4th quarter with a 27-22 effort. That is +3, -8, +5 for the remaining quarters for the Heat - which breaks down basically to a tie game. If you really wanted to be the optimist, the Heat won 2 of the final 3 quarters, and took 2 of the 4 overall. Those 40 first quarter points seem even more indicative of a team caught off guard.

Remember, the Heat shot 52% in this contest while the Suns shot 47%. Both are over season averages for the Heat, but the effort was there and the efficiency was in favor of the Heat. Free throws (60%) and allowing 9-29 three pointers is something else that indicates problems for the Heat.

So, although the final box score indicates the Heat were blown out, if you break it down, the case becomes a little clearer. The Heat are very much contenders for the NBA title, still. The Heat aren't as bad as the score would seemingly indicate and the Suns are not as good as it would suggest as well. Factor in during a possible playoff series a team will be better prepared for the other, that they will have time to formulate a game plan and the Heat's chances seem a little better. Also, the Suns are not a deep team. They played seven players last night and four of them played over 40 minutes. (Only Nash from the starters had less, playing 33 minutes). So, depth is going to be a problem for the Suns and something a team needs to make it through a series.

Sometimes, it is possible to squeeze blood from a stone. It just depends on how you look at the situation. The Heat lost, but they played better than some will say. Just relax and dont panic.

Lessons Learned

When the Heat lost to the Sonics Sunday night, for the second time this season, a lot of Heat 'fans' started doing what we in South Florida do best - finger point. The bandwagoners started jumping off the bandwagon like it was on fire.

Relax, people. This team is built for the long haul. At 27-9, we are not even half way through the season. We will win more games and guess what, we will lose more too. Maybe a loss to the Hawks or Bobcats is on the horizon. Doesn't mean this team is all of a sudden a pretender.

And losing to teams in the West does not a pretender make, either. The only time our record against the West will matter is in the Finals. So, let's make it there first - until then, do like Riley suggested the other night during the Sonics/Heat half time interview - enjoy this team. Embrace them, enjoy the ride. Because this is a very special team.

That said, it is time to test this team's resolve. Another Western power in Phoenix lays in waiting. The question for the Heat is, how will they respond? It will be an interesting answer to see unfold.

Tonight, let's see if the lessons learned play out. What we do know about the Heat is that they have problems with defending the pick and roll and high screens. Big men that do nothing but shoot threes can get hot and hurt us in such a situation. See Radmanovic's line against us - and you will be challenged to see him put up numbers like that again all season long.

But what I do want to see is the Heat make adjustments. I want to see the Heat not only defend the perimeter better, but to include Shaq more in this game. The Heat shot 5 three pointers to close down the 4th quarter of that Sonics game. Shaq was guarded well, but the Heat know that if there is a path to the Finals, it lays with Shaq and runs through his position in the paint.

So, will the Heat be able to defend Steve Nash, probably the best point guard (sorry, Marbury) in the NBA as far as running an offense is concerned? Will the Heat be able to control Stoudamire and Marion around the basket? If the Heat learned their lessons from the Sonics loss, they will. Shaq will have to be the focus for this final exam. He will have to not only control the paint on defense, but on offense he is not only needed, but expected, to dominate this game. 28 points is nice, but wont cut it. This is showtime, diesel time. That is how we can assess this team at this point.

Is Daddy home?

Shaq, it's time to answer the call. You have been able to help this Heat team grow and get accustomed to your presence. You have been able to put together a very nice record and turn a lot of heads while on cruise control. Time to rev up the engine and use that diesel power we are always talking about. Why? Listen to this:

"Write this down. If he can't go out and bang, if he can't get two or three feet underneath the basket, he is ineffective. My goal is to keep him out of the paint. That is not an easy task to do. That is easier said than done. But I am going to try to keep him out of the paint and see how good he is. I challenge him to take a jump hook. Take a couple jump shots. I bet you he can't do that. Of course he is going to complain about flopping because he has to be inside to score buckets. If he doesn't get inside to score buckets, he might as well give the ball to Dwyane Wade and move back."

Say what? Somebody making that type of claim must be pretty damn good, maybe even an MVP candidate like Kevin Garnett or Tim Duncan. Or perhaps even Shaq's nameless pal out in L.A., right?

Nope. It was Danny Fortson. You remember him, right? Because I barely do.

Is this the same Danny Fortson that I know? The one who cant play a whole season because of some injury? Such bad luck being the only thing keeping him from an all-star berth. Let me get this straight then, you weren't flopping, Danny? You were just playing good, fundamental defense? Because I have never seen anyone coach up a post defender by telling him to get good positioning laying on his back on the floor. Ol' Danny boy, seasoned vet with a game that talks for itself? Nah. The only way he is going to gain recognition is by talking a good game.

This is laughable. No, hysterical. I have seen less flops from Vlade Divac. And Ben Affleck. Heck, I haven't seen a guy take to the floor like that since Mr. Clean. It was like Fortson kept fainting out there. Or his jersey was on fire.

So, while Pollyanna pops off about defending you, Shaq, why not remind him why you dont have to use a jump hook? Why not demonstrate for him what it is like to play against you when you want to take over a game? Or when the refs aren't blowing their whistles like French police on Bastille Day.

Show up and let Fortson know who his daddy truly is.

Riley Speaks, Jan. 9th

Tune in to halftime of the HEAT @ Seattle game broadcast on Sunday, January 9 to see a special interview with HEAT President Pat Riley. Riley will discuss the contract status of HEAT center Shaquille O'Neal and the HEAT's desire to retain O'Neal and continue to surround him with quality players. Riley will also discuss the team's "sole goal, sole objective" of winning an NBA Championship.

from HEAT.com

Is a change imminent?

With the Heat 15-1 over their last sixteen games, the Heat has recieved a lot of attention. From the national media to little fan sites, like us, everyone has their eyes fixed on this rising new power in the East. Even notable free agents or players on hiatus are sniffing around.

Who exactly? Alonzo Mourning, resting back in his home in Miami has yet to report to New Jersey and the Nets brass seems to be very non-chalant about it. Karl Malone is out there, hunting or whatever he calls it, rehabbing his knee just in time to make a selection of a team to help him in his hunt for a ring. Kendall Gill was waived by the Hornets. Jimmy Jackson wants no part of them. In fact, he turns up at the Heat/Knicks game the other night - in street clothes.

So, what is going on here? The buzz is not just within the city itself but seemingly across the whole spectrum of basketball. The Heat has become the center of the basketball universe, if only momentarily, and for no other reason than Shaq and the growth of Wade. Oh, and a very nice record, too.

But is a change imminent? The Heat are playing with great chemistry, intensity, and confidence. To bring in one of the aforementioned could upset things.

Then again, it could bring things to a higher level.

Some possible spare parts are already being assessed: Malik Allen, Rasual Butler, Wesley Person. A deal involving Person makes sense because with the rotation of EJ and Butler and Anderson at SF, there really is no room for him. Factor in the lethal three point shot of Damon Jones, and Person is even more redundant. If a deal for Malone could be reached, you wont need to keep around Malik Allen. The Heat are doing fine without him, for the moment, but surely would benefit from his skills when he does return. Adding Malone, however, may prove to be too intriguing for the Heat to avoid.

Whatever happens, there is plenty to keep your eye on with the Heat. They continue their push for that allusive championship while heading out west for a tough road trip. The team that returns may never be the same again.

Breaking down the Heat's defense

The Miami Heat have risen to become one of the elite teams in the NBA. Their 25-8 record places them first in their division, but also marks them as the best team in the East right now.

Much has been said about Shaq and Wade's abilities on offense and how the Heat's offensive production has risen despite having to abandon their run and gun offense of a year ago with Lamar Odom, Caron Butler and Dwyane Wade pushing the ball up court around a much deeper athletic team. But last year's team, however, was not known to be able to stop opposing teams with their defense. This year's edition of the Heat has shown that it has an ability to shut teams down when it needs to - mostly in the fourth quarter when it has eeked out almost everyone of its 14 straight wins. So, let's take a closer look at the Heat's defense and see if we can characterize it.

Miami is ranked 4th in the NBA in opponent's field goal percentage (.425) per game.

The Heat are also ranked #14 in the NBA in opposing points per game (95.5). (San Antonio is #1 at 85.2 a contest)

So, you have a team that is holding its opponents to a low field goal % - an indication of good team defense - but allowing 95.5 points per game which is middle of the road. What gives?

Field goal attempts (FGAs) tell the story. The Heat is ranked #22 in the NBA (82.1 per game). They are also ranked #11 in field goals allowed (34.9). [Also, the Heat are #26 in 3point % allowed (.372) but #9 in 3PAs (14.8).]

Compare those stats with the Heat's own:
FGAs 77.4 (#24)
FGM 37.3 (#5)
PPG 101.1 (#5)

Lets look at the differentials:

Differentials Table

	Heat	OPP	DIFF
FGAs	77.4	82.1	-4.7
FGM	37.3	34.9	+2.4
PPG	101.1	95.5	+5.6

So, what does this mean? It seems the Heat score very efficiently and in doing so, give the ball back to the opposing team which creates more opportunities for them. The Heat play good enough team defense to keep the opposing teams FG% down (again, .425) but seemed to be doomed by their ability to score efficiently (ironically). The Heat are #1 in the NBA in offensive FG% (.481) so 48% of the time they take a shot, it is going in and the other team is getting the ball back.

So, how does the Spurs average almost 10 points less a game? They score less than the Heat for one (96.8) and do it less efficiently, albeit not by much, (.463). But they also give up almost 5 less attempts per game (FGAs 77.0). Also, the Spurs give up almost 4 less FTs a game (22.7 - #4 in NBA - compared to Heat's 26.5 - #17). Combine those factors, and maybe that is illustrative of the difference.

The Resurgence of Eddie Jones

He struggled. His missed open shots. He was booed. But Eddie Jones persisted despite the noise the rest of the world was making to ship him off. Except the guys that shared his locker room. And the man upstairs who stuck with him. All of them have been expecting this.

I was not one of them. I figured the best thing the Heat could do was ship off the unproductive Heat guard to another team and get someone in return that could play small forward for us. The Heat did just that - they traded Eddie Jones the shooting guard for Eddie Jones the small forward.

Stan Van Gundy looked like a genius. Pushing Damon Jones into the starting point guard position and sliding Dwyane Wade over to SG and EJ over to SF has paid huge dividends. 14, to be exact, and still counting.

But what about Eddie Jones? What has happened? Well, six of the past 14 games, EJ has shot over 45%. For the month of December he is shooting 43% (69-159). Big deal? Well, that is pretty solid actually (compare to Kobe's 39% for Dec. and 40% on the year). But what is even more telling is his three point percentage: 40% for December (27-67) - up drastically from his 29% for November. Also, during this 14 game win streak, has shot 50% or better five times. That is pretty impressive.

EJ has also played very well on the other side of the ball. He has had tough assignments on defense - Kobe Bryant, Peja Stoyakovich - which have usually been bigger than him. There have been charges, clutch rebounds, late 4th quarter shut downs - all momentum changers for the Heat. Eddie Jones has been a stopper on defense and helped to provide stability to the SF position where the Heat desperately needed some. Rasual Butler has become more effective and has gone back to that lethal shooter coming off the bench. Shandon Anderson gives another look at the SF position with tight defense. Wesley Person has been rendered nearly obsolete.

So Eddie Jones has found basketball life once again here in Miami. The team captain did what he does best - be quiet and lead by example. The Heat are better because of it and better because of the resurgence of Eddie Jones.