A Desert Rose - Jalen Rose to Phoenix

Jalen Rose has opted to play for the Phoenix Suns, according to his official blog:

Jalen Rose's blog link

It isn't surprising that he chose the Suns, they are obviously a quality team and with Amare Stoudamire coming back this season, they look to get beyond the Western Conference Finals this season. I just doubt the possibility that they will be able to get out of the West while the Heat have a better chance to get out of the East to the Finals.

That said, perhaps this will cement what needs to be done for Pat Riley. His inability to bring in a fresh, young guard to play some backup PG and provide some depth for matchups could be glaring. That is, unless he decides to give Dorrell Wright the minutes he needs to develop and prove himself. The Heat still have the option of bringing back Shandon Anderson, but at this point there doesn't seem to be much upside to that possibility.

Stay tuned - the Heat welcome the Nets to Miami tonight for game 2 of the season. It will be interesting to see how Riley manages his bench now that Rose is no longer a possibility.