Posey No More

James Posey signs with the Celtics

So things didn't work out as planned. Jason Kapono was not supposed to bolt for Toronto and James Posey was supposed to be signed-and-traded to another team so the Heat could find a suitable replacement.

Looks like neither things happened and the Heat have to deal with it. Or just deal.

Signing Alexander Johnson may be a prelude to a deal, as he adds depth at the power forward position and with Posey's departure all that is left at SF is potentially Wright, Penny and summer league prospect Jeremy Richardson. It just seems like something has to give.

But what happened? Did the Heat really make a run at signing Posey, or did they just assume he would be out of their price range?

And since he clearly wasn't, what exactly is meant by a competitive offer? Posey's agent, Mark Bartelstein - also Mo Williams' agent - confirmed that the Heat did tender an offer but that it ultimately was a better opportunity to play in Boston than in Miami.

Huh?

Talk about a bandwagon - it's already bloated and full in Boston. Apparently all it took was landing Kevin Garnet and the trophy is on a one way ticket to Boston. But seriously, what does this say about Miami's chances? They made a "competitive offer" to one of their own free agents, and he takes the same - or less - money to play in Boston? Shaq and Wade aren't enough, not to mention you live in Miami and have one ring just a season removed already. What kind of an opportunity is Posey looking for?

This should sting a bit to the Heat players, their coaches and their fans. None of us expected that Posey would stick around, but the fact that the market was so bad for FAs this season should have only increased our chances of retaining Posey, yet the Heat didn't seem to be interested. And perhaps, that is the biggest shock of all - Miami had graded Posey out of their plans and instead hoped they could use him as a chip to trade up with.

Could it be a rivarly in the making? Well, let's let Boston get their bearings and see how good they will be by mid season first. Right now, they are a bunch of names and unsure depth.

Alexander Johnson Fits in Miami

He's young and he is under appreciated. Most fans will not have heard of Alexander Johnson, unless they were Florida State basketball fans - like myself.

I had the privilege of watching Alexander Johnson play basketball at FSU while Leonard Hamilton was just starting up his program and right away I was impressed with his physical ability.

Johnson seems to be cut in that same mold as a Charles Barkely, a physical player with a strong power game and the ability to explode and surprise opponents. See for yourself:



Johnson has a long wingspan and can play on both ends of the floor. He is a gifted athlete, has good agility and quick feet and can get up off the floor very quickly - sometimes it can be somewhat surprising as he looks slower than he is. Just check that video above.

He can stick the jumper to about 18 feet, he has good form and a high release point and he can play physical down low in the block. He also has shown great passing ability and at FSU he was frequently used to set up plays at the top of the key.

Also while at FSU, Johnson often took on the tough, physical assignments and proved he was up to the task. In fact, it almost seemed as if he preferred it. He might have struggles against smaller, quicker players but only because of his positioning and understanding of defensive techniques needs some help when guarding players. However, he is a very strong rebounder on both ends of the floor due to his physical nature, his vertical leap (around 40") and his reach. In fact, some scouts and experts marked Johnson the 2nd most athletic big man in the draft behind Tyrus Thomas.

The Heat just got younger at PF and expanded their roster up to 18 players by signing Johnson. He also signed a high value contract for 2 years at 1.5M - this demonstrates the Heat are thinking more shrewdly about their situation. With Shaq and Wade eating up a bulk of the finances, the Heat have to be smarter with their spending which means they need to focus on younger talent that could be cheaper and fit their system while at the same time tolerating more risk on the court. Alexander Johnson just makes sense.

Further Reading:
Ex-FSU Star Signs with Miami

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Also, keep an eye on PJ Brown. Rumor has it he would like to retire after this season and he might be looking to do it in Miami where he would have a chance to win a title and finish up where he spent his better professional years.

All's Quiet on the Offseason Front

We shouldn't mistake the relative quiet from the Heat for inactivity. Rest assured that options are being explored but don't bet on anything happening at this point.

I know we all but gave Mickael Pietrus a Heat jersey, but it is looking like the Heat are retracting their interest. Maybe it is a ploy to drive up Dorell Wright's value - or maybe they really are that interested in Wright after all. One thing is for certain, Riley needs to play him and give him a shot and the only thing that seemed to keep him shackled on the bench was his inconsistent shot. Statistically, you might be surprised to learn that Wright fared pretty well against his peers at his position. He demonstrated himself to be fairly efficient, but he excelled at rebounding and that is something the Heat need more of, especially on the offensive side.

That and the fact that the Heat "leaked" information that Wright is now being listed at 6'10" make him an even more intriguing prospect that even last season. Perhaps some time at PF in addition to SF? We'll see. But it is also one of the reasons why Riley is going to stand "pat" with the roster at this point.

Also, there is the Penny factor. He has been getting rave reviews from other players who have seen him in private workouts, and also he has been doing a pretty good job working with some of the young players like Daequan Cook and Jeremy Richardson - a sleeper at the SF spot that might even get some significant PT if he makes this team.

So, although the Heat haven't made that big splash, and it is uncertain if they will or not, there is reason for hope here as some of the key young players have room for growth and with Kapono and Posey almost entirely out of the way, there is certainly an X factor that could see the Heat's identity change and grow. That is, if Riley is open to it. Which may be illustrated by a trade - if he makes one, he needs to make it. If not, he might be satisfied with his talent already.

Ime Udoka No Longer a Possibility for the Heat

Take Ime Udoka off the board. The Heat will not be able to sign the defensively-minded guard that worked his way up from the NBDL and obscure Portland State into a starter on the Blazers last season.

The Oregonian is reporting that Udoka is close to finalizing a deal with the Spurs, the defending champs, on his way out of Portland. It seems that the Blazers drew Udoka out of their plans with their flurry of offseason moves.

Udoka, who can stick the three and has developed a reputation for being a tough perimeter defender, will probably land a deal in the $2M ranger starting out. He would have been a very good option for the Heat who are looking for more depth at the guard and small forward positions, and his pricetag is in the Heat's financial range.

Reminiscing With Little Penny

So there was a rift between Shaq and Penny, probably over Little Penny and all his off court antics. It has been troubling times for Little Penny, out of work for many years due to a declining Penny Hardaway. But now, with a new team and a new lease on life, and claiming his knees are pain free, Penny Hardaway is back with Shaq for one final run and rumors of Little Penny's return have started.

Let's take a moment to consider some of Lil' Penny's work:









Still trying to find that documentary about what happened to Little Penny. There was a rough patch for him and he had to go through drug rehab. He doesn't seem to want to talk about that though.

Hardaway Signing Shows Riley to Be Cheap and Lazy

Riley the GM has failed to give Riley the coach any assets to do battle with this season. At least, any significant upgrades for this upcoming season - but it really wasn't Riley the GM's fault, his hands were tied by his penny-pinching owner.

So much so that everyone is trying to figure out how much a penny is worth because the Heat just picked up a Penny.

The Hardaway signing is validation of the Heat's modus operandi - that they will rely on Riley's old, tired, and stubborn method of coaching as well as continue to waist the resource they have in Shaq and even in DWade. Instead of unleashing hell this offseason, the Heat pinned it up and went home before everyone started unfurling their tents.

If the Heat were just cheap, that would be one thing. There are other, better options on the table still: Ruben Patterson, Jumaine Jones, Dahntay Jones, Jalen Rose, Ime Udoka, James Singleton, James White even Josh Powell. All have been active NBA players over the last two seasons - which is something that cannot be said for Penny. But the Heat are lazy, too and it is evident because of this fact - there are better options available but the Heat just went for the retread, the known name.

Make no mistake, Penny will be used much more heavily than perhaps he should be. It isn't about his age or about how he torched NBA camp veteran Ron Hale, it is about Riley's mind being stuck somewhat around 1998. I mean really, why let Eddie Jones go if you were just going to sign a guy in the same age bracket with a similar skill set but is not really as good of a defender?

What this means is now Daequan Cook and Dorell Wright will not get off the bench a whole lot and that this move only retards their growth. If Riley the coach didn't want these talents on his team, he should have had a conversation with Riley the GM. I mean, they have the same agent at least, right? Penny Hardaway, who looks nothing like his puppet I might add, is going to have to fight for his spot in the rotation but he will have less to prove since he is more of a known quantity to Riley.

Yet, does this really improve the Heat? Smush Parker is an upgrade over Payton since he is young, has a pulse, and can tie his own shoes. Payton only had two out of three of those qualities. But Penny, who is he replacing?

If he is replacing Eddie Jones, then fine. But if he is replacing James Posey, we are in a world of sh*%. As nice as a story as Penny Hardaway could be, he is far from proven at this point and is only cashing in on his past accomplishments.

This Heat team needed less history and more ceiling. Riley, as the coach, is not interested in ceiling and growth but instead in what he can grasp and quantify as proof. Penny's past, for Riley, demonstrates what he can do - even if it data about 10 years outdated.

There are better options for Miami - even a potential Mickael Pietrus deal which would have made a huge splash and turned around the Heat's dreadful offseason - but Riley has been unable to pull the trigger. Again, I hope it is due to the other team's demands and not to Riley's lack of vision. I sincerely hope this is not a point in which Riley shows himself an outdated dinosaur incapable of growth himself.

But in signing Penny Hardaway, it only shows the Heat to be cheap, lazy and unimaginative.

Deja Vu: Heat Sign Another Hardaway

Anfernee Hardaway. Wow. Almost like dusting off an old relic out of the garage.

The Heat finds new ways to confuse this offseason as they sign Anfernee Hardaway to a contract today, terms not disclosed.

It is an interesting consideration with this signing because essentially, the Heat have replaced Gary Payton with Smush Parker, which is an upgrade, and now is looking to replace Eddie Jones with Anfernee Hardaway.

There was a time when this would have been a ballyhooed move, but that was probably about 10 years ago. What can we expect from Hardaway? His last time on the court in an NBA game was in November of 2005: Gas prices were under $2.50 back then. Still, he has been working hard on his conditioning and getting himself back into game shape after succumbing to knee injuries in 2005, his final season with the Knicks.

There might be more to prove off the court, too, as Ira Winderman seems to suggest. Shaq and Hardaway have grown apart and based on some of the things Shaq said, there might have to be an agreement just to move forward without reconciliation.

Yet for the Heat this is a value move. They get a guy who can play the 1, 2 or 3 and offer more depth at SF and offer competition to the pool of players that are chasing that starting spot. In other words, this is a signal that Riley is still not sold on Dorell Wright but would Penny help this Heat team regain its foothold atop the East? Not likely, unless he has been a real revelation behind closed doors.

For more reaction join us on the boards.

Pietrus Still Wants to Play in Miami

Reports out of France are that Mickael Pietrus still wants to play in Miami and there is a slight chance that could still happen - but it will depend on how valuable James POsey is to the Golden State Warriors. Or some other team for that matter that would like to be a part of a three team deal to send Pietrus to Miami and grab Posey for themselves.

The Warriors just re-signed Matt Barnes, an unrestricted free agent, to a one year deal worth about as much as Mickael Pietrus' offer of 3.5M. There are concerns that because the Warriors signed Barnes to a 3M portion of their MLE, they will go further into the luxury tax to keep Pietrus - something they are not willing to do. Which means there may be a window of opportunity for Miami to make something happen - if they value Pietrus enough to go over the luxury threshold themselves.

Wade Defends Heat's Offseason: Welcome to Plan B

Wade's defense of the Heat's offseason was unnecessary. We all know that the Heat had limited financial tools to get anything done this offseason - in fact, that is kind of the point.

The Heat are limited in that they can only use their MLE, bi-annual exception and a veteran minimum exception to entice anyone to play in Miami (again, why MLB has it right - they don't handcuff teams willing to spend to win). But the Heat are being cheap because Mickey Arison, only worth a few billion himself, doesn't want to pay the luxury tax for players he adds to this team.

Hey Mickey, you only get one shot at this. You have Shaq on your roster, arguably one of the greatest forces that ever played in the NBA. And you want to limit your chances at turning your franchise from an average one into one of the premier franchises in the NBA because of a few million dollars?

It's like Michelangelo turning down the Sistine Chapel because he didn't want to lay on his back while painting.

Sometimes to do something monumental you have to commit to it just a little more than everyone else. After all, that is how it becomes a great achievement.

And here stands one of the best young talents in the NBA, with truly a shot at being one of the all time greats, Dwyane Wade, and he is talking about how the Heat tried but couldn't get the talent they needed. Isn't that ironic?

Pat Riley, as usual, disappears when something like this goes down. He wants to wash his hands of it and not get involved. Yet if something positive happens, he's right there to take his lion's share of the credit.

Sure, the Heat tried, but in truth they didn't really try. They didn't want to overpay - like they did with Anthony Carter, Eddie Jones, Brian Grant. They wanted to prove themselves shrewd and smart and savy, stating that they knew the market and what they needed.

Then they should have just stated up front that they were targeting Smush Parker and that is it. Because they proved themselves to be damning to their own cause: like pumping up Mo Williams' value by bringing him in for a recruiting trip. If not for that, the Heat may have landed Williams at a steal.

The Heat had an option to add one of the best talents in Europe with Barcelona PG Juan Carlos Navarro, but the Wizards were asking too much. The Heat chose not to up their offer from a draft pick and thus the Grizzlies nabbed him - for their draft pick.

So what does this mean? That Miami is still a good destination for NBA players, just they don't have the money to spend. But Riley has to realize that because of this limitation, he cannot bail himself out with a big ticketed acquisition. This calls for Plan B or "Riley Has to Coach the Damned Thing".

Dwyane Wade addressed the media from his basketball camp in Davie, and defended the Heat's offseason by stating that they just didn't have the financial space available to make a move. Yet, he also pushed Dorell Wright out there when he said it could present an opportunity for him to play.

And Wade's right. But Riley has to show he can grow as a coach and not be stubborn about playing a talent like Wright, who simply needs experience and a chance to utilize his skills; he certainly will get the chance in training camp.

Because of the Heat's limited financial situation, Riley is going to have to do his best job as a coach since as a GM he couldn't help much. Yet, this season will call for a challenge to Riley's definition of himself as a coach - he will have to be more flexible in who he is willing to play.

Since the Heat could not go out and get a big ticket item, they are going to have to turn to developing players like Wright, Jeremy Richardson, Trey Johnson, Daequan Cook and even Smush Parker to round out their roster.

Could the Heat Trade for Jermaine O'neal?

Apparently, Jermaine O'neal wants out of Indy and a trip to LA. That's nice. But since we are speculating here, why not see if Miami could be a suitable option for the other O'neal?

The rumor is that the Lakers have been pushing for JLo, as I like to call him due to his incessant on-court whining, but have been only offering Andrew Bynum and Kwame Brown as integral parts of the deal. The Pacers want Odom, but the Lakers want to keep Lamar to integrate further into their triangle which is the crux of Phil Jackson's "genius" label, eventhough it comes from Tex Winters.

Can the Heat trump that deal? Possibly.

Jermaine O'neal is scheduled to make 19.7M, 21.3M and 22.9M over the next three years. That is pretty sizeable.

The Heat could counter with Jason Williams (8.9M) and Antoine Walker (8.5M) for a total of 17.4M.

This leaves the Heat about 2.3M short in the financial aspect of the deal. So, throw in Udonis Haslem (6.0M) and the Heat are roughly up 3.7M. The Pacers could counter with Jamaal Tinsley, who makes 6.3M this upcoming season: Heat would be -2.6M.

Now the Heat could counter with offering Dorell Wright (1.7M) or they could take one of the aforementioned players off the board (Udonis Haslem, or even Jason Williams or Antoine Walker) and instead use James Posey as a sign-and-trade to make the numbers stick.

The question remains, is this a more attractive offer for the Pacers than Bynum and Brown? It could be because they would be getting O'neal's contract off the books and getting solid value in return. Jason Williams would come off their books and free the Pacers up to spend roughly 8M more next season. They could also get Walker off the books via a buyout or ride it out one more season and get him off the books in 2008-2009. The Pacers would also get rid of Jamaal Tinsley's risky contract - he has 4 more years left (6.3M, 6.7M, 7.2M, and 7.5M) and with injury concerns.

For the Heat, it would be an interesting move that would generate some more buzz to counter the Boston trade for Kevin Garnett. The Heat would gain that legit third star they need to take pressure off of Shaq and Dwade and it might be enough to vault them back into championship contention immediately. The Heat would also gain a floor leader whose skill set would complement Wade and Shaq's much better - a strong defender who can handle the ball and move the offense. With Jermaine O'neal, the Heat wouldn't require Tinsley to score but he could stick the open shot when needed.

Ultimately, the Heat would give up:
Jason Williams
Antoine Walker
Udonis Haslem
Dorell Wright
and/or James Posey

and recieve from the Pacers in return:
Jermaine O'neal
Jamaal Tinsley

Of course, that is 4 or possibly 3 players that the Pacers would recieve in exchange for two and roster moves would have to be made to make room.

The real question is, why couldn't the Heat get involved in trade talks with the Pacers? Couldn't they offer just as much if not more than the Lakers? Would they be willing to do so? Would it cost the Heat too much down the road? The answer to that last question is not really. Sure, they would have three players with around a combined 55M payroll, but the contracts would last until Shaq's final season 2009-2010. Both O'neals would come off the books and Wade would have a player option in place should he choose to invoke it.

It's too much of a risk to not try and make that move. Especially as how much better the East has gotten this past offseason.

Juan Carlos Navarro and Eddie Jones Escape

Any potential deal for Juan Carlos Navarro is all but dead and now Eddie Jones has left the building, once again. The Heat continue to be off in the offseason as it seems.

Coming into the offseason, the Heat needed to address two major areas - point guard depth and small forward depth. The Heat needed to get more athletic and dynamic, seeing as the Bulls were able to pick apart Miami's defense and steal pretty much every matchup at will.

With the signing of Smush Parker, the Heat did meet those requirements even if the signing is practically unheralded. With the Heat being strapped financially, most likely any deal of significance would come via a trade. Juan Carlos Navarro was one such target, but it never emerged.

I have to disagree with Ira Winderman about Juan Carlos Navarro. He would have been an excellent pickup for the Heat to play alongside Wade. What the Heat need is not a point guard - that is just an archaic title that doesn't apply to NBA players in today's game. Navarro is a combo guard; he can shoot, he can pass and create, he can run the offense or sit back and be a complimentary player in that he can stick the open shot and work the floor. Basically, Navarro is what the Heat need from Jason Williams - and he's young (27) and has plenty of hard core international experience, some of it against Team USA. That is, until the championship rounds where the American teams have not made it.

Navarro would have been an excellent complementary player for Wade and Shaq, spreading the floor and taking over ball-handling duties as well as being able to be marketed to the South Florida Spanish-speaking crowd. Sure he wouldn't play lock down defense, but that is what Smush is for in the first place - to be Gary's replacement off the bench.

However, the Wizards were asking a lot and the Heat's first round pick would have been very similar to the Grizzlies offer and it wouldn't necessitate the Wizz to deal within their own division. Yes, I think Navarro is going to be an excellent NBA player - he has the skill set to score and create on offense. So it would be wise for the Wizards to not risk getting torched by the guy they traded away.

But let's hope that is the reason why Navarro slipped through the Heat's fingers. Pat Riley did go all the way to Spain to meet with Navarro to see if he was interested in playing in Miami. Turns out it was a trip for the tapas and a hangout with Woody Allen, too (who was also in Spain and met up with Navarro - I have no idea why). Because the Heat missed out on Mo Williams due to money, and Francis due to his desire to play in Houston. Let's hope Navarro isn't going elsewhere because Riley couldn't muscle up to the table.

As for Eddie Jones, this is a blow in terms of depth potential. Realistically, EJ would be a perimeter defender off the bench and shouldn't offer too much more. He would have basically slipped into the Shandon Anderson role, but EJ could drop some buckets on opponents when needed. Still, one can help but feel that the Heat did not miss out here - Riley would have most likely been overly dependent on EJ and would have given him tons of PT instead of focusing on getting Wright those crucial minutes. Also, the last time EJ was on the Heat before, they missed going to the Finals and exited early (ECF in 2004-2005). Maybe he is the black curse for the Heat.

Well, it's a thought.

There are potential replacements for both targets, however, and maybe this is the true message: the Heat may not have valued Navarro anymore than they value Sarunas Jasikevicius. He is about to be let go by the Warriors and maybe the Heat really do know the market.

Same goes for EJ - why re-sign him when they could get younger and more athletic by way of a Dahntay Jones? Or perhaps Jumaine Jones? All have the same brand-name last name...

Eventhough it is tempting for us Heat fans to get down on these latest moves, or lack thereof, we also should be mindful that there are plenty of other options still remaining and the Heat are just biding their time until they can find what they want at the price they want.

Kind of like a garage sale.

Decision on Juan Carlos Navarro Today

According to reports, the deadline for a deal for Juan Carlos Navarro is today, August 3rd. His Barcelona club lowered his buyout from around $14M to $2M, but in order to prepare for their upcoming season they will raise that sum back up to its previous position.

Right now, the Wizards have a handful of suitors but have faced criticism because they have been asking for too much in return. Teams have been walking away from the negotiations.

The favorite right now is the Memphis Grizzlies, who have had Pau Gasol pushing them to go get his best friend this offseason. Of course Miami has had serious discussions but there have been remarks that the Wizards are asking for too much and the Heat won't pay the price to land JCN. Another wildcard is the Boston Celtics, who have recently landed a guy you may have heard of and feel the need to shore up their roster and its depth.

At any rate, we'll know later today where Juan Carlos Navarro is heading - if it is to the NBA at all.