Heat Just a Wade Away from Turning Things Around

0-5 is not time to panic. Unless of course it is a playoff series in which case it would be beyond the time to panic. The Heat have not had an easy schedule but they have been competitive. There are reasons to be encouraged:

1) Ricky Davis is adjusting. The guy is an exciting, athletic player that can be a difference maker on both ends of the floor for Miami. He could easily be that 3rd scoring option the Heat desperately need and he is showing signs of that - getting 20+ points against the Suns most recently.

2) Jason Williams looks better. He also dropped 20+ on the Suns and looks terrific moving the ball in traffic and pushing the offense. Getting used to playing with different personnel will help and with Wade set to return soon JWill's play will only get better. Will he stay healthy? This is his final contract year...

3) Shaq is starting to look good again. His first two games he was virtually non-existent offensively - as far as scoring is concerned. Of late, he too is starting to score more. Looking less sluggish, he is also showing that he can still take over a game for stretches.

4) Anfernee Hardaway is as good as advertised. Coming off the bench he has played excellent defense, provided timely and efficient scoring, and showing heady play. He could be Posey's replacement. Penny is worth much more - somewhere Abraham Lincoln is smiling.

5) Wade is coming back. Sooner rather than later.

See the difference in the margin of win or loss in the Heat's first five games has been a play or two. Even against a team like San Antonio on the road, the Heat played them tight throughout but couldn't hang in the whole game trying to adjust as a team to new personnel and a strong opponent. If Wade, healthy and ready to go, was in that game there would have been a big difference on the offensive side of the floor. That could have resulted in a win.

Put a healthy Wade in the lineup against the Pistons, the Suns, the Bobcats and you might see a win in those games as well.

What we are seeing is a microcosm of last season - the Heat without Wade is a good team, not a great team. They have to find a way to compete and win - but with Wade they could make up the difference and turn things around.

Heat fans, keep this in perspective. It is still early. A healthy Wade, set to return, could be the difference.

Heat Lack of Depth Should Force Youth Movement

Riley is starting to get to me these days. Look, we don't have the greatest depth in the world and at times last season we were seen as slow, old, sluggish, apathetic and just not hungry enough to care.

Gone are Jason Kapono, arguably our best outside shooter since Glen Rice, and James Posey - the defensive dynamo that had the panache for big shots.

What are we left with, a Penny Hardaway comeback story? Riley, are you serious?

Sure, Hardaway could be a serviceable presence in tough game situations, like the playoffs. But you have to get their first.

The general consensus is that Riley would be more likely to keep Hardaway over young players like Jeremy Richardson or Devin Green. Why?! Just because it is a name that is familiar to Riley? He's thinking about 8 years ago when he should be thinking about 8 years from now.

Fortunately, players like Dorell Wright, Daequan Cook, Wayne Simien and Alexander Johnson are all in spots where the Heat need them. Joel Anthony, Marcus Slaughter, and possibly even Earl Barron could be sent packing even though each has talent enough to make the roster. Then there is the backup PG battle heating up between Chris Quinn and Brian Chase...

This bias - or is it an unhealthy fixation - has no benefit. Hardaway is not going to give the Heat more of a future than a talent like Jeremy Richardson, a player who can play in this league and contribute. Look at Allan Houston - the Knicks told him, finally, to pack it up. Doug Christie is still trying to make his comeback - or sell his blasted book about he and his wife's love life (bleck!). Christie contacted the Heat, ironically, and they said no.

So why should Hardaway get a spot that would be best served for a younger player with more upside? Because Riley doesn't want to spend his time developing players and his demands are high. He wants perfection. That is great, but frankly, a veteran might be less likely to make a mental mistake, but is going to be far more limited in what he can do on the court. It really is a tradeoff.

Yet, you can't win games if no one comes to play healthy. Hardaway's durability is just as much of a question as is how would Richardson perform in games. Hardaway might have more experience, but Richardson has less miles.

On a team that saw its two superstars miss almost an entire season's worth of games, there is little to be gained by having another high mileage presence that could be out with an injury. Wade is already going to miss at least the first month. Time to shift the thinking around here.

Training Camp 2007: It All Starts Here

The offseason hasn't been kind to the Miami Heat - in fact, it seems like they put the "off" in offseason.

From the misses on Mo Williams, Mickael Pietrus, Juan Carlos Navarro - even Charlie Bell - Miami was unable to add a marquee name to its roster. Heck, even a somewhat vague name would have helped.

There is hope though. After years of stacking up with veteran help signing to the bare minimum, Riley FINALLY shifted gears a bit and stocked up on young talent - signing them to the bare minimum.

There is a noted difference in camp with the younger crowd. The team seems a bit more hungry and energetic - things they definitely were not last season.

The buzz? Keep an eye on Jeremy Richardson. We have been pretty high on this guy's athletic ability and his skills offensively. He was kind of labeled a project with some upside, but he has matured physically and with the Heat's system, they may be able to fine tune him enough to get into the rotation. Riley has commented that Richardson reminds him of a young Glen Rice, which would obviously be a good thing for the Heat since they will need to find an offensive shooting presence off the bench to replace Jason Kapono.

Another young guy to keep an eye on is Alexander Johnson. If he can show his promise and deliver consistent performances, he could squeeze into the backup PF role that was envisioned for Wayne Simien. Johnson, however, has more skill, more size, more explosiveness. If both he and Richardson can show they belong, the role for Antoine Walker, the Heat's most controversial and most inefficient player, becomes diminished.

At point guard there seems to be some excitement over Jason Williams' quickness returning. He has said that he feels the best he has in about 5 years, and that his lateral quickness is back and he can actually penetrate into the paint. Everyone has been raving about J-Dub's ability to pass the ball and how his energy level is up. Shedding 15 pounds and resting some surgically repaired knees will help.

Which brings us to Williams' backup, Smush Parker. It seems an ankle injury that never healed is bugging him, keeping him limited in practice for now. Rest assured, that the Heat have a capable backup PG that could keep pushing the tempo once Williams' is resting on the bench. Riley, of course, realizes he cannot push Jason Williams as much, but if healthy, it would be more prudent to keep him minutes limited so he can endure the regular season for the post season.

Yet, if Parker is not able to practice, there is an interesting battle for the 3rd spot heating up between Chris Quinn and Brian Chase. Chase was recently signed by the Heat after Shaq recommended him to Riley. The ex Utah Jazz point guard displays great quickness and agility and proves to be a tough defensive assignment at only 5'9". He is also pushing pressure on Chris Quinn to make the final roster.

As for other tidbits from the start of camp, there is Penny Hardaway's future with the Heat, which seems to be that of veteran presence off the bench much like Shandon Anderson was or even Eddie Jones was of last season. Also, Daequan Cook continues to show promise - the good news is he is playing with confidence and he is in shape. If he can continue to develop his game, he might get some solid minutes in the regular season.

And then there is the biggest question mark of all, Dorell Wright. If he can finally live up to the promise of being the Heat's only high school draft pick ever, it would be a boon for the Heat. He has grown, he has filled out some, and he seems to be taking a much more mature and professional approach this summer as he takes on probably his more pivotal point of his career. If he can show defensive skill while at the same time controlling the ball and hitting his jumper consistently, Riley may have found his starting small forward. If not, the Heat may be pressed to make a move.

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.

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