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.

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.

The Open J: Sign PJ Brown?

The offseason is looking bleak for the Miami Heat, but there are still options available that could re-tool this team - as we have been stressing.

Another consideration, which may seem somewhat innovative and different, would be to get older.

The biggest problem for Miami last season was staying healthy: Shaq and Wade missed a combined 73 games last season. So it would seem getting older would only put the Heat more at risk of injury.

Yet, with very few financial tools as their disposal (as practically every team has the same tools to use at this time) the Heat have to meet the challenge of shoring up their roster in preparation of getting back on top. Orlando, Charlotte, even Washington and Atlanta have all improved their talent pools so winning the Southeastern division will be more of a challenge.

So, with all the retirees moving to South Florida, why not get one more? An old familiar face like PJ Brown.

Chicago power forward P.J. Brown remains available, but he reportedly favors a Florida team, the Magic or Heat, or possibly retirement. Arizona Central

It makes sense on many levels, not to mention continuing the trend of recycling ex-Heatians like Eddie Jones and Alonzo Mourning. What's one more?

More importantly, PJ Brown would still have a lot to offer this team. He brings a mental toughness that would agree with Zo, as well as a desire and intensity to win that would also complement Zo's. He can rebound, can still defend very well, and can stick that midrange jumper when needed. He would be a strong addition for a backup PF, and could even spend time at C if need be.



More importantly, he could be had for the veteran minimum $1.1M and would offer more incentive to deal Udonis Haslem to fill in at another place of need.

Sure, getting a guy who is almost 40 may seem like insanity. But this is a guy Riley can trust and he still has something to offer a team and he would get the chance to retire as a member of the Miami Heat. He could give you a solid 20 minutes a game and with the expected depth of this team, once the dust settles this offseason, he may not have to give you that much playing time and would serve as an excellent insurance policy - certainly a better option than Michael Doleac who could also be traded away as well.

Steve Francis Signs with Houston, What Now?

Well, it would have been nice to land Francis for the veteran minimum contract of 1.1M, but he got more money from Houston: $6 million to be exact.

A two year deal for 3 million a piece means that Houston was willing to dip a little more into the MLE (minimum level exception) than Miami or even the Clippers were willing.

Boy I sure hope there is a backup plan here. Still, you have to defend Riley in that he is not willing to spend more money on players just because. Getting Francis at the veteran mimimum was the deal, paying more on top of the 30M payout the Trailblazers gave him was not. So, the Heat, looking to buy, will move on pass the glass cases and see what is in the backroom. After all, there are smarter, more valuable options still available (Dahntay Jones, for example).

In fact, this might all but assure Eddie Jones gets another year with the Heat.

Or perhaps the Heat will pull it together and finally pull the trigger on a deal for Mike Bibby. Soon, we'll know.