Ruben Patterson: How the Miami Heat Replace James Posey

The expected sign and trade deal of James Posey to another team has not come to fruition yet. In fact, there really doesn't even seem to be a seed.

The Heat were hoping they could cash in on Posey's talents by offering him up to other teams while in return solving a need of their own.

Better scrap that idea for now.

Because the free agents left on the market are going to be going away and the Heat will be a team left on the outside looking in and wondering "what if". If they don't move fast enough, there will only be a "what?!" from the rest of the Heatian fan base.

Yet there is one solution that could meet all the needs of the Heat. Right now, they have just under 2.15M left of their precious mid-level exception (MLE), the 1.8M biannual exception and the 1.1 veteran minimum exception (which they can use unlimitedly to round out their roster).

Ruben Patterson might be available for any one of those three options.



What is there to love about Ruben Patterson? Well, he is a ferocious, physical defender that can attack offensive rebounds. He can post up on defenders at his position, he can drive to the basket along the baseline. His outside shot was almost non-existent, he's just 6'5" and he just pushed pass the 32 year old mark today (Happy Birthday, Rube Cube).

But it almost seems too perfect for him here in Miami. His off court antics and personality would mesh well with the other personalities Riley seems to enjoy placing his own brand of therapy upon: John Starks, Anthony Mason. Patterson seems almost like a perfect prospect to be programmed by ol' Pat. He will play his butt off, won't back down from anyone, and will do the dirty things this Heat team needs done: mostly defend and rebound.

Patterson can score, but it will be around the basket and not from afar, which the Heat also needs more of. Too many guys were falling in love with their three point shots, which weren't spectacular to begin with, and it made the offense stagnant and predictable. See James Posey, for example. With Patterson, you won't have to worry as he shot 15% from three point range last season! It doesn't matter as much as the Heat won't need to rely on his offensive production, but instead need his defense to help assert their style of play better.

Posey is known for knocking down guys and getting very physical, Patterson would do the same. The biggest difference is Ruben Patterson has found a way to score in this league without relying on his outside shot while James Posey has been able to hit his outside shot but not be as productive as a scorer as Patterson.

Sure the Heat get older, but they also get a bit tougher, meaner and more physical. With the East seeing all these moves to improve teams, especially within their own division, the Heat are going to have to find ways to intimidate and bludgeon their opponents as they will most likely not have enough firepower to run.

Ruben Patterson's skill set and his pricetag may ultimately prove a great choice for the Miami Heat - should they choose to look in his direction.

Free Agent Watch: Steve Francis

Soon, Steve Francis will pick what team he will play for for the upcoming 2007-2008 NBA season.

Will it be Houston, his once proud hometown?

Will it be Los Angeles, with best friend in the world Cuttino Mobley? I smell a sitcom!

Will it be Miami, his most realistic chance at a championship? (That's right, I said it.)

Say what you will about Steve Francis, but he does still have a valuable skill set. He can penetrate off the dribble and although he is streaky, his midrange jumper can be effective. The guy was a big time scorer in his hey-day, but he is still only 30 years old - hardly over the hill. Could he play with Wade? Yes. Would it be recommended to have two soft defensive guards on the floor with inconsistent jumpers at the same time? Probably not too often. Yet for the price, Francis would be a big lift to any team.

"It gives us the luxury of really being able review these circumstances from a basketball-fit perspective as opposed to strictly a financial one," Fried said.

That's a good sign for the Heat's chances because President Pat Riley has said he won't overpay for lower-tier free agents. Francis has spoken with Riley about his potential role with the Heat, Fried said. LINK

Francis will be making his decision soon. We'll see if he is going to punch tickets to Miami - and away from his hometown and his BFF Cuttino.

Free Agent Watch: Rumblings

The Miami Heat are digging in and working behind the scenes - at least that is what all the signs are pointing towards.

Riley should face criticism for his handling of the Mo Williams situation. That was not a college recruiting trip, but instead a real-live free agent patdown which resulted in the Heat panting too heavily and the Bucks, only trying to cheap their way out of retaining Williams, were forced into upping the deal.

It was never a realistic possibility, once the texting with Riley started, and it was a waste of time. Yet, you can't really blame anyone in trying to explore options. What's left?

Plenty, despite what the finicky media says.

Mark Bartelstein, the agent for James Posey, has stated that several teams are interested in acquiring his services. The team on top of the radar is the Golden State Warriors. In this case, competition is good as it will force a team into working with the Heat on a sign-and-trade to guarantee Posey's services. Look for Golden State to possibly counter with Matt Barnes or Mickeal Pietrus. They are over the cap and only have the MLE and a bi-annual exception (1.83M) to use and both players are seeking money that could total out those sums. The Warriors, reportedly, are hesitant to offer that money to Barnes and Pietrus. Instead, they are letting the market dry up and force these players to realize what their worth is.





The fact of the matter is, there are few teams with money to spend and the market is drying up quickly for these free agents. Golden State could be a player for Posey, and at the same time Pietrus would go a long way towards improving the Heat as would Matt Barnes. Thanks to Kelenna Azubuike, who just signed a two year deal with the Warriors at 1.5M, the two FAs are looking to slash their initial demands.


Then there is Jannero Pargo, another client of the ever-busy Mark Bartelstein (who is also the agent for Mo Williams). The Heat are interested and have inquired about his availability. This would be a great fit for Miami - Pargo can stick the three (38%) and he can defend the point guard position as well as handle the rock and break down his man with his dribble. This is all the Heat really need from a PG candidate to play alongside Wade - defense, stick his jumpers.

These are just a couple of examples that could become real possibilities in the coming days. Juan Carlos Navarro is a possibility, but the Heat are currently weighing whether or not the cost would be worth it - JCN's buyout is around 2.5M.

Another possibility is Dahntay Jones, the ex-Duke guard. Both he and Alexander Johnson were let go by the Grizzlies and both played some significant minutes for their former club last season. Jones shot 47% from the field and 41% from behind three point range; he can also play some nice D and could be a solid alternative to thicken up the talent pool at the guard spot.

Alexander Johnson is very young still, leaving early from FSU for the NBA, and is still a project. However, he has a long wingspan and is a very strong physical player with a solid postgame. He could be an upgrade over the oft-injured Wayne Simien and could even press Udonis Haslem for minutes down the road. He would add youth and depth to the Heat's front line and could be had for a very low cost.

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In the meantime, two summer league prospects that look like good bets to make the team are Trey Johnson and Jeremy Richardson. Obvious, Daequan Cook is going to make the team, but these two candidates have demonstrated consistent offensive production as well as excellent intangibles and defense. Johnson is an intense competitor and Richardson has shown flashes of excellence in his recent NBA/NBDL stints.

Free Agent Watch: Best Options for Miami Heat

With all the talk about landing big name free agents circulating in relation to the Miami Heat, I wanted to take a second and remind everyone that the likelihood of it happening is very very small.

The Heat have virtually no wiggle room due to big ticket items like Dwyane Wade (12.5M) and Shaq (20M) and are forced into finding more cost effective alternatives due to their financial constraints.

The Heat have a payroll for the upcoming season that is estimated to cost $64M for 9 players - the most attractive assets are Jason Williams and his 8.9M expiring deal and possibly James Posey's sign-and-trade potential as the Heat can offer him a better deal than his new team could and there is expected to be competition for his services. The Heat, realistically, cannot match offers from other teams to keep Posey (yet, as this article will show they really shouldn't anyway).

The rest:

Antoine Walker has 2 years at 8.5M with a team option in 2009-2010
Udonis Haslem has 3 more years at 6M rising to 7M in 2009-2010
Micheal Doleac is in his final year at 3.1M
Zo is in his final year at 2.7M but it is only speculated that he is returning
Dorell Wright is in his final year at 1.7M but Heat can match offers next season
Wayne Simien will make 997K with a team option for 1.8M next season

Now, owner Mickey Arison has stated he will pay luxury tax dollars for a player that is worth it - so that is the main reason for public speculation about the Heat acquiring another big name. Yet the reality is, there are teams with slightly more to offer and the chances for the Heat are not as good as some in the media might dare to portray.

Yet, there is plenty of hope left for the Heat to re-tool their lineup. In fact, the options that are out there can be much more enticing.

I am going to outline a couple of unrestricted free agent options that could immediately help this team get better and deepen its talent pool in the areas it needs help. What are those areas? Good question, and a great place to start.

Let's play GM:

Point Guard.

The Heat need point guard depth as Gary Payton is retiring (not official yet...but 99% chance he does not return with the Heat), Jason Williams has question marks over each knee and Chris Quinn is solid, but not proven enough to build with.

Options.

- Steve Blake. He is a hometown kid with a pass first mentality and his motor runs but never blows a gasket out there. He knows his limits and plays safe, smart basketball. He has pretty good handles, can penetrate and can stick the open three. Not going to offer too much defensively, but for the price would be a much more valuable alternative to Jason Williams. As such, would free up the Heat to deal Williams and his expiring contract.

- Jason Hart. Despite being 31, has a lot of minutes still in him, but just needs a place to play. A very good defender for his position, not a huge scorer but a solid passer and can shoot the open three - the only question is can he knock it down consistently? Can run an offense and do what is asked and for the price, could be another valuable alternative to Gary Payton - may only take the veteran minimum depending on the market.

- Brevin Knight. Probably the best defender at his position on the market, but concerns about his durability is what got him on the open market in the first place. Basically, he's fragile, but when he is healthy he is one of the better floor generals and playmakers at his position. Great assist man and offers low turnovers. Can't shoot to save his life, but can get to the rim and create. Not a scorer, but has his nights. Could be had for the veteran minimum and could start on the Heat because Wade will do most of the heavy lifting on offense and Knight could hold it down defensively.

- Jannero Pargo. Another rangy guard that has great quickness and athleticism, but needs a place to play. He can shoot the three and can run an offense; defensively he can get busy while bouncing in and out of lanes and has the physical tools to guard his man. May cost a little bit more because he has a perceived potential that could result in a higher ceiling of the guards available. Like Blake, may be looking for the entire MLE (mid-level exception worth about $5.6M).

Small Foward.

The Heat have another hole forming at small forward due to the free agent status of James Posey and the now-departed Jason Kapono. The Heat at least have Dorell Wright, a building piece in that spot, and can play Antoine Walker at the small forward position (where he started, incidentally, for the championship team in 2006) although it isn't recommended.

Options.

- Ime Udoka. Very good perimeter defender as well as solid shooter: he can hit the three, he can hit his free throws and he won't try to do too much on offense. An excellent candidate to replace James Posey and he will do so at a much cheaper price (made 744K last season). Starter caliber SF with excellent defense and spot up shooting as well as tough and physical and will battle for loose balls and rebounds. His age (turning 30) could price him down which makes him a bargain for the cash-strapped Heat. Only 3 years as a pro in the NBA which means, like Hart, has a lot of game left in his legs at this point.

- Jumaine Jones. Another tough perimeter defender that could lock down the SF position but has a little more experience scoring the ball with other teams. Actually younger than Udoka, but has more experience in the NBA. Just a very good and solid all around game, he also can replace Posey at a fraction of the cost - only made 744K last season as well.

- Devean George. This guy always seems like he has more potential, extremely gifted athlete and can defend at SF, PF and even SG. Has a nice shooting touch and can score the ball from time to time and will have his break out games as well. Has experience and has played with Shaq back in his Laker days. Might cost a bit more than Udoka and Jones, however, as he has had a more consistent NBA career. Opted out of a guaranteed $2M contract for next season, so not as much value especially considering his disappointing performance last season with the Mavs.

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Not only would these options answer questions for the Heat and address needs, they would also offer a strong package of complementary pieces that could build around Wade and Shaq for the next three years. Each player listed should be signed using the MLE and the only ones looking to use the entire MLE are Blake and possibly Pargo.

Signing these players also frees the Heat up to move other pieces and contracts that are on the books. For example, finding a replacement for Jason Williams allows the Heat to deal Williams; finding a replacement for James Posey allows the Heat to deal Pose. What this means is the Heat could sign-and-trade Posey, coupled with Williams' expiring contract, and get back a bigger piece to obtain that third scoring option they so badly need. This does not require the Heat to deal Udonis Haslem or Antoine Walker, which they also cold do provided they get back a PF in the deal to account for Haslem's loss - such a PF does not have to be an all-world talent, instead he just has to rebound and help spread the floor. It is debatable at this time if Simien could do this himself, although it remains a very good possibility.

The Heat don't have to rebuild, just reload. They can do this affordably given the options on the market but it would be advisable that they move quickly as teams are looking to make that quick deal in the beginning of the free agent period so that teams don't have a chance to sign-and-trade with their own free agents.

Free Agent Watch: Rashard Lewis Performing Magic

Looks like the Heat won't be getting Rashard Lewis in a Heat jersey anytime soon. As some of the south Florida media kept insisting that Miami was a player in the Lewis sweeps, it just looks like they were getting played. The Magic had the space available to get Lewis the contract he wants (around 10M per annum).

The NBA's most sought-after free agent is going to the Magic Kingdom.

Rashard Lewis has given the Orlando Magic a verbal commitment to leave the Seattle SuperSonics and sign a max contract on July 11, according to NBA front-office sources.

That's the first day free agents are allowed to officially sign new contracts.

Unless a sign-and-trade arrangement is worked out with Lewis' old team or unless it can otherwise shed payroll between now and July 11, Orlando will have to renounce the rights to restricted free agent Darko Milicic to create the salary-cap space needed to sign Lewis to a deal believed to be in the $15 million-a-year range.

LINK

However, if the Magic have to part with Milicic, there could be something there for the Heat. Maybe the Heat can pull off something for Milicic, or get involved with the Magic in order to orchestrate a sign-and-trade in order for the Magic to get something for Milicic while the Heat get a little something for themselves.