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.

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.

What's Left: Heat Free Agent Options

The Heat finalized the deal for Smush Parker, which gave them a young, athletic backup PG to replace Gary Payton who has all but retired. Verdict? Upgrade.

Miami's ability to lure Smush might not immediately turn heads, but the Heat get a solid consolation prize while watching Steve Francis and Mo Williams go elsewhere - neither of which was the fault or failure of the Miami Heat.

This also allows the Heat to move on and focus on other needs - like a small forward to replace the soon-to-depart James Posey.

Two solid options are available still - Ruben Patterson and Ime Udoka. Both are NBA veterans and can play excellent, physical defense. Patterson is not a consistent shooter, but that could mark him down enough (along with his age) that could make him an affordable option for Miami.

Udoka could be a bit out of the Heat's price range as they have dipped into part of the MLE for Parker already. That and Udoka has rumored to have a $3M dollar per year starting offer from the Spurs.

Then there are more interesting options.

Matt Barnes - still on the market, and unrestricted. His true market value is being displayed as he has not been a valueable commodity on the current market. However, he could be had for great value and with the Heat still having just over 2.15M left of their MLE, something might be worked out. He would provide athleticism, hustle, defense and a great shot with the ability to score big.

Jumaine Jones - another guy who could be looking to resurrect his career. Still fairly young (28) he can shoot and play defense. Could be had for less than the MLE amount remaining.

Dahntay Jones - another young wingman who, like Barnes, is looking for the right opportunity. He has size, can shoot and play physical and Duke players have a tendency to be well coached on the defensive side of the ball. Not drawing the kind of interest he might normally get considering the market and the assets still available.

There are options left for the Heat to meet their needs of a small forward that can defend and shoot. Even Eddie Jones remains on the radar.