Pookie Not Enough

There is no reason why Wade should be in Barkley's fave five these days (thanks, TMobile, I expect that credit on my cell phone bill!) and certainly not with the way the Heat are playing. The Jordan comparisons, for now, can stop. Wade is not the one man wrecking crew he turned out to be in '05-'06. He isn't healthy and the only man to not realize this is Riley himself.

"I'm sick and tired of being asked if we have any other offensive options other than Dwyane (Wade)," the author of the book "The Winner Within" said Saturday night. "I say, "No, we don't.'"

Sure you do, Pat. You just choose not to see it.

And no, I don't mean Whaq, the 20M blackhole. Might as well be a statue of Shaq that we purchased because the real Diesel hasn't been around since after we won that championship. And even then there were weak parts to his diminishing game.

No, I am talking about Daequan Cook, Dorell Wright, and even Alexander Johnson. I am also talking about Mark Blount - yes, Mark Blount - and Earl Barron.

I am certainly not talking about Ricky Davis who all of a sudden has lost his shot. Maybe he should start yelling "fore" when shooting. Not "nachoooooo" like Gilbert "Crazy Eyes" Arenas does. Heck, at least people would be warned and there would be less injury to the spectators.

Cook, however, has shown flashes of being a star in this league. Curiously, everyone except Riley sees it. I mean, I know you drafted Jason Smith, but you did trade for Cook for a reason. You had a thought in there that was correct - get me more offense. Cook's brash young attitude may not mesh with Riley, but Smush he certainly is not. Whom we could use, by the way, but Riley doesn't believe in cornrows. The exception being Udonis and Ricky Davis - whom he had traded a few years back for precisely the same stupid rationale.

Look, I love Riley. The man is a great coach and a great tactician but frankly, when you are only focusing on one player and neglecting to explore other options simply because they are young is just plain dumb. Sun Tzu wouldn't do that. Nor would anyone else - especially the man who built the team. Might as well not sign anyone this past offseason and rolled with 8 players.

When the Heat actually played well during this 13 game losing streak, it was without its two best players - Whaq and DWade. And it was on the road against the Mavericks.

Why? The Heat played as a team and Riley coached a TEAM and not a player surrounded by supporting cast. This isn't a stiff action film where the cast is cardboard and formulaic just to support the notion of a script. This is a film that requires a bit more from its supporting cast and a bit less from its star lead. If Riley only let the team play and shifted his focus off of Wade so much it would achieve two things:

1) A team concept
2) Allow Wade to put out less effort, gain his health back and work within a team concept

In other words, Riley would have to coach and just possibly, this team might start winning again. Pookie ain't enough. Whaq's return certainly isn't going to help our defense and will in all likelihood clog up the lane as a statue with one arm frozen in the air calling for the ball.

Pookie ain't enough. And if Riley is sick enough of saying that, maybe he could go for the obvious and start playing his younger players and let them develop. Heck, this is all about next year.

Heat Might Make Change Soon

Smush Parker has been invited back to Miami to rejoin the Heat. Coming out of exile, the question is, will it be to actually play for the Heat or to have an audition for a future trade? We'll know tomorrow night what the case may be but considering Jason Williams creaky knees, even with negative MRIs, and a gimpy Chris Quinn, Parker's services may be needed more so than Riley would care to admit.

Then there is the possibility of a trade with anyone on the roster - save Wade and Shaq. The team is falling apart. Some have noticed that there is frustration running so deep that even a rift between players like Wade and Udonis Haslem is noticeable.

Something is brewing. The Heat need a stable answer at PG, and they need to find another scoring option. This may be hard to do, but with Riley's ability to pull off trades seemingly overnight, who knows what tomorrow holds. But it could come sooner rather than later.

Smush Out; Jackson Debut

Heat look like they are going to lose this game to the Wiz, which is unfortunate because they are a better team without Gilbert. They just had to rely on an injury to him in order to discover what pretty much any half wit watching basketball knew. Its true because I have noticed this too!

That said, there were some bright spots. Quinn looks a bit more confident and seems to start to believe he can play at this level. He was bombing away from the three point line, being really the only consistent offensive threat at the end of the game.

Luke Jackson played some extensive minutes at the end of the game, and looked ready to fit in. He is athletic and seems to be able to find open spots on the floor - if only Miami can find him. Then again, their offense just looked dreadful in comparison to how well they played on the road.

7 losses out of 9 at home. Riley warned that the Heat come out sluggish and it showed.

Speaking of slugs, where is Smush you might be wondering? Legal problems have basically ended his tenure in Miami. He is being shopped and it is looking like Miami might be targeting a PG from Seattle, either Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson's teammate at Oregon, or Earl Watson. Now, it is probably not likely that Smush would be enough to net something like that in return, but who knows? Smush is also the reason why Jackson was added as the Heat need more offense and can't afford to wait for Penny to get his shot back.

Heat miss out on a way to kick things back into high gear, but that is the Heat for you. They underdeliver and overpromise it seems.

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.

Charlie Bell: The One That Got Away?

Well, as we all know (and some of us expected) the Bucks matched the Heat's offer for Charlie Bell - which means he won't be moving to Miami anytime soon.

We could all pin our hopes on a trade, but it was more likely the Heat were going to make a trade if they retained Bell than they would actually trade for Bell.

What this means is the Heat's offseason continues to disappoint. Sure, it was a long shot and Riley basically took a shot in the dark on this, but it wasn't quite like the genius moves of the 2003 offseason where Riley dangled money for Elton Brand only to snatch up the Clippers other RFA, Lamar Odom. Mo Williams re-signed with Milwaukee, but because they are possibly even cheaper than the Clippers they had enough money to match Bell, too.

But this brings up an interesting discussion - or two rather.

1) Is the restricted free agent situation even a worthwhile pursuit? It seems like teams hold all the cards and the only negotiation ploy for an RFA is to threaten to go to Europe. This is what Bell did, and it is what Sarunas Jasikevicius is doing as is Mickeal Pietrus. Pietrus just wants to play in Miami, but it is looking like Golden State has some kind of weird vendetta against Pietrus and will stop at nothing to flounder his ideas. So, he threatens to stay in Europe - but the trick is, even if he does go to Europe, when he comes back to the NBA the Warriors still hold his rights and he is still in the same situation.

As an RFA in the NBA, you're basically screwed. Methinks that will get tinkered with come time for the next CBA.

2) Did signing Smush as an act of desperation stifle the Heat's ability to sign a guy like Charlie Bell? Yes, it did. But the real question is, who was more valued - Bell or Smush? It seems Smush is, but if he isn't, than what is the explanation for the Heat? Bell was available all summer, yet they made no overtures. They would have been better off pushing for a deal at the start of the offseason, like the Raptors did with Kapono, and we may have had him here in Miami. After all, the Bucks had to deal with the Yi situation and then the Mo money scenario. Quietly going after Bell at that time would may have been too much for Milwaukee to handle and they might have let him go since they were trying to plan on retaining the other priorities.

That is, if you think Bell was a highly coveted target at all. I think it was more of a 'hey, why not?' kind of move for Miami. No risk, all reward. And now the Bucks have to deal with that 5 year contract.

The Open J: Grab Bag

So the offseason has been a bit slow, but some of you have been stopping by and reading what we are covering these days. Time to return the favor!

I pulled this question out of one of our comments, posted by jasond76. He asked:

I agree about Johnson, actually. Although I honestly had to research him to become more familiar with what he could offer, I really think he could be a positive player for the Heat. Anyone Hollinger rates as a top 10 rookie around the all-star break is a great addition. With all of the interest Haslem is garnering, is there a chance we might trade Haslem for other needs (SF, a younger/healthier PG) and consider giving Johnson major minutes?

Hollinger rated Alex Johnson in the top 10 rookie class, huh? I didn't know that, very interesting.

I think we have to be realistic about something - Udonis Haslem has probably the most value of the Heat players that we could part with. Sure, you could argue that Jason Williams does, since he has a one year deal. But Haslem's age and affordable contract, coupled with his production and experience, make him an excellent candidate to be a complementary piece for a playoff team. The question is, as I believe I understand jasond76's suggestion, is can the Heat actually afford to part with him? On another "Open J" article, I actually posted that the Heat should trade UD.

So, my answer is yes.

The only question is, to whom? First things first - can Alexander Johnson push Haslem from the starting spot? Quite possibly. That isn't to say UD is not any good, just that Johnson has vast potential and it has gone quite untapped since his college days at FSU. He is explosive, athletic, and with those gifts comes confidence that he can perform at the pro level. He can rebound, he can score, and his long reach enable him to defend better and hurry his assignments and force them to shoot contested shots. UD gets better positioning, but that is something Johnson can work on and obtain with experience. Johnson has a solid midrange game, not quite as good as UD's, but Haslem was not polished by any means coming into training camp as an undrafted rookie with the Heat a few years back.

Yes, Haslem is expendable, and for that very reason he should be dealt. We Heat fans tend to overvalue him, but coupled with another asset, something tangible could be yielded in return.

Also, watch this Charlie Bell signing very carefully. If the Heat are able to retain him, this could be a signal that a move is imminent. On its own, this Bell signing has very good value as the Heat gain a shooter and scorer in Bell that could complement Wade's game and even afford the Heat to play Bell alongside Wade while giving Bell the point guard as the defensive assignment. And they could do so with confidence. This of course means that Jason Williams could be just a bit more expendable, but it would also mean that the Heat would have to be confident with Smush Parker as their starting PG.

The Johnson signing definitely makes Haslem a bit more expendable. Signing Bell could mean that we would be free to drop another asset into the pot to pull the trigger on a deal. We'll see if the gambit pays off.

Thanks again, jasond76 for the question. Keep 'em coming!

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.

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.

Heat Get Smushed

Smush Parker is apparently joining the Heat.

Sources are reporting that Parker, 26, is going to sign for 2 years at $5.35M - a portion of the Heat's MLE.

This might be a sign that the Heat have abandoned trying to acquire the rights for Juan Carlos Navarro from the Wizards or even a deal for Rafer Alston may have fallen apart.



UPDATE:

Randy Pfund addressed the media today after the signing became official. “We are excited to bring Smush to Miami,” said HEAT General Manager Randy Pfund. “He’s a talented young player who brings good size and athleticism to our point guard position. Smush has been the starting point guard of a playoff team the past two seasons and we believe he has his best years ahead of him.”

Looks like Smush will replace Gary Payton, who has still yet to retire, as the defensive PG off the bench. Smush shot in the 36% range from behind the arc and he has the ability to be an explosive player taking the ball to the rack.

Now, consider what a backcourt of DWade and Smush will look like.