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.

Something Rotten in the State of Miami

Now, I know Miami is not a state - it's just a quote, or rather an allusion. But everybody is talking about Mo Williams' recent sound bite and using that as fuel to speculate about the status of Miami.

I said it years ago, Stan van Gundy would be a fine coach for this modern NBA and the Magic at least got that right. I also felt he was the best man for the job even when Riley was being rumored to come back. Yet right now, with Riley waffling over coaching, and the Heat strapped financially, there seems to be a bad stench that is keeping possible free agents away.

It is like repellent chasing everyone away, including a once bright assistant.

Not good considering I am going to be moving back to Miami myself.

Is there any truth to what Mo Williams said? Yeah, there is. Things aren't exactly Disney-like in Miami, but it is overblown. Riley might be stressing as the head coach but in point of fact, he didn't seem to do it enough last season. He let the players have it their way and that is why Zo said what he said. The question really should be is Riley willing to commit enough to coaching and winning? Can Riley live up to his own standards?

This down-trodden team, with a lackluster work ethic, is also being overblown. Whenever a team has two stars the magnitude of a Dwyane Wade and a Shaquille O'neal and those two players combine to miss 73 games, your team is going to take a hit. This also allowed for Jason Kapono to grab more playing time and enabled him to punch his passport for Toronto.

Something isn't right, and it isn't all about the money. Steve Francis apparently rejected more money from Miami to sign with Houston - yet that seems more like a heart move in that Francis wanted to return to Houston, his hometown. Mo Williams', comments aside, was definetly going to grab money. Other than that, there really hasn't been any high profile moves that Miami was seeking to do that they lost out on.

Yet, there are disturbing tendencies by Miami to overlook potential targets. No, not Travis Diener, but Steve Blake, Jason Hart, and now even Jannero Pargo.

Riley is right, however, that you don't want to overpay for a player especially when faced with paying the dollar for dollar amount of the luxury tax. So essentially, paying double for Pargo or Blake is not what Riley wants to do - he would rather upgrade another way without having to overpay and that would include a trade.

Mike Bibby is available, but the Kings don't want Jason Williams. Instead, they should be taking Udonis Haslem, which the Heat can afford to part with given the market (Alex Johnson or even Melvin Ely would be suitable replacements coupled with Bibby, would upgrade the Heat).

It just seems like Riley is shuffling his feet and looking to get out. Like in poker, he has had his bluff called.

Fat Lady Hasn't Sung Yet for Miami Heat Offseason

That's right, there is no Rosie O'Donnell mike check just yet. There are still plenty of options for the Miami Heat going forward in the offseason.

Free agents

Jannero Pargo is a worthwhile target, but it is surprising that he hasn't been signed yet while other point guards have been taken. It will only play to undermine his salary demands and the Heat could get him on the cheap.

Brevin Knight would have to grade a bit lower as concerns about his health would be a definite issue, and with Jason Williams' past health issues, it wouldn't give the Heat a consistent option but it seems that Knight wants to prove the Bobcats wrong for releasing him.

Trade possibilities

Juan Carlos Navarro is being dangled by the Wizards, but it will come down to what it will cost the Heat and if it would be worth it. Playing off the Steve Francis possibility, Miami was more able to command a better stance in the deal. With that option gone, however, it will demand that Riley be as cunning as ever to get the best deal - the Wizards apparently are attaching Navarro's rights to a bloated contract; either Etan Thomas, Brendan Haywood or Antonio Daniels.

Mike Bibby could return as a target for the Heat. They have always been after him, according to reports, and his contract is pretty sizeable - 13M and 14M over the next two seasons.

Luke Ridnour's time in Seattle might be up. With Earl Watson and Delonte West on the roster, the Sonics may be choosing between Watson and Ridnour. Given Ridnour's contract is slightly more (6.5M for next three seasons) the Sonics may be looking to trade him for a more valued asset.

These are options still left on the table for point guard. Don't even get me started on the other possibilities at other positions as there are still plenty. Ime Udoka, Jumaine Jones, Dahntay Jones, Eddie Jones, Ruben Patterson, Brian Skinner, Lawrence Roberts, Alexander Johnson and Melvin Ely to name a few.

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.

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.