The Official Miami Heat March to the Lottery Thread.

[aquaattak]

Originally Posted by Vertical Limit

We have signed James Jones to a 5 year deal, the final 3 years conditional (guess this protects us for 2010).

I hope this means the end of the Dorrell Wright project. I am very happy with this signing, I think he will be very good for our team and can provide spacing for Wade and Beasley with his proven NBA range (finished in the Top 3 last season beyond the arc).

Much needed signing since we don't have a veteran three point threat. Plus a good defensive player, better than what the stat sheet says. Hopefully his knees can stay healthy.

I was just coming on here to post the good news. Hopefully he can stay healthy...Not to mention hes coming back home...We need some 3 point shooters. Shame about Dorrell though

[Ferretsquig]

Dorell is either coming back or getting traded unless someone makes some ridiculous offer for his services. Bringing in Jones does seem to create a glut of wing players though.

[Vertical Limit]

Ira said in his last blog that he "promises" (yeah, he said promise) Marion and/or Haslem will be dealt with by the time the season begins.

Hopefully it's Marion, packaged with one of our bad contracts, like Blount. I know some teams would think of Marion as an extra piece to a contender. A team like Dallas may be interested in Marion's services.

And who knows, with the Spurs missing out on Corey, they might also be interested, since they do lack explosiveness and athleticism on that position, but I'm not sure if Marion is a player they think could fit on that roster.

[Ferretsquig]

Ira does say a lot of stupid ****. I guess thats the beauty of the blog....you can say whatever is on your mind and it doesn't have to make it through an editor.

Trading Haslem would be easy. Any number of teams would love to have him either starting or as the first post man off the bench and his salary is very reasonable. But what is his value to other teams and what can the Heat expect to get in return?

I can't decide whether I'd like to see Marion stay or go, but regardless of the fan's opinions, it will be really tough to trade him.....assuming Riley is sticking to his cap room in '10 plan. If Riles was willing to take on longer deals the Knicks would take him tomorrow, but I don't see that happening. Trading him to a team that wants him for his services, and not his salary, presents all kinds of problems. He essentially has a no trade clause.....he would have to agree to an extension with the new club and we've already seen two teams that have balked at his asking price. On top of that, making the salaries work would be a difficult task.....and further limit the number of teams he could be traded to.

Of course Riles acquired and dumped Shaq when noone thought he could pull off either trade, so I wouldn't put anything past him.

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Marion attracting lots of interest




With Shawn Marion and the Heat expected to resume contract talks shortly, several teams -- including the Clippers and Golden State -- have expressed interest in acquiring him. The issue, though, will be whether any offers will be more appealing than keeping Marion long-term or allowing his deal to expire next summer to sign Utah's Carlos Boozer.

Though Pat Riley said he wants to keep Marion, Miami's first offer wasn't close to Marion's wishes.

The Warriors like Marion, 30, and likely would deal Al Harrington (due $9.2 million and $10.2 million over the next two years), but appear reluctant to include restricted free agent center Andris Biedrins in a sign-and-trade. Point guard Monta Ellis told the Warriors that Miami is among teams he would love to be traded to, but Golden State hasn't been receptive. A Marion-Warriors scenario might need a third team.

The Clippers like Marion (due $17.8 million in 2008-09) and were willing to do a sign-and-trade involving Elton Brand and Marion after it became clear Brand wouldn't re-sign. But Brand was headed to Philadelphia by then, and the Clippers now lack appealing assets to acquire Marion.

Toronto pursued Marion before the draft, but the Heat declined a package including T.J. Ford (then dealt to Indiana) and wasn't interested in Jermaine O'Neal (who went to Toronto in that trade and has a big contract). Chicago likes Marion and likely would be willing to trade Larry Hughes and another piece, but Hughes' contract is unappealing (two years left at $12.8 million and $13.6 million).

The most logical hypothetical would be Marion to the Lakers for Lamar Odom (one year left at $14.5 million) and Chris Mihm ($2.5 million), but the Lakers first said publicly they're keeping Odom, and now, according to the Sacramento Bee, have offered Odom for Sacramento's Ron Artest. A Marion/Artest trade would hurt Miami because the Heat would have to assume the last two years of either Kenny Thomas' or Shareef Abdur-Rahim's bloated contracts.

With sentiment growing that Mario Chalmers could become a starting point guard eventually, the Heat has less incentive to assume large long-term contracts such as Kirk Hinrich's (four years, $36.5 million left).
So Miami's most affordable point-guard trade options include Memphis' Kyle Lowry (one year, $1.6 million), New Orleans' Mike James (two years, $12.5 million), Houston's Steve Francis (one year, $2.6 million) or Bobby Jackson (one year, $6 million), and Seattle's Luke Ridnour (two years, $13 million), with New York's Stephon Marbury or Indiana's Jamaal Tinsley in play if they're bought out.

http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/story/602626.html

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade taking 'angry' approach into Olympics

Dwyane Wade said today that he is "angry," and plans to play that way in the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

The Miami Heat guard said he is angry about those who have questioned his fitness, those who debate his value to the U.S. team, and those who equate the Heat's drop in the standings to a supposed decline in his ability at age 26.

"That's going to be like that probably all year, for a while, just that anger, that focus of getting back to total respect," he said this morning by phone before joining his Olympic teammates at practice in Macau, China.

"Any doubt that people have in their mind about you as a player, you want to erase it. Just like it was when I first came in the league, I played angry. So it's the same kind of feeling on the court."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...,1181029.story

[Vertical Limit]

Dwyane Wade has been amazing so far.

[CedarPhin]

Wade looks phenomenal so far...I like his chances for next season.

I wouldn't mind shipping Marion to the Warriors, he doesn't really fit into our style of play, and if we could get someone like Harrington or Ellis for him, that'd be sweet. I see a bunch of Warriors games out here, they both play pretty hard.

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Miami Heat guard Chalmers dismissed from rookie seminar

Heat rookie point guard Mario Chalmers could face further disciplinary action from the team and league after he was dismissed Tuesday from the NBA's mandatory rookie transition program.

Chalmers, a second-round draft pick, was sent home on the opening day of the program in New York after he and Memphis Grizzlies rookie Darrell Arthur were reportedly caught with marijuana and women in their room.
The NBA said the players were sent home because they are prohibited from having guests in their hotel rooms during the program.

Rye Brook (N.Y.) police were called to the Doral Arrowwood Resort at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday after hotel security reported the smell of marijuana coming from a guest room, a police official, reading details from the incident report, told the Miami Herald Wednesday night.

http://www.miamiherald.com/588/story/670470.html

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Pat Riley on Mario Chalmers: 'It is an embarrassment'

Miami Heat President Pat Riley today called the expulsion of guard Mario Chalmers from the NBA's Rookie Transition Program "an embarrassment."

Chalmers was expelled from the program Wednesday for violating rules regarding outside guests at the Rye Brook, N.Y., hotel utilized by the league, with the expulsion also linked to the presence of marijuana.

"It's something that it really can't be tolerated and he's absolutely morose about it," Riley said before his induction into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. "I don't think he's that kind of person and I don't think he'll get himself caught in that kind of situation again."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...,0,60194.story

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Heat's Chalmers apologizes, says he didn't smoke pot

Heat rookie guard Mario Chalmers said today that he didn't smoke marijuana at the NBA's rookie orientation program this week.
But Chalmers, a second-round pick from Kansas, nevertheless apologized and said he made a "poor decision in putting myself in the situation I did."
I am sincerely sorry for my actions at the NBA's Rookie Transition Program," he said in a statement released by the Heat.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/heat/co.../0905heat.html

[BAMAPHIN 22]

The Heat has been informed by the NBA that point guard Mario Chalmers will not be suspended for his role in the incident that led to last week's expulsion from the Rookie Transition Program.

Although a suspension initially was a concern, Chalmers' penalty will be a $20,000 fine, as well as the requirement he repeat the program next year.

The second-round pick out of Kansas was expelled on the eve of the four-day symposium in Rye Brook, N.Y., for an incident involving outside guests at the league hotel.

The scent of marijuana also was noticeable in the room where Chalmers and fellow Kansas product Darrell Arthur were present, with Chalmers last week issuing a statement that he "did not smoke marijuana," an assertion also made by Arthur, a Grizzlies forward drafted in the first round.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...,1360543.story

[BAMAPHIN 22]

Miami Heat's Michael Beasley fined $50,000 by NBA

Miami Heat rookie forward Michael Beasley was slammed with a $50,000 fine today by the NBA for his involvement in an incident earlier this month at the league's Rookie Transition Program.

The league said the fine was related to the previously disclosed incident involving Heat point guard Mario Chalmers and Memphis Grizzlies forward Darrell Arthur.

Those two were fined $20,000 earlier this month for a violation of program rules, after improper guests were allowed into a hotel room utilized for the seminar in Rye Brook, N.Y. The scent of marijuana was also present in that hotel room, although both players denied involvement and the league did not address that issue in expelling Chalmers and Arthur from the program.

"We have been informed that Michael Beasley has been fined for his involvement in an incident at this summer's Rookie Transition Program," Heat President Pat Riley said in a statement. "While we are disappointed with Michael's involvement, we are pleased that he chose to come forward and stand with his teammate and accept the consequences of his actions. We are hopeful that both Michael and Mario have learned from this experience and we will have no further comment on the subject."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/b...,3570272.story