Tag: Miami Heat (Page 23 of 49)

      Brad Miller signs with the Rockets

      July 17, 2010 /
      Chicago Bulls center Brad Miller (R) handles the ball as Orlando Magic forward Matt Barnes defends during the fourth quarter at the United Center in Chicago on January 2, 2010. The Bulls won 101-93. UPI/Brian Kersey Photo via Newscom

      You can tell things are slowing down in NBA free agency when I dedicate a whole post to the 34-year-old Brad Miller and his new deal with the Houston Rockets.

      Veteran center Brad Miller has agreed to a three-year contract worth $15 million with the Houston Rockets.

      Miller attracted interested from numerous other teams but was strongly lobbied to move to Houston by Rockets coach Rick Adelman, who coached him in Sacramento, and guard Kevin Martin, who was Miller’s teammate on the Kings.

      Miller said the opportunity was “too good of a deal to pass up,” according to the Chicago Tribune.

      This headline jumped out to me because there was some talk about Miller joining the Super Friends in Miami and he ended up taking a far more lucrative deal to play in Houston with his old coach.

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      Why is everyone so down on Michael Beasley?

      July 17, 2010 /

      Henry Abbott of TrueHoop poses one of the more puzzling questions that has been troubling me for some time.

      How did one of the NBA’s more respected franchises, one with some strong characters like Pat Riley and Alonzo Mourning on the case, give up on an affordable player with insane potential?

      Remember that enormous mess his life became last summer? With the rehab and all that?

      They got to know him for two years and, after shopping around for months and months and finding no takers, ditched him for almost nothing.

      This in a league where players with far less going for them than Beasley get paid for their potential all the time.

      That’s not good.

      And it’s not like his play as been abysmal. His PER last season was in the top 100 of all players, above average in the 16s, one notch ahead of Luol Deng who has what was until this month the biggest contract in Chicago Bulls’ history. Also trailing Beasley in regular season production last season: respected players like Aaron Brooks, Lamar Odom, Anderson Varejao, Jameer Nelson, Kyle Lowry, and Ray Allen. Nobody thinks Beasley has even scratched the surface of his NBA potential, but even at last year’s level he’s a bargain for a guy still on his rookie contract.

      There’s a story in there somewhere. But from what has been made public, it makes no sense at all that the Heat would have to give him away.

      While most of the focus this season will be about his old team, I’m really interested to what Beasley does with a fresh start in Minnesota. On his databasebasketball page, two players that are listed with high similarity scores are Brook Lopez and Kevin Love, so Beasley is obviously a talented guy. He’s just 21 years old and in two seasons has averaged 14 points and six boards while shooting 46% from the field.

      Something strange happened in Miami and hopefully one day we’ll find out exactly what it was.

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      Wade to Gilbert: LeBron didn’t ‘quit’

      July 16, 2010 /
      Jul 14, 2010 - Miami, Florida, U.S. - Host DWYANE WADE at the Summer Groove Golf Classic for the Summer Groove kick off charity event. Seminole Hard Rock Presents The Summer Groove July 14-18 is 5 days of non-stop action to benefit local and national programs that enrich the lives of youths.

      Dwyane Wade has come to the defense of his new teammate, responding to accusations by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert that LeBron James quit against the Celtics in the playoffs (and against the Magic in last year’s postseason).

      Wade said he watched every game in Cleveland’s second-round series against Boston, the team that eliminated the Heat in the opening round of the postseason. The Celtics used a similar defensive scheme against James as they did against Wade to open the playoffs, throwing a slew of challenges in the way of both.

      “LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant, guys like that understand what Boston’s defense was about,” Wade said. “Their defense was built on not letting one player beat them. You either settle for the outside shot or you pass to your teammates. LeBron had one bad game in the playoffs. Other than that, he did what he could do with the defense all watching him.”

      “I don’t see where you can get where he quit,” Wade said. “He just had one bad game. It happens. Kobe had a bad game in the Finals. They won. It didn’t matter. LeBron’s teammates didn’t help him out that game and it made the way he played even worse. But he’s not a quitter. He didn’t quit.”

      LeBron was dreadful in Game 5 (3-of-14 shooting) as the Cavs were blown out at home, but he did post a triple-double in Game 6, which is not usually the kind of line that a quitter delivers in an elimination game.

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      It’s official: Mike Miller signs with the Heat

      July 16, 2010 /
      Feb. 19, 2010 - Washington, China - (100220) -- WASHINGTON, Feb. 20, 2010 (Xinhua) -- Nene Hilario (L) of Denver Nuggets defends Mike Miller of Washington Wizards during their NBA game in Washington, the United States, Feb. 19, 2010. Wizards won the match 107-97. (Xinhua/Zhang Jun.

      It looked a little dicey there for a bit, but sharpshooter Mike Miller has signed a five-year deal with the Miami Heat.

      Miller announced it on Twitter, saying “It’s official” and thanking Heat owner Micky Arison and team president Pat Riley.

      The 6-foot-8 sharpshooter becomes the latest player to take less money than he could have made elsewhere to play for the Heat. James, Wade, Bosh and Udonis Haslem all left millions on the bargaining table in order to ensure the Heat would have flexibility to sign players like Miller.

      Terms were not immediately disclosed, but Miller’s deal was expected to be worth around $25 million.

      It’s all about spacing. Every championship team has had a player or two who specializes in knocking down open jumpers; someone who can make a team pay if the defense leaves them open. Teams won’t be able to double-team off of Miller because he’s going to hit 40% or so of his three-point attempts.

      Miller turned down more money to play with the Super Friends. Along with Udonis Haslem, the Heat now have a good core, and can add a few savvy veterans to the mix.

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      Discussing some smaller NBA moves, Part 2

      July 14, 2010 /
      Apr. 01, 2010 - Dallas, TEXAS, UNITED STATES - epa02101336 Orlando Magic player Marcin Gortat (C) gets a rebound against Dallas Mavericks players Dirk Nowtizki (L) from Germany and Brendan Haywood (R) in the first half of the game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas USA, 1 April 2010.

      Want to read Part 1 first? Click here.

      Mavs acquire Tyson Chandler, re-sign Brendan Haywood (6/$55 M).
      Dallas missed out on Marcin Gortat last summer and in Chandler/Haywood they have a pretty good two-headed defensive center. If they split time and produce at 09-10 levels, the Mavs will get 14-14 and 2.7 blocks per game. But that production does come at a price. Chandler is in the last year of his deal ($12.6 M) and Haywood’s deal is fairly outrageous for a 30-year-old. The Mavs will need both players to produce if they hope to get past the Lakers’ talented bigs.

      Zydrunas Ilgauskas is reportedly signing with the Heat. (2/vet’s min)
      It’s not clear how much ‘Big Z’ has left in the tank, but at the veteran’s minimum, it doesn’t have to be much. The Heat just need Ilgauskas to play 15-20 minutes, protect the glass and hit his patented set shot. Veterans appear to be lining up to play with the Super Friends.

      Kyle Lowry signs with the Cavs. (4/$24 M)
      Byron Scott said he wants the Cavs to push the ball more and Lowry is a talented point guard who hasn’t had a chance to start, but has been productive in major roles for Houston and Memphis in his young career. Whether or not he starts for the Cavs remains to be seen. Mo Williams is still there and was an All-Star just two seasons ago. Also, Lowry is restricted and the Rockets have a week to match the Cavs’ offer. Update: It looks like the Rockets are going to match the offer. Daryl Morey always seems to get something for his assets, so maybe the two teams will make a trade.

      Steve Blake signs with the Lakers. (4/$16 M)
      Blake should be a nice fit in the Lakers’ triangle offense. He lacks the speed to beat guys off the dribble, but he’s a good passer (4.8 apg) and a solid spot up shooter (39% 3PT), two requirements to play alongside Kobe in L.A. With Jordan Farmar on the way out, Blake and Derek Fisher will likely split time at the point.

      Tony Allen signs with the Grizzlies. (3/$10 M)
      Jeff Van Gundy called Allen the best perimeter defender in the league, and the C’s curiously let him sign elsewhere for around $3 million a season. He is a very good defender. I watched him cover LeBron James, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant in consecutive playoff series and he didn’t give up very many easy shots. Why Boston would let him go is beyond me.

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