Tag: Miami Heat (Page 9 of 49)

      Murphy to Celtics; Bibby to Heat

      March 1, 2011 /



      The top two teams in the East just got a little better.

      Marc Stein tweeted that Murphy told him personally that he’s going to Boston.

      Murphy helps take some of the sting out of the loss of Kendrick Perkins in the Jeff Green trade. Murphy can rebound and shoot the three, so he’ll help space the court for the Celtics and give Doc Rivers another capable crunch time option with a little more length than Glen Davis.

      I’m surprised Murphy didn’t pick the Heat, who seemingly have more available minutes at center, though maybe he wanted to get back to his Irish roots. The C’s are also in line to talk to Corey Brewer after his surprising buyout by the Knicks. He’s considered an elite wing defender and his on/off stats at 82games back that up.

      Meanwhile, Mike Bibby is reportedly heading to the Heat. He’s well past his prime, but he’s still an upgrade over Mario Chalmers and Carlos Arroyo. I’m not sure why Miami hasn’t played with a Wade/Miller backcourt much this season, though Miller has been pretty bad as he’s been working his way back from injury.

      Bibby gives the Heat an experienced player who won’t be afraid of the moment. He’s a good shooter who should be able to take advantage of open shots created by LeBron and Wade’s penetration. Good signing by Pat Riley.

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      Warriors buy out Murphy; Bibby next?

      February 28, 2011 /
      Atlanta Hawks Mike Bibby shoots a jump shot in the first half against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden in New York City on November 27, 2010. The Hawks defeated the Knicks 99-90. UPI/John Angelillo

      Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News reports that the Warriors have agreed to buy out Troy Murphy.

      As insisted by Warriors owner Joe Lacob, one source said, Murphy agreed to sign only with an Eastern Conference team.

      Exact details of the agreement were not available, but it is believed that the percentage subtracted by the Warriors will correspond relatively to the pro-rated salary Murphy can be expected to receive from his next team.

      Murphy won’t make as money in this as he could’ve (when you’re bought out for 100%, everything else you sign for is extra money), but he won’t lose money, either.

      Kawakami cites monetary savings, team chemistry and fostering a good relationship with Murphy’s agent, Dan Fegan, as reasons for the Warriors to get this done.

      Both Miami and Boston have expressed interest in Murphy, who as recently as last season averaged a double-double (14.6 points, 10.2 rebounds) for the Indiana Pacers. It was no fluke, either. Murphy also averaged a double-double in the 2008-09 season.

      He can help both Boston and Miami, but I’d argue that the Heat need him more. He’s a career 39% three-point shooter, so he can make opposing bigs pay for helping in the lane on LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. He’s not a terribly good defender, but he has a high basketball IQ and rebounds well. I just wonder what kind of shape he’s in after riding the pine in New Jersey this season.

      Any team that signs him can only offer the veteran’s minimum, so it’s about the best fit for Murphy. It appears that there are more minutes available in Miami, but with a last name like Murphy, isn’t Boston the place to be?

      Mike Bibby is another buyout candidate and according to the Washington Post, his agent will be meeting with the Wizards this week to discuss terms.

      The two sides have had preliminary discussions, according to two league sources, but no formal proposals have been made. Bibby makes $5.8 million this season and is on the books for $6.4 million next season. Bibby would have to sacrifice a lot of money and get waived by Tuesday in order to be eligible to join a playoff team this season.

      Portland, Miami and Boston are reportedly interested in signing Bibby if he can reach an agreement.

      He’d also be a good fit in Miami, where he could easily start at point over Mario Chalmers and/or Carlos Arroyo. He’s a career 38% three-point shooter and is hitting at a 44% clip this season.

      If the Heat can add both Bibby and Murphy, Pat Riley will cement his status as Executive of the Year for 2010-11.

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      Knicks upset Heat in Miami

      February 27, 2011 /
      New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony directs his team on defense in the first quarter against the Milwaukee Bucks in Carmelo Anthony’s first game ever as a Knick at Madison Square Garden in New York City on February 23, 2011. UPI/John Angelillo

      Maybe these new-look Knicks will make some noise in the playoffs after all. Two days after losing to the worst team in the league, the Knicks went down to Miami and beat the Heat in their own building, 91-86.

      LeBron James (27 points) missed an open three with a few ticks left that would have tied the game. Chauncey Billups (16 points) was big down the stretch, with five points, two steals and one would-be assist in the last 2:36. Carmelo posted 29 points and nine rebounds in just his third game with the Knicks.

      Maybe the most surprising thing about the Knicks is the job they did on the defensive end of the court. After giving up 34 points in the first quarter, they only allowed 52 points over the final three quarters, and the Heat average 102.2 points per game. Miami shot just 43% from the field and turned the ball over 18 times. Amare Stoudemire (16 points, 10 rebounds) made a key block on LeBron James’ driving layup attempt with 0:07 remaining as the Knicks were hanging on to a one-point lead.

      The loss to the Cavs should obviously temper the Knicks’ enthusiasm over this win. Still, to beat the Heat in Miami in Carmelo’s third game? That’s impressive.

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      Was Chris Bosh’s 1-for-18 night the worst ever?

      February 25, 2011 /
      Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh stands on the court during the second against the Chicago Bulls quarter at the United Center in Chicago on January 15, 2011. The Bulls win 99-96. UPI/Brian Kersey

      Chris Bosh missed 17 of his 18 shot attempts last night in the Heat’s 93-89 loss in Chicago. His shooting performance was so bad that it got me wondering — historically speaking, just how bad was it?

      Basketball-Reference has a ‘play finder’ that allows users to look up individual games or seasons based on a series of criteria. It only goes back to the 1986-87 season, but for our purposes, that’s probably far enough. I asked the site to generate a list of players that attempted 15 or more shots but had two or fewer makes, and list those results in order of ascending field goal percentage. The resulting list shows the very worst shooting nights over the last 25 years.

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      How will the new-look Knicks match up in the East?

      February 22, 2011 /
      New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni reacts in the fourth quarter against the Sacramento Kings at Madison Square Garden in New York City on January 14, 2011. The Kings defeated the Knicks 93-83. UPI/John Angelillo

      Once the dust settles and the Carmelo trade becomes final, the Knicks are looking at a starting five of Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields, Anthony, Amare Stoudemire and probably Ronny Turiaf at center. The Knicks will be solid at point guard through power forward, but Turiaf is at best an average center who gets by on hustle and hard work. Per 82games, he does tend to outplay his counterpart (15.0 vs. 13.3 PER) which is a good sign because his minutes are going to jump.

      Turiaf is going to need to play well for the Knicks to do anything in the postseason because the team is now very thin in the frontcourt. They lost two 6-10 or taller players (Danilo Gallinari and Timofey Mozgov) and are likely to lose 6-11 Anthony Randolph as well. In return, 6-9 Shelden Williams is the only bona fide power forward or center they’ll acquire, and he hasn’t done much in his 4+ year career to indicate that he can play significant minutes on a good playoff team.

      This lack of frontcourt depth could be a problem because both the Celtics (Shaquille O’Neal, Kevin Garnett) and the Magic (Dwight Howard) have big men who are adept at scoring on the block. The Celtics are less of a concern at center because Doc Rivers usually uses Glen Davis to finish games instead of O’Neal (or Kendrick Perkins, for that matter).

      Against the Heat or Bulls, the Knicks should fare better. Chris Bosh is not terribly good on the block and the Heat prefer to play Joel Anthony at center. Joakim Noah is a great defensive center, but his post up game is limited, so Turiaf (or Stoudemire, in a pinch) shouldn’t be overmatched on the block.

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