In his list of the top five general managers in the NBA, Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld names Pat Riley the league's "top dog." I'm not sure I totally agree with Brigham's rankings, which place the GMs of all the league's consensus title contenders (Heat, Lakers, Thunder, Spurs, and Celtics) in the top five. Still, Riley has definitely had a successful offseason, adding Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to a team that's already coming off a title. Let's round up the rest of today's Heat-related updates from around the web….
- Is there a chance that Juwan Howard returns to Miami this season? Here's what Dwyane Wade told Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Sulia link) about the possibility: "Obviously, if he comes into camp and we've got open spots, Juwan is a guy who has meant so much to us, we would love him around, no matter what the case may be. If it's around as a player? Yeah. If it's around as part of the coaching staff, we just want him to be here. And hopefully he'll want to stay here and everyone can do whatever they can to make it happen."
- Asked in a mailbag if Miami's roster might be a little heavy on three-point shooters, Winderman argues that there's no such thing as having too many good outside shooters. Winderman expects coach Erik Spoelstra to ride the hot hand among a group that includes Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis, Mike Miller, James Jones, and Shane Battier.
- It appears Miller will forgo back surgery, and he says he's healthy, but Winderman believes the veteran shooter's status going forward could be perpetually "day-to-day."