Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Latest On Grizzlies Coaching Search

May 14th, 2016 at 8:00am CST by Eddie Scarito

8:00pm: The Grizzlies have received permission to interview Tibbetts, tweets Chris Haynes of The Cleveland Plain Dealer.

10:04am: Memphis has been granted permission by San Antonio to interview Messina, Spears relays (via Twitter).

9:26am: The Grizzlies have requested and been granted permission by the Heat to interview assistant head coach David Fizdale for their vacant head coaching position, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated reports (Twitter links). The date of the sit down has yet to be determined, Spears adds. Miami is scheduled to square off against the Raptors on Sunday in the deciding game of their seven game playoff series. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical was the first to relay that Memphis would have interest in speaking with Fizdale.

Fizdale, 41, has been on the Heat’s coaching staff since 2008 and has been a part of two NBA Championship teams during his tenure. He has also served as an assistant coach for the Warriors (2003/04) and Hawks (2004-2008).

Former Pacers coach Frank Vogel is widely believed to be the front-runner for the Memphis job, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal wrote in a story about a meeting that took place this week between GM Chris Wallace and former Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins. Wallace has downplayed the significance of that rendezvous. Memphis interviewed Hornets assistant Patrick Ewing on Thursday for the post. Ex-Suns coach Jeff Hornacek, Spurs assistant Ettore Messina, and Blazers assistant Nate Tibbetts are also among those on the team’s list of candidates, as Wojnarowski reported.

Draft Combine Update: Friday Morning

May 13th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Chuck Myron

Skal Labissiere‘s impressive private workout on Wednesday didn’t quite measure up to the hype, contends Chad Ford of ESPN.com in an Insider-only piece, who pegs the draft range for the Kentucky big man as No. 9 to No. 20. The Suns and Kings are among the teams Labissiere has interviewed with at the combine, tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv, echoing previous reports about interviews with Philadelphia and New Orleans. Ford’s sources remain solidly in the camp of Ben Simmons over Brandon Ingram for the top overall pick, while it appears it’s a battle between Jamal Murray and Kris Dunn for the No. 3 pick, Ford hears. Still, no one had a more impressive combine showing Thursday than Cheick Diallo, a high second-round prospect, according to Ford. Both his strengths and weaknesses were on display, as Jonathan Givony and Mike Schmitz of DraftExpress detail. The Kansas center/forward says he’ll probably remain in the draft, as Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv details, adding the Warriors, Mavericks, Nets, Sixers, Knicks and Raptors to the list of teams he’s interviewing with at the combine.

See more updates as the combine continues:

The Lakers interviewed Ingram, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
The Bulls, Hawks, Kings, Spurs and Rockets are among the teams interviewing Cal swingman Jaylen Brown, as he told reporters and as Basketball Insiders relays in a video. Also on the list are Boston and Minnesota, as we passed along earlier.
UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw listed the Raptors, Bucks, Hornets, Cavaliers and Heat, as well as a previously reported meeting with Boston, among his interviews, as Basketball Insiders relays in another video.
Wisconsin power forward Nigel Hayes will work out for the Suns, Celtics and Knicks, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News (Twitter link). Ford heard some negativity surrounding his performance Thursday.
The Pelicans, Knicks, Mavericks, Hornets and Lakers are the previously unreported teams on the interview list for Maryland point guard Melo Trimble, as J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic relays. Ford heard from NBA types down on Trimble’s showing Thursday.
Former Iona combo guard A.J. English met with the Pelicans and will do so with the Wizards and Nets, Zagoria tweets Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv.
The Spurs, Warriors, Nuggets and Grizzlies are the previously unreported teams interviewing Seton Hall shooting guard Isaiah Whitehead, Zagoria relays (Twitter link). He’ll work out for the Sixers on Monday, the Pacers on Wednesday, the Celtics on May 20th and the Bulls on May 23rd, a source tells Zach Braziller of the New York Post (Twitter links). Boston, Indiana and Chicago are particularly interested in him, Braziller hears.

'Uneasy Tension' For Wade, Dragic? Spoelstra Says No

May 10th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

An “uneasy tension” exists between Dwyane Wade and Goran Dragic, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst (video link), but Heat coach Erik Spoelstra today dismissed the notion of any conflict among his backcourt stars, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Windhorst, in the report that he made before Miami’s win Monday, suggested the root of the issue has to do with who controls the offense, but Spoelstra contends they’ve struck the proper balance. “It’s silly. Goran and Dwyane, not only are they playing much better with each other, which takes time — they’re both aggressive ball-dominant players — but they enjoy each other,” Spoelstra said. “They enjoy when the other guy is able to be aggressive. They want each other to be able to play their games. And it’s getting better. Their lockers are right next to each other … .” Wade will hit free agency this summer while Dragic is under contract until at least 2019.

It wouldn’t be surprising if Heat assistant coach David Fizdale snags an interview for the Grizzlies head coaching job, Jackson writes in a separate piece. Fizdale is on the list of candidates Memphis has compiled for its vacancy, as Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reported Monday.
Perhaps no team other than the Celtics is better positioned for the future than the Suns are, The Vertical’s Bobby Marks opines. Phoenix will have three first-round picks this year, assuming Washington doesn’t get lucky in the lottery, and the Heat owe two first-rounders for future seasons as a result of the Dragic trade. The Suns also have draft-and-stash prospect Bogdan Bogdanovic, a former first-rounder, as Marks points out.

Cavaliers Notes: Frye, Griffin, Lue, James

May 8th, 2016 at 6:06pm CST by Arthur Hill

Channing Frye‘s huge performance in Game 3 of the series with the Hawks helped justify GM David Griffin’s $32MM decision to bring him to Cleveland, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Cavaliers acquired Frye from the Magic at the trade deadline, sending a second round pick to Orlando in return. Cleveland had to absorb the rest of Frye’s contract, which runs through 2017/18, plus luxury taxes, bringing the total cost of the deal to about $32MM. Frye, who had 27 points off the bench Friday as the Cavs won in Atlanta, was close to joining the Cavaliers before. He visited them in 2009, but opted for Phoenix. Griffin recruited him in 2014, offering the chance to play with Kyrie Irving and possibly Gordon Hayward, but those plans were scuttled when LeBron James announced he was returning to Cleveland.

There’s more news as the Cavs return to the conference finals:

Cleveland gave Frye an opportunity he never had in Orlando, according to Brian Schmitz of The Orlando Sentinel. The 33-year-old Frye was a veteran stuck in a rebuilding situation with the Magic, but now he’s surrounded by All-Stars and has the chance to win a title. “When I got traded here I knew there was responsibility to come at the level these guys are playing at,” Frye said. “[Magic coach] Scott Skiles told me, ‘Hey Channing man, you’re a great player, you’re going to help them win a game in a series, you know. You’re going to help them win a game and do some bigger things.’ I always think about that.”
This may be Tyronn Lue‘s first postseason as a head coach, but he’s performing like a veteran, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Lue compiled a 27-14 record after taking over for the fired David Blatt in January. Now he’s trying to surpass Blatt’s performance from a year ago and lead the Cavaliers to a championship. “Being able to push the right buttons is actually working out,” Lue said. “It feels good right now.”
The sweep of Atlanta sets up a possible series with the Heat, with the highest stakes since James left Miami two years ago, according to Mitch Lawrence of Forbes.com. “It’d be great to play against those guys in the postseason,” James said of his former team. “Throughout my whole career, I’ve always wanted to go against [Dwyane] Wade in a playoff series. We’ve always talked about it even before we became teammates in ’10. It’s not been heavy on my mind, but it’s crossed my mind throughout my whole career.”

Latest On Kevin Durant

May 6th, 2016 at 11:10am CST by Chuck Myron

The theory among the teams eager to pursue Kevin Durant this summer is that the Thunder’s second-round series against the Spurs will decide whether he leaves Oklahoma City, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Durant would stay if the Thunder win and leave if they lose, Stein relays, stressing that it’s merely an assumption among the front offices. The Spurs, with the series tied 1-1, indeed have designs on luring Durant to San Antonio, Stein hears, echoing what several rival executives suggested to Chris Mannix of The Vertical in March.

Zach Lowe of ESPN.com recently compared the talk about Durant joining the Spurs as “eerily similar” to the early rumblings that connected LaMarcus Aldridge to San Antonio last year. Still, the Warriors loom as another powerful suitor, and The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported in February at that they would be significant front-runners for Durant if he were to leave the Thunder. Golden State is optimistic about its chances, and chatter has gone on since the Warriors’ record 24-0 start about the kinship Durant formed on Team USA with Stephen Curry and Andre Iguodala, Stein writes. The Wizards, Heat, Celtics, Rockets, Lakers and Clippers are planning hard pushes for Durant, too, according to Stein, who cautions that it’s premature to peg any team aside from the Thunder as the favorite to land him.

Neither the Warriors nor the Spurs have the cap flexibility to sign Durant for his max of an estimated $26MM for next season without making trades, waiving players via the stretch provision, or both. The Vertical’s Bobby Marks illustrated a scenario involving maneuvers that would give the Warriors enough room to sign Durant, and Danny Leroux of The Sporting News laid out San Antonio’s path. The Clippers would have to offload either Chris Paul, Blake Griffin or DeAndre Jordan, as I noted in our offseason outlook for the team earlier today.

The teams who assume Durant will stay with the Thunder if Oklahoma City advances to the next round of the playoffs suggest he’d go for a two-year contract with a player option on year two, the same sort of contract LeBron James favors, according to Stein. That would allow Durant the flexibility for him to hit free agency again next summer, when Russell Westbrook‘s contract expires, and it would represent the most lucrative path for the former MVP, as I examined. Still, Durant told Stein at the All-Star break that he hadn’t considered such a contract structure.

Chris Bosh Out For Remainder Of Postseason

May 4th, 2016 at 7:28pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Chris Bosh will miss the remainder of the 2016 NBA playoffs, as he and the Heat jointly announced. “The Heat, Chris, the doctors and medical team have been working together throughout this process and will continue to do so to return Chris to playing basketball as soon as possible,” the statement relayed. The veteran hasn’t played since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf, and he had been lobbying for the team to activate him so he can contribute in the postseason. Bosh reportedly found a doctor who appeared willing to give clearance for him to play, but the team and its doctors disagreed with that assessment. The NBPA had reportedly requested a meeting with the team on Bosh’s behalf, though it is unclear if that meeting has occurred or ever will.

Winderman: Deng's Revival Presents Summer Issue

May 4th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Chuck Myron

Luol Deng‘s late-season surge since moving to power forward helps his market value and presents a conundrum for the Heat, particularly given the question marks surrounding Chris Bosh, observes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Deng is heading to free agency this summer, but the Heat only have his Early Bird rights, just as with Hassan Whiteside.

NBPA Lobbies On Bosh's Behalf

May 3rd, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The NBPA has requested a meeting with the Heat on the behalf of Chris Bosh to attempt to resolve the medical clearance dispute between the two parties, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com relays. “Our top priority is Chris’ health and well-being. We have spoken with Chris and his agent, and have reached out to the Miami Heat. We are hopeful that all parties involved can meet as soon as possible to resolve the situation,” the NBPA said in its official statement on the matter.

Whiteside Holds No Grudge Against Raptors

May 3rd, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hassan Whiteside doesn’t harbor ill feelings toward the Raptors for declining to bring him to training camp after he played for Toronto’s summer league team in 2014, believing the July stint, which was his first brush with the NBA in two years, led to other opportunities that helped revive his career months later, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. The Heat center is No. 10 in our latest 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

Heat Fear Chris Bosh Could Die If He Plays

May 2nd, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Chuck Myron

Chris Bosh and his family are trying to get the players union involved as he pushes the Heat to allow him back in the lineup, but the doctors the Heat have consulted fear he could die on the court if plays this season, as ESPN Radio’s Dan Le Batard said on his show today and as Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post transcribes (audio link). Bosh feels fine, unlike the way he felt when he suffered from a similar blood clot issue last year, according to Le Batard, and a doctor the big man independently commissioned reportedly said Bosh would be OK if he plays. The 32-year-old will still have three years and more than $75.868MM remaining on his contract at the conclusion of this season.