Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Southeast Notes: Allen, Gordon, Oden, Heat

October 4th, 2013 at 4:40pm CST by Zachary Links

It doesn't sound like Ray Allen plans to walk away anytime soon after changes to his diet this offseason have him feeling revitalized, Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald writes. The Heat guard says he's feeling great this offseason after switching to the protein-heavy Paleo diet and he's at his lowest weight since his days at UConn. Here's today's look at the Southeast Division..

Bobcats guard Ben Gordon should benefit greatly from the defensive attention new center Al Jefferson should attract in the low post, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. “Not having to work so hard to create a shot, that’s going to really open my game up,” Gordon said. “I’m looking forward to being a recipient of the (defensive) attention Al receives. He’s a very willing passer.”
Miami has relied on small-ball out of necessity in recent years but the addition of Greg Oden could signal a change, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel. "We now have that option," LeBron James said of going with a bulkier lineup. "To have two physical bigs that can rebound, can block shots, can finish at the rim, I think it's great for our team and I'm really excited about it."
The Heat have been a man-to-man team for quite some time now, but a reader question prompted Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel to wonder if Miami might try out the zone a little more with Greg Oden in the mix. However, the Heat' have concerns about rebounding and stopping opposing 3-point shooters and zone defense would leave them vulnerable.

Eastern Notes: Celtics, Raptors, Pacers, Heat

October 3rd, 2013 at 1:27pm CST by Luke Adams

With Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett now playing in Brooklyn, and Rajon Rondo still making his way back from an ACL injury, expectations aren't high for the Celtics in 2013/14. In fact, GM Danny Ainge tells Ian Thomsen of SI.com that he frequently hears from C's fans who want the team to lose games and pick up a top draft pick for 2014. Ainge suggests that fans hoping for losses should be careful what they wish for, and also says he doesn't believe there's necessarily a franchise-altering player in next year's draft.

"If Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was out there to change your franchise forever, or Tim Duncan was going to change your franchise for 15 years? That might be a different story," Ainge said. "I don't see that player out there."

Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:

While there's no clear frontrunner yet for the 15th and final spot on their regular season roster, it seems the Raptors will indeed carry a full 15-man roster, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Julyan Stone, Carlos Morais, and Chris Wright are in the running for the last opening.
The Pacers have done an admirable job building their roster into one capable of title contention without ever bottoming out, but theirs is hardly a blueprint for other small-market teams to follow, writes Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com at SBNation.com.
Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe spoke to 2013 second-rounder Colton Iverson about spending this season in Turkey, and the possibility of joining the Celtics down the road.
In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explores how the Heat's addition of Michael Beasley could impact the roles of Rashard Lewis and James Jones, who are both in contract years.

Odds & Ends: Heat, Jazz, Bulls, NBPA, Collins

September 30th, 2013 at 2:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The potential expiring contracts for the Heat's Big Three will be a major topic of conversation throughout the 2013/14 season, but LeBron James and Dwyane Wade both downplayed the subject at Media Day in Miami today.

"You have concern when you feel people want to go elsewhere," Wade said, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter). "I don't think nobody is looking to go elsewhere."

Here's more from around the NBA:

Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey confirmed that the team is still in talks with Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward about possible rookie-scale extensions, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
In talking to reporters, including Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times, about why he decided to sign with the Bulls, Mike Dunleavy Jr. pointed to the team's "high character."
Dahntay Jones is ready to compete in training camp for a spot on the Bulls' regular-season roster, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune details.
Former Illinois guard Brandon Paul, who went undrafted in June, explains to Gino Pilato of Ridiculous Upside why he's heading overseas rather than to NBA training camp. According to Paul, he received and passed on camp invites from the Wolves, Nets, Blazers, and Heat.
After previously having tackled ten of the best contracts of the offseason, Mark Deeks of HoopsWorld shifts his focus and identifies ten of the worst contracts, including the Bobcats' signing of Al Jefferson, and the Pistons' deal with Josh Smith.
The NBA Players Association is aiming to have a new executive director in place by the 2014 All-Star break, sources tell Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets that Jason Collins continues to work out "a ton" as he attempts to stay in shape in the hopes that an NBA team will show interest in signing him once the season gets underway.
Evaluating the Kings' signing of DeMarcus Cousins to a max extension, Daniel Leroux of RealGM.com gives the team a grade of D+ and the player a grade of A.

Heat Signed, Released Ricky Sanchez

September 30th, 2013 at 10:52am CST by Luke Adams

When the Heat traded Dexter Pittman to the Grizzlies at last season's trade deadline, Miami acquired the rights to 2005 second-rounder Ricky Sanchez as part of the swap. However, the Heat no longer hold Sanchez's NBA rights, having signed him on September 16th and released him this past Friday, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).

While the Heat presumably would have preferred to stash Sanchez overseas, the Puerto Rican big man was a free agent this summer. So when Miami issued the required tender to retain Sanchez's rights, he signed that offer, forcing the team's hand, as Winderman explains (via Twitter). Because the club wasn't interested in bringing him to camp, he was subsequently waived, meaning he's now free to sign with any team, NBA or otherwise.

Sanchez, 26, played for Cangrejeros de Santurce in Puerto Rico last season, averaging 11.1 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 42 contests.

Southeast Notes: Beasley, Mason, Wiggins

September 29th, 2013 at 4:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Erik Spoelstra was scheduled to hit the open market after the 2013/14 season, but the Heat realized that he would have a red-hot market if that were to happen. Today, Miami locked the coach up with a contract extension that will keep him in place for years to come, even if the future of the Big Three isn’t certain at this juncture. Here’s the latest out of the Southeast..

In today’s mailbag, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel was asked by a reader which “longshots” have the best chance of hooking on with the Heat. Michael Beasley seems pretty likely to get the 14th spot on the roster and Winderman likes Roger Mason Jr.’s chances of getting the final one, if the heat are willing to carry 15. It’s not a great year for non-guaranteed guys in Miami with 13 guaranteed contracts already on the payroll.
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel previews the season ahead for the Magic. Schmitz stops short of rooting for the team to tank, but he implores Orlando not to win too many games and hurt their chances of landing Andrew Wiggins in June.
Guard Jeff Teague is excited about the new-look Hawks in 2013/14, writes HoopsWorld’s Alex Kennedy. Teague was left in limbo for a little while by Atlanta but ultimately re-signed on a four-year, $32MM deal. “I’m definitely glad [free agency] is over with,” Teague added. “I really didn’t think about it much last year, but during the summer it was a difficult time. I learned the whole business of basketball basically. I’m excited to have that done though.”
There’s been a lot of change in Atlanta, but Al Horford is still a part of the Hawks after their makeover, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Erik Spoelstra Signs Extension With Heat

September 29th, 2013 at 12:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

12:28pm: Spoelstra has signed the extension, a source tells Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).

9:00am: The Heat are close to ensuring coach Erik Spoelstra doesn't hit the open market next summer, as they're putting the finishing touches on a multiyear contract extension for the two-time champion bench boss, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Officials from several franchises have suggested to Wojnarowski that they would make a run at the Creative Artists Agency client if he were to become a free agent, so it appears the Heat are averting a bidding war.

Spoelstra's deal had been set to expire at the end of the 2013/14, which will be his sixth as head coach of the Heat. He took over a team that went 15-67 in Pat Riley's final season on the bench and, helped by Dwyane Wade's recovery from injury, guided it to a 43-39 record and a playoff berth. The Heat have finished with a record of better than .500 every year since Spoelstra took over as coach for the team he originally joined as video coordinator in 1995.

The extension will likely be announced before the Heat begin training camp this week. It'll be the second major management-related move for the team in the past few days, after Andy Elisburg's promotion to GM yesterday. In addition, Juwan Howard is joining Spoelstra's staff as an assistant coach.

Andy Elisburg Promoted To Heat GM

September 28th, 2013 at 6:21pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Heat have reshuffled their front office and coaching personnel. On the heel of news announcing the move of Juwan Howard from player to assistant coach, now the Heat are declaring a new general manager to assist team President Pat Riley.

Here is what the Heat said in their press release:

The Miami Heat announced today several front office promotions, including Andy Elisburg to Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations/General Manager, Adam Simon to Assistant General Manager/General Manager Sioux Falls Skyforce, Dan Craig to Assistant Coach/Player Development, Chad Kammerer to Director of NBA Scouting/Advance Scout, Keith Askins to Director of College and Pro Scouting and the hiring of Juwan Howard to Assistant Coach/Player Development.

Elisburg, a Heat original employee of 25 years, will serve as Senior Vice President, Basketball Operations/General Manager. His duties will include assisting CEO Nick Arison and President Pat Riley in the management of all aspects of the Heat's basketball organization including salary cap administration, talent acquisition, league compliance and the day-to-day business of basketball operations.

[…]

Additionally, the HEAT also named Rich Fernando to Executive Assistant to the Coaches, Eric Glass to Video Coordinator and Tim Hardaway to Scout/Community & Corporate Liaison.

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, sent a tweet of the promotion earlier today where he noted that Pat Riley will remain the lead personnel executive despite the promotion. Winderman pointed out in his piece for the Sun-Sentinel that Elisburg's promotion makes him the first person to hold the title of Heat general manager since Randy Pfund in September of 2008.

ESPN basketball scribe Brian Windhorst adds in a tweet that Elisburg is known for his salary cap strategies. With the CBA luxury tax strictures already costing the Heat the 3-point shooting of Mike Miller – who was amnestied earlier this summer – Elisburg should be instrumental in keeping the Heat competing for more championships within the strict luxury tax parameters of the CBA.

Eastern Notes: Juwan Howard, Pistons, Sixers

September 28th, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Juwan Howard has been on the Heat's roster for parts of the last three seasons, but each year, he returns in a more diminished role. In 2013/13, the veteran big man appeared in only seven regular-season games, essentially acting as a player-coach on the bench. For the coming season, it appears that Miami will finally make that transition to coach official for Howard.

According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter), Howard is among those expected to join Erik Spoelstra's staff with the Heat. We'll have to wait for further confirmation from Howard and the team, but it appears that, after winning rings in each of the last two seasons, the 40-year-old's playing career may finally be coming to an end.

Here's more from around the East:

Dan Craig is also expected to be hired to Spoelstra's staff, while Keith Askins will likely assume a non-coaching role for the Heat, adds Winderman (via Twitter).
Anthony Mason Jr., the son of the former Knicks and Hornets forward, appears set to play for the Knicks' D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks. Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside has the details, via St. John's basketball.
David Mayo of MLive.com figures that it would take "multiple pieces" in return to prompt the Pistons to trade Greg Monroe, as he writes in his latest mailbag. Monroe is entering the final year of his rookie contract, which will make him eligible for restricted free agency next summer if he's not extended next month.
Former Villanova standout Curtis Sumpter appears to be in line to join the Sixers' coaching staff, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Heat Rumors: Beaubois, Beasley, Mason, LeBron

September 28th, 2013 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Heat signed Roger Mason Jr. and guard Charlie Westbrook over the weekend to round out their training camp roster, but they'll have their work cut out for them if they plan on making the team. Miami already has 13 guaranteed players under contract and with Michael Beasley almost definitely taking spot No. 14, Mason Jr. and Westbrook will have to vie with Larry Drew II, Eric Griffin, Justin Hamilton, and Jarvis Varnado for the 15th spot. Of course, there's also no guarantee that the Heat will carry 15 players on their roster. Here's the latest out of South Beach..

The Heat wanted to bring point guard Rodrigue Beaubois in for an audition, but a wrist injury prevented that from happening, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The 25-year-old averaged 7.1 PPG for the Mavericks over the past four seasons.
Miami could do worse than filling out the roster with Mason and Beasley, but it's probably not what Pat Riley had in mind when he spoke of "cannibalizing" the free agent market late in the summer, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
More from Winderman, who explains why it wouldn't make sense for LeBron James to sign a new deal with the Heat before the start of the 2013/14 season. Of course, as soon as next summer, LeBron can opt out and return on a brand-new five-year contract. Even if King James went that route, however, it would probably have a series of out clauses like his current deal.

Heat Sign Charlie Westbrook

September 28th, 2013 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Heat are bringing Charlie Westbrook to camp, a source tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The guard was in summer league with the Trail Blazers earlier this summer but did not advance further with the team.

The 6'4'' guard out of the University of South Dakota spent last season in Verona, Italy and appeared to be on his way back there this season. The 24-year-old turned down a pair of training camp invites in August to go back to Europe, but he may try and make things happen in the states this season. Westbrook isn't likely to hook on in Miami for this season, but he could make an impression and continue to build on his game in the D-League if he stays in the U.S.