Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Heat Rumors

James Ennis Likely Heading Overseas

August 5th, 2013 at 6:35pm CST by Spencer Lund

On draft night the Hawks sent the 50th pick, James Ennis, to the Heat in exchange for a future second rounder. Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson reports that Ennis' agent, Scott Nichols, has informed the Heat he is making phone calls overseas on Ennis' behalf.

No final decision on Ennis' future with the team will come until the end of the week when Nichols speaks to Heat president Pat Riley about the situation, but it looks highly unlikely Ennis will suit up for the Heat this coming season. If Ennis plays overseas, the Heat maintain his rights; if Ennis goes to training camp in the fall, they either have to sign him, or waive him.

Nichols tells Tomasson he's spoken with teams in France, Russia, Australia, Italy and Germany about the 6'7" swingman out of Long Beach State. But Ennis' agent was adamant that because the Heat have so many wings who are free agents next summer (Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and James Jones), Ennis will "definitely" be playing for the Heat in the 2014/15 season. 

Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel agreed that the glut of wings on the Heat probably led to the decision (Twitter link). The Heat are trying to avoid paying more in luxury taxes, and they're hopeful they can convince any remaining free agents–like their recent interest in point guard Sebastian Telfair–to take the minimum.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Heat, Stevenson, Henderson

August 5th, 2013 at 4:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that the Heat are still interested in free agent point guard Sebastian Telfair.  Telfair would help shore up Miami's depth chart, but they're hardly alone in their pursuit of the Brooklyn native.  Both the Knicks and Thunder have been tied to Telfair this summer and it seems likely that the guard will land somewhere in the next couple of weeks.  Here's more on Miami and the rest of the Southeast Division..

  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel figures that the Heat should be able to convince most of their remaining targets to take the minimum, so he doesn't foresee the team using its mini mid-level exception. 
  • DeShawn Stevenson took to Twitter to lobby for an opportunity to play for the Heat this season, but that could be a poor fit for a number of reasons.  Jeff Caplan of NBA.com recaps the most notable reason of all – Stevenson's previous animosity with two-time MVP LeBron James. 
  • Gerald Henderson met with reporters in Charlotte today, expressing his excitement about the Bobcats' offseason moves and explaining why he convinced the team to give him less money in exchange for a player option in the final year of his new contract. "I’ve improved every year and I believe I’ll continue to improve," Henderson said. "I have that much confidence in myself." Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer has more.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Heat Rumors: Telfair, Oden, D-League

August 4th, 2013 at 6:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus ranks the top six front offices in the NBA. Not surprisingly, the Heat and team president Pat Riley are No. 1 after back-to-back championships. They scored another victory this week, beating out a handful of other suitors for Greg Oden and convincing him to sign for the minimum. They're not content to stop there, as we detail amid the latest from South Beach:

  • The Heat remain interested in Sebastian Telfair, sources tell HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy (Twitter link). A pair of reports bookending July show that Riley and company have been consistently eyeing the veteran point guard, while the Knicks and Thunder have drawn multiple mentions as well.
  • Miami has little to lose in its minimum-salary commitment to Oden, opines USA Today's Sean Highkin, writing for the Indianapolis Star.
  • Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside wonders whether the Heat will send Oden down to the D-League at some point this season as he works his way back to health. Oden's technically a five-year vet, even though he's played only 82 career games, so he and the player's union would have to consent to the assignment. Still, the Heat would have greater latitude to oversee his rehab stint now that they run the basketball ops of the Sioux Falls Skyforce, as Schlosser points out.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Sixers, West, Gordon, Jamison

August 4th, 2013 at 11:13am CST by Chuck Myron

Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool appears to have become the leading candidate in the Sixers head coaching search, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe. Most reports have cited Brett Brown and Michael Curry as the front-runners, but it seems there are still several hopefuls who could emerge with the job. We passed along news from Washburn earlier today on the continuing possibility of a Rajon Rondo trade to the Pistons, and here's more from the Globe scribe as we round up the morning's news from around the NBA:

  • The Knicks and Grizzlies have reportedly been in talks with Delonte West, but the Knicks appear to be out, and according to Washburn, no team has shown serious interest.
  • The additions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans make for a crowded backcourt in New Orleans, but Eric Gordon is glad to have his new Pelicans teammates, he tells Washburn.
  • Clippers boss Doc Rivers didn't make an offer to Antawn Jamison when they met for dinner last night, but the Clippers and Jamison's reps plan to talk soon, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
  • The Hawks waived DeShawn Stevenson on Friday, and in the likely event that he clears waivers and hits free agency, he'd like to sign with the Heat, according to a pair ofdispatches from his Twitter account.
  • Shelvin Mack appears in a tenuous position with the Hawks, since his contract is non-guaranteed and he plays the same position as Jeff Teague and first-round pick Dennis Schröder. If the Hawks waive Mack, he'll be the primary point guard target for Olimpia Milano of Italy, Enea Trapani of Sportando reports.
  • Elston Turner has reached an agreement to become an assistant coach for the Grizzlies, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The defensively minded Turner also spoke about joining the Timberwolves staff.
  • Stefhon Hannah has signed to play with Juve Caserta in Italy, the team announced (translation via Sportando's Emiliano Carchia). Hannah worked out for the Knicks this summer, and spent two weeks last fall in training camp with the Warriors.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Notes On Greg Oden

August 3rd, 2013 at 8:03pm CST by Michael Pina

In wake of his decision to sign with the Heat yesterday, here are a few more notes to pass along regarding Greg Oden. 

  • Sam Amico from FoxSportsOhio.com writes that very few teams in the league had any actual interest in Oden's services, quoting a general manager who said, "If we got him, great…But if not, we sure weren’t gonna cry about it. I don’t think anyone is looking at him as anything more than an emergency backup. That’s nice to have, but it’s not like it’s impossible to find.”
  • USAToday offers several reasons why Miami's decision to sign Oden was a good one that'll pay off dividends in the future.
  • ESPN's play-by-play announcer Mark Jones tweets that after Miami, the Spurs and Mavericks were Oden's second and third choices. 
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Odds & Ends: Free Agents, PEDs, Diawara

August 3rd, 2013 at 7:04pm CST by Michael Pina

A few random notes from around the league on this Saturday afternoon.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Poll: Which Deal For An Injured Center Is Better?

August 3rd, 2013 at 4:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

Last night, the Heat agreed to sign a 25-year-old, 7'0" former No. 1 overall pick to a minimum-salary deal. Last month, the Cavaliers signed a 25-year-old, 7'0" center just one season removed from a Second Team All-NBA nod to a contract that's only guaranteed for $6MM. If Greg Oden and Andrew Bynum deliver on their potential, they'll be the steals of the year. Of course, that's a big "if" for a pair of players who just can't seem to stay healthy.

Bynum's knees have allowed him to play 392 games in his NBA career, while Oden has managed just 82. That's why Bynum is getting the larger deal, even though neither of them made an appearance in 2012/13. While there may be more reason for optimism with Bynum on the front end, there could be a greater consequences if he fails for the Cavs, who invested a sizable chunk of their cap space. With Oden, the Heat's worst case scenario is they're stuck paying the minimum salary this year and next (as well as the luxury tax bill on the expenditure, of course). If Bynum works out, the Cavaliers could wind up paying him $24.79MM over this season and next. If Oden returns to form, the Heat would have a force in the middle for just a little more than $1MM this year.

So, the question today is a simple one. Is Cleveland's investment in Bynum better than Miami's minimum-salary flier on Oden, or vice versa? Vote, and debate the issue in the comments.

Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Heat Notes: Oden, Harrington, Stevenson

August 3rd, 2013 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The player who wound up being the top free agent in August hasn't suited up since December 5th, 2009.  Former No. 1 overall pick Greg Oden was courted by several teams this summer and made his choice last night when he agreed to sign with the Heat.  Here's more on Oden and other notes out of Miami..

  • The ESPN.com staff went five-on-five to break down what Oden's signing could mean for the Heat.  The roundtable starts by asking where Oden should have landed this summer and more than one scribe suggests that a team that draws less media scrutiny would have been a better fit for the big man has be attempts another comeback.
  • In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if there are new free agent options opening for the Heat.  Winderman could envision could envision Al Harrington with the Heat if he is healthy and in shape.  Meanwhile, DeShawn Stevenson might not be a fit because of his history with LeBron James.
  • Bruce Ely of The Oregonian takes a photographic walk down memory lane, looking back on Oden's time in Portland.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Fallout From Greg Oden’s Choice To Sign With Heat

August 2nd, 2013 at 10:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

Greg Oden let former college teammate Mark Titus of Grantland know about his decision to sign with the Heat ahead of the news breaking this evening, and heard from the one-time can't miss prospect about why Miami won him over.

"Obviously the chance to play with the best player in the world and compete for a championship was a big selling point," Oden said. "But more than that, what I really liked was how they thought I could really add something to their team. They’ve won back-to-back championships without me, so for them to pursue me as hard as they did meant a lot, especially given all that I’ve gone through."

Here's more on the Heat's second major victory of the summer:

  • Other teams offered more money, but a conversation Oden had with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra last week at a Chili's in Indianapolis played a key role in the decision, agent Mike Conley Sr. says to Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida. 
  • Sources tell Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that the Heat were willing to make promises to Oden that other teams wouldn't. Some of Oden's other suitors wanted a team option in year two rather than the player option the Heat gave him, Amico says (Twitter links).
  • Oden tells Marc Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com that the Heat's willingness to bring him along slowly this season was a “big deciding factor” for him. Oden's not sure he'll be ready for opening night, and just wants "to finish the season healthy."
  • The Heat expect Oden to take part in training camp, but they aren't putting any pressure on him to play in the regular-season opener, writes Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who wonders if Oden's arrival signals that the team will look to trade Joel Anthony.
  • Heat team president Pat Riley and company passed on signing Marcus Camby while they were waiting on Oden's decision, Winderman also reports.
  • Oden isn't expected to play back-to-backs early in the season, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
  • The Heat will pay an approximately $2.6MM tax bill on Oden's contract, pushing their total projected tax payment to $18.8MM, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. With no further roster moves, the team's payroll, tax included, will be $101,539,013, according to Windhorst's math.
  • The Cavs showed early interest in Oden, but the Andrew Bynum signing took them out of the running, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0

Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Heat, Hawks

August 2nd, 2013 at 7:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Hawks acquired five players in the Joe Johnson trade last summer, and with their release of DeShawn Stevenson today, none of the five remain on the team's roster, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out via Twitter. GM Danny Ferry has radically reshaped the club in little more than a year, and the Stevenson move wasn't Atlanta's only transaction of the day, as we detail amid other news from the Southeast Division:

  • Magic owner Rich DeVos is 87 years old, but he has no plans to sell the club, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes in an early Eastern Conference preview. Instead, he has given his four children shares of the Magic with the intent that the family will continue to own the team for decades to come.
  • The Magic would like to pursue a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team that would be stationed in Florida, but obstacles are in the way, Robbins reports in the same piece. Orlando will be one of six teams sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. Ideally, the Magic want to have a "hybrid" partnership, wherein they'd run the D-League team's basketball operations while local ownership took care of the business side.
  • The Wizards seem likely to push for one of the final three playoff spots in the East, and owner Ted Leonsis believes a postseason berth would be a significant help to the team's hopes of signing a marquee free agent, observes Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes that with so many teams with an eye on the lottery, buyouts could come earlier than usual this season. Winderman figures the Heat will be active in the market for bought-out players.
  • Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer completed his staff Friday, hiring Jim Thomas as an assistant, the team announced. Thomas had been serving as a scout for the Thunder.
Retweet 0 Share 0 Send via email0