Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Haslem, Wade, Collins

August 26th, 2012 at 9:03am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat enter the 2012/13 season as the team to beat given their status as reigning NBA champions, but will face numerous improved squads on a nightly basis. From the Sixers' deeper frontcourt to a reloaded Nets team, Miami faces an uphill battle as it looks to take home another ring. Here's the latest from around the Eastern Conference…

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel says the Heat should be able to count on Udonis Haslem as the team's backup center even after having a disappointing season last year. The big man's struggles most likely stemmed from his continued recovery from a previous foot injury. Beyond Haslem, the Heat have few options to provide depth to their frontcourt and may have to add pieces during the season like they did last year.
Dwyane Wade spoke with Winderman about how the Heat's style of play evolved over the course of the season to best fit the players they had on their roster and their respective skill-set. "You never know what player is going to start off and be playing a certain way and you switch things up a little bit," Wade said. "But we have that luxury, because we have not only three marquee players, but we have a lot of other players on our team that's very capable, highly capable, and very good."
Sixers head coach Doug Collins says that he sees himself continuing to coach in Philadelphia for four or five years, writes Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer. He also wants to make it clear that he's not campaigning for Coach K's former spot as the head coach of USA Basketball. "It's a tremendous honor that somebody would even throw my name out there," Collins said. "It's four years down the road and I understand in this business you hope you are an active coach at the time."

Heat Notes: Howard, Lewis, Andersen, Pittman

August 25th, 2012 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

News and notes out of South Beach courtesy of the Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman..

It's not yet known if Juwan Howard, who turns 40 in February, will return for a third season with the Heat, but he has been working out at AmericanAirlines Arena. Dwyane Wade suggested that Howard could return to Miami as an assistant coach. The Heat are expected to keep their coaching staff intact, but Howard could be tacked on as an extra assistant who sits behind the bench.
While there has been a great deal of talk surrounding the idea of "position-less" basketball in Miami, Wade says that due to the team's evolution over the years, it would be foolish to assume anything about plans for 2012/13. The club's direction will have a large impact on how the newly-acquired Rashard Lewis will be used.
In the mailbag, a reader asks if the club will be able to lure both Josh Harrellson and Chris Andersen to camp without guaranteed deals. Winderman writes that Harrellson doesn't seem likely to land a guaranteed deal but Anderson has already turned down a lucrative overseas deal and will likely will be seeking a guarantee.
The bigger issue could be if the Heat would be willing to eat Dexter Pittman's salary to allow for multiple additions in the frontcourt. Pittman is set to earn $854K next season.

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Miami Heat

Josh Harrellson Works Out For Heat

August 24th, 2012 at 8:07am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 8:07am: The Heat are still weighing their options at center and haven't made Harrellson an offer, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, Harrellson's agent, Merle Scott, said his client had a good workout, and that the two sides are scheduled to talk again next week.

THURSDAY, 11:52am: Free agent big man Josh Harrellson worked out with the Heat this morning, according to Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com. Harrellson himself hinted at the workout yesterday, tweeting: "Miami!!! Ready to impress!"

Harrellson was traded earlier this summer by the Knicks as part of the sign-and-trade deal that sent Marcus Camby to New York. The 23-year-old's time with the Rockets was short-lived, however, as the team waived him last week in order to clear a roster spot to sign Carlos Delfino.

Since he went unclaimed on waivers, Harrellson is now free to sign with any club except the Knicks, who are ineligible to re-add him until next July. While Heat president Pat Riley has said his team doesn't need to add a center, Harrellson would be a good fit for a team that's expected to play some combination of Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, and Dexter Pittman in the middle.

Heat Eyeing Chris Andersen

August 24th, 2012 at 8:04am CST by Michael Pina

FRIDAY, 8:04am: The Heat have inquired on Andersen, but have yet to schedule a visit or make an offer to the Birdman, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Andersen is "very interested" in the Heat, says Jackson.

THURSDAY, 6:02pm: Earlier today we mentioned that the Heat were interested in former Knicks backup center Josh Harrellson, but it appears they also have their sights on someone with a bit more experience. According to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Miami is also intrigued with the possibility of adding free agent forward Chris Andersen.

Amnestied by the Nuggets earlier this offseason, Andersen has reportedly bypassed a lucrative offer overseas and is willing to take the veteran's minimum with Miami. No offer has been made at this time, and at 34 years old, coming off a season in which he played just 32 games, it's unclear as to how much the 10-year veteran has left. Andersen's off the court issues which have lingered in recent months, which may also help explain why no team has yet to sign him.

Pincus On NBA Spending Power

August 23rd, 2012 at 9:03pm CST by Michael Pina

We've gone over team spending here on Hoops Rumors before, but today, Hoopsworld.com's Eric Pincus broke down the remaining cap space that teams have across the league, including how much they've already spent and their current situation with regards to various exception levels. Some interesting notes from his piece:

Before their reported agreement with Martell Webster, the Wizards were the only team left with their full $5MM mid-level exception. The Bucks have nearly all to spend, but fall just short with $4.35MM.
Despite what appears to be a never ending spending spree that's lasted the entire summer, the Lakers still have $1.59MM left on their mini mid-level exception. They're also nearly $30MM over the tax line.
The Hawks still have their Bi-Annual Exception, but should they choose to re-sign Ivan Johnson, will need to spend it on him.
The Celtics, Nets, Knicks, Grizzlies, Clippers, and Heat are unable to add any players unless it's through a trade or signing someone to the veteran's minimum.
The Rockets have 20 players on their current roster, but could get between $6 and 7MM underneath the cap after waiving a few non-guaranteed players, as they recently did with Josh Harrellson. (The limit is 15 players by opening night.)
The Cavaliers boast $11.1MM of cap space, the most in the league.

Odds & Ends: Team Canada, Harrellson, Magic

August 23rd, 2012 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

A handful of players with NBA ties have been invited to a weekend training camp that will take place soon to give Team Canada officials a first glimpse at candidates for their national team, as Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun reports (Sulia link). Tristan Thompson of the Cavs, Joel Anthony of the Heat, Cory Joseph of the Spurs, Andrew Nicholson of the Magic and Kris Joseph of the Celtics are on the list. Robert Sacre, the 60th pick in this year's draft by the Lakers, remains unsigned, but he's been invited as well. The team has officially named former Raptors head coach and current Blazers assistant Jay Triano as head coach, Wolstat also writes, and Rockets assistant coach Kelvin Sampson will also be an assistant with Team Canada. Lakers guard Steve Nash, serving as Team Canada's GM, said he wouldn't have accepted the position if Triano wasn't coming aboard, too, Wolstat notes. Here's more from around the Association this afternoon:

The Heat conducted a workout with Josh Harrellson today, as we heard earlier, but the Timberwolves have no interest in the 6'10" University of Kentucky product, as they prefer a center with more length, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minneapolis. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes that Harrellson is just one of several big men the Heat are considering (Sulia link).
Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel looks at the options the Magic have at power forward to replace Ryan Anderson.
The Bulls, Lakers, Clippers, Timberwolves and Warriors all have some significant injury issues with training camp about a month away, and Sam Amick of SI.com checks in on the status of Derrick Rose, Dwight Howard and others.
Robin Lopez is recovering from left knee surgery that took place a week after the Hornets acquired him in a sign-and-trade, but he's expected to be ready for training camp, as John Reid of The Times-Picayune reports. Lopez expressed his enthusiasm about coming to New Orleans, saying, "I’m excited to be here. We’ve got a young, energetic group. The good thing is we’ve got some youth that has a little bit of experience as well. Hopefully we can parlay that into something special.’’
Joe Dumars, Pistons president of basketball operations, traveled overseas with assistant GM George David to watch Jonas Jerebko and Slava Kravtsov in FIBA Eurobasket qualifying, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press writes.

Southeast Notes: Blatche, Van Gundy, Magic, Heat

August 20th, 2012 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

It doesn't appear that 2012/13 will be a season of parity in the Southeast Division. The NBA champion Heat are the overwhelming favorites to win the division again, but the Southeast may also feature a pair of the league's worst teams — when we asked last week which club would finish 2012/13 with the worst record in the NBA, over 80% of you voted for either the Magic or Bobcats. Here are a few Monday notes out of the Southeast:

Andray Blatche spoke to Donna Ditota of the Syracuse Post-Standard about the way his time with the Wizards ended and the next step for his career. Asked about possible interest from the Heat and Spurs, Blatche said simply expressed a desire to get back on the court: "It doesn’t matter if it’s the Heat or the Spurs or the D-League. Whatever. As long as I’m back on the court playing ball."
Appearing on Mike Bianchi's radio show in Orlando this morning, Stan Van Gundy criticized Magic CEO Alex Martins for the way he handled the discord between Van Gundy and Dwight Howard (link via Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel).
In a mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why it was necessary for the Heat to include 2014 opt-out clauses in the contracts for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.

Florida Notes: Heat, Magic, Big Three, Harris

August 18th, 2012 at 5:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Let's take a trip to the Sunshine State to check in on the Heat and Magic..

Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at a few college players Magic fans should keep an eye on this season, including Nerlens Noel, Cody Zeller, Shabazz Muhammad, and James McAdoo.
Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel looks ahead to the summer of 2014 where the Heat's big three could be the biggest gets on the open market. Winderman sees the Magic as a potential threat to poach Miami's talent as they'll have the cap space to sign two top-tier free agents. The Lakers will also have payroll flexibility once the contracts of Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant expire and as unlikely as it seems that they would part with Kobe, Winderman notes that they are the same club that traded Shaquille O'Neal.
More from Winderman, who is surprised that the Heat have yet to re-sign guard Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old is seeking a contract with some amount of guarantees, but the club may be holding its remaining two spots open for a different combination of players which may include Juwan Howard.
Undrafted free agent Charlie Westbrook has agreed to a three-year deal with Italian team Tezenis Veronia, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. Westbrook, who was in summer league with the Magic, tweeted earlier this week that he would be passing on two training camp opportunities to play overseas.

Odds & Ends: Wolves, Okur, Nuggets, Muhammad

August 17th, 2012 at 4:28pm CST by Luke Adams

It's been a slow day for NBA news and rumors, but there are still plenty of links worth checking out. Here are a few that have trickled in over the course of the day:

The Timberwolves wouldn't mind adding another big man, and are "kicking around" the idea of Mehmet Okur, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500. As Wolfson notes, however, considering Minnesota only has the minimum salary to offer, Okur is an unlikely target for the team.
If the Nuggets are able to lock up Ty Lawson and Andre Iguodala to long-term deals, it would ensure that a "thrilling nucleus" is in place in Denver, writes Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post.
UCLA freshman Shabazz Muhammad tells HoopsWorld that he's not expecting to necessarily be a "one-and-done" player, but I'd be surprised if the top prospect doesn't enter the draft after his freshman season. Plus, as Yannis Koutroupis writes, given the NCAA's current investigation that's putting Muhammad's amateur status in jeopardy, the star recruit could be fortunate to play even one year at UCLA.
Dwyane Wade tells Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Sulia link) that his recovery from knee surgery is on schedule and he expects to "turn it up more" in the next couple weeks.

Odds & Ends: Harris, Curry, Shumpert

August 16th, 2012 at 9:24pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reports that the Heat are currently in talks with free agent Terrel Harris. The 25-year-old guard played in 22 games for Miami last season and was a member of the team’s summer league roster in Las Vegas. Winderman admits that he is suprised that Miami hasn't made a quicker commitment to Harris at this point (Sulia link). Here's what else we've heard from around the league this evening:

76ers guard Jason Richardson looks to continue to have the same success playing off of Andrew Bynum the way he was able to with Dwight Howard in Orlando, says John Finger of CSN Philly.
Howard Beck of the New York Times points out that the Knicks have yet to offer a reasoned explanation for declining to match Jeremy Lin's offer sheet with the Rockets.
Charlie Westbrook tweeted that he will pass on two opportunities to attend an NBA training camp and will head to Europe instead. Westbrook was not drafted by an NBA team in June but participated in Orlando as a member of the Magic's summer league roster.
Although he had been considering a job with the Magic, Rob Murphy chose to remain with Eastern Michigan University as the school's head basketball coach (the Detroit Free Press reports).
Marcus Thompson II of MercuryNews.com reports that Stephen Curry is optimistic that he will be ready for Warriors training camp and will undoubtedly be well enough to play by opening night. Curry, who says the only thing he hasn't done yet is play 5-on-5, had arthroscopic surgery on his right ankle in April and has been working out in Oakland.
Newsday's Marcus Henry says that Knicks guard Iman Shumpert rehabilitation process is progressing on schedule. The All-Rookie first team selection suffered a torn ACL in his left knee during New York's first-round playoff series in April and is projected to be able to return as early as December or January.
Greg Payne of ESPN Boston noted Jason Terry's thoughts on his role as a sixth man and what he can bring to the Celtics.
Jodie Meeks spoke with the Kamenetzky Brothers of ESPN LA today about why he chose the Lakers and what he hopes to accomplish. Andy Kamenetzky provided a breakdown of the talking points from the interview, including a post-interview discussion about the potential effect that Meeks can have on the team.