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Heat Inquiring On Reserve Big Men

March 5th, 2012 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat's interest in adding a center has been well-documented, and with the trade deadline approaching, the club is calling around to gauge the demand for reserve big men, says Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

Miami's lack of size has been particularly noticeable with Chris Bosh out of action over the last few games. The team has been playing Joel Anthony at center, but as Windhorst writes, Anthony is "a power forward masquerading as a center." The same goes for Udonis Haslem and Juwan Howard, while the club's true centers, such as Dexter Pittman, Eddy Curry, and Mickell Gladness, haven't been productive in the limited minutes they've received.

If the Heat can't find a trade partner, their options are limited. The team hopes Chris Kaman is bought out after the trade deadline, but the Hornets haven't given any indication that's a real possibility. Francisco Elson and Kyrylo Fesenko headline an uninspiring list of free agent big men, after the Heat missed out on signing Kenyon Martin and Joel Przybilla.

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Odds & Ends: Heat, Sixers, Odom, Warriors

March 4th, 2012 at 11:50am CST by Daniel Seco

The Heat take on the Lakers in Los Angeles Sunday afternoon in what should be an epic battle between LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. While the Masked Mamba had his nose broken by Dwyane Wade during the All-Star game, Andrew Bynum has stated that he will not retaliate against the former Marquette star. With the rumor mill heating up, here's the latest news from around the league.

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Odds & Ends: Draft, O’Neal, Heat

March 2nd, 2012 at 7:49pm CST by Chuck Myron

On this date 50 years ago, Wilt Chamberlain delivered his 100-point game for the Warriors against the Knicks in Hershey, Pa. Chamberlain averaged more than 50 points a game that season, but wasn't the MVP. Instead, Bill Russell got the nod. You'd figure having that over his friend Wilt would convince Russell to speak openly on the anniversary of Wilt's accomplishment, but as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com noted last night, he doesn't want to talk about it. Here are a few notes from today's NBA, where plenty more are willing to open their mouths:

  • Berger offers a primer on dissecting trade talk as the rumor mill nears peak season. The keys are to consider the source, discount mere discussion, and know that when one coach or team executive denies a trade rumor, another could be working on that very deal in the next office.
  • Michael Lee of The Washington Post is the latest to call this year's draft class, led by Kentucky big man Anthony Davis, one of the deepest in years. But top draft prospects Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Cody Zeller, Perry Jones and Quincy Miller are all giving indications they may stay in school, writes ESPN's Chad Ford. (Insider link)
  • Celtics center Jermaine O'Neal, rumored to be part of a potential Michael Beasley deal, is considering season-ending wrist surgery, reports Paul Flannery of WEEI radio.
  • South Florida Sun Sentinel writer Ira Winderman answered reader questions about the Heat. The efficiency of the Heat's rotation has kept the Heat out of trade talks this year, but team president Pat Riley remains on the lookout for any available top-tier talent.
  • Sam Smith opened up his Bulls.com mailbag, too. He doesn't foresee Chicago making a deal, and doesn't seem them signing draft-day acquisition Nikola Mirotic any time soon, either. He believes the 6'10" big man with the inside-outside game, currently playing overseas, is at least a couple years away from joining the Bulls. He also says the notion that Beasley could be had for a second-round pick, an idea advanced by Berger in his piece, says plenty about how far the former No. 2 overall pick has plummeted.
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Stein On Lakers, Raptors, Marion, Hickson, Kaman

March 2nd, 2012 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

It's Friday afternoon, which means another installment of Marc Stein's Weekend Dime at ESPN.com. In addition to writing about the 50th anniversary of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game, Stein shares a few trade rumors. Let's check them out….

  • If the Lakers were to acquire Kirk Hinrich or Leandro Barbosa, they would want the Hawks or Raptors, respectively, to take on salary. However, neither Atlanta or Toronto is interested in doing so. The Lakers would have to use their $8.9MM trade exception and accept the luxury-tax consequences if they were to deal for either player.
  • The Raptors are also unwilling to take on salary in a deal for Jose Calderon.
  • The Mavericks aren't currently shopping Shawn Marion, and don't intend to start clearing out the necessary cap space to make a run at top free agents until after the season. One source told Stein there's "no chance" the Mavs trade Marion this month, even though there may be potential suitors.
  • J.J. Hickson is being aggressively shopped by the Kings.
  • The Hornets have been telling teams that Chris Kaman won't be bought out after March 15th if the club can't find a trade partner. Since New Orleans is still owned by the league, that may not be an idle threat. A number of teams, including the Heat, are hoping Kaman is bought out, since they don't have the trade assets necessary to acquire the big center.
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Winderman On Possible Heat Moves

March 1st, 2012 at 6:17pm CST by Sean Highkin

The South Florida Sun-Sentinel's Ira Winderman touched on a few transaction-related topics in today's Heat mailmag. Here are the details:

  • Winderman thinks Mike James is worth considering as a backup point guard, but warns that his last stint with the Heat didn't go well, and points out that he may not get much playing time in Miami competing for minutes with Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole.
  • There is a distinct possibility that players who went overseas during the lockout, such as guard Chris Quinn, could be back in time for the playoffs.
  • Winderman does not believe the Heat will make a major trade before the deadline. Rather, he views it as more likely that they'll try to find help among the players who may be bought out in the final months of the regular season.
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Odds & Ends: Barbosa, Heat, Mavericks, Maloofs

February 29th, 2012 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

Odds and ends for Wednesday afternoon….

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Heat Re-Sign Mickell Gladness

February 28th, 2012 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

Mickell Gladness has signed sign a second 10-day contract with the Heat, the team confirmed today (hat tip to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). Gladness had been offered a 10-day deal by the Warriors, but preferred to stay with the Heat.

Gladness was waived by the Heat earlier this month, before his contract became guaranteed for the season, but signed a 10-day contract shortly thereafter. If the Heat intend to keep the 25-year-old for longer than ten more days, they'll have to sign him to a rest-of-season deal after March 9th.

In eight games for the Heat this year, Gladness has logged 28 minutes, recording two points and 11 rebounds. Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida first reported that the big man would sign a second 10-day contract with Miami.

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Odds & Ends: Timberwolves, Calderon, Kobe

February 27th, 2012 at 10:42pm CST by Luke Adams

With the All-Star Game behind us and regular season games not restarting until tomorrow, a handful of writers today are looking ahead to the season's second half. With the March 15th deadline just 17 days away, the start of the second half figures to be dominated by trade rumors, so Sean Deveney of the Sporting News and Sam Smith of Bulls.com were among the scribes who examined a few big-name trade candidates. Here are a few more links from around the Association as we wait for the second half to get underway:

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Warriors Offer Mickell Gladness 10-Day Contract

February 27th, 2012 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Warriors have offered Mickell Gladness a 10-day contract, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida. However, Gladness hopes to sign a second 10-day deal with the Heat. He's expected to find out on Tuesday whether the Heat want to bring him back.

The Heat waived Gladness in early February rather than guarantee his contract for the remainder of the season, but brought him back within a week on a 10-day contract. When that deal expired last week, Tomasson said that if the Heat offered a second 10-day deal, it would happen after the All-Star break.

Gladness, who has appeared in eight games this season, prefers to sign with the Heat because they were "the first ones to give me a chance," he tells Tomasson (Twitter link).

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Odds & Ends: Bogut, Gasol, Kings

February 26th, 2012 at 9:54am CST by Chuck Myron

Peter Vecsey, in the same column in which he revealed the Knicks as potential suitors for Dwight Howard, hears that the Bucks are "definitely open to offers" for Andrew Bogut, who's currently out with a fractured left ankle. He also says the rumored signing of Rasheed Wallace by the Lakers lends credibility to the idea that the team could send Pau Gasol to the Celtics for Rajon Rondo and Jermaine O'Neal. Here's the rest of what's being whispered around All-Star weekend.

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