Erik Spoelstra Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Odds & Ends: Aldridge, George, Oden, Knicks

February 16th, 2013 at 11:15pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the NBA on Saturday evening:

There hasn't been much trade chatter involving LaMarcus Aldridge lately, but when asked about interest from other teams in an interview with Damon Jones on Nike Basketball's YouTube page, Aldridge said he enjoys playing in Portland, but might listen to overtures from other teams down the road (transcription via Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge). Aldridge's contract runs through 2015.
Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star examines Paul George's journey to the NBA as the third-year forward makes his first All-Star appearance this weekend.
Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer writes that the Heat will only be able to sign Greg Oden to the veteran's minimum.
Tyson Chandler tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks sorely miss injured big men Rasheed Wallace and Marcus Camby.
Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee profiles Kings guard and Seattle native Isaiah Thomas, who is torn on his hopes for the team's ownership situation.
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra revisits his Portland roots with Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.

Spoelstra On Juwan, Injuries, Cole

September 27th, 2012 at 4:40pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Erik Spoelstra has had a busy summer, consulting with former NBA coach Paul Westhead about his perspective on fast break offenses in addition to meeting with Florida Gators head coach Billy Donavan to talk about the pressures associated with aiming to repeat as national champions (Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes). Now on the cusp of training camp, Spoelstra opened up on a few notable topics regarding the Heat:

Juwan Howard will not be a member of the team's training camp, but could eventually join the team down the line.
Dwyane Wade has been recovering from an arthroscopic surgery procedure in July, but is expected to be ready for the season opener on October 30. Spoelstra added Wade is "not 100 percent" and that he will be brought along slowly as training camp begins. Ray Allen has been recovering from offseason ankle surgery in July, and while Spoelstra says that the sharpshooter isn't 100 percent healthy either, it's not noticeable. Mike Miller is well enough to take part in all the training camp drills, but will be limited at times as a precaution. Lastly, Jarvis Varnardo is dealing with a strained hamstring that will sideline him heading into camp.
Norris Cole appears to be doing well after experiencing some issues with his groin recently, and has had a strong summer considering the team's goal of improving his playmaking and shooting.
Dexter Pittman has had a productive offseason and will be in the best condition he's been in going into a training camp.

Heat Notes: Wade, Spoelstra, Allen, Point Guards

September 4th, 2012 at 5:37pm CST by Chuck Myron

One of the reasons the Ray Allen signing was such a coup for the Heat is concern about Dwyane Wade's left knee, which required arthroscopic surgery July 9th and forced him out of the Olympics. Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel rounded up Wade's comments about his recovery as he makes the rounds to promote his book, "A Father First: How my life became bigger than basketball." Winderman also has a few more tidbits from the defending champs today, and we'll pass them along here:

Wade was optimistic during his appearance on "The View," saying, "I'm doing great. I'm ahead of schedule. The knee's OK, so I'm ahead of schedule," as Winderman notes. Wade was more cautious in his remarks to a Houston radio station, and indicated it could be a while before he's 100%. "That's my goal, to be full strength," Wade said. "Obviously, coming off surgery, even in the beginning of the year, [the goal is] to continue to work your way into things and hopeful hit your stride some point midseason, where you feel your best."
Coach Erik Spoelstra, who turned up the tempo last season, spoke on WQAM's Jorge Sedano Show today and said he'll try to get the team to play even faster this year, as Winderman notes. Spoelstra also shared his excitement about adding Allen to the mix. "He's a Hall of Fame-type catch-and-shoot player," the coach said. "We haven't had that element before in our offense. So it's been a lot of fun, trying to X-and-O and come up with new ways to get him open. I don't want to overthink it. I don't want to totally change what we do, but that's a great element to have, that type of weapon."
In the same interview, Spoelstra also gave his take on the moves that the Lakers and other teams took to try to knock the Heat from the top of the mountain. "We knew this would be a big summer, one way or another, that there were a lot of teams out there with money, that had an opportunity to make big moves, and some teams did, some teams did improve," Spoelstra said. "The Lakers certainly did, and that's going to make it all the more fun."
A third point guard would provide insurance in case either Mario Chalmers or Norris Cole misses any time this season, but the Heat seem willing to experiment with Terrel Harris in that role if the need arises, Winderman says in his mailbag column. Harris remains unsigned, but he's in talks with the Heat about a return.

Pat Riley Talks LeBron, Signings, Spoelstra

August 13th, 2012 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Heat president Pat Riley appeared on the Sid Rosenberg Show on 640 Sports in South Florida today, discussing LeBron James' gold medal performance in London, the Heat's offseason moves, and the Lakers' acquisition of Dwight Howard. Let's round up of a few of Riley's more notable quotes, courtesy of Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel….

On LeBron's Olympic performance and the next step for the reigning MVP:

"I think both [Heat owner] Micky [Arison] and I had a great sigh of relief that he got through the Olympics without getting hurt or anything happening and also winning the gold medal…. We're happy for him. We love him to death, obviously…. We just want him to get home and get some rest. And in a short six weeks, he's going to be back at it in training camp."

On Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis joining the Heat:

"They're both a perfect fit for us. There isn't any kind of magic. You build it over time and if you build it, as they said in 'Field of Dreams,' they will come. And they're coming, and we're happy about it."

On the Lakers' trade for Howard and whether it makes a Lakers/Heat Finals likely:

"Howard is a little more athletic than [Andrew] Bynum. They definitely have improved their team…. [But] it's not an easy job for any team in the West. And it's not going to be an easy job for us here in the East."

On Erik Spoelstra's future in Miami:

"Probably, I'll be gone before he leaves, or if he ever does. I'd like to see Erik be like Gregg Popovich and be here for his whole career. I mean, that's very hard in this league. I was with three different franchises after championships in L.A. Change is, at times, the landscape of the NBA…. But, no, he's part of us. He's part of the Heat. He's grown up with the Heat. He's learned everything that he really has to learn to be a head coach."

Lawrence On Riley, Shaq, Bulls, Knicks

June 23rd, 2012 at 5:54pm CST by Sean Highkin

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News has a new column focusing on Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who is attempting to build a new dynasty in Miami following the team's NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Here are the highlights of the column:

Odds & Ends: Spoelstra, Lakers, Krstic, Marshall

June 8th, 2012 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The Heat are certainly in better position to advance to the NBA Finals than they were 24 hours ago, but they aren't out of the woods yet, with a Game 7 looming. Given the high expectations in Miami, ESPN.com's Chris Broussard (Twitter link) polled 27 NBA executives on 20 clubs on whether they'd fire Erik Spoelstra if the Heat lose the series to the Celtics — 17 said no, while 10 said yes. While we await tomorrow's winner-take-all matchup and prepare for a night without NBA action, let's check in on some other updates from around the Association….

Celtics-Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Big 3, Shooting

June 6th, 2012 at 11:05am CST by Daniel Seco

Kevin Garnett reminded the world on Tuesday night that a 36-year-old player can still be a game-changer as the man known as The Big Ticket put up 26 points and 11 rebounds in a 94-90 victory over the Heat. The Celtics, deemed underdogs by perhaps even their own mothers, have willed themselves to come within one victory of beating the Heat and advancing to the NBA Finals. LeBron James is averaging a double-double in the series as he's scoring 31.8 PPG and grabbing 10.0 RPG against Boston. The Heat, losers of three in a row, face a win-or-g0-home game in Boston on Thursday with a Game 7 in Miami looming. Let's catch up on the latest news and headlines surrounding the Eastern Conference Finals…

Odds & Ends: Celtics, Heat, Thunder, Spurs, Lakers

May 20th, 2012 at 12:15pm CST by Daniel Seco

Let's go coast to coast to catch up on the latest news and headlines before King James and the Heat look to make it a series against Indiana…

Celtics head coach Doc Rivers has been using whatever time off his team is afforded to allow them to rest and get healthier, reports the Associated Press (via the Boston Herald).
ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst says Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra needs to make adjustments to his strategy if Miami wants to have any chance of winning against the Pacers.
Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook have matured and proven that they can co-exist in Oklahoma City, writes Sam Amick of SI.com.
Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes the Thunder look like a team with legitimate title aspirations thanks to strong play by Durant and Westbrook.
The Spurs relied on heavily-efficient play to overcome a 24-point deficit to the Clippers on Saturday, writes Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com.
Tom Ziller of SB Nation says the Lakers should trade Andrew Bynum so that the 24-year-old center's talents don't go to waste in Los Angeles.
Gregg Popovich's decision to sit Tim Duncan during the 2000 NBA playoffs proved to be the right decision 12 years later, contends J.A. Adande of ESPN.com.
A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com believes the Celtics need to find a better balance in terms of getting Kevin Garnett more involved in the game on Monday evening against the Sixers.

Heat Notes: Spoelstra, Hibbert, Wade

May 20th, 2012 at 9:39am CST by Daniel Seco

There's more on the line for the Heat today than simply evening the series or falling 3-1 to the Pacers. For LeBron James and friends, a victory would serve to erase much of the doubt surrounding the star-crossed franchise while a loss would further fuel speculation of a break-up upon the season's completion. Let's check up on the latest Miami news and headlines before this afternoon's action gets underway.

CBSSports.com's Ben Golliver says the Heat would be taking two giant steps backward if they can't advance past the conference semifinals with the blame falling squarely on Erik Spoelstra's shoulders. One of the many issues surrounding the team is their inability to make a shot unless their name is LeBron. Look for Spoelstra to come up with a different starting lineup with hopes of shaking things up in the Heat's favor against the Pacers.
Roy Hibbert's emergence as a dominating presence in the playoffs has been a major reason why the Pacers have excelled aside from taking advantage of Chris Bosh's absence, writes Peter Vecsey of the New York Post. The former Georgetown star has 44 points, 40 rebounds and nine blocks through three games against the Heat. With his strong performance during the playoffs coming on the heels of a breakout regular season, the restricted free agent should expect a long-term contract this offseason.
Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel believes it would be unfair to place a Heat collapse on Dwyane Wade even with his struggles as the team has collectively failed to make adjustments throughout the series. It's not too late for the Heat, but the team needs to right the ship on Sunday afternoon if they want to have any semblance of a chance to win the series. If the Heat lose the series to the Pacers, look for a long summer ahead in which all options sans moving James are on the table.