Replacing Chris Bosh will be tough for Heat

Chris Bosh is still technically a member of the Heat, but unless there’s some sort of drastic change, he’s probably played his last game for the club. Filling in the power forward spot may be a job for multiple people. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting:

Replacing Chris Bosh will be tough for Heat

It might feel like an audition on the outside — with three healthy players competing to replace Chris Bosh in the Heat’s starting lineup at power forward this preseason. But to those involved, and the coach making the decision, it isn’t building up to be a one-man job.

Luke Babbitt, James Johnson and Derrick Williams all bring something different to the table, and ultimately whoever ends up earning the starting nod when the Heat opens the season Oct. 26 at Orlando isn’t necessarily going to have the job moving forward.

The Heat, in the midst of a roster rebuild with Dwyane Wade in Chicago and with Bosh’s career in limbo, is more focused on the diversity of its lineups than it is finding a permanent replacement for Bosh.

“It’s more of a developmental phase right now,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday when asked if the starting power forward position is in an audition phase.

Magic shooting badly in preseason

Preseason is just a warmup, and it’s never smart to pay too much attention to stats. Unless something particularly important — like shooting — stands out one way or another. Then, you still don’t sound any alarms. But you take notice. Here’s the Orlando Sentinel reporting:

Setting aside Evan Fournier’s and Jeff Green’s numbers, the rest of the Magic have made only 40.0 percent of their shots.

Wednesday’s 95-89 loss to the San Antonio Spurs provided a case in point. Fournier went seven for 14 from the field, while Green converted seven of his 12 attempts.

The rest of the Magic combined to shoot 32.7 percent…

Center Nikola Vucevic struggled with his shooting stroke against San Antonio, scoring six points on 1-of-7 shooting. But Vucevic said he concentrated on moving the ball and acclimating to playing alongside Serge Ibaka as Ibaka made his preseason debut.

Gary Harris closer to return for Nuggets

Here’s the Denver Post with an update on Nuggets guard Gary Harris, who last season averaged 12.3 points on 46.9% shooting:

Gary Harris closer to return for Nuggets

Gary Harris took his first shots on the court Thursday afternoon since going down with a right groin strain in the first preseason game. The post-practice shooting was light, but poignant for a player inching his way to a return.

“That was the most I’ve done in a while,” Harris said. “Really haven’t tried anything (until today). Just tried to be cautious with it, make sure everything is cool. Don’t want to reaggravate it and make sure I’m feeling nothing when I’m doing things.”

Joakim Noah has spent preseason with injuries

The Knicks are hoping they’re going to get the good Joakim Noah who was a key difference-maker on the Bulls a few years ago. But so far this preseason, they’re getting the more recent, banged-up version. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:

Joakim Noah has spent preseason with injuries

Joakim Noah’s good health didn’t last long.

A day after scrimmaging for the first time since straining his hamstring nearly two weeks ago, the center missed Thursday’s practice due to a “minor sprained ankle,” coach Jeff Hornacek said.

Noah, who missed at least five games in six of the last seven seasons, hasn’t played yet for the Knicks in the preseason because of the hamstring ailment. He then hurt his angle on one of the final plays of Wednesday’s practice, and Hornacek was unsure about Noah’s status Saturday’s game against Boston.

Jazz waive Eric Dawson, Quincy Ford and Marcus Paige

The Jazz waived forward Eric Dawson, forward/guard Quincy Ford and guard Marcus Paige today.

Eric Dawson (6-9, 255, Mideastern State) appeared in one preseason game, scoring two points in 13 minutes of action vs. Phoenix on Oct. 12. He signed as a free agent on Sept. 21.

Quincy Ford (6-8, 225, Northeastern) scored two points in 12 minutes vs. the Suns on Oct. 12. He signed as a free agent on Sept. 6 after competing for the Jazz entries in both the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Paige (6-2, 175, North Carolina) averaged 5.5 points and 1.5 assists in two preseason games for Utah. He also competed at the Utah Jazz Summer League and NBA Summer League for the Jazz entries.

The Jazz roster now stands at 17 players.