Miami Heat Blog – Page 136 – NBA Blog

Dwyane Wade, business partners settle lawsuits

Sarah Talalay of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reports:

Attorneys have reached a settlement agreement in a series of cases involving Heat superstar guard Dwyane Wade’s business deals.

Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Peter Adrien announced Tuesday that a settlement had been reached in all the cases involving Wade and plaintiffs and former restaurant partners Mark Rodberg and Lauren Hollander.

The settlement was announced during the trail accusing Wade of breaching his contract to a chain of D. Wade Sports Grill restaurants. Wade was accused of failing to meet his marketing obligations to the restaurants, two of which opened, but closed within months in 2008.

Clippers fans march in streets for LeBron

The AP reports:

A band of Clippers fans took to the streets outside Staples Center to show love for LeBron James.

Clippers fans march in streets for LeBron

At least 75 Clippers fans in red-and-blue gear waved signs and chanted slogans as they marched up and down Chick Hearn Court on Thursday night in the hours before Game 5 of the Western Conference finals between the Lakers and the Phoenix Suns.

With signs displaying the No. 6, which will be James’ uniform number next year, the fans chanted “We want the King!” and “L-B-J!”

Although the Clippers are a longshot in the LeBron sweepstakes after 17 losing seasons in the past 18 years, they’re among a handful of NBA teams with a combination of salary cap room, a solid supporting cast and a major media market to entice James.

Obama thinks LeBron fits with Bulls

The AP reports:

If LeBron James isn’t sure he can win in Cleveland, President Barack Obama thinks there’s an opportunity with his hometown Chicago Bulls.

“You know, like I said, I don’t want to meddle,” Obama told TNT. “I will say this: (Derrick) Rose, Joakim Noah it’s a pretty good core. You know, you could see LeBron fitting in pretty well there.” …

“I think that the most important thing for LeBron right now is actually to find a structure where he’s got a coach that he respects and is working hard with teammates who care about him and if that’s in Cleveland, then he should stay in Cleveland,” Obama said. “If he doesn’t feel like he can get it there, then someplace else.”

Shaq will consider joining Nets

Marc Berman of the New York Post reports:

Cavaliers free agent center Shaquille O’Neal, a Newark native, told The Post he would consider the Nets as a destination this summer — intrigued because they now reside in his hometown.

O’Neal, the Cavs “other” free agent, praised the new Prudential Center as being an NBA hotspot and said he would rather them not move to Brooklyn in 2013.

“I think it’s better than most arenas, I think it’s one of the best arenas in the country,” O’Neal told The Post following the Cavaliers’ stunning second-round elimination against Boston on Thursday night. “Hopefully they can stay there forever. I don’t know what’s going on with the Brooklyn situation, but it says a lot for the city of Newark.”

InsideHoops.com Says: Shaq has limited impact at this point in his basketball career, and the Nets have Brook Lopez at center already. So while it’s fun to think about O’Neal heading over to Newark, in reality he’ll probably wind up continuing to play elsewhere, for contenders who need him a bit more.

Mike Beasley vows to find himself

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:

The all-points bulletin essentially has been issued for Michael Beasley. The GPS device was set to take him back to the last place he knew anything about dominance.

Before moving forward to the next phase of his offseason, Beasley returned last week to Kansas State.

It’s a place where almost everything about basketball came easy to Beasley. But since he left, the Heat’s lightning-rod forward has been struck by frustrating inconsistencies while tightroping a line between hope and hopelessness in two NBA seasons.

“I need to get back to being me,” Beasley said of his quest to reconnect with “that beast in college” who averaged 26 points and 12 rebounds and expected to take the NBA by storm. “I haven’t shown nothing yet. When I find him, that Mike Beasley, you’ll know. The one you saw these two years, I don’t like him much.”

Kendrick Perkins gets no defensive-team love

Paul Flannery of WEEI reports:

Kendrick Perkins was left off the NBA’s All-Defensive Team for the second straight season and Doc Rivers joked that maybe that look turned some voters off.

“Well, I guess it’s going to continue to happen,” Perkins said. “Because I ain’t changing the way I look.”

That was a joke in case you needed context and Perkins had a few ready Thursday after he returned to practice with a hyperextended right knee.

His reaction to getting six stitches in his lip courtesy of Shaquille O’Neal?

“Man, I look at it like I’m already ugly,” he said. “I can’t add nothing else to that, man.”

Perkins defense on Shaq has been no laughing matter. After holding Jermaine O’Neal to 9-for-44 shooting in the first round against Miami, Perkins has kept Shaq in check (8-for-22, 20 points in two games).

Antoine Walker seeks NBA comeback

The AP reports:

Former NBA All-Star Antoine Walker is eyeing an NBA comeback.

Louisville Coach Rick Pitino says Walker will work out with several Cardinals over the next few weeks. Walker hasn’t played in the NBA since 2008 and has suffered legal and financial woes since stepping away from the game.

Walker agreed to pay three Las Vegas casinos over $900,000 to settle three bad check charges last fall.

InsideHoops.com says:

It’s highly unlikely any team gives Walker a shot. At best, if over time he proves to be in shape and serious about helping a team, some squad might offer him a non-guaranteed contract so he can prove himself. Still others may offer him a job as an arena hot dog vender. Because, when the game ends, there’s free hot dogs to eat.

LeBron James wins second straight MVP award

LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers is the winner of the Maurice Podoloff Trophy as the 2009-10 NBA Most Valuable Player, the NBA announced today.

James, who also earned the honor last season, totaled 1,205 points including 116 first place votes, from a panel of 122 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada and the first ever NBA MVP fan vote. Players were awarded 10 points for each first-place vote, seven points for each second-place vote, five for third, three for fourth and one for each fifth-place vote received.

Rounding out the top five in voting for this season’s award are Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (609 points), the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (599 points), Orlando’s Dwight Howard (478) and Miami’s Dwyane Wade (119).

More info and full voting results here.

LeBron James would love to own NBA team

The AP reports:

LeBron James, whose path to superstardom has followed a similar trajectory as Jordan’s, said Tuesday night before the Cavaliers faced the Chicago Bulls in Game 5 of the playoffs that he would “love” to own an NBA team someday. Jordan assumed ownership of the Charlotte Bobcats in March, buying the club for $275 million from Bob Johnson.

“I would love to be in that position,” James said. “It’s a great position to be able to own a team and be able to put pieces together and make decisions.”

InsideHoops.com says:

Well, if any current player should have the money to own most or all of an NBA team by the time his playing days are over, it’s LeBron.

Game 5: Celtics eliminate Heat

The AP reports:

The Boston Celtics are heading to the second round of the NBA playoffs and a potential matchup with LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ray Allen scored 24 points, making five 3-pointers in the second half, to help Boston beat Miami 96-86 in Game 5 of their first-round playoff series on Tuesday night and eliminate the Heat. With Heat star Dwyane Wade due to become a free agent—along with James—it could be an eventful summer in Miami.

Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference semifinals thanks to 16 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists from Rajon Rondo. Paul Pierce scored 21 for the Celtics, who will play either Cleveland or Chicago; the Cavaliers took a 3-1 lead into Game 5 of their first-round series later Tuesday night.

Wade scored 31 points—far short of the franchise postseason-record 46 he scored Sunday in Game 4 in Miami to help the Heat stave off elimination.

InsideHoops.com reports:

The Celtics as a team shot 48.6%, the Heat just 39.2%. Boston hit 7-of-12 three-pointers, Miami just 5-of-20. Free throws and rebounding was exactly even. But the Celtics dished 10 more assists and had five more steals.

For the Celtics, Ray Allen had 24 points. Paul Pierce (8-of-13) 21 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Rajon Rondo (6-of-16) 16 points, eight rebounds, 12 assists (just two turnovers) and four steals. Kevin Garnett had 14 points and eight rebounds.

For the Heat, Wade had 31 points, eight rebounds and ten assists (but seven turnovers). Mario Chalmers stepped up off the bench with 20 points on 13 shots. But no other Heat player even scored double-digits. Carlos Arroyo (4-of-4) had eight and almost nothing else. Jermaine O’Neal (3-of-10) continued to be awful and had seven points with little else. Udonis Haslem came off the bench to contribute six points and 10 rebounds. Joel Anthony was off the bench for six points. Quentin Richardson (just 2-of-8) had four points and little else. Michael Beasley played only 13.5 minutes and had more turnovers (3) than points (2).