Category: Miami Heat Blog

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports:  The Heat has extended coach Erik Spoelstra’s contract in the wake of Spoelstra and all the employees in basketball operations, including president Pat Riley, accepting voluntary pay cuts to eliminate the need for layoffs. Spoelstra also confirmed that forward Michael Beasley — who left a Houston rehabilitation facility Sunday — was at AmericanAirlines Arena on Monday, where players are working out informally, and has improved his game significantly this summer.

The Miami HEAT announced today that it will retire Tim Hardaway’s number 10 jersey in a pre-game ceremony prior to the team’s Oct. 28 season-opener against the New York Knicks. Hardaway will become just the second HEAT player to have his jersey retired, joining former teammate Alonzo Mourning whose number 33 jersey was retired on Mar. 30, 2009. The HEAT will honor Hardaway with a special pre-game video presentation and jersey retirement ceremony, where his jersey will be placed in the rafters alongside banners for Mourning and former team trainer Ron Culp and the HEAT’s division, conference, and NBA championship banners at the AmericanAirlines Arena.

“When you think about the Miami HEAT organization and the 20-plus years that the franchise has been in existence, there are always going to be those names that have helped develop the taproot and foundation for what we hope to be a long tradition of success here in Miami,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “Alonzo Mourning was one. His jersey now is hanging from the rafters in the AmericanAirlines Arena. Tim Hardaway is another, who today we are proud to announce will have his jersey retired on opening night against the New York Knicks. We feel that Tim has been one of those building blocks and one of those players who has done us proud and we feel he is most deserving of having this special honor on this particular night.”

During a sparkling 13-year NBA career, Hardaway was a five-time NBA All-Star and earned All-NBA honors on five occasions (First Team once, Second Team three times and Third Team once). He became the first player in HEAT history to earn All-NBA honors when he was chosen First Team All-NBA after leading Miami to a franchise-record 61 wins and its first-ever conference finals appearance during the 1996-97 season. Hardaway, who was selected to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1989-90, also captured a gold medal with the United States Senior National Team at the 2000 Olympics, where he teamed with Mourning, and also as a member of the 1994 U.S. World Championship team.

He appeared in 867 regular season games with the HEAT (1996-01), Golden State Warriors (1989-96), Dallas Mavericks (2001-02), Denver Nuggets (2002) and Indiana Pacers (2002-03) and averaged 17.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.3 rebounds, 1.65 steals and 35.3 minutes while shooting 43.1 percent from the floor, 35.5 percent from three-point range and 78.2 percent from the foul line during his career. He finished his career with 15,373 points, 7,095 assists, 1,542 three-point field goals made and 1,428 steals. The Chicago native ranks among the NBA’s all-time leaders in three-point field goals attempted (4th), three-point field goals made (7th), assists (13th) and steals (39th). Additionally, in 56 postseason contests he averaged 16.8 points, 6.8 assists, 3.1 rebounds, 1.57 steals and 36.6 minutes while shooting 39.3 percent from the floor, 32 percent from three-point range and 75.1 percent from the foul line.

Originally selected with the 14th overall pick in the 1989 NBA Draft by Golden State, Hardaway was acquired by the HEAT from the Warriors along with Chris Gatling on Feb. 22, 1996 in exchange for Bimbo Coles and Kevin Willis in one of the greatest trades in franchise history. He currently ranks as Miami’s all-time leader in assists (2,867), three-point field goals made (806) and three-point field goals attempted (2,263). The University of Texas-El Paso graduate also ranks among Miami’s all-time leaders in field goals attempted (4th-5,498), double-doubles (4th-95), points (5th-6,335), field goals made (5th-2,252), free throw percentage (5th-80.1%), steals (5th-541), double-figure scoring efforts (tied 5th-315), free throws made (7th-1,025), free throws attempted (8th-1,279), games started (8th-367), minutes played (8th-13,271), games played (10th-367), defensive rebounds (11th-1,004), total rebounds (13th-1,180), field goal percentage (16th-41.0%) and three-point field goal percentage (16th-35.6%). He also owns the HEAT single-season assist record, recording 695 during the 1996-97 campaign. Additionally, Hardaway ranks as the HEAT’s all-time postseason leader in three-point field goals made (80) and three-point field goals attempted (220).

Times are tough these days economically for a lot of people. Myself included. I only had five or six hour-long full body massages these past two weeks as I vacation overseas. We’re all making sacrifices.

Anyway, the Miami Heat are cutting some payroll. Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:

Economic problems have forced Heat president Pat Riley, coach Erik Spoelstra and several members of the team’s front-office to take pay cuts entering the season.

Spoelstra said recently that he expected to open his second season as coach with his entire staff of assistants intact. But financial problems that led to reductions of about 20 employees on the business staff earlier this year have apparently spilled over to basketball operations.

The Heat is already facing the prospect of having to pay about $3 million in NBA luxury tax fees for operating beyond the league’s $69.9 million threshold for excessive payrolls.

It needs to be said that the biggest waste of money in Miami these past few years was on former Heat center Mark Blount. He’s gone now, though, so things can only get brighter on South Beach.

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald reports:  Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade said Wednesday he won’t sign a long-term extension with the Heat and will revisit his future with the team as a free agent next summer. Speaking from the Chicago-area church he bought for his mother two years ago, Wade said he and agent Henry Thomas told the Heat it would be best to hold off a decision until after the 2009-10 season.

The Miami Herald continues:  Wade has suggested for months that his plan was to bypass a potential extension that would add three years and about $60 million to the two seasons left on his contract. But his stance Wednesday was clearly the most definitive he has made on the issue of his future with the team that selected him fifth overall in the 2003 NBA Draft.

The AP reports: The Miami Heat forward checked into a Houston rehabilitation facility last week and is being treated for various issues, including depression, a person briefed on the situation told the Associated Press yesterday. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because of privacy concerns, and could not say whether the other issues included drug or alcohol treatment. “Based on what I’m getting right now, there’s a bit of concern,’’ Bruce Shingler, Beasley’s manager, said in a telephone interview. “I don’t really know what’s going on. I just know his mom is on her way to go see him in Houston. That’s it. I’m still collecting a lot of information.’’ It’s unknown how long Beasley, 20, will remain at the facility, or whether he will be available when the Heat open training camp Sept. 28.