The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports on the Miami Heat: Right now it appears the rotation for Wednesday’s season opener at New York will surely include the seven-man group of point guard Chris Quinn, shooting guard Dwyane Wade, small forward Shawn Marion, power forward Michael Beasley, power forward/center Udonis Haslem, center Mark Blount and point guard/shooting guard Marcus Banks. The other spots (it’s unknown whether the Heat will regularly use an eight- or nine-man rotation) could be comprised of rookie point guard Mario Chalmers, small forward Yakhouba Diawara, small forward Dorell Wright and point guard Shaun Livingston.
Category: Miami Heat Blog
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Oct 23: Hornets 100, Heat 80
The AP reports: David West scored 22 points, Peja Stojakovic added 14 and the New Orleans Hornets were 9-of-16 from 3-point range in their 100-80 exhibition victory over the Miami Heat on Thursday at the University of South Alabama… New Orleans point guard Chris Paul had 13 assists and six points, Morris Peterson and Devin Brown each scored 12 points, and Rasual Butler added 11. Rookie Michael Beasley led the Heat with 14 points, Shawn Marion added 12, and Dwyane Wade had 11.
Oct 21: Heat 102, Grizzlies 85
The AP reports: Dwyane Wade scored 25 points, Michael Beasley scored nine of his 19 in the fourth quarter and the Miami Heat beat the Memphis Grizzlies 102-85 Tuesday night for their first preseason win in nearly two years… Udonis Haslem had 14 points and 13 rebounds, while Shawn Marion added 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Miami (1-4), which had dropped 12 straight exhibitions since beating Orlando on Oct. 24, 2006… O.J. Mayo scored 28 points for Memphis on 12-for-19 shooting, with five rebounds and five assists. Darko Milicic scored 12 for the Grizzlies (2-5), who allowed 11 points off turnovers in the final 12 minutes.
James Jones has wrist surgery
The Miami HEAT announced that forward James Jones underwent successful surgery on Saturday, October 18th to repair a ruptured extensor tendon in his right wrist. The surgery was performed by Dr. Ann Ouellette and consulted by HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick at Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables. Jones is expected to be out three months.
Jones was signed by the HEAT as a free agent on July 9.
Oct 18: Magic 100, Heat 92
The AP reports: Dwight Howard scored 26 points, and the Orlando Magic used a second-quarter run to build a big lead Saturday night before holding off the Miami Heat, 100-92 for their fourth consecutive preseason victory. Howard also had 16 rebounds but was just 6-of-13 from the free throw line… Dwyane Wade, who finished with 29 points, had back-to-back baskets off steals midway through the third period, cutting it to 65-56.
James Jones to miss 3 months
The Miami HEAT announced today that forward James Jones will undergo surgery on Saturday, Oct. 18 to repair a ruptured extensor tendon in his right wrist. The rupture occurred during practice on Oct. 15. After consulting with HEAT team physician Dr. Harlan Selesnick, the surgery will be performed by Dr. Ann Ouellette. Following surgery, Jones will have his wrist placed in a cast and he is expected to be out for three months.
Jones was signed by the HEAT as a free agent on July 9.
Haq-a-Shaq likely to continue
Shquille O’Neal misses lots of free throws. And he’s continuing to do so. Other teams often resort to fouling him on purpose, just to send him to the line so he can miss free throws. This will likely continue. Here’s the Arizona Republic (Paul Coro):
It has been more of the same from O’Neal at the free-throw line in the preseason, with eight misses in 12 tries. And it might be more of the same “Hack-a-Shaq” approach this season for the career 52.4 percent free-throw shooter. The NBA reviewed the rule allowing intentional fouls away from the ball without penalty until the final two minutes but did not alter the rule to protect a weakness. “I was fine with that,” O’Neal said. “It doesn’t work. It may work in a series, but it’s not going to get you to the championship. San Antonio tried it, but they went home a couple weeks after we went home. I just have to go to the line and make them pay. And I will. “The only thing I call cowardly is when you’re up by 10 and do it. That’s a cowardly move. I didn’t say nothing last year, but that’s a coward move. They should really do something about that. When you’re down, I can see using it as a strategy, but when you’re up 10 to 15 points, there’s really no need for that.”
Shaq should try shooting free throws underhanded while facing away from the basket. He could stand, facing the opposite side of the court, start shooting underhand aiming across the entire length of the floor, only continue the motion high up in the air, bouncing the ball off the ceiling at an angle that would aim it at the proper rim. All while the arena plays looney tunes music or the theme to the Benny Hill TV show. Hey, it’s just an idea.
–Jeff
Heat waive Basden and Barlett
The Miami HEAT announced tonight that they have requested waivers on forward Omar Barlett and guard Eddie Basden. Both were initially signed as free agents by the HEAT on Sept. 26, 2008.
Barlett appeared in one game in the preseason and totaled four points and two rebounds in 9:22 minutes against Detroit on Oct. 5.
Basden also appeared in one game and was scoreless with one assist and one steal in 9:08 minutes against the Pistons on Oct. 5.
Heat still a work in progress
The South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Ira Winderman) reports (via his blog: “Dwyane Wade needs perimeter help. He has a team-high 13 turnovers, including eight Sunday against the Nets, and again is finding himself forced to create for himself… Marcus Banks can score, but hardly is a playmaker. He makes some sense coming off the bench, especially when Wade is out… Mario Chalmers is a project, and could wind up spending some inactive time when game-night rosters are set during the regular season.”
InsideHoops.com editor says: Perhaps I need to lower my expectations for the Heat this season. They’ll be improved from last year (which isn’t hard to do), but perhaps not quite as much as hoped, early on at least.
Oct 12: Nets 94, Heat 92
The AP reports: Vince Carter made three free throws in the final 10 seconds to help the New Jersey Nets hold on for a 94-92 win over the Miami Heat on Sunday in a preseason game played in front of a boisterous London crowd… Carter finished with 19 points and Yi Jianlian added another 17 in his debut for the Nets (2-0) in a game that treated the British fans to a number of high-flying dunks but even more sloppy turnovers. Marcus Banks had 19 points, and Dwyane Wade added 18 for the Heat (0-3), who fought back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit to push the game to the final seconds. Miami has not won a preseason game since 2006, after going 0-7 in exhibition contests last year before posting the league’s worst record (15-67).