Category: Miami Heat Blog

Michael Beasley of the Miami Heat has been fined $50,000 for his involvement in an incident at the league’s Rookie Transition Program earlier this month, and for his initial failure to cooperate with a league investigation of the matter.

Beasley was involved in the same incident for which Miami’s Mario Chalmers and Memphis’ Darrell Arthur were previously fined.

UPDATE: The Palm Beach Post (Chris Perkins) reports: “According to NBA sources, Beasley was in a hotel room with Chalmers, Arthur and two women when the incident took place, but he might have been hiding. The incident occurred when hotel security investigated a smoke alarm going off. When they used a pass key to enter the room, they smelled marijuana. No drugs were found, and Chalmers and Arthur denied using any. Beasley intially was cleared by the NBA, but apparently came forward later.”

The Miami Heat announced today that they have requested waivers on forward Stephane Lasme. The 6’8” forward was originally signed to a 10-day contract by the HEAT on Mar. 21, 2008. He was signed for the remainder of the 2007-08 season on Apr. 10. In 16 games (four starts) last season, Lasme averaged 5.2 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.38 blocks and 18.9 minutes. Lasme was originally the 46th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors for whom he appeared in one game last season before being waived on Nov. 17.

InsideHoops.com editor says: I think Lasme is good enough to land 10-day contracts here and there, and maybe the occasional non-guaranteed deal, but he’ll have to keep improving and really prove himself worthy of a contract that lasts a while. I like him as a player.

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed free agent center Jamaal Magloire. Per team policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed. According to multiple reports it’s either for the league minimum, or close.

Scroll down for InsideHoops.com’s opinion on the news.

“We are very fortunate to be able to come to terms with Jamaal Magliore,” said HEAT President Pat Riley. “We feel that he will dramatically support our post position. He is an excellent rebounder with a big body. On the defensive end he will plug up the paint and the offensive end he can score. We feel that this is definitely the right place for him to re-energize his career.”

A former NBA All-Star (2004), Magloire has averaged 8.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.03 blocks and 24.2 minutes during an eight-year NBA career which has included stints with the Hornets (Charlotte: 2000-02 and New Orleans: 2002-05), the Milwaukee Bucks (2005-06), the Portland Trail Blazers (2006-07), the New Jersey Nets (2007-08) and the Dallas Mavericks (2007-08). In his 537 NBA regular season games he has connected on 47.9 percent of his field goal attempts. Additionally, Magloire has appeared in 36 postseason contests and has averaged 9.1 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.11 blocks while hitting 47.7 percent of his field goal attempts.

Four times in his career the 6’11”, 265-pound center has appeared in all 82 games during a season and five times in the past seven seasons he has played at least 81 games. His best season occurred during the 2003-04 campaign with the New Orleans Hornets where he was selected as an Eastern Conference All-Star and averaged career highs in both points (13.6 ppg) and rebounds (10.3 rpg) and was one of just 11 players in the NBA that season to average a double-double. He topped the Eastern Conference in scoring in the 2004 NBA All-Star Game with 19 points. Magloire finished the 2003-04 season ranked among the NBA leaders in offensive rebounding (5th), overall rebounding (7th) and field goal percentage (tied for 27th).

Magloire split the 2007-08 season between the New Jersey Nets and the Dallas Mavericks. He saw action in 31 games (two starts) and averaged 1.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 9.2 minutes.

InsideHoops.com editor says: Magloire is worth a shot. For whatever reason he seems to have gotten worse almost each season since his All-Star year. But he’s worth adding for the minimum. Mark Blount, who isn’t very good, is still the better center right now. It would be a pleasant surprise for the Heat if Magloire can overtake him. And there’s a chance that power forward Udonis Haslem winds up getting used as an extremely undersized center. I actually would enjoy seeing that; Haslem at center, Mike Beasley at power forward, Shawn Marion at small forward, playing fun small-ball. If the other team’s center is especially big and good then they could sit Haslem quickly, or slide him to the four quickly, and put in a real center. Anyway, Magloire is a low-risk addition.

The Miami Heat announced Thursday that they have re-signed guard/forward Dorell Wright. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Wright, who originally signed with the HEAT on July 27, 2004 after being drafted in the first round (19th overall) in the 2004 NBA Draft, has appeared in 133 games (55 starts). During his four-year NBA career in Miami, he has averaged 6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 19.2 minutes while shooting 46.1 percent from the field and 79.2 percent from the foul line. Additionally, Wright has increased his points per game, rebounds per game and blocks per game averages while also increasing his offensive rebounds and games started in each of his four seasons with the HEAT. Over that same span, he has scored in double-figures on 34 occasions and has tallied eight double-doubles.

During the 2007-08 season, Wright appeared in 44 games (34 starts) and set career-highs with 7.9 points, 5.0 rebounds and 0.93 blocks in 25.1 minutes while shooting a career-best 48.8 percent from the field. Wright also dished out 1.4 assists while leading the HEAT in blocks on 16 occasions, rebounds seven times, steals on five occasions, minutes four times and points once. Wright became the first player in HEAT franchise history to be perfect shooting from both the field and the free throw line with at least five attempts in each category after he shot 5-for-5 from the field and 7-for-7 from the foul line versus Toronto on February 4, 2008.