NBA Blog – NBA Basketball Blog
NBA Blog: The NBA basketball news blog section of Inside Hoops
Heat blog – Miami Heat blog
The Miami Heat announced today that they have requested waivers on forward/guard Luke Jackson.
Jackson, who was signed as a free agent by Miami on Dec. 12, 2007, appeared in 14 games (one start) with the HEAT and averaged 5.6 points, 2.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 16.3 minutes while shooting 32.5 percent from the floor, 36.7 percent from three-point range and 69.6 percent from the foul line.
The Heat roster now stands at 15.
The Miami Heat announced today that they have acquired four-time All-Star forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks in a three-player trade with Phoenix in which they sent center Shaquille O’Neal to the Suns.
Marion, a 6’7”, 228-pound forward, has averaged 18.4 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.89 steals, 1.35 blocked shots and 37.8 minutes in 660 games during his nine-year NBA career played entirely with Phoenix. The ninth pick of the 1999 NBA Draft, Marion has averaged double figures in scoring in each of his nine seasons while shooting 48.1 percent from the floor, 34.2 percent from three-point range and 82.4 percent from the foul line. Additionally he has connected on at least 80 percent of his free throw attempts in each of his first eight seasons. Since the 2005-06 season, the 29-year old forward has averaged 18.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.98 steals, 1.58 blocks and 38.4 minutes while shooting 52.4 percent from the floor. Marion, who earned Third Team All-NBA honors in 2004-05 and 2005-06, averaged a career-high 21.8 points during the 2005-06 campaign. Additionally, he teamed with Dwyane Wade as a member of the bronze-medal winning U.S. Olympic Team in 2004 and earned NBA All-Rookie Second Team honors in 2000. A six-time NBA Player of the Week and one-time Player of the Month, Marion finished fourth in the voting for the 2007 Defensive Player of the Year Award after leading the NBA in steals (156).
The four-time NBA All-Star (2003, 2005, 2006, 2007) has started each of the 47 games in which he appeared this year for the Suns and has averaged 15.8 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.02 steals, 1.49 blocks and 36.4 minutes while shooting a career-high 52.6 percent from the floor, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 71.3 percent from the foul line. He has led the Suns in scoring five times this year and topped the squad in rebounds on 27 occasions. Marion was the Suns’ leader this season in minutes played (1,713), defensive rebounds (378), total rebounds (464), steals (95) and starts (47) and ranked second in field goals made (304), field goal percentage, offensive rebounds (86) and blocked shots (70). He joins Kevin Garnett as the only players in the NBA this season that rank in the Top 20 in both rebounds (14th) and steals (8th). Marion currently leads the NBA in steals-to-turnover ratio (1.94) and is also ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage (17th), blocks (21st) and minutes (39th). Marion, who has recorded at least 30 double-doubles in each of the past seven seasons, has registered 23 double-doubles this season. One of his double-doubles this season was a 17-point, 24-rebound effort against the HEAT on Nov. 9 at Miami. The 24 rebounds were a season-high for Marion and tied as the fifth-highest single-game total against the HEAT in franchise history.
Marion finished his Suns career among Phoenix’s all-time leaders in minutes played (2nd-12,134), three-point field goals made (2nd-652), three-point field goals attempted (2nd-1,905), rebounds (2nd-6,616), steals (2nd-1,245), field goals made (3rd-4,879), field goals attempted (3rd-10,136), blocked shots (3rd-894), points scored (4th-12,134) and games played (5th-660).
In postseason play, Marion has appeared in 65 games and has averaged 17.1 points, 10.9 rebounds, 1.52 blocks, 1.49 steals, 1.4 assists and 40.6 minutes while shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 34.6 percent from three-point range and 81.1 percent from the foul line. He departs Phoenix as the Suns’ all-time postseason leader in rebounds (706) and among the team’s playoff leaders in blocks (2nd-99), steals (3rd-97), three-point field goals made (3rd-63), three-point field goals attempted (3rd-182), points scored (5th-1,109), games played (5th-65), field goals made (7th-446) and field goals attempted (7th-963).
Banks, a 6’2”, 200-pound guard, has averaged 6.1 points, 2.2 assists, 1.6 rebounds, 0.82 steals and 16.7 minutes in 289 career games while shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, 33.1 percent from three-point range and 77.0 percent from the foul line in a five-year career spent with the Boston Celtics, Minnesota Timberwolves and Suns. Originally selected by the Celtics with the 13th pick of the 2003 NBA Draft, Banks who played in both Boston and Minnesota with current HEAT teammates Ricky Davis and Mark Blount, was signed as a free agent by the Suns on July 20, 2006. He split the 2005-06 season between Boston and Minnesota and set career highs in scoring average (10.0 ppg), assists (3.8 apg), rebounds (2.3 rpg), field goal percentage (.468), free throw percentage (.803) and minutes (25.8 mpg). In 24 games this season (one start), Banks is averaging 5.2 points, 1.0 assists, 0.8 rebounds and 12.9 minutes while shooting 40.4 percent from the floor, 38.5 percent from three-point range and 75 percent from the foul line. He has seen action in 13 postseason contests and has averaged 4.2 points, 1.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 13.3 minutes while connecting on 42.6 percent of his field goal attempts, 41.7 percent of his three-point attempts and 75 percent from the charity stripe.
O’Neal, a 7’1”, 325-pound center, was acquired by the HEAT from the Los Angeles Lakers in a four-player trade on July 14, 2004. In three and a half seasons with Miami, O’Neal averaged 19.6 points, 9.1 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.88 blocks and 31.1 minutes while shooting a franchise-record 59.6 percent from the floor and helping lead the HEAT to the 2006 NBA championship. During his 16-year NBA career he has averaged 25.6 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.45 blocks and 36.4 minutes while shooting 58.0 percent from the floor. A 14-time All-Star (including three All-Star appearances with the HEAT) and four-time NBA champion, O’Neal has appeared in 198 postseason contests and has averaged 25.5 points, 12.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 2.19 blocks and 38.9 minutes while shooting 56.6 percent from the floor.
Discuss this with other fans on the InsideHoops basketball message board.
ESPN.com reports: Diesel will be chugging out West. In one of the most improbable trades in NBA history, the Miami Heat traded Shaquille O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday for Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks, sources close to the situation told ESPN.com. O’Neal had traveled to Phoenix Wednesday morning to take a physical, which he presumably passed. The Miami Herald first reported on its Web site Tuesday night that the Heat informed O’Neal that they were shopping him and that talks with the Suns were serious.
The Arizona Republic (Paul Coro) responds to report that Heat may trade Shaq, possibly to Suns: The Miami Herald reported tonight that the Suns are in “serious,” “ongoing” discussions to send center Shaquille O’Neal to Phoenix in exchange for forward Shawn Marion and guard Marcus Banks. Two league sources close to the situation were unaware of the report and remained skeptical of the news but another league source said the Suns have been in trade talks with Miami for the past two days. The Herald reported that O’Neal’s representatives were told to be prepared for the possibility of a trade and that Phoenix was a possibility. Dallas was also mentioned.
The Ap reports: Shaquille O’Neal is prepared for the Miami Heat to trade him, a confidant of the 14-time All-Star center told The Associated Press on Tuesday night. O’Neal’s associate, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to reveal anything publicly, indicated a move could be imminent. “Shaq thinks something will happen,” the associate said.
The Miami HEAT announced that center Shaquille O’Neal underwent an MRI today which revealed acute left hip and quadriceps inflammation. He will be sidelined two weeks before being re-evaluated and will continue with treatment during that span.
O’Neal, currently in his 15th NBA season, has appeared in 32 games (all starts) for the HEAT this season, and has averaged 14.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.66 blocks in 28.5 minutes per game while ranking sixth in the NBA in field goal percentage (.581).
SportsTicker reports: Alonzo Mourning’s retirement is off just hours after the Miami Heat center made it official. A spokesman for the Heat said a story erroneously was placed on the team’s web site Monday confirming that Mourning will call it quits. The 37-year-old Mourning, who entered his 15th NBA season saying it would be his last, saw it cut short when he tore the patella tendon and quadriceps tendon in his right knee on December 19.
SportsTicker reports: Miami Heat center Shaquille O’Neal may be close to getting back into the lineup. O’Neal returned to practice Sunday after spending five days in Los Angeles receiving treatment for bursitis in his left hip, the Palm Beach Post reported.
The AP reports: Former Miami Heat star Glen Rice was arrested Friday on a felony battery charge after police say he beat a man he found hiding in his estranged wife’s closet. Rice went to the home of estranged wife Christina Rice and punched Alberto Perez several times, police said. Perez fled the home and called police. He received a cut to his forehead that needed nine stitches, police said.
The NBA today granted a game protest filed by the Miami Heat after its 117-111 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on December 19 at Philips Arena, which will result in the replay of the final 51.9 seconds of the game’s overtime period with the Hawks leading 114-111. The replay will occur immediately prior to the next scheduled game between the two teams — on March 8, 2008, also at Philips Arena.
The Heat protested the game because, with 51.9 seconds remaining in overtime, the Hawks’ scoring table personnel incorrectly disqualified the Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal – asserting that a foul committed by O’Neal was his sixth foul of the game, when in fact it was only his fifth. The error occurred because the Hawks’ Official Scorer mistakenly attributed to O’Neal a foul at 3:24 remaining in the fourth period that was actually called against the Heat’s Udonis Haslem.
NBA Commissioner David Stern found that the Hawks were grossly negligent in committing this scoring error, since they failed to follow league-mandated scoring procedures and failed to respond effectively when the members of the statisticians’ crew noticed the mistake. Because of this conduct by Atlanta’s personnel, Miami suffered a clear competitive disadvantage, as O’Neal – the Heat’s second leading scorer and rebounder that night – was removed from a one-point game with only 51.9 seconds remaining. Under this unprecedented set of circumstances, the Commissioner granted the Heat’s protest, and fined the Hawks $50,000 for their violation of league rules.
The protest is the first granted by the NBA since December 14, 1982 when then-NBA Commissioner Larry O’Brien upheld a protest by the San Antonio Spurs concerning their 137-132 double overtime loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 30. The Spurs and Lakers finished the game on April 13 with San Antonio collecting a 117-114 win.