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Miami Heat sign Larry Drew II

The Miami HEAT signed Larry Drew II today.

Drew, a guard, played in 11 games (two starts) with the HEAT during the 2014 summer leagues, where he averaged 4.4 points, 3.6 assists, 1.55 steals and 1.5 rebounds on 43.9 percent shooting from the field, 50 percent from three-point range and 77.8 percent on free throws.

Drew spent the 2013-14 season playing for Miami’s NBA Development League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, and helped them reach the playoffs after appearing in 41 regular season games (36 starts) and averaging 11.4 points, 7.0 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 1.66 steals and 35.5 minutes while shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point range and 70.9 percent from the foul line. He scored 20-or-more points six times, including a season-high 23-point game vs. Erie on February 9, and dished out double-figure assists on seven occasions. Additionally, he appeared in five postseason games (all starts) with the Skyforce and averaged 8.2 points, 4.2 assists, 2.2 rebounds, 1.20 steals and 34.2 minutes.

Drew was originally signed by the HEAT as a free agent on September 23, 2013. He appeared in one preseason game with Miami totaling 5:52 minutes of action vs. Atlanta on October 7 before being waived on October 21, 2013.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 19.

Miami Heat waive Chris Johnson and Reggie Williams

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have waived center Chris Johnson and guard Reggie Williams.

Johnson, who was signed as a free agent on September 26, appeared in one game with the HEAT this preseason totaling one rebound, one assist and a block in six minutes of action.

Williams, who was signed as a free agent on August 12, did not appear in a game with Miami.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 18.

Chris Andersen hopes to improve jumpshot

Miami Heat big-man Chris Andersen is towards the end of his NBA career, and is attempting to make the necessary adjustments. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:

He still plans to play with high energy in his 13th season, but will do it at a smarter pace.

“I was told a long time ago, even though I’m called Birdman, you can’t jump forever,” Andersen said Wednesday. “Like [Shaquille O’Neal] says, you have a certain amount of jumps in your career.”

Step one in the transformation process is becoming a well-rounded player, especially on offense. Andersen, 36, explained why he’s been shooting jumpers after practices during training camp, mostly from the elbow and baseline.

Translation: he wants more scoring opportunities with less wear on the body.

“I’ve been blessed to be able to jump at 36 so I want to be able to use that a couple more times but I want to be able to shoot it, too,” Andersen said. “That’ll prolong my career three years, maybe.”

Heat center Justin Hamilton undergoes heart-related procedure

The Miami HEAT announced today that center Justin Hamilton underwent a procedure at South Miami Hospital on Monday to repair an atrial flutter (abnormal heart rhythm).

After experiencing light-headedness during practice, he was sent to Doctors Hospital where the diagnosis was discovered.

He will remain sidelined for a few days and can then begin non-contact exercises for approximately three weeks before being re-evaluated prior to re-joining the team for practice. Hamilton is expected to make a full recovery.

Dwyane Wade praises defensive ability of Norris Cole

Here’s the Miami Herald Blog reporting on the Heat, whose players met with the media Monday:

Wade called Norris Cole “a monster” defensively, and said the next step in his career would be learning “how to be effective as a point guard and as a scoring guard.”

“He’s got to figure out the perfect way to do that, and it’s not always easy for guys,” Wade said. “But if he can figure it out, he can be very dangerous for us. But I’m very confident. He’s a kid who loves to work, and he wants to be as great as he wants to be. So, I think he’ll figure it out.”

Miami Heat hire Keith Smart, Chris Quinn, others for front office

The Miami HEAT announced today several front office hirings, including Keith Smart as Assistant Coach, Chris Quinn as Assistant Coach/Player Development, Brandon Gilliam as Assistant Trainer/Director of Rehabilitation, Wes Brown as Assistant Trainer and Eric Foran as Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach.

Smart will bring over 25 years of professional basketball experience as a player and coach to the HEAT bench serving as Assistant Coach. His duties will include assisting in the areas of game management. He comes to Miami after serving as head coach for three different NBA franchises, including Sacramento, Golden State and Cleveland.

Quinn, who played three and a half seasons with the HEAT for both Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra, will join Spoelstra’s staff as an Assistant Coach/Player Development. The six-year NBA veteran will assist Miami in the areas of player development and will also have responsibilities with the HEAT’s NBA Development League team, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Quinn spent last season as Director of Player Development at Northwestern University.

Gilliam has been named Assistant Trainer/Director of Rehabilitation after spending the last eight years owning his own private practice that specialized in concierge physical training for entertainers and athletes. In addition to his duties as assistant trainer, Gilliam will oversee all player rehabilitation programs as he will work with each player individually during the recovery process.

Brown has been named Assistant Trainer after spending the last seven years at the University of Miami as associate athletic trainer. His duties will include managing the day-to-day health of HEAT players during the regular season, postseason and off-season. Brown is a certified Performance Enhancement Specialist, certified Corrective Exercise specialist, certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner and a level 2 Fascial Stretch Therapist.

Foran, who spent the last two seasons with the HEAT as a strength & conditioning intern, has been named Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach. He is a certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and a certified USA Weightlifting Sports Performance Coach. A University of Florida graduate and son of HEAT Assistant Coach/Strength & Conditioning Bill Foran, Eric was a four-year letter winner and an All-SEC pole vaulter on the track and field team that won two national championships during his tenure.

Additionally, the HEAT also named David Fizdale to Assistant Head Coach, Juwan Howard to Assistant Coach, Dan Craig to Assistant Coach/Director of Player Development and Octavio De La Grana to Player Development Coach/Director of Minor League Operations.

Dwight Howard’s driver’s license suspended

Here’s Reuters, via the Toronto Sun, reporting that Dwight Howard, or whoever drives his car, makes questionable decisions on the road:

The Florida driver’s licence of Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard has been suspended for his failure to pay a fine for running a red light, court records show, but the team said on Tuesday he was playing basketball in Texas the day of the alleged infraction.

According to the court records, Howard’s licence had been suspended since at least Aug. 15 for his nonpayment of a $285 fine for running a red light in Winter Park, Fla., on April 14.

“It couldn’t have possibly been him,” said Houston Rockets spokeswoman Tracey Hughes, who told Reuters that Howard and the Rockets were playing the San Antonio Spurs in Houston on that date. “Dwight played 31 minutes. He scored 20 points and 17 rebounds.”

UPDATE: According to TMZ Sports, “Dwight Howard might be color blind — ’cause officials in Florida say he ran 10 RED LIGHTS in 2-and-a-half years — and now his license has been suspended.”

Heat sign forward Khem Birch

The Miami Heat announced today that they have signed forward Khem Birch.

We assume this is a non-guaranteed training camp signing that merely gives Birch a chance to compete for a regular season contract.

Birch appeared in six games (all starts) with the Washington Wizards during the 2014 Vegas Summer League and averaged 5.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.17 blocks and 19.3 minutes while shooting 47.8 percent from the field. He led the team in offensive rebounds and finished second in blocks, third in total rebounds and fourth in field goals made, free throws made and minutes. Additionally, he posted a seven-point, 11-rebound game vs. Miami on July 15 while shooting a perfect 3-of-3 from the field and a perfect 1-of-1 from the foul line.

Last season at UNLV he averaged a double-double after appearing in 33 games (32 starts) with the Rebels averaging 11.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.76 blocks, 1.2 assists and 31.4 minutes while shooting 51 percent from the field. He was named the Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Defensive Team and All-Mountain West Second Team honors. He finished second in the NCAA in blocks per game and total blocks (124) and tied for seventh in total rebounds (337). He capped the season leading the team in blocks, free throws made (131), minutes (1,037), offensive rebounds (131) and tied for total rebounds.

The HEAT’s roster now stands at 17.

Adam Silver has no problem with LeBron return to Cleveland

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting some insight from NBA commissioner Adam Silver:

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver isn’t denying Miami as a sexy market, but in his recent interview with Bloomberg Television he clearly did not have an issue with LeBron James’ return to the Cleveland Cavaliers, citing NFL-style parity. “And so we want to build to be at that same point where 30 teams are all competing for championships,” he said in the wake of the Heat’s four consecutive trips to the NBA Finals. “If, for example, in the NFL, when Green Bay’s playing Pittsburgh, the reaction isn’t, oh, that ‘they’re small markets,’ it’s that, ‘they’re storied franchises,’ ” he said. “And I think we’re beginning to see that in the league with teams like Oklahoma City, with the San Antonio Spurs, now, with the return of LeBron to Cleveland. And that’s what you want if you’re a commissioner. You want all of your teams to be competitive and you want them ultimately to succeed based on management, not who’s got the deepest pocket or what market is the most attractive.” Of course, it’s one thing for LeBron to return home to Cleveland, another for a top-tier free agent to aggressively pursue a future in Sacramento, Utah or Milwaukee.

Shaq still interested in being a crime-stopper

Here’s the Miami Herald reporting on former NBA superstar Shaquille O’Neal:

Former Miami Heat star Shaquille O’Neal applied to be a reserve police officer for the city of Doral on Wednesday.

O’Neal stopped by Doral’s City Council chambers to say hello before sitting down with the police chief. The council was in session discussing budget proposals. The mayor called a five-minute break and council members rushed to pose with the superstar.

The 7-foot-1 O’Neal is still going through the application process as well as a background check, city spokeswoman Christina Baguer said.

“If he passes, he will then have to do everything else to be certified by the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, just like any of our other officers, reserve or not reserve,” Baguer said.