Miami Heat Blog – Page 65 – NBA Blog

Miami Heat have big talent on their bench

With James gradually shaking off the offseason rust to lead the way with 20 points, the Heat also got a combined 36 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists Friday off the bench from Norris Cole, Michael Beasley and Rashard Lewis. [Ray] Allen was also on the court with those three reserves during some of the more potent and cohesive moments of the game.

There was only one problem. That second unit for the Heat didn’t even include Shane Battier and Chris Andersen, who sat out Friday after playing in Thursday’s win in Detroit and will be vital members of the rotation in much the same fashion they were during last season’s championship run.

Add in the luxury of 11-year veteran Roger Mason Jr. and the possibilities that even a slightly effective Greg Oden can bring to the equation, and Spoelstra could be looking at the deepest and most challenging-to-manage rotation he’s had since Miami began its run of three straight Finals trips.

Spoelstra recounted Friday how the Heat ultimately didn’t have enough quality depth when they were eventually overwhelmed in six games by Dallas in the 2011 Finals. With James having slipped into a slump, the Heat had few reliable or healthy options beyond Wade and Bosh. That was a Miami team that relied at times during the season on the likes of Mike Bibby, Erick Dampier and Eddie House.

Reported by Michael Wallace of ESPN.com

James Jones letting it fly from outside

James Jones wonders about the fuss. Given the opportunity, this is what he does.

A replacement starter for sidelined Dwyane Wade in the Miami Heat’s exhibition opener, and with additional opportunities amid the limited minutes for the starters in Thursday’s victory over the Detroit Pistons, Jones went into Friday’s exhibition against the Charlotte Bobcats at the Sprint Center at 6 of 10 on 3-pointers in the preseason.

“It’s just from work with the shooters in the offseason,” the veteran swingman said. “Me and Ray [Allen], we get a lot of shots up. The routine, it pays off. And the consistency helps, especially when you get consistent minutes.”

Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel

Michael Beasley punches himself in head during preseason game

Michael Beasley is an enthusiastic player. He gets excited. Sometimes his energy helps, and other times, not so much. But a common general rule both on and off the basketball court that Beasley forgot last night is, it’s generally unhelpful to punch yourself in the head.

Beasley also did something a little odd after one offensive play. Upset with himself over missing a shot, Beasley started punching himself in the head while running back on defense. He punched himself so hard that he needed treatment after the game from the Heat’s trainer. Steel compresses (like the ones cut doctors use in boxing) were applied to Beasley’s brow in the locker room.

Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald (Blog)

The good news is, the Heat don’t need much from Beasley. Just solid scoring off the bench, in-control play in the limited minutes he plays, and no more self-punching, and all will go pretty well.

Rashard Lewis may have bigger role this season for Heat

Take one look at Lewis these days and it’s clear he’s feeling healthier, moving better and playing with more confidence than he has in quite some time. Now the task as the Heat begins the preseason is maintaining his range of motion and, in particular, keeping his knees happy.

After using its amnesty clause on Mike Miller this offseason to shave millions off the team’s books, the Heat is hoping Lewis can step in and contribute minutes when called upon. He’ll be battling with James Jones, Roger Mason Jr. and others for playing time, but that Lewis is even in the fight at this point is a positive sign.

“We’ll see how it plays out, but our guys all understand that at some point they’re all going to get an opportunity,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “It has happened consistently over the last three years, and they’re pros enough to understand that there’s a sacrifice involved, but there is opportunity also available right now.”

Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald

Miami Heat exercise option on Norris Cole for 2014-15 season

The Miami HEAT announced today that they have exercised their team option on guard Norris Cole for the 2014-15 season.

Cole has appeared in 145 career games (six starts) and averaged 6.1 points, 2.0 assists, 1.5 rebounds and 19.7 minutes while shooting 40.7 percent from the field. Last season, he led the Miami reserves in assists 37 times, steals on 29 occasions, points 12 times and in rebounds and minutes six times each. In his two seasons with the HEAT, Cole has helped Miami capture back-to-back NBA championships, appearing in 40 postseason games while averaging 4.1 points, 1.4 assists and 1.2 rebounds in 14.7 minutes of action.

Cole was originally drafted by Minnesota in the first round (28th overall) of the 2011 NBA Draft before his draft rights were acquired by the HEAT in a draft night trade.

Norris Cole focused on season, not trade rumors

Miami Heat guard Norris Cole will leave the speculation to the media.

His only focus is on becoming a better player as he enters his third NBA season. The chatter about him possibly being on the trading block is secondary.

“I can’t control that,” Cole said. “The only thing I can do is control what I can control and that’s to make sure I’m in the best shape, make sure I’m ready to perform and make sure when I get out there I show what I can do. Anything else, I can’t control that, so I don’t worry my mind about that.”

Cole said he heard of the recent Fox Sports report the Heat may have dangled his name in trade offers. He will leave those decisions to management, but he remains comfortable in Miami.

Reported by Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun Sentinel

Floyd Mayweather sits in on Miami Heat practice

Mayweather was a surprise guest at Heat practice Sunday morning, sitting courtside with team president Pat Riley, managing general partner Micky Arison and other members of the franchise’s brain trust. It’s rare for any outsider to get invited into Heat practice, though Mayweather’s resume – unbeaten in 45 fights and generally considered the best fighter of his era – certainly earned him the ultra-VIP access.

”We’re trying to defend two titles. He’s been defending for a long time,” Heat star LeBron James said. ”He definitely knows where we’re coming from. It’s exciting at the end of the day to have someone, one of the greatest of all-time, to be in the presence. It’s something you can talk about years from now. … We’re honored and blessed to have him in the building.”

Mayweather, who left just as practice was ending, gave the Heat a brief speech, reminding the two-time defending NBA champions about the need for hard work and dedication.

Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

LeBron James says Bahamas trip great for Miami Heat team bonding

The Heat has an endorsement deal with the Bahamas, and the team did its part to attract attention to these beautiful islands and its wonderful people, but from the perspective of players and coaches, the trip was valuable time spent building team chemistry.

When the players weren’t sweating on makeshift courts in an enormous ballroom, they were lounging together by the pool or palling around together in the resort’s casino. Unlike the trip to China last year, families and friends of players and coaches weren’t invited to the Bahamas.

“To come down here, just us, it gives us a great time to bond and have some camaraderie both on and off the floor,” James said. “We worked our tails off for five practices and to be able to have down times in the afternoons to just chill around the pool, we had a lot of laughs.”

Dwyane Wade called it the best training camp of his 11-year career despite most of the practice time being dedicated to defensive fundamentals. The Heat’s defense performed below its normal standards to begin the 2012-13 season and time was spent in the Bahamas to prevent a recurrence of the problem.

Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald

Miami Heat training hard in the Bahamas

Thursday proved to be about rigor and reward for the Miami Heat on the third day of training camp at the Atlantis Paradise Island Resort.

Perhaps fittingly, coach Erik Spoelstra threw a blowout at the ballroom-turned-court in the resort’s conference center, pushing his players through an unrelenting 90-minute morning session. The reward was cancellation of the afternoon session, meaning two-a-days are over, with a single session planned here Friday before a return flight to Miami.

“Just intense work,” guard Dwyane Wade said.

“We got at it right from the beginning,” forward LeBron James said.

Reported by Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Dwight Howard was happy when LeBron James finally won a championship

Howard wants to take James’ and the Miami Heat’s title, but confesses to finding comfort in the redemption of the best player on the planet. For Howard, another scorned star, James’ redemption represents the light in the distance.

“He got hated for a lot of reasons,” Howard told Yahoo. “I was really, really happy when LeBron finally won. I was unhappy that it wasn’t me up there, but I was glad to see him get through that whole thing.

“I knew exactly how he felt. People putting you down, saying bad things about your character, who you are as a person. It doesn’t sit well with you. When you go out on the court, you want to show them, ‘Hey, this isn’t who I am.’

“Here’s a guy who’s a great basketball player. He did something that was for him, and he did it in front of the whole world. I realized then that our issues, our problems, our flaws are out there for the world to see. You can’t run from it. We have to learn from our mistakes and move forward.”

Reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports