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Erik Spoelstra, Lionel Hollins named NBA Coaches of Month for February, 2013

The Miami Heat’s Erik Spoelstra and the Memphis Grizzlies’ Lionel Hollins today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in February.

Spoelstra led Miami to a league-best 12-1 (.923) record in February. The Heat scored 100 or more points 10 times on the month, and also won nine games in February by at least 10 points, including a 114-90 road victory against Philadelphia on Feb. 23. The Heat held opponents under 100 points seven times on the month, including a 111-89 home victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Feb. 8. After a 102-89 loss to the Pacers on Feb. 1, the Heat ended the month on a 12-game winning streak. At 41-14, Miami stands alone atop the East.

Hollins led the Grizzlies to a Western Conference-best 9-2 (.818) record in February. The Grizzlies held opponents under 100 points nine times on the month, including a 105-88 home victory against Minnesota on Feb. 10. After starting February 1-2, Hollins’ Grizzlies ended the month on an eight-game winning streak. At 38-18 on the season, Memphis has the fifth most wins in the league and sits fourth in the West.

Other nominees for Coach of the Month were Boston’s Doc Rivers, the Indiana Pacers’ Frank Vogel, the Oklahoma City Thunder’s Scott Brooks, and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich.

Heat assign Jarvis Varnado to D-League

The Miami Heat announced today that forward Jarvis Varnado has been assigned to the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League. The Skyforce are the Heat’s D-League affiliate.

Varnado has appeared in 10 NBA games this season totaling eight points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal in 37 minutes of action. He was previously signed by Boston earlier this season on December 14, appearing in five games with the Celtics, before being waived on January 6. He was then signed by the Heat to a 10-day contract on January 9 and then re-signed to a second 10-day contract on January 20 before Miami signed him for the rest of the season on January 30. Varnado was originally signed by Miami on September 7 and waived on October 26 after appearing in two games (one start) on the Heat’s 2012 Summer League team.

He appeared in 10 games (all starts) earlier this season for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League and averaged 14.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.90 blocks, 1.4 assists and 30.5 minutes while shooting 55.7 percent from the field.

Heat win 12th straight game, outlast Kings in 2OT

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra summed up the efforts of LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in three words: ”Video game numbers,” he said.

Both put up monster stat lines.

And the Miami Heat needed them.

James scored 40 points and added a career-high 16 assists, Wade had 39 points, and the Heat pushed their winning streak to 12 games by outlasting the Sacramento Kings 141-129 in double overtime on Tuesday night.

”Some great stat lines tonight,” James said. ”But I’m happy I was able to do what I did and help our team win.”

Great stat lines might be calling it an understatement. Consider:

– A season high in scoring for James, who capped off the best shooting month of his career.

– A season high in scoring for Wade, who tied a career best with 19 field goals.

– A 36-point night for the Kings’ Marcus Thornton, the most by any non-starter in the NBA this season.

– The 141 points tied a Heat franchise record, set in 1991.

– Add James’ assists to the mix, and he put up the NBA’s first night of at least 40 points and 16 assists since April 1994. The man who did it then? None other than Phoenix guard Kevin Johnson, now, ironically enough, the mayor of Sacramento. And for February, James finished 139 for 217 from the floor, that 64.1 percent clip the best of his career for any month.

”It was a great atmosphere,” said Thornton, who made 11 of 18 shots, including 8 of 12 from 3-point range.

— Reported by Tim Reyolds of the Associated Press

Heat beat Cavs 109-105 for 11th straight win

LeBron James scored 28 points, Dwyane Wade scored 11 of his 24 in the final five minutes, and the Miami Heat extended the NBA’s longest current winning streak to 11 games, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 109-105 in a back-and-forth matchup Sunday night.

Mario Chalmers scored 16 points, Shane Battier added 14 and Ray Allen had 11 for the Heat, who took a 22-point lead early in the second half, then prevailed despite being outscored by a whopping 30 points over a 17-minute stretch.

Miami was down eight with 5:16 remaining, and still won.

Dion Waiters scored 26 points, C.J. Miles added 19 and Kyrie Irving scored 17 for Cleveland. The Cavaliers are now 1-8 against the Heat since James signed with Miami in July 2010.

Cleveland erased a 22-point deficit in the third quarter to take the lead, and led by 97-89 with 5:16 remaining – before the Heat found a way to come back.

More specifically, before Wade found a way to come back.

Wade started what turned into a 16-4 run with a fadeaway with just under 5 minutes to go, then added a three-point play on the next Miami possession to cut the Cavs’ lead to 97-94…

Miami’s two wins over Cleveland this season, both at home, have come by a combined six points. … Heat F Mike Miller (ear infection) was back with the team Sunday, though did not play. ”He can’t hear anything we’re saying,” Spoelstra quipped before the game. … The Heat held a moment of silence pregame for Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss, the moment ending with warm applause from the crowd. Heat President Pat Riley coached for Buss, and Cavaliers coach Byron Scott once played for the Lakers.

— Reported by Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press

Heat trade Dexter Pittman to Grizzlies for rights to Ricky Sanchez

The Miami Heat announced today that they have traded center Dexter Pittman, a 2013 second round draft choice and cash considerations to the Memphis Grizzlies in exchange for the draft rights to forward Ricky Sanchez.

“I want to thank Dexter for his hard work and professional attitude,” said Heat President Pat Riley. “Unfortunately, in order to gain roster flexibility we had to trade someone. We wish him nothing but the best.”

Currently in his third NBA season, Pittman (6-11, 285) is averaging 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.67 blocks on .470 shooting in 24.9 minutes in 15 games (12 starts) this year for the NBA Development League’s Sioux Falls Skyforce. The 24-year-old holds career D-League averages of 13.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.70 blocks on .510 shooting in 26.5 minutes in 37 games (34 starts) for Sioux Falls.

Drafted by Miami in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, the University of Texas product holds NBA career averages of 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds on .471 shooting in 7.9 minutes in 41 games (six starts) with the Heat. A member of Miami’s 2012 NBA Championship squad, the Rosenberg, Tex. native has totaled six points and seven rebounds in 12 minutes in four appearances for the Heat this season.

Memphis now owns multiple second round draft picks in the 2013 NBA Draft.

Sanchez, a 6’11, 220-lb forward, was originally drafted in the second round (35th overall) in the 2005 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. He appeared in 75 NBA Development League games (22 starts) for the Idaho Stampede from 2006-08 and averaged 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 25.1 minutes while shooting 41.4 percent from the field. The Puerto Rican native currently plays for Libertad de Sunchales (Argentina), appearing in 28 games this season and averaging 12.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 31.9 minutes while shooting 42.2 percent from the field.

Pittman, who was originally drafted by the Heat in the second round (32nd overall) of the 2010 NBA Draft, appeared in 41 career games (six starts) with Miami and averaged 2.8 points and 2.0 rebounds while shooting 47.1 percent from the field. He is currently on assignment with the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA Development League.

Isiah Thomas discusses athletic ability of Michael Jordan and LeBron James

Hall of Famer Isiah Thomas said Tuesday that while the debate over whether LeBron James is a better basketball player than Michael Jordan is hardly settled, James is probably the better athlete.

“They’re both great players, and they’re both great in their eras,” Thomas told “The Waddle & Silvy Show” on WMVP-AM 1000. “In my era, we hadn’t seen an athlete quite like Michael Jordan. He jumped higher than everyone else. He was a little faster than everyone else and he was just the best athlete.

“LeBron James is the best athlete of today, and he’s probably a better athlete than Michael Jordan was. He’s bigger, he’s faster, he’s stronger.”

— Reported by the Sports Xchange

Could LeBron James someday return to Cleveland Cavaliers?

Considering the way James left Cleveland in 2010, the idea of him returning less than five years later once seemed preposterous. But while James has shot down every question regarding his future, he has never ruled out a return to Cleveland. In fact, James began attempting to smooth things over with Cleveland last year.

“It would be fun to play in front of these fans again,” James said in February of 2012 before a road game at Cleveland. “I had a lot fun times in my seven years here. … I’m here as a Miami Heat player, and I’m happy where I am now, but I don’t rule that out in no sense.

“And if I decide to come back, hopefully the fans will accept me.”

The Heat will be major contenders to keep James in the summer of 2014 when he can first opt out of his contract, but All-Star Weekend added yet another chapter to the ongoing narrative that James loves the young Cleveland guard’s game.

— Reported by Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald

Spoelstra says decision to start Bosh in All-Star game was easy call

Some fans questioned the decision to start Bosh, but his coach made no apologies.

“That’s an easy decision,” Spoelstra said. “My loyalties are with the Heat.”

Spoelstra’s players are ready to repay his loyalty once the scores really matter and the chase for another title picks up.

“We’re the best team in the league,” Bosh said. “We have to make our run to start our title (defense). We have everybody intact. Everybody’s comfortable. We just have to continue to work on our chemistry.”

James agrees. “We want to continue to play our game,” James said. “We want to continue to get better each and every game and not waste an opportunity when we get on the floor and play as a team. If we do that, we’ll be OK.”

— Reported by Jose de Jesus Ortiz of the Houston Chronicle (Blog)

LeBron James doubts he will ever participate in NBA Slam Dunk contest

James has never competed in the slam-dunk contest on All-Star Weekend. Asked Friday if he ever will, James said he thinks his window of opportunity may have passed.

He’s only 28, but playing his 10th NBA season.

“I’m getting older,” he said. “It ain’t looking good.”

Dwight Howard, who competed multiple times and won a dunk contest, had another theory for why some players won’t give it a try.

“I think for us, the reason why a lot of us don’t participate is because we do so much during All-Star weekend, by the time we get to the dunk contest we have no legs,” he said. “When you do the dunk contest, you want to have your legs, you want to be ready to go because you want to put on a good show for our fans. So I think some guys, I think they don’t want to get embarrassed in the dunk contest, so they just choose not to do it.”

— Reported by the Associated Press

Kevin Durant says he and LeBron James are good friends

Kevin Durant wanted to set the record straight once and for all about his relationship with LeBron James.

“I hate him,” he said before breaking into laughter.

Then he got serious.

“We’re actually really good friends,” he continued. “I think people want us to hate each other so bad just because we’re battling against each other.”

That doesn’t mean he has any good feelings toward him when they pair face each other.

“I like the friendly competition, but when we’re on the court we’re the furthest thing away from being friends,” he said. “We don’t take it easy on each other.”

That much was never more evident than when the two competed in last year’s NBA Finals, which the Heat won in five games. James led his team in scoring in each game, and Durant paced the Thunder in all but Game 4.

— Reported by the Associated Press