Tuesday, August 28, 2007

A Couple Morsels of Heat News

A couple pieces of Heat news have emerged over the past couple weeks.

The biggest is clearly that James Posey signed a 2 year deal with the Boston Celtics.

This stinks for the Heat because we've lost out on the opportunity to use Posey in a sign and trade for the likes of Michael Pietrus or Ron Artest. Furthermore, the Heat now finds itself with Antoine Walker, Dorell Wright, and (gulp) Penny Hardaway as the only players on the roster who can play small forward (not counting the undrafted free agents on the team).

Unless Riley really thinks this is the year Dorell Wright breaks out, we're clearly in need of another small forward.

Posey's 3-point shooting and hustle on defense will be missed. He'll be a great fit in Boston, coming off the bench as sixth man.

Also, the Heat signed SF Alexander Johnson, who cracked John Hollinger's list of the 10 best rookies at the all star break.

Sunday, August 12, 2007

Heat Picks up a Penny

Well, this one certainly came out of left field.

My initial reaction to the Penny Hardaway signing was embarrassment. The Heat had signed yet ANOTHER senior citizen, and this one had broken down years ago. I actually blurted out "WE DID WHAT?" in the car when the news broke. The Heat had hit a new low in this off-season of inactivity.

After realizing that we've only given him a partially guaranteed contract, I'm no longer feeling quite that incredulous. The guy has to make the team if he wants to get paid. If his knees start to buckle in camp he's gone and no harm is done. Should he make the team and somehow manage to stay healthy, he could provide depth at the 1, 2 and 3. So this can't possibly be a bad thing for the Heat, right?

Well, actually yea, this still does have the potential to be a negative. If the idea behind this signing is for Penny to be a third string player who's barely gonna see the court, I'm fine with him being here..... But if Riley's affection for veteran players rears it's ugly head and he plays Hardaway ahead of Dorell Wright, I'll be in angry-mode again.

I don't know Dorell or see him in practice every day, so I can't say if he really has what it takes to be a legit rotation player. However, when he's been given a chance to play there are times when he just oozes potential. He's so athletic.

You also see a kid who looks a little lost out on the court at times. Still, I have to believe that Dorell could give us at least as much production as a 36 year old Penny Hardaway. He needs to be given a chance to grow.

Thursday, August 2, 2007

NBA Schedule Released

The NBA released it's schedule today, and the Heat's schedule can be found here.

Opening night is against Detroit, and the Heat will play on Christmas for the 4th consecutive year. This time we'll be at Cleveland.