# 2012 Heat Media Day/Training Camp Thread



## Wade2Bosh

Media day is tomorrow. Should get a ton of interviews, news, and of course pics.


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Media Day day!

Watching an NBATV playback of the Finals. Cole has put on serious muscle since then, per the recent pics. I love how great our staff is at developing bodies, between he and Pitt this summer alone.

When the hell did LeBron get to Miami? He hasn't discussed it on twitter and there still isn't a shot/mention of him getting his ring sized.

Can't wait to see Garrett Temple in his Heat jersey!


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Hopefully the Heat put up a clip of Lebron getting fitted for his ring, like they did with Wade.


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Bold prediction: Every single poster on the Heat forum will have a new avatar by 8 PM tonight.


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## Wade County

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Gotta love Media Day - looking forward to some awesome pics and interviews. Season 2012/2013!


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## Marcus13

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*










Can anyone cut the Pepsi part off of this??


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## 29380

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

This?


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

So safe to say we know who our tentative starters are?


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



> Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson
> LeBron James: "I'm not satisfied.''


What the hell does he have in store this season?


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Lebron has been working with KD a lot this summer apparently, even after the Olympics in Akron.


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Spo on Norris:

"He had a great summer. I really like the work he put in . . . and he did it with an absolute open mind to it."


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Spo


> Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson
> Erik Spoelstra: “We’re the only team right now that can have an opportunity to win a title two years in a two.’’
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra: "I'm not even going to use the word repeat. We have an opportunity to win another title."
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Spoelstra: "Everybody will be gunning for us this year. Teams are loaded up. That's what it's all about."
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Spoelstra: "We're sharpening our tools for warfare."


Spo on Ray and Rashard


> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Spoelstra says change has been "extremely energizing" for Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.
> 
> Surya Fernandez ‏@SuryaHeatNBA
> Spo - "Sometimes change can be energizing. It's an opportunity for a new beginning. Ray looks like he's in his mid-20s."
> 
> Spoelstra, on Allen, Lewis "It almost seems as if they've rewound the clock. Ray seems like he's in the mid-20s."
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra says Rashard Lewis told him that he's been able to pick up his kids for first time in 2 years, b/c his knee feels better.
> 
> Surya Fernandez ‏@SuryaHeatNBA
> Spoelstra on Rashard Lewis - "He's a multi-skilled player. He's longer than you remember. He can post up. He can defend multiple positions."
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Spo on Rashard Lewis: "He's probably the only 33 year old in this league who's salivating at the idea of training camp."
> 
> Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson
> Erik Spoelstra: “We haven’t really had a catch and shoot player with ability and skill set of Ray (Allen).’’
> 
> Surya Fernandez ‏@SuryaHeatNBA
> Spoelstra on Ray Allen - "He strikes fear. We know about that fear."


Spo on Lebron


> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra: "This season isn't about preservation. LeBron James wouldn't have it any other way."
> 
> Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson
> Spoelstra on LeBron: "He might surprise us again this season... He has a bigger eye on team legacy.''
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Spoelstra says "legends" like LeBron "are greedy."


Spo on Wade


> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> Spo reiterates from yesterday: Dwyane Wade will practice Sat., on some level. "We'd like to put him in a position to be ready for Game 1."
> 
> Chris Tomasson ‏@christomasson
> Erik Spoelstra on Dwyane Wade's knee: “We’d like to put him in a position to be ready for Game 1 (regular season)’’
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Spoelstra says to expect to see D-Wade's "cat-quickness again" this season after he's completely healthy.
> 
> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> Spo: Allen and Wade will play together "quite a bit."


Spo on Bosh


> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra: "I don't want Chris Bosh to bulk up. That makes no sense for how we want to play."


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*












> Dwyane Wade, on returning from arthroscopic knee surgery, "I will get stronger and stronger as the year goes on...
> "For me it's all about how efficient can I be."
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> What is Dwyane Wade's injury status? He says even if it was the Finals, he wouldn't be able to play.
> 
> Dwyane Wade on the Lakers.
> “You can’t say you’re shocked about the Lakers making a move,'' Wade said. "They’ve proven they’ve made big moves often. Steve Nash is probably the biggest shocker. They’ve put themselves in position to win a championship… it makes the league more competitive… They make you work harder.’’
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> D-Wade appears to be carrying more weight than last season before training camp. Understandable considering the surgery and book tour.
> 
> Dwyane Wade's goal for the season? "I want to get all my percentages up."
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> For all the sneakerheads out there, Dwyane Wade wearing Jordan today at the media day photo shoots.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*











> LeBron , on where he stands, "I've accomplished a lot of things, a lot of goals, but I'm not satisfied with that."
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> LeBron: "I'm my own man, and I need to leave my own mark."
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> LeBron on being called the best player in world: "I mean, I've thought that for a long time. That's just the confidence that I play with."
> 
> Surya Fernandez ‏@SuryaHeatNBA
> LeBron - "I will use this full preseason to continue to work at it and get back into game shape."
> 
> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> LBJ on a title: "I want that feeling again. ... I'm looking forward to the challenge."
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> LeBron: "It was a pretty good year for myself, but I'm not satisfied with it."
> 
> Shandel Richardson ‏@ShandelRich
> LeBron on training with Durant: "We've been training with each other since the (NBA) Finals."
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> LeBron: "It's scary to look in the locker room today, and say we can be better than we were this past season."


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*











> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Chris Bosh says he did not try to bulk up. Spoelstra told him to play fast. "You can't play fast and add pounds. My advantage is quickness."
> 
> Chris Bosh's goal for the season, "My mid-range game. I just want to become more consistent, more efficient."
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Bosh: "My advantage is my quickness against other 5s. I'm not going to bang down low, play like Shaq. Because I'm not."
> 
> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> Bosh on playing the 5: "We messed around and won a championship. I messed myself over in that regard." (Yes, he's laughing.)
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Chris Bosh: "I made my piece with it, I want to be one of the best 5s in the league."
> 
> Chris Bosh, on the Heat's position-less, free-flowing style, "Not only does it work, but it's a fun style to play."


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



> Michael Wallace ‏@WallaceNBA_ESPN
> Heat media day full of interesting nuggets. None funnier than Wade clowning LeBron for an apparent sun tan.
> 
> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Chalmers on who will win the shooting contests: "Me. Of course."


:laugh:


Jorts









790 is doing interviews from the arena. 

http://www.theticketmiami.com/

Lebatard is taping interviews with Lebron, Wade, Ray and others as well


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Still crazy..










NoNo










Rashard


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Ethan Skolnick just said on 790 that Wade looks lighter, which is different than what Joseph Goodman said.

Pittman










Norris does look a bit more cut up

\











> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Shane Battier on Miami's position-less philosophy: "The new rumor is that Joel Anthony is our point guard."


:rotf:


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



> Miami HEAT ‏@MiamiHEAT
> Today was also @NBA Championship Ring sizing day for the MVP! Here's @KingJames in the moment!


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## Marcus13

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



Knicks4life said:


> This?


Awesome, thanks man!


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## doctordrizzay

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

nice pics


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Lebatard show about to start. He has interviews with Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Ray Allen and Spo coming up

http://www.theticketmiami.com/index.aspx


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## Adam

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



Wade2Bosh said:


> Ethan Skolnick just said on 790 that Wade looks lighter, which is different than what Joseph Goodman said.


Yeah, it's not the norm for guys to be in shape before training camp and for a guy coming off surgery it's even less likely. I'm inclined to believe he isn't lighter, but hopefully he's healthy enough to get in his usual shape.


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

I trust Ethan over Joe in that situation. Joe just got back from a long vacation in Alabama, and has never been incredibly accurate at assessing these kind of things. 

LeBron definitely looks he's put on offseason pounds. Hey, it means he was resting. I'll take it.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Short clip of Lebron getting fitted for his ring. Im sure there will be a Heat special on sun sports of all this


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## doctordrizzay

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



Jace said:


> I trust Ethan over Joe in that situation. Joe just got back from a long vacation in Alabama, and has never been incredibly accurate at assessing these kind of things.
> 
> LeBron definitely looks he's put on offseason pounds. Hey, it means he was resting. I'll take it.


Lebron looks exact same to me, and I don't think he rested at all. From the Finals, to the olympics, to china, then training with kevin durant to training camp. He might have had 1-2 weeks max to rest.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



> Miami HEAT ‏@MiamiHEAT
> Here's @ChrisBosh interviewing with http://HEAT.com/China during #HEATMediaDay http://instagr.am/p/QIe6WbEMtu/media/?size=l


When the hell did we add a chinese heat website and reporter?



> Battier had the best quote when asked about other teams playing small and position-less. He said,
> "The one guy that makes it all happen is LeBron. Talk about a skeleton key. If there ever was one, it's LeBron. You can throw any lineup out there and it will work."


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Here are interviews with Wade, Lebron, Ray Allen and Bosh with Lebatard

http://www.theticketmiami.com/lebatard.aspx

And on WQAM, there are interviews with Ray Allen, Spo, JJ and Joel

http://wqam.com/interviews


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



> LeBron James ‏@KingJames
> Jesus Shuttlesworth & King James #NeedISayMore http://instagr.am/p/QJHbVsiTEi/








:laugh: at the end.

They havent changed Championship alley yet. Still got the 2006 NBA Champs pics up.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

No 25th ann'y patch? Good. XX was a disaster.

Shard has definitely been working hard. Love the quote from Spo about him being the only 33 year old itching for camp. The difference in his physique from signing day looks pretty evident. 

Before:


























After:


























































Still also awesome seeing him in a Heat uni, even if its 4-5 years after we tried to sign him originally. Great to see vets like him and Ray in such great shape before camp even starts, so often older players use camp and the early parts of the season to get in shape. This should really help them for the hopeful late season run.

Loving that UD is looking more like a PF again, too. Man would it be awesome if he played anywhere close to his 09-10 level.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

XX, the :dead: season


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Loving these Le Batard interviews. Ray is so awesome. When he's in playing condition he runs extra laps if he breaks a sweat doing his shooting routine because it means he's not in optimum shape.










Cole Fire sure looks jacked up. A whole lot more photos at *that site*.


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## Dee-Zy

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



UD40 said:


> Bold prediction: Every single poster on the Heat forum will have a new avatar by 8 PM tonight.


wrong


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

I'll throw you a bone UD40.










Big 3 + Sonic 2. Hoping this lineup fulfills its potential.


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## Jace

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*


























Shard's got his snapback follow-through going.



> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> All Heat players participated in at least an hour of practice, including Wade, Miller
> 
> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Spoelstra changed up from 1st day of camp in 2011. This time, w time to teach, he started a bit from scratch.
> 
> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Wade said he felt pretty good after working up sweat today














> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Watching Ray Allen shoot for the first time in a Heat practice uni. He has two coaches and a ball boy hovering around him as he practices.
> 
> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Now three coaches monitoring Ray Allen. I think they just want to be close to him and learn a few things. #Heat
> 
> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Waiting on Ray Allen to finish his shooting. Guessing this will be a daily occurrence.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



Jace said:


> I'll throw you a bone UD40.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Big 3 + Sonic 2. Hoping this lineup fulfills its potential.


That pic is sick.


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*



Jace said:


>


This is the first pic of Bosh where it looks like he actually did bulk up.


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## UD40

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

I find this pic amusing:










Poor Pitt...you're just a roadie on tour with The Heatles.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Pitt's hands are insanely big.


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## Wade2Bosh

*Re: 2012 Heat Media Day*

Awesome pics. Bosh, Rashard, and Ray have 3 beautiful looking strokes...

:cosby:


UD40 said:


> This is the first pic of Bosh where it looks like he actually did bulk up.


Thought so as well, but...


> Chris Bosh, who said he expects to continue playing center, began adding a few pounds this summer (from 238 to 241) but decided to lose the weight because he and Spoelstra do not want to jeopardize his quickness.
> 
> “I don’t want him to bulk up,” Spoelstra said. “That makes no sense for how we want to play.”
> 
> Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy


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## Jace

Honestly, they're Shaq-like.

My bad, I don't know why I posted that stuff here. Media Day is clearly over... :laugh:

And yeah, between Bosh and Ray we have two of the most fundamentally sound/skilled players in the league, at least per their position.


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## Wade2Bosh

Edited the title of this thread. Just keep posting all the training camp stuff here.


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## Jace

Remember when Dwyane had "no help?"

Haberstroh:

*



MIAMI -- You never really get used to it.

Every season, there's someone who doesn't look quite right in their new NBA threads on media day. Last season, that guy might have been Chris Paul in Los Angeles, Lamar Odom in Dallas or Rip Hamilton in Chicago.

This season, that guy is probably Ray Allen in Miami.

For someone who was so closely associated with the Celtics' green, it's a bit jarring to see Allen wear the white-and-red with "HEAT" stitched across the chest. After all, no one has made more three-pointers over the past five seasons against the Miami Heat than Allen. And here he is.

Despite wearing the color green for essentially his entire professional career, Allen maintains he hasn't had any trouble identifying himself with his new organization.

"Once you wear the uniform, you never really look at yourself and understand what uniform you have on, it doesn’t matter," Allen said. "It’s mostly how other people see you or view you. From here forward, the most important thing for me is what I do in this uniform is always representative of this city, my family and friends, and fans that I play for. Hopefully, I have more people that like the Heat than hate the Heat in the time that I’m here."

That might be wishful thinking, but Allen has taken extra steps this offseason to get used to the change of scenery. He has been shooting in Miami's practice gym for several weeks and has already spent countless hours working with the Heat's training staff to get his ankle, which was operated on three months ago, as close to 100 percent as possible.

The goal: be ready to take on his former team, the Celtics, on October 30. He's not ready yet, but you wouldn't know by it watching him, if you ask his coach Erik Spoelstra.

"Ray seems like he's in the mid-20s," Spoelstra said, taking part in the annual tradition of media day optimism.

Allen has gone through this before, acclimating himself to a new team while recovering from offseason surgery. Back in 2007 when he was traded to Boston, Allen underwent surgery on both ankles before lacing up his shoes to play for his new squad. However, Allen won't hide his lingering soreness like he did last time.

"When we assembled together (in Boston) and went through training camp, I was in pain all the time," Allen said. "But I never said anything about it. They didn’t really know what I dealt with surgery-wise. Here, they know a little bit more of it."

Allen may look like he's in his mid-20s and may be more honest about his ankle soreness, but the truth is that he's still limited by it. When asked about whether he expects to play pain-free at all this season, Allen paused before giving his answer.

"Who knows," Allen said. "That's a good question."

Allen wouldn't put a hard timetable on his recovery and says he plans to take it day-by-day. The idea, as is the case with Dwyane Wade, is to be ready for the opener. But Allen's physical limitations hasn't stopped him from mentally preparing for what's on the horizon.

As part of his transition into the Heat organization, Allen has had long conversations with Spoelstra and Pat Riley about basketball philosophy and more specifically, why things will be different in Miami than in Boston. Spoelstra made it clear that he wants Allen to run. A lot.

"His philosophies sound a lot like (former UConn coach) Jim Calhoun in college and George Karl in Milwaukee -- getting the ball up the floor, playing fast, not being so particular about positions," Allen said. "I look forward to that."

Notice the name he didn't mention: Doc Rivers. Although the Heat used to be a slow-it-down, wear-you-down offense like the one in Boston, the Heat changed all that last season when they emphasized a new "pace-and-space" offense. From 2010-11 to 2011-12, the Heat jumped from the 21st-fastest team in pace factor to the 14th. Boston ranked 22nd in pace factor. Spoelstra hopes the Heat can do more running with Allen in the fold this season.

Last offseason, Spoelstra drew inspiration from Oregon football coach Chip Kelly's high-octane offense and implemented his own "pace-and-space" philosophy that tried to leverage the team's athleticism and versatility. This offseason, Spoelstra spoke in-depth with several coaches including University of Florida coach Billy Donovan, University of Cincinnati football coach Butch Jones, the innovator of Kentucky's "dribble-drive" offense Vance Walberg, and Oregon women's coach Paul Westhead, famous for his run-and-gun system. Not a conventional list of names, but that's how Spoelstra wants to play this offseason: unconventional.

A lot of that has to do with Allen and his skill-set. They see him as a dynamic floor-spacer that they've never had in years and spot-up shooter who commands the attention of every defender on the floor, not just his own. But Allen doesn't want the focus all on him.

"There’s a fine line between being selfish and unselfish," Allen said. "You have a tendency when you have teams like this where you overpass, because you want to get out of people’s way and you want to make sure the other guy fits or is comfortable. I don’t want them to do that for me."

That's a battle the Heat had to face when Wade and James shared the court for the first time. Wade has admitted before to being obsessed with making sure he "took turns" with James in their first season together. Allen, however, doesn't want them to force the issue.

"It’s a new landscape for me," Allen said. "And I’ve been looking forward to it."

Click to expand...

*


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## Wade2Bosh

> Ray Allen, on dealing with trade rumors in Boston, "You always felt you had one foot in, one foot out."


And there you go. Main reason he left, imo.


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## Jace

Yup. The Rondo thing is so overblown. Everyone denies it. Its the media's fun-time story to run with.


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## Jace

LeBron just tweeted the hall photo. He likes it!

*



"We've had to really preach patience with him and he's been an incredible, obedient participant with us because he's been so eager. He is really excited to get out there and play. He wanted to start playing a month ago, even though he was doing some running and shooting. We tempered that, everything was on a specific plan. Even up to a week ago, we were only allowing him to play 45 minutes of five-on-five. He amped that up this week. He's probably one of the few 32, 33 year old veterans that is salivating at the idea of a training camp."

Click to expand...

*

Snippet from an article on Rashard and our approach with him. Click the quote for the rest.

Interesting how methodical we were with getting him going. I assumed he was good to go by the time he came down here, when he was working out in Vegas. Good to hear we fully assessed his situation and came up with a specific plan to get him back in optimum condition.


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## Wade2Bosh

Rashard, even more than Ray, is who i'm most looking forward to watching. Because if he can get anywhere near what he was in Orlando, then it changes a lot of things.


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## Wade2Bosh

I wonder if the Red & White scrimmage will be shown on TV on Wednesday? The last two years have been shown on sun sports.


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## Jace

Remember in the 2011 ASG practice, when Rivers started calling and running Heat plays with the 4 Boston guys? Thanks for pre-teaching Ray for us, Doc!

Not sure its been posted here, but I've been seeing @ByTimReynolds and @tomhaberstroh tweeting about a stat with Ray: I believe he's shot 50%, the highest of any opposing player, against us over the 5 years he was with Boston. That's nutty. Its great that we just won't have to face him. Boston fans may not realize how much he's killed us.

EDIT: I think its mentioned in the Haberstroh article I posted. Tim has an article about Ray from today, too:

*



Over his five seasons in Boston, Allen connected 96 times against Miami from 3-point range—34 more than anyone else during that span. His 165 career makes from beyond the arc against Miami are 51 ahead of second-place Reggie Miller.

Click to expand...

*

Oh yeah, and I was wrong about starting another training camp with a "finals practice." Guess that was only because of the lockout.


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## Wade2Bosh

We know how much Ray killed us. Especially late in games. Especially on 3's from the deep corner, where Ray ends up behind the baseline, yet still made them.

Its probably well documented in our game threads


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## Jace

Yeah those shots are crazy, been drooling over seeing him hit a few for us. His touch is holy.

Ira's order of "significance" to the team. Interestingly puts Temple ahead of Pitt, who he has at 16. Doesn't mean shit, obviously. Just weird he'd think Pitt is on the outs right now. No way I see us not taking Pitt, Gladness, nor Varnado, yet bringing in Harris AND Temple.
*




1. LeBron James: The best player in basketball may be the Heat player with the most to prove during the regular season. Why? Because when it comes to legacy, everything matters, including going from a three-time Most Valuable Player to a four-time MVP, which would put him within one of Michael Jordan and one ahead of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

2. Chris Bosh: No, not the second-best player on the Heat. Not close. But when it comes to significance, merely go back to those games played in Bosh's injury absence during last season's playoff run. As with LeBron, no other player on this roster does what Bosh does.

3. Dwyane Wade: The beauty is that Wade could be No. 2 on such a list if he chooses, which he just might do this season after deferring last season. Instead, at 30, he now has the comfort of knowing he can play as a third wheel while also been afforded his moments to be top dog. And there will be nights, many, when Wade will be the Heat's best player, something LeBron is careful to recognize and allow.

4. Mario Chalmers: To consider how far Chalmers has come is to appreciate how he has settled into his role, a point guard who rarely gets the opportunity to serve as playmaker and who has to know when to get out of the way. He, in many ways, is a hybrid guard. For the Heat, the perfect hybrid.

5. Shane Battier: There likely will be moments during the regular season when Battier's efficiency will be questioned, be it coming up short on 3-pointers or on a defensive sequence that goes haywire. But the 2012 playoffs showed that when Battier is on his game, the game gets far easier for his teammates.

6. Ray Allen: This actually might be too high of a "significance" ranking, considering the Heat return their championship core. But Allen has the ability to make the game easier for his new teammates, ease the wear on the Heat's perimeter stars. To a degree, Allen's greatest value could be easing the path for Wade and James to future championships. 

7. Norris Cole: Such a ranking above proven veterans might be a reach, but the second-year point guard provides the type of energy so essential amid the monotony of an 82-game marathon. There will be nights when a spark is needed, and Cole is nothing if not a sparkplug.

8. Mike Miller: An asterisk pick at this level in light of the injury concerns, but when Miller is ambulatory, his combination of shooting, ball movement and rebounding make him a three-tool contributor.

9. Udonis Haslem: Only a bounce-back season moves him up the charts. He certainly is capable.

10. Rashard Lewis: This season's Eddy Curry, in terms of being someone who could surprise, or merely continue the descent. The "old" Rashard would move way up these charts.

11. James Jones: Does only one thing well, but does it very well.

12. Joel Anthony: Break glass when interior defense is required.

13. Josh Harrellson: Break glass when a 3-point-shooting big would help.

14. Terrel Harris: More promise than any developmental prospect on roster.

15. Garrett Temple: Could emerge as defensive specialist at point guard.

16. Dexter Pittman: Could stick . . . as third center on roster.

17. Mickell Gladness: Unless Gladness sticks as third center.

18. Rodney Carney: Has 299 games of NBA experience.

19. Jarvis Varnado: Is Joel Anthony, without the contract guarantee.

20. Robert Dozier: There are no 20th men in the NBA during the regular season.

Click to expand...

*




























Sweet reunion.










This lineup would've been impossible to stop in '09.

Just now listening to a lot of the interviews, funny hearing Bosh say he read the articles about him bulking up again this year and had no idea where it came from. Good to hear. His weight was fine last year, I think. Though I do worry about rebounding a little bit, because he and UD looked feeble on the boards at times.

Glad we finally had a media day that wasn't about the hate/noise (2010) or the lack of noise (2011), and is seemingly all about basketball (positions, new guys fitting in, etc.)...save for the occasional "did you hear what KG said?"


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> ### Lewis, 33, said it’s no coincidence that he made his first All-Star team in Seattle after Allen was traded there. “That’s why I became a better shooter when I was playing with him,” Lewis said. “He motivates you and makes you a better player,.. the way he carries himself, approaches games, his work ethic.”
> 
> Lewis, who missed 62 games over the past two seasons, said his knees are finally healthy, and Spoelstra has begun to see the “skill set that hurt us so much in Orlando. He’s not simply a three-point stretch shooter. He has the ability to post up. What we like is he can defend multiple positions.”
> 
> Playing in just 28 games for Washington last season, his 7.8 scoring average and 23.9 percent three-point shooting were well below his career marks (16.1, 38.8). “I knew it wasn’t me,” he said. “I don’t want to see the tape of myself. It’s like a nightmare, a scary movie.”
> 
> But this summer’s non-surgical knee treatment worked and “I can jump and shoot even better now. I’m getting back to getting more arc on the ball – not just shooting threes but mid-range, post-up jump hooks, my explosiveness. [Last season], I couldn’t get any lift and it seems like everything was short.”
> 
> He smiles at the possibilities of this lineup. “This is going to present a lot of headaches. The paint is going to be all theirs,” he said of the Big Three. “I’m going to get open looks.”
> 
> He said a “goal” is to earn a starting job, but it’s not a priority. And he said he will “fit in on the defensive end because I played for Stan Van Gundy and they run the same system here. He stressed defense a lot and they do that here.”


Read more here: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/sports-buzz/#storylink=cpy


----------



## Jace

Good stuff from Lewis. Sounds like he knows exactly what was going wrong last year with his game. I'd love to see his mid-range and post up game utilized, too.

Not surprised he's talking about Ray helping his and others' games. I speculated exactly that when we signed them.

The Herald's Joe Goodman's 1st-day conditioning rundown



> Heat conditioning report after the first day of camp
> 
> Who's was in shape and who was sucking wind the first day of camp? Let's run down the roster ...
> 
> LEBRON JAMES
> James is going to need about two weeks to get in full game shape. He might have had a second "hell week" with Kevin Durant but, from what I hear, it wasn't nearly as grueling as the first. James earned some much needed rest after last season and the Olympics and he took it last month.
> 
> DWYANE WADE
> In about as worse shape as he's been entering a training camp and understandably so. Wade has been slow to recover from his knee surgery in early July. Wade didn't do much on Saturday and he'll likely do even less on Sunday.
> 
> CHRIS BOSH
> Remember when Chris Bosh bulked up for the 2011 training camp? Well, Bosh didn't take that approach this offseason. He's focusing on his speed and athleticism this season and he took that approach coming into camp. He rested his abdominal muscle and is fully healed. And that's all the Heat truly wanted. Bosh is on schedule to be in full-game shape by the third week of camp.
> 
> RAY ALLEN
> Allen's ankle, which bothered significantly in the 2011 playoffs, is still giving him a little discomfort. He's hopeing the pain goes away completely as the season progresses. He had surgery earlier this summer and there's still some swelling.
> 
> MARIO CHALMERS
> Healthy for an offseason for the first time in two years, Chalmers took advantage of the opportunity to work on his game and stay in shape. He's ahead of the curve at the start of camp.
> 
> UDONIS HASLEM
> Good to go. Spoelstra's "warrior poet" is on schedule to be ready for another season. And if he wasn't, he'd never let you know it. Haslem has kept his body lean and he's hoping the hard work will add a few more seasons to his career.
> 
> MIKE MILLER
> Mike Miller is a myth so far this preseason, as far as I'm concerned. I couldn't find him at media day and he bolted early after practice on Saturday. He rehabbed his back throughout the offseason and will ease cautiously into the season...thanks to the Heat's training staff, of course. If Mike had it his way, he'd be trying to go full speed already.
> 
> SHANE BATTIER
> In much better shape this preseason than the last, when he partied a little too hard during the lockout. OK, "partying" is a relative term for Battier, but he has been known to enjoy a few cold ones on the lake during the offseason.
> 
> JOEL ANTHONY
> Looked chiseled as always on Saturday. Conditioning and quickness is most of Anthony's game, so you know he's not going to show up to camp out of shape.
> 
> JAMES JONES
> The looming competition on the wing kept Jones in shape this offseason. He put up more shots this summer than anyone.
> 
> RASHARD LEWIS
> According to Spoelstra, Lewis has been "chomping at the bit" for the start of camp. Still, the Heat's training staff is going to use caution and make sure Lewis is fully healthy before allowing him to go at full speed. I watched Lewis practice his three-point shot for about 10 minutes today. At one point, he made about 10 in a row from the top of the key. The guy can still shoot.
> 
> TERREL HARRIS
> Harris might be in the best shape of any on the team. Just like last season, he'll need every advantage to make the squad.
> 
> DEXTER PITTMAN
> He's down to 275 pounds. He put in the work this summer and it showed. Now he's just got to make the team.
> 
> RODNEY CARNEY
> Too many wings on this team for Carney to find a place. Still, he's a tough player who will push the team's veterans and perhaps earn a spot somewhere else.
> 
> ROBERT DOZIER
> A solid body for training camp purposes. He's a valued player but might not find a place on this loaded team.
> 
> MICKELL GLADNESS
> The leader out of the gate to earn the team's final roster spot. Gladness has been living in Miami the entire offseason and putting in plenty of work.
> 
> JOSH HARRELLSON
> Many assume Harrellson is guaranteed a roster spot. He's not. Still, his big body and soft touch will get a strong look.
> 
> GARRETT TEMPLE
> If anyone has a chance to unseat Terrel Harris as the Heat's latest surprise to the roster then it's Temple. He was considered one of the best players in the summer league not on a roster and he's projected to play in the NBA this season. Whether or not that's with the Heat, we'll see.
> 
> JARVIS VARNADO
> Any chance Varnado had of making the roster likely went out the window when he strained his hamstring last week. Still, the Heat will give him a fair shake. He's a legitimate shot blocker.
> 
> Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/miami_heat/...fter-the-first-day-of-camp.html#storylink=cpy


----------



## Jace

*Ray Allen already hard at work as Miami Heat training camp opens*



> Even the assistant coaches watched on with reverence.
> 
> The elevation of Ray Allen’s patented jumper, burned into the consciousness of his sport like Michael Jordan’s tongue-wagging drives or Larry Bird’s elbows-high release, was the last thing on the Miami Heat’s practice court Saturday. And, it should be noted, it was to no one’s surprise. Allen’s discipline and work ethic are a gold standard around the league.
> 
> But the significance of the scene was undeniable all the same. Here was the game’s all-time leader in three-pointers taking aim at the Heat’s rims not with shades of green on his jersey but hues of red on his chest. One by one, coaches of the Heat crowded around their team’s newest star until four assistants had formed a circle of respect around the rhythmic up-and-down of Allen’s shot.
> 
> It went on for 20 minutes this way until, eventually, some of the Heat’s younger training-camp players, Garrett Temple among them, joined Allen in a shooting game. Allen won, of course, and explained to Temple it was time for him to run a few sprints for his loss. Temple took off down the court without question.
> 
> “I’m getting a chance to practice with these young guys and it definitely keeps me sharp,” Allen said. “And they want to beat me, so I’ve got to do everything I can to stay on top.”
> 
> The addition of Allen to the Heat’s roster created quite a buzz on the team’s first day of training camp. He drew just as many reporters — dozens — as LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. For Allen, just being in Miami’s practice gym was a surreal experience.
> 
> “I was down there on the other side of the floor and I was changing into my uniform and I kind of glanced out the window and I saw some water and I was wondering where I was for a minute there,” Allen said. “Just knowing that it’s so nice outside and it’s tropical … but it is unusual because I’ve been in cold weather for so long. It’s a change but change is definitely good.”
> 
> LEARNING CURVE
> 
> Allen, schooled in the demanding defensive style of Boston coach Doc Rivers, is catching on quickly to the Heat’s system. Some of the terminology is different, but nothing a future Hall of Famer can’t gobble down and master in a week or so.
> 
> “I had to be a student pretty much the whole day [Saturday],” Allen said.
> 
> Allen was being humble. But the truth is, it was his Heat teammates who were having a little trouble keeping up with Allen on the first day of camp. Just like he had done for so many years with the Celtics, Allen found holes in the Heat’s defense during team drills.
> 
> “He knows our defensive schemes pretty well, and he knows where to go to,” Mario Chalmers said. “It’s going to help us a lot because now we know where the holes in our defense are with a person like that. He’s been playing against us for several years and been a key matchup for us.”
> 
> PITTMAN SLIMS DOWN
> 
> Heat center Dexter Pittman will be fighting for a roster spot. To prepare himself, he slimed down to 275 pounds in the offseason. It’s the lightest he’s been since he was teenager.
> 
> “Nothing is guaranteed for me,” Pittman said. “I’ve got to work hard and show them what I can.”
> 
> Pittman worked out with football player Dwayne Bowe of the Kansas City Chiefs during the summer. The Heat’s backup center also has been working with Alonzo Mourning’s old chef to help him keep the weight off.
> 
> “I’ll be down to 265 by the time the season starts,” Pittman said. “I’ve just got to get used to playing with this body now.”


Good thing Pitt wasn't used to playing with the old body yet, either.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> “He knows our defensive schemes pretty well, and he knows where to go to,” Mario Chalmers said. “It’s going to help us a lot because now we know where the holes in our defense are with a person like that. He’s been playing against us for several years and been a key matchup for us.”


Good point by Mario


----------



## Jace

Yup. Great deal for all. Ray gets to continue nailing 3's against guys with 'HEAT' across their chest, every day, and the defense gets extended practice against the kind of threat that seems to kill us the most.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

:laugh: at 2:22. Wade runs into the UD shoot and talks smack about him and Ud says he's gonna beat Wade up. Wade just laughs. He knows better


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Jace said:


> Sweet reunion.


This was the Heat's way of saying thank you to those awesome Sonics fans that were rooting for us during the Finals 










We couldnt bring back the Sonics, so we instead just brought in two of the best from the last years of their existence


----------



## Wade County

Just quietly, Rashard's goatee is ridiculous :laugh:

Any chance Rashard is a starter come opening night? He has the necessary length to defend 3/4's - and would be a nice component to have out there alongside Bron and DWade. Still, Battier or UD are probably ahead of him at this point.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Day 2 of trainging camp


> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> Here at training camp, asst coach David Fizdale working with LeBron on his baseline hook shot. More block work.
> 
> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> LeBron, on his increased work on the block: "That's where I'll be spending most of my time this year, in the paint."
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> LeBron was working on his sky hook today. Says he's got to because he's going to be spending most of his time in the paint.





> Miami HEAT ‏@MiamiHEAT
> [email protected], @KingJames, @DwyaneWade, James Jones, & Ray Allen competing in a 3-pt shooting drill





> Two shooting games after practice and two losses for Ray Allen. "I lost at my own game today," he said.





> Michael Wallace ‏@WallaceNBA_ESPN
> As expected, Wade (knee rehab) was limited in Sunday practice to warm-up work and pre, post workout conditioning.
> 
> Erik Spoelstra said Mike Miller went through three quarters of practice, "and we pulled him from there."
> 
> Joel Anthony sat out of practice with a slight hamstring pull.
> 
> LeBron James, on coming to camp off the Olympics, "I'm in better shape right now than I've been."
> "Usually it takes me a week and a day," to get back into rhythm
> 
> LeBron said he expects to ease into preseason. Of next Sunday's exhibition against the Hawks, he said, "I don't...
> "know if I'll play at all in that game."





> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Chris Bosh on who worries him at center, other than Howard/Bynum: "Not even those 2. I've played them before. It's nothing I haven't seen."


----------



## Jace

I'm not nearly as worried about Bosh at C as some. Worse to worse we have beef to support him.

I wonder who Ray lost to. Good stuff, I'm sure he made his shooting routine extra long today because of it.



Wade2Bosh said:


> This was the Heat's way of saying thank you to those awesome Sonics fans that were rooting for us during the Finals
> 
> We couldnt bring back the Sonics, so we instead just brought in two of the best from the last years of their existence


Yeah was definitely thinking if Sonics fans didn't love us after beating OKC, then they must now. Its cool because I liked both when they played in Seattle. Always envisioned Shard down here, not Ray since he and Wade are SGs, but I wouldn't kick him off the team. 

Come to think of it...











































...we're becoming Reunion Town. (Left out Juwan + Dampier/Stackhouse 2007/8 w/ Dallas )



Wade County said:


> Just quietly, Rashard's goatee is ridiculous :laugh:
> 
> Any chance Rashard is a starter come opening night? He has the necessary length to defend 3/4's - and would be a nice component to have out there alongside Bron and DWade. Still, Battier or UD are probably ahead of him at this point.


Yeah when I saw the old pictures of him I noticed how wild his beard is nowadays. He's got that Kendrick Perkins Pharaoh thing going on.

Shard is the sexy pick for the 5th starter since he's new, theoretically brings offense, and is a combo-forward. I agree with Ira that he can just as easily start, with all the rhetoric about his good-as-ever health coming out of camp, as he could wind up being this year's Eddy Curry and spending the season in a suit while we hear about inflamed quads/knee swelling/getting his rhythm back/etc. Sounds like he's shooting well again, so his minute allotment will be about playing good-enough D, staying healthy, and providing at least one other component other than just shooting. The upside is sooo high if he regains some of his old form. Definitely a relatively intriguing theme of this year's camp. 

I don't think he'll start though, for two reasons: 1) He's new. 2) They've still been easing him back into playing the last couple of months, he's not in the basketball shape guys like UD and Battier (who admits he "celebrated" the lockout more than he did the championship) are in, who've been healthy all summer.

Ira was on WQAM thursday and picked Battier as his best guess at the moment, because of Spoelstra mentioning the importance of continuity. I'm not with him there. Battier is going to do whatever he's asked, because that is the kind of player he is and also reflective of the general mindset of the team, but his gripes with starting at the 4 make some sense. Spo also alluded to a possibility I thought he'd try to avoid: an adjustable starting lineup. Not sure if this would extend to the back court, as I'm sure they'd like to see Rio keep a consistent role, but perhaps we see a 5th Heatle rotation of Battier, Lewis, Haslem, and maybe even one or two of the true centers. How often have we heard the rotation is "fluid?" Maybe it'll continue with the starting lineup. *Here's an article* from heat.com that expands on the idea.

It could've been him just making excuses for our assy play at the time, but LeBron did say all the lineup changes last year threw off chemistry.

My best guess is its Haslem's to lose. Although, Spo has been known to surprisingly keep guys who've been around on the bench (Dorell, Rio...others I can't think of maybe) in order to start newcomers or guys who'll still play less minutes (Q, Yak, Carlos). Honestly, I'm really confused. UD could easily get his token starter's minutes or be phased out by the new wave of positionlessness. I wouldn't bet on anything. The way Spobot is acting, we won't know until October 30th.



> @tomhaberstroh
> 
> With his Abe Lincoln beard in strong form, Josh Harrellson just nailed 15 threes in a row. #trainingcampanalytics


Jorts and NoNo are going to battle for elite cult status here. So long as they keep their respective follicle machinations. But yeah, seems Josh can really shoot the rock. Everyone has been impressed by him.


----------



## Jace

Couple more shots


















Regardless of who starts, these two should get time on the floor together, and they compliment each other immensely.










































10 50 pt games between 4 guys. When Cole gets his 50-point game this season, we can field an all-50 lineup. 

We have a lot of guys who can break out for 20 on a given night beyond the big 3: Chalmers, Allen, Shard, Battier (back to back 17 in the Finals), Miller, Cole, Jones, and even UD scored 12 in the 4th quarter of G4 vs. Indy. Doubt Spo sacrifices too much D for O, but if he does to a degree we can really be one of the most explosive teams in the league.


----------



## Jace

Forgot to mention how awesome it is to hear LeBron say he plans to spend most of his time on the block. You can really see it still emerging and him getting a grasp of it, and the sheer dominance, during the playoff run. With all the shooters now, he should mostly play there. Insane mismatch ability.



Jace said:


> I wonder who Ray lost to. Good stuff, I'm sure he made his shooting routine extra long today because of it.


Ira:



> Allen update
> 
> For offseason free-agent acquisition Ray Allen it continues to be a feeling-out process, as he works with his new teammates and recovers from his June ankle procedure.
> 
> "For me," he said, "it's still trying to get adjusted."
> 
> That includes dropping both post-practice shooting contests, *including one to James.*
> 
> "I lost at my own game today," Allen said with a smile.


Jesus?

*



Chris Bosh did himself in.

For years, he’s tried to avoid the scarlet “C,” the classification as an NBA center, even though he’s awfully close to bumping his head on seven-foot ceilings. For years, he’s envisioned himself as a multi-skilled forward, capable of sliding smoothly between the inside and out. Then something happened.

“We won a championship, so …”

The Heat won the final four games of the NBA Finals with Bosh, who had started only two games at center the entire regular season, starting at the so-called “5” spot.

If that hadn’t brought success?

“I’d still be playing the 4, huh?”

He supplemented that rhetorical question with his characteristic chortle, but he was otherwise serious after practice Sunday when speaking about his new role.

For instance, when asked if he’s concerned about facing any centers other than last year’s All-Star starters, Dwight Howard and Andrew Bynum, he challenged the notion: “Not even those two. I’ve played them before. It’s nothing I haven’t seen. Yeah, they do have a weight advantage, but that’s only in your mind.”

Well, it does register on scales, too. Bosh has typically played 30 to 50 pounds lighter than those contemporaries and, after he started putting on muscle this offseason, Erik Spoelstra pulled him back, telling him to stay light to “put on speed” instead.

When Bosh has played the Magic and Lakers, he often guarded players other than Howard and Bynum, who have since joined new teams. But Bosh did match up with each on occasion and generally posted decent all-around numbers. Bosh gives up girth, but scouts will tell you he has vastly improved his defensive effort and positioning since joining the Heat.

“You know, if teams feel they have an advantage, tell them to dump it down there if they can,” Bosh said. “That’s my answer to everything. They say Bosh can’t play the 5, we have an advantage, and people think that, tell them to dump it down there.”

What will happen?

“I’ll play defense, and we’ll get the rebound and go.”

So what changed his mindset? Why no longer resistant? Surely, lack of choice has played a part. Still, so has reflection.

“I just went ahead and stopped fighting it,” Bosh said. “They say, don’t fight it, just invite it. Once I stopped doing that, things became much better for me.

“Once you accept playing a different position, you learn how to play that position well. Instead of being like, ‘Well, I’m just going to be here and I can’t wait until so-and-so subs in and I can move over.’ We’ve got advantages, so we got to make sure we make those.”

Bosh’s advantage, quickness, was evident in the Finals, even at less than full throttle. It forced Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks to cut into the playing time of his own center – the defensive-minded Kendrick Perkins – because he couldn’t stay with Bosh in space.

Bosh has recognized that in the modern NBA – without the giant, skilled pivots of the past – he can play his normal way no matter the position.

“It doesn’t change my game,” he said. “At first, I was thinking, ‘Oh, I have to change my game.’ ”

At the center spot for the Heat, he gets more involved in pick-and-rolls than at power forward, but that’s what he did from either spot during seven seasons as a Toronto Raptor.

Serving as the Heat’s official starting center might open up one other possibility. He might have a better chance to start for the East in the All-Star Game, rather than get picked as a reserve, which was the case last season behind LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. Howard and Bynum have switched conferences. Bynum, now in the East with Philadelphia, isn’t quite the household name that Howard – now a Laker – is.

Bosh said that won’t be a primary goal, because he can’t control it. Still, he admitted, it “sounds cool.”

With a capital C.

Click to expand...

*



> Chris Tomasson
> about 22 hours ago
> 
> Rashard Lewis said he's not thinking about starting at power forward for #Heat, right now preparing for bench role
> 
> "Right now, I’m not looking forward to starting,’’ Lewis told FOX Sports Florida. “I just want to come in and get healthy and get my legs back under me and get my wind going. I’m looking for coming off the bench.’’ But Lewis, who said Erik Spoelstra has said nothing so far about starting or not, said that’s not his preferred role. “That’s not my preferred role but that’s how I’m looking at things,’’ he said. “I’m going to let Coach just make that decision.''


----------



## Wade County

I laughed at Pharoah goatee - very apt description.

Interesting points raised about the flexible starting lineup depending on opponent. I definitely can see the reasons for doing it, but like Lebron said last year, I think it might hurt chemistry and continuity. People might not get comfortable in their roles being played that way.

I agree that although 'Shard looks like an ideal 3/4, who knows how much he actually has left in the tank? Could be a resurrection year or could be EC mach 2. Add to the fact he has had injury problems, and I think it is probably UD's job to lose.


----------



## Jace

*



The knee has taken longer to heal than Dwyane Wade, the Miami Heat or anyone else would have expected.

Four to six weeks was the projected recovery time. Training camp began Saturday, marking 11 1/2 weeks of Wade’s rehabilitation from arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He will miss preseason games, perhaps all of them. He said Friday that his goal was to be ready for action Oct. 30, the day of the Heat’s season opener in Madison Square Garden.

Click to expand...

*

*Unless we started playing home games at MSG, I think it'll be at the AAA.

But this is the first place I've read this. Not too worried. Even if Allen's ankle wasn't ahead of schedule (he said he expected more swelling by now), we're still in good standing. Call me crazy, but I think we could be in the running for a top 2 seed while resting Wade the 1st half of the season, even without playing Ray heavy minutes.


----------



## Wade County

Weird though - it looked like DWade was getting back to his best only a few weeks ago, but now he looks a little out of shape. I'm a bit concerned about the slow recovery, hopefully he's good to go if not opening night, then close to it. We need him.


----------



## Jace

I agree, he doesn't look as trim as other points after the surgery. I thought for sure he'd be ready to go just about full practices now. Bummer.



> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> "He's a beast out there." - @ChrisBosh http://gohe.at/SX1G6x See what else was said after today's #HEATtrainingcamp about Rashard Lewis!







So...LeBron has him coming off the bench.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Maybe all that travelling on planes to promote his book set him back... 

Man, if Lewis can get back to that level he had in Orlando, or even just his shot back, it'll be so huge to have a stretch 4, that unlike Battier, is an actual 4. And like Chris said, the guy hit some huge shots in his career.

He's also a career 81% FT shooter so between him and Ray Allen, we also added two guys who can hit free throws consistently.


----------



## Jace

Haha, was just thinking that. And all the trips to Europe and around the US before the book tour, immediately after surgery. That kinda bothered me.

Speaking of Dwyane, gotta love him making sure the media catches him shooting extra behind Ray's media session.

You can see the 3-point shootout going on behind Bosh's individual workout.


----------



## Wade County

Looking forward to the Wade / Allen / Bron / Lewis / Bosh lineup out there. That'll be so fun., assuming Shard isnt washed up.


----------



## Jace

You know what's funny? We keep talking about the Shane being undersized for PF, but he's not only taller than UD (6-6.75), but at 6-8.25 barefoot he's only a quarter-inch shorter than Lewis. Shane is taller than his listing, he should be 6-9, easily. You can even make the case for 6-10.

Its not all about height, though. I'm sure it hurts him that his wingspan is smaller than Dwyane's.

BTW, it looks like Battier might be garbed with the starters.


----------



## Jace

Spo wants Rashard to "Let It Fly" :laugh:


----------



## Wade2Bosh

That's Mike Miller's legacy :laugh:

That and game 5, of course


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Just remembered Wade tweeting about biking for like 20 miles, then other day, he biked 12 miles for the Miami Critical Mass 






Now obviously he got clearance from team doctors to be biking this much, but I would think bike riding that much wouldnt be too good for the knees?


----------



## Jace

Actually biking is the preferred conditioning exercise (besides maybe swimming) for knee (and other) injuries because of the low impact on the knees, unlike running. Biking is great for him, it'll strengthen his quad and help him condition. I believe when I watched that vid earlier I heard him say it was his last ride, though.


----------



## UD40

Also, biking is better than things such as distance running because after a certain point with running, muscle begins to breakdown.


----------



## Jace

Same with all cardio, which is why its important to monitor protein/sugar intake.










Nothing to do but over-analyze day 3 scrimmage lineups

Chalmers / Temple
Wade / Harris?
Miller / LeBron
Jorts / Lewis
Bosh / Pitt

Can't make out Harris for sure, but it looks like it could be him guarding Wade. Yeah, nothing to conclude here.

Though, unless Lewis covering Harrellson on a switch, it looks like we may be experimenting with Jorts at PF.



> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Spoelstra cited Norris Cole as the most improved player in Heat camp. Not a surprise considering last season's circumstances.
> 
> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Spoelstra says Haslem is getting lift on his jumper that he didn't get last season.


Both good to hear. I keep ping-ponging on Haslem starting or not. His C minutes are definitely a lot easier to control from the bench, and him starting creates a second unit with Shard/Shane/Miller fighting for two spots. Guess it depends where they want to use him more.

More on Cole



> @CoupNBA
> 
> Entirely subjective and based on just a few minutes, but Norris Cole looks like he's worked quite a bit to add arc to his shot.
> 
> @CoupNBA
> 
> Of course everyone has fresh legs in training camp, but he seems to be shooting far more with his legs than he was early last


I personally felt he had plenty arc last year.

And...



> ‏@Monroe_SA
> 
> I'm not making this up: Eddy Curry, in #Spurs camp, looks relatively fit. Claims he dropped another 15 lbs., played all summer at Miami U.


Heat and Spurs love swapping scrubs.


----------



## doctordrizzay

I'll Lol if Eddy Curry is the factor that gets spurs past the Lakers in the playoff's. Of course the probability is 10000-1


----------



## Jace

That's way too high.

Hopefully this mails home to Juwan how over it is, that he's the last player from last year's champion to find a home, after Eddy ****ing Curry.


----------



## UD40

Jace said:


> Same with all cardio, which is why its important to monitor protein/sugar intake.


I believe things such as distance running impact it the most (of course, unless you're a marathon runner.) More sport specific training that are done in much shorter time frames, and relative to a skill set don't have the same outcome I believe. I don't believe drills such as the shuttle drill , suicides, etc. effect muscular hypertrophy the same way distance running does.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Good to hear about UD and Cole. Hopefully Cole can return to that player he was in the 1st half of the season. He hit that rookie wall pretty hard last season.

The Shooters:










Too bad JJ isnt in this pic as well.


----------



## UD40

Miller: Guys, I'm going to be healthy this year!

Ray & Shane: .....


----------



## Jace

All we need is one of Rio, Ray, Shane, Shard, MM, or JJ to go 7/8 from 3 every night. 

I don't know why, but I have a feeling Ray and Shane will get along great. Both very cerebral, introspective, honest, professional dudes.

Speaking of all that fun stuff, nice interview at *theticketmiami.com* with Rashard about camp, expectations, etc.


----------



## Jace

10 yrs of LeBron Media Days


----------



## doctordrizzay

^ thats cool, wish you could zoom in though


----------



## Jace

He got swole year 3

"Flopping is the silent killer"


----------



## Wade2Bosh

UD looking like his old self according to Spo and Lebron


> In reality, Haslem didn’t lose the skill. More than likely, he simply lost the physical ability that supports said skill. While the general public generally accepts that it can take multiple years for a body to fully recover from torn ligaments in the knee, the same can be true of similar damage done to the foot. And when you don’t get a full offseason to spend in team facilities with a familiar coaching staff, it makes sense that it could take some time to recover the usual strength, and trust, in the injured ligament.
> 
> At least that what appears to have happened, without toting around an actual degree in medicine.
> 
> “They always say that it takes at least a year for you to get back to the form that you were at before you got hurt,” Haslem said. “Last year as much as I felt like I was back to the original form, as much as I wanted to be back in my original form, that probably wasn’t the case.”
> 
> “I would love my percentage to back up but at the end of the day I rebounded well and I did the things that I could do. Sometimes you just don’t make shots and sometimes that’s how games go. You figure out how you can affect the game in other ways.”
> 
> Subjective analysis of video from last season doesn’t offer a ton of solid evidence with regards to Haslem’s shot, but it’s not always as simple as watching a few dozen clips and saying, ‘There, that’s the hitch in his shot he has to get rid of’. Maybe it was tougher to get lift on the shot, so Haslem had to think about putting more push into his legs, throwing off his rhythm. It’s all going to be guesswork, but as much as most people are conditioned to take any training-camp comments about how good of shape a player is in with a grain of salt, the context surrounding Haslem seems entirely appropriate.
> 
> “He mentioned that to me yesterday because he has such a better flow and movement already in three days in camp,” Erik Spoelstra said. “He’s spent all summer here, and has been knocking down the jumper that he’s been famous for and those things happen, but you spend the full year off and then it goes into the lockout, and then you have those extra months off, its tough sometimes to get back into rhythm at full speed particularly in a year like last year.
> 
> “When he mentioned that to me I mentioned it to him – he looks like he did two years ago going into camp. His quickness, his agility, his reaction time, all of the things as a professional athlete you take for granted until you are actually out for an extended period of time.”
> 
> LeBron James agreed:
> 
> “He’s back to how he was in our first game [two years ago], so it’s great to see him back in that form.”


Link

Cool shot chart that shows just how big a drop off he had last season, from the season before the foot injury


----------



## Jace

Hah, you quoted almost the exact chunk I was going to quote on my way here.

Maybe UD just trolled us last year so he can come back amazing and be that much more beloved. The lisfranc still not being 100% is more accurate, probably. Either way, him being closer to 2010 UD would be just another huge boost for this team. Really hoping for that. Its not like he needs young athleticism to be effective. His skills just went wayward last year.

He and LeBron were the first to develop a steady synergy in the Big 3's first preseason. You could tell they immediately fell in love with each other. UD wasn't missing on pick-and-pops. When he got hurt and his J died, so did the love affair. Hearing LeBron declare him back lends credence. I hope they're not just teasing us though.

Definitely an underrated, under the radar potential element to improvement off of last year.



> *Last year, you set a goal to average 10 rebounds and came up a bit short. Any new statistical goals for this season?*
> Yeah, I was talking too much last year. Every time I set a goal, I never make it (laughs). I don't even want to set private statistics. I didn't even land in the clouds. I was shooting for the stars, and I didn't even get off the ground. We just have so many good rebounders here. And the way we play defense here, I'm still learning.
> 
> *After adjusting for two years, is this the Chris Bosh breakout season?*
> I'm always searching for playing as close to perfect as possible. I'm still getting used to the offense. I always watch a lot of film, just to see what I should have done, could have done, what I can do better, where the shots come from. Because I'm the random guy. I don't get many plays called for me, but the public will never know that.
> *
> You've been a different player since cutting the dreadlocks on your way to Miami, though.*
> People were always saying, 'You were nasty when you had the dreads.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, I was shooting 20 times a night (then).' It's a different, different mentality getting the ball. It (was) I've got to get these guys going.


More at *Heat Index* 

Mostly stuff we've heard from over the weekend, but Mike Wallace transcribed the whole interview. Great to hear him say he's still learning the system, he definitely has tons of room to improve, specifically offensively here.


----------



## Jace

Oh training camp, time to get excited about every player. Cole's turn.

*



Dayton, Ohio, decided that one day wasn’t enough to honor its new champion, Norris Cole.

So it gave him two — one to share and one to himself.

The Dayton Public Schools declared the first day of classes to be Norris Cole and Daequan Cook Day, in honor of the two local products who played in the most recent NBA Finals, one for the winning Heat and the other for the losing Thunder. Additionally, the mayor made a proclamation, calling Cole a “Dayton Original,” appearing at the Heat point guard’s camp and granting him a key to the city.

“That was great,” Cole said Monday, showing the same earnest, toothy smile that quickly endeared him to many in his new home of Miami. “That was really great.”

Dayton, however, wasn’t where he spent most of his summer. He spent it in Miami, getting the sort of days he really needed – days on the Heat practice court.

There were precious few of those during his rookie season, through no fault of his own, with the lockout restricting the team’s contact with him during the offseason, and then compressing the training camp and regular-season schedules so much that it was difficult to squeeze in anything but the most rudimentary NBA education.

Cole was forced to learn on the fly, in pressurized competition, with the phrase “crash course” applying in more ways than one.

“Last year, I was a college kid playing with a bunch of pros,” Cole said. “And I had 10 days to get myself ready to play with a bunch of pros. So I get more time now.”

So he enters his second season feeling more comfortable, not just on the court, but with teammates. A natural observer – “I watch and observe before I jump in” – he’s been more talkative, and he’s even grown out his trademark hi-top fade again, since “it’s just more me.”

After an offseason in which the Heat was able to monitor his activity, before and after his appearance in summer league play in Las Vegas, his play has caught the attention of his coach.

Monday, Erik Spoelstra declared him “one of the most improved players” on the roster, crediting the growth to Cole’s commitment to working on the Heat’s three offseason assignments: managing the point guard position better, finding teammates for easier opportunities, and hitting perimeter shots when left open.

That improvement, which Cole attributes to increased repetition, will be critical for Cole to come close to replicating the role he had last season, when he averaged 21 minutes prior to the All-Star break and 17 minutes after.

With Ray Allen added to the backcourt rotation – and Spoelstra’s eyes alight whenever the coach is asked about playing Allen and Dwyane Wade together – there may be less need for a true backup point guard behind Mario Chalmers.

Cole felt he found a niche that allowed him to get on the court in his first season (“my defense, my speed”), but now he’ll be expected to offer a more disciplined offensive approach as well. That lack of discipline, manifesting itself in turnovers and low shooting efficiency, played a part in his removal from the playoff rotation.

“I’m a realist,” Cole said. “And I wasn’t playing well.”

Cole got more of a chance as the playoffs progressed, chasing around Darren Collison, Rajon Rondo and Russell Westbrook in the final three series, and even sparking a 13-0 run in Game 4 of the Finals.

“You always want to play on a championship team and you want to contribute,” Cole said. “The fact that I was able to contribute, I was proud and happy about that. This offseason, my focus was on wanting to contribute more.”

One way to do that is to more consistently connect from outside, especially when Wade or LeBron James is double-teamed, and he is left alone.

“If I’m open, I’m going to shoot it and knock it down,” Cole said. “Even if I miss a couple. If you lose your confidence, you’re a liability out there. Even if I go 0-for-10, if I get open …”

He laughed, recognizing that one of his teammates might tackle him before he shot again in that circumstance.

“I’m sure I’ll be out of there by then,” Cole said.

Calling it a day.

Click to expand...

*

*



The strengths with Cole correlate with his motor and good athletic ability. He leverages those traits into being a good defensive player, particularly as someone who can press other guards in the full court. He's a pasky defender because he also has a knack for swiping steals and being active (1.3 steals per 26 minutes in 2011-12).

According to My Synergy Data, Cole held opponents to 37 percent shooting from the floor, and flashed excellent ability stopping isolation plays (27 percent). Within the Heat's culture, this fits in very well.

Click to expand...

*

By far our most realistic upside player. Love hearing his confidence in his jumper. He improved drastically in all areas throughout college, hopefully he has a similar arc here. He, Harris, and even Gladness were the ones most effected by the lockout.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

His confidence has grown all around. he even has enough confidence to be growing out mutton chops as well


----------



## Jace

Love the chops. He's mixing 70's with 90's!

So...does Ray get a preseason AND regular season standing O when he checks in? I mean, gotta give him one against Boston on ring night, right?

If he hits a 3 in that game, the AAA will combust.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

We give every new player standing O's so yes. Think even Eddy Curry got one :laugh:


----------



## Jace

Haha, was going to ask to be reminded whether or not we did, pretty sure we did...against the Lakers on TNT.

Mike only got one because he got injured right before the season started. When he checked in the first time in preseason, it was right after the game began when Wade pulled his hammy...right before I got to my seat. 

If he was healthy that home opener against ORL, I think there would've been too much overall excitement about the team for the crowd to focus on him enough for that. The thumb surgery created anticipation.


----------



## Wade County

Ray will absolutely get a standing O.

Good to hear about Norris. You almost forget how good he was for the first few months of last season, because he was so shit afterwards :laugh:

Preseason will be important for him.


----------



## Jace

Its Cole day I guess

*



It was almost like Norris Cole didn't have an offseason.

Eight days after the Miami Heat won the NBA title, Cole was in the gym working out twice daily. A strong dedication to improving is why Cole has been one of the early surprises of training camp.

"He's been one of the highlights of the camp so far just in terms of how much he's improved," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "He's arguably the most improved player right now. It shouldn't be a surprise to any one of us. He had a terrific summer in terms of commitment."

Spoelstra said he challenged Cole to improve his shooting and play-making ability. That was the reasoning behind Cole traveling with the team to Las Vegas for the NBA Summer League, an event usually reserved for rookies and journeymen.

Cole was with the team for the duration.

"It wasn't just a one-game appearance and he was out of there," Spoelstra said.

The Heat are already starting to see the benefits from the strong summer. Cole said he spent the offseason in Miami instead of returning home to Dayton, Ohio so he could focus on basketball. He realized playing time will be tougher to come by with the Heat signing Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis.

The emergence of point guard Mario Chalmers also provided motivation for Cole.

"Summer league was a big part, showing that I can run the team and be a floor general, make people better," Cole said. "Just reps, coming in here putting in the time going through each drill, the ball-handling drills, the passing drills, the shooting drills. Doing it twice a day, you expect good results."

Cole said he is in the process of applying the drills into game situations.

"Just been working on things all summer and applying it to the five-on-five when we compete," he said. "It's one thing to do drills, it's another thing to apply it when you play. I've been applying it so far in practice."

The goal is for Cole to avoid late-season slump like he endured as a rookie. After starting strong, he faded once the playoffs began. Cole averaged just 1.8 points in the postseason after averaging 6.8 in the regular season.

He fell out of the rotation in the first and third rounds before making an impact in the NBA Finals

"I'm a realist. I wasn't playing well," Cole said. "Toward the end of the year, it's time to get ready for the playoffs. … (Spoelstra) had to find a rotation that he can get out there that was going to perform well. I stayed in the gym, kept working. Of course I wanted to play, but I understood."

Cole said reaching his goals this season will be easier because there is no lockout. Last year he had a little more than a week to adjust to new surroundings before playing his first game as a professional. He learned on the fly, but said easing his way into the season could prevent another late-year slump.

"We had 10 days, I believe, we had to put in offense, defense schemes and all that," Cole said. "Now with a full camp, we can really dig into details more. You get that extra time with your teammates to build a rapport and build chemistry. Last year I was a college kid playing with a bunch of pros. I had 10 days to get myself ready to play against the pros."

Click to expand...

*

And Spo's lightening up

*



LeBron James and Ray Allen were at midcourt Monday afternoon, arguing in half-serious tones. After a shooting contest that lasted for about an hour after the regular Miami Heat practice concluded, there was a disagreement on who was actually winning.

Both claimed victory. Both walked away grinning.

Yes, everybody seems pleased so far at Heat camp.

The reigning NBA champions have gotten new workout gear and new luggage in the past few days, and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra has handed out a couple of other gifts as well — afternoons off.

The dreaded two-a-day practice schedule has been nonexistent in Miami so far, with Spoelstra believing that enough work is getting done in one workout a day and therefore not seeing a need to further tax players' bodies so early in camp.

"It makes us want to work hard just with one practice," James said. "Knowing that he's given us that luxury, we come in and get our work done. You guys know us, guys are staying after shooting, guys are going down to the weight room and making sure we take care of our bodies and all of that. That's the good thing about our veteran ballclub, guys are still getting their work in to get better."

James, Allen, Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers and James Jones were all in group down at one basket long after practice ended, getting up jumper after jumper, free throw after free throw. Other players were scattered around the gym as well, and even more were downstairs in the weight room and training room until mid-afternoon or so.

The Heat have nine players in camp entering at least their 10th NBA season. So Spoelstra's thinking is clear: The fresher Miami's legs stay now, the better it might be for the Heat in the long run.

"From his first year to now, he's done a 360-plus-times-two with the way he's approached things," Wade said. "I think it's good for this team."

There will be at least one double-session coming up for Miami: The team plans to practice Wednesday morning, followed by an open scrimmage for fans that night. Miami's first preseason game is at Atlanta on Sunday, and the Heat depart after that game for China and two exhibition games there next week against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Spoelstra said the looming China trip isn't affecting his practice planning. A desire to keep the bigger picture in mind, that is at the forefront of his thinking.

"We are being smart with it," Spoelstra said. "We haven't done a second practice yet, but in terms of when we step out here in between the four lines, there's no holding back. It's full-contact, fully padded, physical and guys aren't trying to ease into it."

The Heat practice court is where the team held the first of many celebrations after last season's NBA Finals win over Oklahoma City. For hours of the night after winning Game 5 over the Thunder and clinching the title, Heat players, employees, family members and guests dined, danced and drank as the gym was transformed into a reception hall of sorts.

It's been back to normal for months, and Spoelstra didn't have to issue any reminders why.

"When Spo says 5-on-5, pads up, mouthguards in, we kind of already know," James said. "We just have competitive guys that do not like to lose drills or do not like to lose no matter what's going on."

The Heat have 12 players back from that championship team, and even the new additions — Allen and Rashard Lewis, most notably — pretty much already know what's going on in camp. Miami installed some of its half-court offenses on Monday, ones that Allen said he already knew from his years of scouting and playing against the Heat.

Count Allen among those who think a couple hours of brisk work is enough to get the daily grind of camp done.

"Those juices are flowing," Allen said. "I love the rhythm of how practice is going because everybody's on the same page and a lot of us are learning on the fly but there's not a lot of standing around. That's what I love. I've been used to throughout my career being able to play up-tempo and getting up and down the floor and that's how we practice."

Heat center Chris Bosh couldn't hold back a smile when asked about how the first pair of two-a-days were canceled, saying the Heat aren't "going to fight that."

But to him, James, Wade, Shane Battier and other returnees, there's also a sense that the Heat are picking up where they left off in their title season.

"I think that's the best part about it," Bosh said. "This feels like practice. Now, we've got the camp legs. That's going to be a part of it. But it just feels like we're practicing like last year."

Click to expand...

*


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Thanks for the sun-sentinel articles, Jace. do you pay the subscription for them? Hate that they now make you pay to read it.







Nice editing on this vid. Shane, Lebron and Ray talking about all the shooting this team has and it ends with Lebron swishing a half court shot


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Post Practice interviews. They say day 2, but they're from today


----------



## Jace

LOL W2, no I don't pay for that shit. I hit stop on my browser before the window comes up :laugh:

Still annoying though

*Great interview* with JJax on his radio show with Ray. (interview starts at around 53 in) He gushes about the Heat's training staff, and calls it the best and most attentive he's worked with. Not in a disingenuous Shaq kind of way. He sounds genuine. Says the way they stretch everyone individually and stay on guys is different and will help him during the season because of his age.


----------



## Wade County

Why the hell didnt I think about just hitting stop? I've been avoiding the Sun-Sentinel like the plague :laugh:


----------



## Wade2Bosh

:laugh: I've tried that and it sometimes works and sometimes just goes blank. So i'd also pretty much given up on sun-sentinel as well.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Lebron and D-Wade going at each other on twitter over this Bears/Cowboys game



> LeBron James ‏@KingJames
> RT @DwyaneWade: @KingJames...they was who we thought that was...(Shut up! And it's who we thought "they" was u bum)
> 
> DAD ‏@DwyaneWade
> @KingJames ok I got alil excited Haaa. #Loser


:laugh:

btw, still irks me for some reason that Lebron is a Yankees/Cowboys/FSU fan. Pretty much the teams that dominated when he was growing up. Only real hometown team he roots for is OSU and thats probably because they were also pretty good in the 90's.


----------



## Jace

Oh yeah, he screams frontrunner. Everyone has always said this. Don't forget Bulls fan growing up.

I think its because he didn't respect most Cleveland/Ohio teams, as well as wanting to be with the cool guys.

LOL, LeBron is letting loose this year, just dropped a "godamn romo." SC would cut in early to discuss this anti-Christian slur.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> “I was worried how I would feel the next day after a hard workout, and I’ve been going for three days straight and no pain at all,” said Lewis, who is ranked fifth in three-point shooting among active players and eighth all-time.
> 
> “Is he capable athletically of moving and making the plays that he was able to do two years ago?” Spoelstra said. “He looks healthy. … I think that is a victory right now.
> 
> “The rhythm, learning a new system offensively, that will take time. I understand that and I’m not putting pressure on him for that. Anybody that misses extended periods of time, there will be an acclimation to your rhythm.”
> 
> “I’ve been working with the training staff here and then had the procedure done and I feel great,” Lewis said. “I just have to stay on top of the rehab and continue to strengthen my hips and continue to strengthen my legs and not let it come back.”


Link

Good sign that he feels no pain after 3 straight days of practice.


----------



## Jace

That link is jacked. *Here *it is.

Good to hear he's still shooting lights out, and looks healthy according to Spo. Does sound like he needs to get his overall rhythm back. Hopefully he doesn't take as long as Battier, and especially UD, took last season.

Also didn't know he had the platelet-rich procedure everyone's doing now. He had it before, presumably on the other knee, so I'm guessing it helped.

Rooting for Curry to make the Spurs, just to see him in this


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Damn, a bunch of teams are getting new uni's this season.


----------



## Jace

Tell me about it.


























There are a few more teams yet to introduce their alts (Thunder, Philly, GSW). There's a new fad of having the alternate use a totally different template as the regular two jerseys, like the Nugs and Blazers new alts.


----------



## Wade County

Wouldn't mind us doing a retro look with a modern twist on our jerseys.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Jason Jackson said on twitter that he heard the scrimmage on Wednesday will be streamed on Heat.com.


----------



## Jace

> *Wade plans to play in the preseason*
> by Ethan J. Skolnick
> 
> Dwyane Wade surprised his coach, but not himself, by participating in practice for a second straight day.
> 
> “I’ve been doing everything I need to do,” said Wade, who is nearly three months removed from knee surgery. “Every day is different, but if I feel good, I’ll continue to go. If I feel like I need to not push it, then I will do that as well.”
> 
> Wade said swelling wasn’t an issue Tuesday, and hopes it won’t be Wednesday, so he can participate in the evening scrimmage.
> 
> What about the eight preseason games? There has been speculation that he wouldn’t play in any of them.
> 
> “I don’t know where that came from,” Wade said. “I will try a preseason game. At least one. It will be more than one. It won’t be eight, but it will be more than one. If I continue to progress the way I’ve been progressing.”


Bosh sat out today with a sore knee, Rio sat out after getting a quad bump, Joel continued to sit with the hammy. Nothing serious, we're told.


----------



## Floods

Probably old news, but in 2K13 the black jersey says Miami instead of Heat. So I'm guessing that change is happening IRL too.


----------



## Jace

Yeah we talked about that a few weeks ago. Meh.


----------



## doctordrizzay

If all of our wing players stay healthy and play well, We can really preserve Lebron and Wade this year. preferably Wade.


----------



## Jace




----------



## Jace

Everything is so calculated with these guys. The same day Wade tells reporters he's leaving Jordan, he tweets a teaser of his first Li-Ning shoe, only accompanied by the text "#10/10," likely a reference to 10th season.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

So Wade's gotta hide his shoes and wear flip flops to post practice interviews for 8 more days? :laugh:

Guess it also means that you can rule him out of Sunday's game.


----------



## Wade County

Wade will play in 1 of the China games. It's waaaay too big a marketing opportunity for him not to - considering he's signing with a chinese shoe brand and bringing out a signature shoe.

Guaranteed, he will play. They'll wheel him out if they have to.


----------



## Jace

What about the scrimmage? Perhaps he can wear duct tape around his shoes.

*Skolnick on the C battle*



> As a Heat practice officially ends, most players sit and stretch near the center of the floor. For 12 of them, guaranteed spots on the final 15-man roster, this qualifies as relaxation.
> 
> Perspiration?
> 
> For that, look at the basket behind them.
> 
> Four tall young men are taking turns taking each other on, backing each other down, straining to get good shots up, trying to find a way in. This passes as the most compelling competition of an unevenful training camp, this competition among Dexter Pittman, Mickell Gladness, Josh Harrellson and Jarvis Varnado, competition that will continue during Wednesday night’s Heat scrimmage.
> 
> “They’re a little bit different, which makes it interesting, and that’s what we want to look at,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.
> 
> Three are former second-round picks – Pittman and Varnado by Miami, Harrellson by New Orleans, though he was quickly traded to New York. The other, Gladness, was undrafted.
> 
> All but Varnado have logged some time on NBA courts, with Pittman, Harrellson and Gladness combining for 100 games. All understand the situation. The Heat is reasonably content with an undersized interior rotation of Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony. Miami doesn’t necessarily need any of these four, but it might be able to occasionally use what one or two of them offers.
> 
> “Varnado and Gladness bring that energy and shot-blocking and quickness,” Spoelstra said.
> 
> Pittman?
> 
> “Brings the physicality and the size,” Spoelstra said. “Harrellson brings the stretch shooting with size, and has already had a role on a good team.”
> 
> Pittman is the only one with a guaranteed contract, though the amount is modest enough that owner Micky Arison could be persuaded to keep someone else instead, as when Miami waived Eddie House to make room for prospect Terrel Harris in 2011. Ideally, Pittman shows enough that no such action is necessary.
> 
> “I know they see something in me,” Pittman said. “I see something in myself, too.”
> 
> The Heat is happy to see less of him. They believe better conditioning will lead to less fouling.
> 
> “I know they were pretty disappointed in me at summer league because I stayed at the plateau weight,” Pittman said. “I wanted to take it as a challenge upon myself to come back and show them that I was committed.”
> 
> So Pittman, 6-foot-11, worked out with several trainers, including Tony Villani in Delray Beach, and returned at 275 pounds and 12.5 percent body fat.
> 
> “I can feel my ribs,” Pittman said, widely grinning.
> 
> Now he’s trying to get down to 265, while emulating Haslem’s maximum effort “no matter what.” He’s trying to draw upon previous struggles, in high school and college, when it took him some time to make an impact. And he’s trying to adjust to a league that no longer emphasizes brawn in the post.
> 
> “It’s sad,” Pittman said. “The game changed. You’ve got guys like Josh Harrellson that can shoot the three, and I’ve got to get out and guard them.”
> 
> That range is one of Harrellson’s strengths. He’s come a long way since his freshman year of high school, when he was, in his own eyes, “the absolute worst basketball player anybody has ever seen in their lives,” so clumsy that he could only work on the side.
> 
> Jorts, as he’s known for his jean shorts fashion, made an impact as a Kentucky senior, then got in 37 games as a Knicks rookie. He was included in the trade for Houston’s Marcus Camby three months ago. Houston waived him but, because of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Knicks had to wait a year to re-sign him.
> 
> So he’s here.
> 
> “I knew they needed a center who can space the floor,” Harrellson said.
> 
> That’s not something either Varnado, who spent the past two seasons overseas, or Gladness can do. They’re long-armed defenders, more in the Anthony mold. Gladness intrigued Miami enough to stick with the team after 2011 camp. After the Heat waived him to bring in Rony Turiaf, he started seven games for struggling Golden State.
> 
> That experience proved to Gladness that “I’m an NBA player. Maybe not a starter, but I can play in this league.” The Warriors waived him. So he’s back, emphasizing his attributes: tall, long, athletic and “able to run at the same time.”
> 
> Oh, and one more thing.
> 
> “I’m not a needy player,” Gladness said. “I don’t need the ball to make an impact on this game.”
> 
> Which is good. Because even if he makes this loaded squad, he’s not likely to get it.


----------



## Wade County

I'd say the spots are Pittman and Harrellson's to lose. Shame, cause i've been excited about Varnado for a while.


----------



## Jace

Yeah, with JV its probably going to be a combination of the evolution of the team and his continued injuries.

Which brings me to the fact that Whiteside was passed on to bring in Mickell Gladness and an injured Varnado. Definitely something wrong with Hassan.

Love getting to see Rashard show his touch in that video, and hearing LeBron say he's looking great.

Forgot to mention earlier, don't remember where I saw it, but Spo said today was Ray's best day, which surprised him because day 4 is usually "hump" day, but he somehow got a 2nd wind and finally had his legs under him.


----------



## Wade County

Damn Lewis has a weird lookin stroke. Still good to see them drop though. Hopefully that 23% from downtown was an abberation last season!


----------



## doctordrizzay

Wade County said:


> *Damn Lewis has a weird lookin stroke*. Still good to see them drop though. Hopefully that 23% from downtown was an abberation last season!


:sigh: u just noticed that?


----------



## Jace

Weird looking, but quick and effective. He has a really high release and cocks it back a little. I could watch him and Ray shoot all day though. So smooth.






More of LeBron


----------



## Wade County

doctordrizzay said:


> :sigh: u just noticed that?


Obviously known it for a long time - just commenting on it again, haven't seen 'Shard play for a while.


----------



## Jace

Too bad Wade couldn't stretch in his slides. Here's a shot of the Li-Nings.











I thought the 'WADE' visible in the teaser he tweeted looked like the script we always see at his Hublot-sponsored events, then I saw the logo seen below on his sole.











Very interesting. I thought it was a Hublot thing, but I guess its his brand logo.


----------



## Wade County

Damn, Gabby is so hot. Lucky SOB.

Those laces in the twitter pic are pretty gross though :laugh:.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Wade's gone through 2 straight days of practice. Its sounding like things were a bit overblown when it came to his knee. 

In his post practice interview he was asked if he'd play in China and he said he would if he continued how he felt today. Dont think there is any doubt that he's playing in at least one of those games. Especially after the Li-Ning signing which, conveniently, will be announced in China, the day before the 1st of 2 games over there.


----------



## Jace

Barring a setback he's playing in China. And maybe the last two preseason games. Don't see him playing more than 3. His minute average may be in the 20's in the early parts of the regular season too.


----------



## Wade County

Honestly - he'll probably average 30-32 minutes per game during the regular season i'd say.

Which i'm completely cool with. We've got enough depth behind him that it shouldn't be a problem. Ideally, we have a healthy Wade all the way throughthe regular season - but that doesn't look likely.

Aslong as Lebron stays healthy, we'll be alright.


----------



## Smithian

You all have been busy bees on this thread. May as well throw in my roster prediction.

PG: *Chalmers* - For better or worse, it is officially Mario Chalmer's job.
SG: *Wade* - I think he'll have a small step back this year with lots of awkwardness as LeBron continues to try to shine the light on an older, slower, less consistently hustling player. Wade likes being a superstar. He works his butt off, he is a top 5 or 6 player still. If not? We'll see.
SF: *James* - Beast.
PF: *Battier* - Has another energy driven, pure, gritty season. Will eventually move back to the bench as the Heat try (and yes, they will) to get away from Bosh at C and phase in Haslem ( :uhoh: ) or Joel Anthony ( :worthy: ) at center.
C: *Bosh* - I think he will come out this season and dominate. I have a feeling he is going to have a beastly season.

Bench:
*Haslem *- Love this man. Still think he is a key to this team. Will continue to vomit when he and Bosh play together, but overall think he is going to have his number retired by the Heat for a reason. You're my boy, Udonis!
*Allen *- Big time shooter. Excited to see him at 2 and 3. I fear the Wade-Allen guard combo since we used to try to slip in Wade with Cook at 2 and it was ugly. Maybe LeBron being the ball handler makes it work. Overall, I think Allen coming off the bench will give him a huge boost.
*Lewis *- I think coming off the bench helps resurrect his career a small bit. Good shooter and is long enough to play some different spots and be competitive defensively. I think he fights Mike Miller for minutes.
*Miller *- I think he has a small bounce back year. He and Lewis push each other for minutes.
*Cole *- Good backup PG. Wonder how much we actually see him if they try to go no PG lineups a lot. Really need him to play well. The team is so much better when LeBron isn't forced to handle the ball. Cole off the bench allows LeBron to stick down low.
*Anthony *- You know what you'll get. I think he'll moonlight as a starter. Team simply is better when he is in the game. As always, you're my homeboy, big Joel!
*Pittman *- Young wide body with some talent. May as well keep him around as long as he keeps improving.
*Jones *- He survives. Would prefer Carney or Harris in this spot since Battier, Lewis, Miller, and Allen are already overkill by themselves in the shooting category.
*Harrellson *- He'll probably make the roster undeservedly over a physical, athletic player like Dozier, Harris, Varnado, or Temple who actually would be able to play and contribute for this team. He'll get Eddy Curry treatment and I'll break things and go on rants whenever he touches the court.
*[TBD]* - A notable veteran will get cut before the season starts and end up on our roster. I'd like a 7 foot center who can chew gum and walk at the same time, but not getting my hopes up.

We have a ton of depth. Liking the team a lot. We'll crush some people and even if some guys don't produce we still have enough options that everything will work out.


----------



## Jace

I actually came around to Battier still starting earlier today. A lot of reasons. Continuity, and it keeps us from starting both our preferred centers in UD/Bosh (I don't see Lewis starting, at least not from day 1). This in turn allows Miller to backup SF and Lewis PF. Keeps abundant spacing in the starting lineup without sacrificing defense (thought it sacrifices even more rbs than with Lewis). If one of the Harrellsons, Pittmans, Gladnesses emerge then UD gets moved in for Battier.

Good point on Cole being important for keeping LeBron off the ball. As much as LeBron loves to hog it for stretches, we need to always have the option of taking him off it.

On Joel, I don't see him starting ever again, unless injuries necessitate it. Both he and Spo have said he's best utilized off the bench.

And at least give Harrellson credit for being physical. I know you're not directly comparing him to Curry, but they're really vastly different. Curry couldn't comprehend hustle.



Wade County said:


> Honestly - he'll probably average 30-32 minutes per game during the regular season i'd say.
> 
> Which i'm completely cool with. We've got enough depth behind him that it shouldn't be a problem. Ideally, we have a healthy Wade all the way throughthe regular season - but that doesn't look likely.
> 
> Aslong as Lebron stays healthy, we'll be alright.


Absolutely. As Battie-boy said, LeBron is our "skeleton key" that unlocks positionlessball. One of the star SGs missing time is much easier to swallow than LeBron, or even Bosh.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Smithian, thought you'd be around more the past few weeks just to get away from what's been going on with your college football team 

Nice breakdown. I have thought the same for Bosh since the 1st training camp in 2010. Hopefully he finally gets off to that strong start and doesnt hit that bump in the road mid seasn, that he's hit the past couple of seasons. I think adding Ray will help Bosh some this season. KG got a lot of open looks when Ray would run around through multiple screens and force KG's defender to close on Ray, and as someone on the team mentioned during a post practice interview, Ray is an underrated passer and would find KG a couple of times a game open for that mid range J or in deep position down low. 

Anxious to see Cole play. He definitely gave us a big spark the 1st half of the season. If he can return to that, while also becoming a little more consistent with his J, that would be huge. Between he and Mario, they were routinely outproducing the other teams pg's on a nightly basis.


----------



## Jace

Yeah Ray is great at making the read off of "floppy" if he gets smothered or doubled. So many times in the past we actually covered him well off the curl+screen, yet he rose up as if to shoot and chucked it to an open KG (or Bass). Always been an underrated part of his game. Some of Bosh's struggles can definitely be attributed to mostly playing with non-shooters on the perimeter.


----------



## Jace

Oh yeah...Cole was on JJax's radio show Tues. and said he's most improved his reads off the pick-and-roll and his jumper, specifically mid-range. Good news. His reads were his biggest issues last season, and even at some points in SL.

He also said Spo gave them the night off again, for the fourth night in a row. The red/white scrimmage will be their first 2nd "session." Though, we all know that thing has become more and more of a joke every year. At least the open practices were. I guess these scrimmages are truer advertising. Still not a real session for them.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> You can watch tonight's HEAT scrimmage LIVE right here on HEAT.com tonight. The game starts at 7 pm, so tune in for all of the excitement of watching your 2012 NBA Champion Miami HEAT.
> View the stream here tonight at 7pm


http://www.nba.com/heat/?tmd=1


----------



## Jace

Looking forward to seeing:

*1. Cole's improvement* Hopefully takes/hits a couple of 3's (hell, he did in last year's), but most importantly shows improvement in his decision making

*2. The center battle *Will un-fat Pitt move significantly better? Will this help his reaction time and penchant for using his hands on D (aka "fouling")? Will they use the Shaq pick-and-roll coverage for Harrellson, or will he be able to move his feet well enough to hedge aggressively? Hopefully Varnado is healthy enough to not look horrendous again, and/or Gladness shows himself to be more than just a guy who might be decent enough to put out there and not completely crumble. I don't want this C battle to be won by default.

*3. The last guard* Is all the Garrett Temple hype legit? I'd love for us to keep Harris, and loved him in Summer League, but if some of the stuff I hear about him is true, Terrel could be in trouble. Carney is also a dark horse here, because of his solid shooting, defense, and insane athleticism, but the former two's ability to at least cover PGs (maybe Carney can too) gives them an advantage considering we're only rolling two-deep there right now.


Of course, I don't expect many, if any, answers tonight, but we can at least get some indications to work with.

Will also be nice to see if there's any truth to UD and Rashard looking better than last year, but I don't anticipate getting any sort of legit read on the vets.


----------



## Jace

Speaking of LeBron being a frontrunner...he's been rocking Heat hats a lot lately.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Rocking Heat gear is the cool thing to do these days 











Probably an old pic but still funny :laugh:


----------



## Jace

Immediate interpretation of that image was that it was a girl.

2nd interpretation lead to a true LOL session.

Love it. Makes sense with the Spanish connection. I remember I was at Juan Carlos "La Bomba" Navarro's 1st game in Miami and there were Spanish fans with flags everywhere going crazy whenever he touched the ball.

No media availability until after the scrimmage, so who will play is a mystery.


----------



## Jace

Just realized Cole reminds me of one of my childhood favorites: BJ Armstrong. One of the reasons I was a big fan was because when I was 5 or 6, I literally thought he was 10 years old, hence his number. I thought it was cool my favorite team let a kid play with them. :laugh:












They do have similar games and roles, at least back when Paxson was still starting. They probably have similar ceilings too. If Cole improves as we think he will, he could probably step in to a starting role as BJ did for Paxson, should Chalmers leave.


----------



## Jace




----------



## Wade2Bosh

^Intimidating.

Stream is up on *heat.com.*


----------



## Wade2Bosh

No jersey for Wade. Doesnt look like he'll play.


----------



## Jace

No Wade, Joel, or Rio.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Ray 2-2 with a 3 already


----------



## Jace

Ray looking good handling a lot, except for that odd fastbreak with he and Lewis. Awesome that Ray's first 3 here came off a Lewis assist.



> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> LeBron, Bosh, Battier, Miller, Cole in red. Allen, Lewis, Jones, Haslem, Jorts in white.


I really think Battier is starting. Looking good from 3 so far. Either 2-3 or 2-2.

Looks like they're trying a lot of Shard at 3 too.

Heat's sound work and camera angles are soooo shoddy. Hate it. Makes it so hard to know what's going on, along with the extended replays after every basket.


----------



## sknydave

Weird watching the Arena feed..

Ray Ray looks to be in great shape. The Celtics probably motivated him even more this offseason


----------



## sknydave

Mike Miller picking up where he left off in Game 5?


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Wow, Mike Miller just hit 3 3's in a row. He's still on fire :laugh:

It really hits you how much shooting this team has when you watch this scrimmage.


----------



## Jace

Yeah Ray is definitely even thinner than in Boston.

Mike just went back to back to back from 3. Now 10 for his last 11!


----------



## Wade County

Pfft Lebron is ridic


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Unfair basket by Lebron just now


----------



## Wade2Bosh

This Lebron fella still has it.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

28-16 Red after 1

Wanna see a Cole, Ray, Miller, Lebron, Bosh lineup.


----------



## Jace

LeBron James looking LeBron James-ian, already.


----------



## Jace

Great to see Battier looking good from behind the arc already. Last year we thought his preseason slump would just be confined to the preseason, then the early season, then maybe he'd come around in the playoffs...


----------



## Wade County

CBBBB


----------



## Wade County

Shit pass Cole


----------



## Wade County

UD with the J. Money!


----------



## Jace

UD may really be back. Drilled that even with a good closeout by Shard.

Bosh just had a 3 off a Cole assist taken away by a timeout. Bastids.

CB's back to trying to play PG in the open court. I thought he was LeBron for a sec on one play. Part shitty feed, part him possibly improving his handle.

I'm as excited as possible already. Loving the way we're playing.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Bosh with the finish off the sweet assist by Ray


----------



## Jace

Great pick and roll with Ray and Bosh, again, an underrated addition via Ray. No one is going under that screen.

JJ's two made jumpers have come off the dribble. New tricks for old dogs?

Shard's shot clearly isn't in rhythm yet, but I like his rebounding and all around play so far.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Yup, earlier Temple had a WIDE open lane because of Ray coming off a screen. He missed the layup though,


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Has Pitt played yet? Really hard to tell players apart on this stream.


----------



## Jace

I've been looking for him and haven't seen him. Jorts, Varnado, Gladness have all played.


----------



## Wade County

Need names on the back.


----------



## Jace

That behind the back dribble + spin move to the baseline pull-up is exactly the same shot Ray hit to open his 50+ pt game in Seattle. He missed it, but haven't really seen him attempt anything like that in Boston. Definitely looks a lot sprier than in the playoffs.

Lewis' shot just ain't fallin' right now. I think we can assume that'll come around, aside from getting abused in the post on one play by Bosh, he's looked alright. Back-to-back offensive rebounds on one play.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Wade to crowd: "If you got on a Boston jersey, please exit the building!"

:laugh:

Lebron and Ray will play together in the 3rd quarter.


----------



## Jace

Wade just told everyone in a Boston jersey to get out, because two girls in Ray Allen Celtics jerseys had to be escorted out while getting boo'ed. That was hilarious.

Who shows up to a scrimmage to heckle a team in an opposing jersey?



Wade County said:


> Need names on the back.


Yeah I wish they'd do it in real jerseys like other teams.


----------



## Wade County

lol at Burnie getting in Heat dancer grills.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Burnie is in midseason form :laugh:


----------



## Wade County

Now Burnie's dry humping the ground. WTF?


----------



## Jace

Shard beasting on the boards. Ray just airballed a 3 though.


----------



## Wade County

Ray2CB again. Nice.


----------



## Wade County

Ray a little rusty? Passes are nice, shot is off.


----------



## Wade County

Is it me, or does CB look a bit bigger?


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Wade County said:


> Now Burnie's dry humping the ground. WTF?


He pretty much committed about 3 or 4 sexual harassment's and scarred a handful of kids for life in that 1 segment.


----------



## Wade County

Pitt in - hardly recognise him!


----------



## Wade County

Bosh is beasting


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Bosh with back to back 3's. Bosh has played well tonight.


----------



## Wade County

Gotta go up and dunk that Pitt. Too soft.


----------



## Jace

No Into the Fire II, its "The Crown."

Bosh is nasty. UD looking good. Terrel looking good. GOOD SHIT. :bosh1:


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Another circus layup by Lebron


----------



## Jace

LBJ is incapable of standing on a basketball court without dropping jaws.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Bosh is looking very good.


----------



## Jace

Man, LeBron fed Ray off a curl and screen from Rashard. When those latter two get their legs and shot going, oh boy will that be dangerous.

After a first half with Miller, LeBron, Battier, Bosh...we're seeing a lot of Allen, LeBron, Lewis, Bosh this half. With Cole the PG in both lineups since Rio is out.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Terrell Harris has also played pretty good tonight.


----------



## Wade County

TBomb looking smooth


----------



## Wade County

raaay


----------



## Wade2Bosh

So many shooters on this team.


----------



## Jace

RAINING THREES!!!

Terrel has made the team. I'm locking him in. Shit, we may groom him to be our future starter if a better SG doesn't fall into our laps. Great handle for a SG, attacks, can shoot, make plays.

Ray brings an unexpected fast break advantage, not only with his spacing running to the corners, but he flat out outruns other players even at 37. That layup he made on the break was nice.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Sick drive and basket by Cole


----------



## Jace

Two nice lefty layups in a row for Cole. He's always going to be a better scorer than anything else. His J didn't look improved to me tonight.

That corner step-back 3 from Ray was nasty.

And I have a feeling Bosh is in line for a filthy season. He looks a lot more comfortable and like he's ready to play his normal game.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Game over. 

One thing I take away from this scrimmage. Shooters everywhere.


----------



## Jace

Really makes you wonder how much better we'd have been if Battier shot decently all season, along with UD.

Rashard and JJ missed all their 3's, Rio didn't play, yet it still feels like it rained hard.

Nothing to see in the C battle.

Harris and Temple both looked pretty good, but I'm still taking Terrel without hesitation.

Great to see UD hitting 4 J's, even one of those turn-and-fire ones he always misses.

Getting the sense Battier is in position to start, with Lewis getting every chance to take over. I like where we're going. Cole is going to give us a great spark this year. Dude can score.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Surya Fernandez ‏@SuryaHeatNBA
> 3-point stats from scrimmage: Miller 3-8, Battier 4-7, Bosh 2-3, James 1-1, Allen 3-7, Lewis 0-5.


.


> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> SPOELSTRA ON RAY ALLEN: "The ball will find energy and he has an energy around him at the three-point line." #Spoism


:wtf: :laugh:


> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra went up to Rashard Lewis after the game, and said it was his favorite performance by Lewis of camp, even though Lewis missed 3s.
> 
> Erik Spoelstra again found himself limiting Mike Miller, "He wanted to play more than he did tonight...
> "Now you're starting to see what an aggressive Mike Miller does."





> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Spoelstra: "We want to make sure the game is at the pace that we want." That's the reason for the press.


----------



## Jace

Yeah, Lewis looked very timid and off-rhythm with his shot, but he moved around like crazy and got about 6-7 boards. All he needs to prove is that he can move well and give the team more than offense.

That Spo quote sounds insane, but I get it. Ray moves around so much, and to the open spots.

13 3's without Rio, Shard, or JJ chiming in. Nice.

LOL, Miller even tried a floater.


----------



## Wade County

I'll have what Spo's smoking.


----------



## Jace

Pretty sure those thoughts came from a little square of paper placed on his tongue.


----------



## Jace

ITS STILL WEIRD.

After playing his entire career in green, he's now moved to the exact opposite color on the Color Wheel. Such a good weird.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

It'll hit even harder that 1st game against the Celtics and Ray Allen playing on the Heat. Gonna be so damn weird. 

But ****ing awesome as well :woot:


----------



## Wade County

This game kind of illustrates how good LBJ really is:






31, 8 and 8 is pretty standard for Lebron...yet this highlights package is ridiculous.


----------



## Jace

Haven't watched it yet, but I remember that was one of Shane's breakout games. I believe there was a play where LeBron hit him in the corner and held up 3 fingers before it left Shane's hand. If he'd been shooting like that for most of the season...well, you know.


----------



## Wade County

^ Spot on Jace. It's in there.


----------



## Jace

Surya forgot Terrel's 3. 14 made. Game 5 of the Finals? 14 3's. Starting where we left off. :yes:


----------



## Wade County

Dem shooters mang.

Here's hoping we don't turn all Orlando Magic though.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

The good thing about this team is that if the 3's arent falling, we have Lebron, Bosh and Wade to rely on to get their own shots and attack the basket.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Post scrimmage interviews


----------



## Wade2Bosh

2 things from a couple of those interviews. 

Ray was talking about all the shooters the team has and the post practice comps they do. He said that even before practice he's been in comps with Norris and Norris has been beating him of late. Good sign for Cole. Hope that translates to the games.

And Lebron was talking about how they can play like the Magic did with Dwight now. 1 in the paint and 4 outside the 3pt line and then they gotta pick their poision. He was then asked if he ever thought he'd be the 1 inside the paint in that scenario and he said no.


----------



## Wade County

Oh god, he talked about the Dwight Magic teams...noooooo

Good to hear Cole has expanded his range though, time will tell I guess.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

He also said they wouldnt be an all out 3pt shooting team because him and Wade will be attacking. Something those Magic teams did not have.


----------



## Jace

Wade2Bosh said:


> 2 things from a couple of those interviews.
> 
> Ray was talking about all the shooters the team has and the post practice comps they do. He said that even before practice he's been in comps with Norris and Norris has been beating him of late. Good sign for Cole. Hope that translates to the games.
> 
> And Lebron was talking about how they can play like the Magic did with Dwight now. 1 in the paint and 4 outside the 3pt line and then they gotta pick their poision. He was then asked if he ever thought he'd be the 1 inside the paint in that scenario and he said no.


Hah, Brian Windhorst wrote an entire article about LeBron "comparing" himself to Dwight, and implied it would be LeBron, as the only "non-3-point shooter" on the floor. I'd rather see Bosh on the outside than LeBron in some sets. That fact is, we can be versatile as hell. LeBron could literally guard a Derrick Rose on defense, then play in the middle on O. He could also do the exact opposite. I think Wade and LeBron will further focus their games inside the arc, particularly in the post. Roles are finally really formulating for this team, and its pretty clear LeWade's is to be at the rim and making plays for teammates as much as possible.

I also got a kick out of the Cole thing, both hearing that Cole has been steadily beating Ray lately, and that Ray is so serious about it. :laugh: Like hearing that the other shooters are making him more competitive.

I told y'all Ray would wanna work alongside Cole. After I read Avery Bradley's comments about Ray helping his game, it seemed clear Allen would want to do the same for Cole and "T-Harris." Norris' jumper seems mechanically identical as it was last year, but that doesn't mean it can't be more effective. Ray alluded to Cole's improvement earlier in the week when he was quick to list Cole as one of the effective 3-point shooters here.


----------



## Jace

Here's the game Ray referenced when asked the last time he felt this good. Was our home opener last season. Pierce was out so Ray did what Ray did against us.


----------



## Jace

Wade2Bosh said:


> He was then asked if he ever thought he'd be the 1 inside the paint in that scenario and he said no.


You sure he says it wouldn't be him? It's late and I'm mad sleepy, so maybe I'm missing it, but after Windhorst asks him about "1-in-4-out," I hear Brian then say something along the lines of "I never thought I'd see that," followed by LeBron saying "me neither." Then Tim Reynolds seems to ask LeBron if he'd done it in high school, to which he replies "no, not really," before Brian says maybe with Sian (the big man in their "Fab Five.") Did I miss it?

Either way, we'll definitely see it. When Dwyane goes to the bench, I expect LeBron to be surrounded by four shooters (Chalmers, Allen, Battier/Lewis, Bosh, for example). All 3 front court players can switch off playing the "big man" role (either setting picks or posting up), while the rest camp out on the perimeter.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

No, you're right. Point is, I dont think he ever thought he'd be the 1 in the middle in scenarios like that.



> Micky Arison ‏@MickyArison
> Working hard. Ur @MiamiHEAT getting ready #letsgoheat http://instagr.am/p/QXpTKtO8Gq/














> Miami HEAT ‏@MiamiHEAT
> Today we're shooting our new Intro Video. Here's the first sneak peek starring James Jones! http://instagr.am/p/QXU13DkMgH/


----------



## Jace

Oh, I misinterpreted your sentence. I knew my sleepiness was manifesting itself somehow. I thought you meant he didn't think he'd be the 1 in our upcoming renditions of 1-in-4-out.

Looks like a training theme this year? Hopefully they just let LeBron choose the song from the outset so he doesn't have to change it midseason again. :laugh:


----------



## Jace

> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Bosh is getting up a lot of extra 3s after practice. Most are going down. While Wade, LeBron work on inside game.
> 
> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Wade is moving well. Exploding off knee in post ups.


We've found our truth.

Seriously, though. I don't want Bosh to become Channing Frye/Mark Blount, but it really looks like he's gonna make that a weapon this year. What was he, 4-20 last regular season? I think he'll at least triple the makes this year.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Forgot how well Ray played against us in last season's home opener. Just gets me more excited for this season.

Good to see Wade working hard post-practice. Gotta be a good sign.


----------



## Jace

> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> Wade attacking hoop in drills with LeBron. Again, looks good














> @EthanJSkolnick
> 
> After 20 minutes of hard 2-man drilling


Good to see the Big 2 putting in work well into the afternoon.



















Glad we're not doing the uber-fashionable wardrobe this year, even though it brought us this in the past: :joel:

They should've shot these in the "new" black jerseys though, to promote Miami pride. Speaking of, I'd have thought they would've displayed those in the team shop by now. I guess they're just going to surprise us on Sunday in ATL.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Cannot forget it bringing us this as well












> Michael Wallace ‏@WallaceNBA_ESPN
> Chris Bosh pretty much confirms that bulk of Heat's post-up/inside-out game will be run through LeBron and Wade in "positionless" system.


----------



## Jace

Hahaha, thought there was a good C-Quinns one, but couldn't remember for sure. Good find.


























Here's UD showing what happens when you use weights and basketballs in an offseason, instead of rubber bands.


----------



## Jace

The complete video is on heat.com. Its behind the scenes of Media Day.

:laugh: @ Miller at the end. He's amazing.


----------



## Wade2Bosh




----------



## Jace

Love that the NBA started making LeBron extra thick headbands so he doesn't have to wear the Jordan ones inside out.

EDIT: Nevermind. Could swear I saw him wearing a double thick NBA one earlier in camp.

Man, Bosh looks so comfortable from the arc. Looks like a FT for him. Would we be surprised/upset if he takes the most 3's of the Big 3?

*
Ira: Heat post-up offense has Chris Bosh batting third*



> Thursday's intrasquad scrimmage was the fun part, the 42 3-point attempts, the relentless barrage of fastbreaks.
> 
> But eventually the pace will slow, especially in the biggest games.
> 
> The Miami Heat insist they're ready for that, as well, or at least are getting ready, as training camp continues.
> 
> "You have to have it," coach Erik Spoelstra said Thursday of an efficient halfcourt offense. "We worked on a lot of halfcourt execution today. Post-ups are a big part of that.
> 
> "A big part of our emphasis in our halfcourt sets and in transition is inside-out, getting those paint catches, post catches and then playing that way."
> 
> And yet the player who might be expected to most benefit from such an approach is a player who considers himself no more than the team's third option when it comes to posting up.
> 
> "In the halfcourt, I know where I'm going to get my shots," forward (and de facto center) Chris Bosh said following Thursday's session at AmericanAirlines Arena. "The mid-range is crucial. I'm going to have to knock those down to open it up for our post guys, number six and number three."
> 
> That's No. 6 as in small forward LeBron James and No. 3 as in shooting guard Dwyane Wade.
> 
> And that's what makes Spoelstra's position-less, hybrid, upside-down, topsy-turvy approach like few other offenses.
> 
> Spoelstra, in fact, said among the reasons the Heat did not feature as much post play in the intrasquad scrimmage is because Wade sat to rest his sore left knee.
> 
> But when the games count, when Wade again is available, Bosh said he almost feels as if he has to get out of the way for James and Wade in the post.
> 
> "I'm a little bit of everywhere," Bosh said of his role in the halfcourt offense. "I'm a rover. I'm everywhere. I'm going to get some post-ups, but, for the most part, we're going to play through those guys.
> 
> "And when the ball kicks out, that's when I have opportunities to get some looks."
> 
> For now, Spoelstra is continuing to stress pace as the priority, while sprinkling in some halfcourt sets.
> 
> But Spoelstra said post play, even without classic post players, will be the focus of the halfcourt offense.
> 
> "It continues to be a big misconception about how we want to play. We don't view ourselves as a pick-and-roll team," he said. "That is a part of our attack.
> 
> "A big part of our emphasis in our halfcourt sets and in transition is inside-out, getting those paint catches, post catches and then playing that way."


Great to hear the focus on LeWade in the post. It took awhile, but its clear now its one of our main strengths. The fact that we have 3 of the league's best pick-and-roll players and we're not looking at it as our main strength is awesome. We're going to be really versatile.

I think one of Bosh's issues those first 2 seasons was not feeling like he knew his place in the offense. That's clearly changed.


More from the Sun-Sentinel

*Shandel Richardson: Dexter Pittman perhaps down to final chance with Heat *



> It is the one case where no one cares what Heat center Dexter Pittman eats.
> 
> To the coaches, his teammates, this is Pittman's chance to gorge. And Pittman, often criticized for his weight and conditioning, is ready to sit at the buffet table.
> 
> Only this is not about food.
> 
> The type of "hunger" they want from Pittman involves his work on the court during training camp, the most vital of his three-year career. He's down to perhaps the final opportunity to prove he's worth the risk of long-term project.
> 
> "It's like Coach Spo always says, 'It's a hunger game,' " Pittman said. "You eat or you get eaten. I'm just trying to eat. Not food, I'm just trying to survive."
> 
> The survival Pittman is referring to is the numbers game in the frontcourt. He finds himself in competition for one of three remaining roster spots despite a guaranteed contract. The Heat signed Mickell Gladness, Jarvis Varnado and Josh Harrellson, all big bodies who will push Pittman the remainder of camp.
> 
> "This is it," Pittman said. "This is my last year under contract. This is my chance to prove I want to stay in this league for a long time."
> 
> Pittman has been forced to answer questions about his weight since arriving in 2010 as a second-round draft pick out of Texas. The process has been filled with inconsistencies, with Pittman slimming down only to regain the weight.
> 
> After disappointing the coaching staff during the NBA Summer League, the 6-foot-11 Pittman feels he's finally gotten the problem under control. He weighs a career-low 275 pounds and has a 12.5 percent body fat.
> 
> "I'm in better shape than I've ever been in my life," Pittman said. "I'm moving around better than I've ever moved. … Pretty soon, [weight] is not going to be an issue. Those questions are probably going to stop."
> 
> Yet there was Pittman once again answering those questions following Wednesday's scrimmage. He appeared as the player with the same struggles, but the Heat thus far have been content with his progress.
> 
> Pittman was able to run the court with the quicker Chris Bosh, but how long will it last? Pittman appeared in just 35 games last season (six starts) because of his conditioning issues.
> 
> Only time will tell if his offseason commitment will produce a positive result.
> 
> "Four straight days with energy and effort," coach Erik Spoelstra said of Pittman's start to training camp. "It's the first camp he's been able to sustain it this many days. That speaks to his conditioning this summer."
> 
> Pittman averaged 11.5 points and 4.3 rebounds during the summer league, logging 19 minutes a game. He's since worked on his post game with assistant coach Keith Askins, an advantage the Heat hope prevents Pittman from another "stunted" season of development.
> 
> The staff felt last year's lockout slowed his growth, meaning this is his first year to benefit from a full offseason of training.
> 
> "I like that he's putting that kind of pressure on himself," Heat assistant coach David Fizdale. "I think last year, obviously, the lockout hurt him a little bit. Not having that summer with him and the practice time, we just couldn't do as much with him as we would've liked. It set him back some from where he ended the season the year before. Now that we [had] him for a whole summer, we can really, really dig into his development and get him prepared for next year."


Really rooting for Dex, especially now that I can officially let go of Hassan.  

I just have trouble seeing him carving out a regular role here unless we're getting really hurt by size throughout the season and he proves to have more net value than Joel. Obviously he's got a respectable post game, but how much will we be slowing things down to take shots away from our best players and watch Dex go to work in the post? The fact that we want to focus on the post and play inside-out should help him, though. If he can really get up and down the court without needing a blow after 3 minutes, it might work out.


----------



## Wade County

If CB puts that 3 ball into his game....lovely.

I'm OK with him shooting more 3's - he hit some huge ones in the Conference Finals / Finals.


----------



## doctordrizzay

His stroke is so nice, I actually like watching him take those three's


----------



## Jace

"Thunder" Mike?

























Some of those are from a few days ago, but they weren't uploaded until today. Finally seeing Bosh say those quotes about playing center, it definitely comes off differently than in print. I laughed my ass off at the first soundbyte of him. He's clearly still fighting it inside.


----------



## Jace

Jesus and his new Disciples. Bless thou stroke.


















The Li-Nings sorta look like Jordans. :whoknows:










For DD. 










*Spo: *_Rashard, its simple really. All we want from you is to ignite and transform your inner-light into a sphere of energy, heat-seeking a destination of purity, truth, and love.
_

*Lewis: *_...S-...So.......alright, coach._



> Harrellson, who appeared in 37 games for the Knicks last season and started four, missed all four of his shots in Wednesday night’s scrimmage at AmericanAirlines Arena but said he has been making about half of his jump shots in practice.
> 
> Harrellson, 6-10, said he was “terrible, the worst player” in high school, but developed as a senior at Kentucky and impressed the Knicks with his hustle and long-range touch (20 for 59 on three-point shots).
> 
> He isn’t considered as strong a defender as Gladness or Varnado, but he insisted Wednesday, *“On the ball, as a low-post defender, I’m one of the best out there. I’ve held my own against Dwight Howard.* … I will continue doing every day what it takes to make them notice me.”
> 
> Gladness, 6-11, who appeared in eight games for the Heat and 18 for Golden State last season, is a skilled defender and shot-blocker (26 last season) without much of an offensive game. “They don’t need me to do a lot offensively,” he said. “It’s not a major priority.”
> 
> The 6-10 Varnado, who set the NCAA career record for blocks at Mississippi State, is the only one of the four without NBA experience and faces the longest odds of the young centers.
> 
> A former Heat second-round pick, he averaged 10 points a game in Italy last season, but like Gladness, his offensive game is limited.


*More*

Easy, young fella.


----------



## Smithian

Oh, really?


----------



## 29380

He did but I don't think Dwight was trying hard when Orlando played the Knickerbockers last year.


----------



## doctordrizzay

Id take Harry of Pitty


----------



## Jace

Knicks4life said:


> He did but I don't think Dwight was trying hard when Orlando played the Knickerbockers last year.


We talking one game or multiple?


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Jace said:


> *Spo: *_Rashard, its simple really. All we want from you is to ignite and transform your inner-light into a sphere of energy, heat-seeking a destination of purity, truth, and love.
> _
> 
> *Lewis: *_...S-...So.......alright, coach._


:rotf:


----------



## 29380

Jace said:


> We talking one game or multiple?


Multiple if I remember correctly but like I said before there was a noticeable lack of effort from Dwight.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201203280NYK.html
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201201160NYK.html 
http://www.basketball-reference.com/boxscores/201204050ORL.html


----------



## Jace

7 shot attempts and 5 rebounds in 28 mins?

6 attempts in 38 mins?

8 in 40 mins?

Merely looking at the box score, Jorts played 20, 13, and 12 minutes. Obviously, Dwight wasn't going off, but you'd think if Harrellson was the apparent equalizer, he'd have been in those games more, especially in the latter two games.


----------



## 29380

Jace said:


> 7 shot attempts and 5 rebounds in 28 mins?
> 
> 6 attempts in 38 mins?
> 
> 8 in 40 mins?
> 
> Merely looking at the box score, Jorts played 20, 13, and 12 minutes. Obviously, Dwight wasn't going off, but you'd think if Harrellson was the apparent equalizer, he'd have been in those games more, especially in the latter two games.


He was backing up the DPOY, I'm not saying Jorts is a Dwight stopper but he can hold his own in the paint.


----------



## Jace

Wow, that should've occurred to me.

Was just playing devil's advocate anyway. Everything I've heard about him indicates post D is one of his strengths. If he can not get destroyed by Dwight for a few minutes, while also rebounding well and not being an offensive liability, I'm down.

Also for those who didn't open the links, I didn't make it clear that the first 3 stats I posted were Dwight's. Appalling how many times he was out-shot by Jameer Nelson or Hedo Turkoglu or Big frickin' Baby.


----------



## Jace

Haslem's gonna Let It Fly. From Ira:



> It has been five and a half years since Udonis Haslem attempted a 3-pointer in an NBA game. It has been forever since he made one.
> 
> This well could be the season the 0-for-14 career drought ends.
> 
> Because sometimes you've got to try to fit in, even if it means stepping out.
> 
> No, this is no midlife crisis for the Miami Heat power forward, no attempt to emulate new teammate Ray Allen, who enters the season 2,718 career 3-point conversions ahead.
> 
> But after seeing teammate Chris Bosh step out of the power rotation to convert seven 3-pointers during last season's playoff run, and also seeing how the 3-point shooting of others has opened the floor for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, Haslem figured it was time for a 32-year-old to learn some new tricks.
> 
> "When Chris made those shots, it definitely opened my eyes to that," Haslem said during a break in training camp. "And, also, being a competitor, I want to be able to help my team.
> 
> "I want to be on the floor and if that means reinventing myself just a little bit to put myself in the best position to be out there with the guys, then that's what I got to do."
> 
> Asked if he previously had even toyed with 3-pointers during the offseason, Haslem said, "never, never." In fact, his last 3-point attempt, even including heaves at the ends of periods, was March 7, 2007 against the Chicago Bulls.
> 
> "But I spent time on it this summer," he said. "We'll see. It feels pretty good. You've got to ask Coach. But it feels good. I'm going to shoot it with confidence and we'll see how it goes."
> 
> With Haslem coming off a career-worst .432 season from the field, one would think stepping outside would be the last place you would find the 10th-year veteran.
> 
> The difference this summer, though, is Haslem was back in the gym, something ongoing post-surgical foot pain prevented during the 2011 offseason.
> 
> "I've been in the gym all summer, just shooting, shooting, shooting," he said. "That's the only way I know to do it. I'm not a guy that can sit out. You hear some guys take the summer off, they come in to training camp, their first time picking up a basketball, they're right back at it.
> 
> "I'm a guy that needs to be constantly working. I need to constantly be in the gym working on my shot and everything like that, and I just didn't have the opportunity last year."
> 
> Haslem said he also found himself last season where James, Wade and Bosh found themselves the season before, attempting to develop chemistry with the team's stars. Haslem's 2010-11 regular season was limited to 13 games.
> 
> Now he feels aligned both with the lineup and his confidence to stretch the defense.
> 
> But he also appreciates what is needed most. Even with last season's shooting struggles, he continually hit the boards, ranking 32nd in the league in rebounds per 40 minutes, 17th among forwards, despite making almost all of his appearances off the bench.
> 
> Of course, there weren't many 3-point shooters on that rebounding list.
> 
> "I've been thinking about that," he said. "If I'm standing around the perimeter or whatever, 3-point line, how can I get in there and be effective on the offensive boards? A lot of times from that position in the corner you're going to be the first guy back [on defense] on the raise.
> 
> "I've got to figure it out. It's one of those things that have got to be done."
> 
> As for hoisting an occasional 3-pointer while playing alongside the likes of Allen, Mike Miller, James Jones, Shane Battier, Rashard Lewis and players who actually have converted a 3-pointer during their careers?
> 
> "I'm down," he said, "with the Mike Miller slogan, 'Let it fly.' "



I remember him swishing a corner jumper with his feet on the line at the end of a shotclock, I believe in the '07 season. I can see him being a solid corner 3-point shooter. Great to hear him contrast his summer work with last year's. If the scrimmage is any indication, it worked. The J looked good.

As far as him crashing the offensive boards vs. being the first back on D, I don't see him being beyond the arc enough for it to make a big difference. Perhaps it'll just be with certain personnel and in select packages.


----------



## Jace

Nothing new here, just a sick compilation of LeBron dishes. Really can't compare him to Jordan. Souped-up, better-scoring Magic is more appropriate.








> Some of his parts have been torn and worn over time, but Dwyane Wade’s memory still performs at peak level.
> 
> So, yes, he clearly recalls how long he played Oct. 5, 2010.
> 
> “Three minutes,” Wade said this week. “I hit my first shot. Yeah, I remember. I had a steal, too.”
> 
> Then a hamstring injury stole the rest of his preseason, after he’d done “the hard part” of training camp. He rushed to return for the opener in Boston and struggled with his rhythm, to the unpleasant tune of 4-for-16 shooting and six turnovers. Naturally, Wade also remembered what happened next.
> 
> “That next night, I came out and got 30,” Wade said.
> 
> He did, even if he wasn’t especially efficient through the first month-plus of the season, hitting his stride – as would be the case again in the lockout-shortened 2011-12 campaign – roughly 20 games in.
> 
> So should his current limited workload, while he recovers from July 9 knee surgery, be a concern? What if he plays in only one or two preseason games? Will that hurt him and, by extension, the team?
> 
> Wade has argued otherwise, even while acknowledging that not being available for everything prior to the start of the season is “not going to be ideal.”
> 
> He correctly cited some differences from the 2010 experience.
> 
> He’s not missing as much practice time as that October, when the hamstring forced him to shut off most activity completely. And he’s much more comfortable now since so many of his teammates – including the two other stars – have been on his side deep into the past two Junes.
> 
> “I’ve been around the block a little bit,” Wade said.
> 
> He knows his teammates’ styles and preferences, and he has a much better sense of where he fits than when he and LeBron James, especially, were stumbling all over each other in their race to similar spots. Wade is under less of a physical and mental burden to carry the Heat than at any time since his rookie season, especially with Ray Allen around to sop up some of his minutes.
> 
> Most importantly, Wade’s recent surgery on his left knee doesn’t seem to be troubling him all that much – or, at least, it didn’t during an intensive 20-minute session that the media witnessed Thursday.
> 
> He and James worked with assistant David Fizdale, one and then the other, on drives, catch-and-shoots and even post-ups against a Heat staffer using a blocker to push each off the spot. James and Wade watched, encouraged and needled each other, with James even joking once when Wade recoiled that it would get Wade fined under the NBA’s new flopping rules.
> 
> It didn’t appear that Wade, whether planting, leaping or even cutting, was holding anything back. Many of his movements were abrupt and violent. No issue.
> 
> The only times Wade touched his knees were during the brief breaks, when – slick with sweat – he hunched over to put his hands on them, just to get his breath back.
> 
> James, incidentally, did the same.
> 
> So there shouldn’t be much worry. It might actually benefit Wade, later in the season, if he works a little less now, considering that he’s turning 31, and Miami needs him freshest in the spring.
> 
> “I’ve done it,” Wade said of working back into rhythm. “And I’ll be successful in what I do.”
> 
> When the Heat needs him to make new memories.
> 
> Noteworthy: Erik Spoelstra on Friday gave his players their first off day of camp, in part to prepare for the week-long China trip. The Heat will work Saturday before flying to Atlanta, where the club will play Sunday and then leave immediately for China.




Ethan Skolnick appears impressed with Dwyane's mobility.


----------



## Smithian

Has the Kentucky scrub/Knicks-Rockets reject been cut yet for saying he can hold his own against Dwight?

Thankfully Joel speaks Canadian and can't run his mouth the media.


----------



## Jace

He cut his Amish beard. Could be ominous.

Trying to picture Joel running his mouth to the media...

:joel: _I'm OK I guess_...

Can't see him being more brazen than that.

Watching the scrimmage over, I'm really impressed with Harris. Really smooth and he seems to have improved. If his game is where I hope its at, our backcourt is insanely deep. If you put Lebron there, since he plays like a guard: LeBron, Wade, Chalmers, Allen, Miller, Cole, and Harris are all guys who can handle and make things happen on the perimeter. That's, like, 3 and a half more than serviceable backcourts. I'm not worried about us falling too in love with threes. With our creators we'll only have to take open ones.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> NBA season win totals are out, and the defending champion Miami Heat and Oklahoma City Thunder sit atop the list, with the revamped Los Angeles Lakers right on their heels.
> 
> The Las Vegas Hotel & Casino SuperBook released the first NBA win totals on the betting market Tuesday afternoon, as training camps opened across the Association.
> 
> The Heat and Thunder both opened at 60.5 wins, with the Lakers at 59.5.


Link

Seeing how bad the Southeast is, I can see why we opened this high. 

Some other East contenders: 

CELTICS 51.5
NETS 43.5
BULLS 47.5
PACERS 51.5
KNICKS 45.5


----------



## Jace

I'm predicting 58-62 wins. Just read CBS's preview by Matt Moore, he had us at 60. Seems to be just about the consensus.










Didn't catch this. All but the Lakers, I guess. And, of course, Ray was in Milwaukee first. Pretty funny. He even took GP's # in Boston.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Notes from Saturday's practice..


> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> Spo says everyone "did something" today at practice. Joel and Mario out tomorrow. Wade "day-to-day." LeBron and Bosh will play tomorrow.





> Michael Wallace ‏@WallaceNBA_ESPN
> Pat Riley standing under basket to get up close look at Dexter Pittman's post-practice workout. It's basically do-or-die time for Dex here.





> Spoelstra guard Dwyane Wade (knee) will be evaluated on a daily basis the remainder of the preseason, but is doubtful. Wade did complete a full practice, including contact drills. Spoelstra said, "We'll see how his body responds."


Our PF's are 3pt shooters now..


> Couper Moorhead ‏@CoupNBA
> Bosh on Haslem's corner 3: "Looking good, man. It's a good shot for him. He wears those size 18's, so that's just one step back." (1/2)
> 
> Couper Moorhead ‏@CoupNBA
> "I think he's further along than me [in camp last season], but you can never tell until you take them in a game. It takes some work." (2/2)





> Couper Moorhead ‏@CoupNBA
> Found this interesting from Bosh in eternal pursuit of answers regarding spacing, on how long it took people to respect his 3's... (1/3)
> 
> Couper Moorhead ‏@CoupNBA
> "Don't even have to make it, just shoot it. When you catch people off guard, you raise up, it's like, 'Whoa, I better get out there.'" (2/3)
> 
> Couper Moorhead ‏@CoupNBA
> "You just have to hit the rim...It's the NBA, you're not going to give people wide open, butt-naked shots. That's not a good gameplan." 3/3


----------



## Smithian

If I see Haslem start trying to shoot corner 3's then I'll die a little bit on the inside.


----------



## Jace

He'll probably mostly wind up there during scrambles (or "skirmishes"). Maybe there will be certain 4-out sets where he's in the corner. He'd probably be more efficient there than in the post. He also understands his need to be on the boards, so he won't be Mehmet Okuring out there.

Two years late on this, but ain't it poetic justice that LeBron left Cleveland for Miami and Mo Williams had a subsequent Twitter meltdown, while he was still on the same contract he used us to leverage? Now that I'm fully pleased with our PG rotation, I can wholeheartedly say: **** Mo Williams.




> @DwyaneWade
> 
> #Nodaysoff...early morning work b4 practice. Now I'm ready













...Jesus.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

And since then, Mo's been traded twice. Wonder how he feels about the business side of sports now?


----------



## Jace

I *high-five* your rhetorical question.

:joel:


----------



## Jace

:laugh:

Wade and LeBron sound so reluctant to play tomorrow.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Heat say Juwan Howard helping out team "in an undefined" role. He will travel with team to China, not on roster.


Should've been the case since last year. Make him an assistant coach and keep him away from taking a spot on the roster.


----------



## Wade County

Li-Ning Wade's


----------



## Jace

Since they're not too aesthetically pleasing, I just hope they lock down closer to Nikes than adidas (the flagship shoe of the injured player).


----------



## Jace

> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Heat charter to China is going to be crazy. Entire dance team a few rows in front of me and acting, well, like a dance team.


----------



## Wade County

So incredibly jelly.

Heat dancers are so mint.


----------



## Jace

Big 3 of course sitting next to each other.










Wow Chinese fans. Not only do they acknowledge UD(!), two have signs expressing love for Wade's kids, and one with Wade's "L2MS" (laughing to myself) slogan.

Looks like they're all Wade fans, actually. I think I see a Band-Wade.


----------



## Jace

> BEIJING -- Such a long flight from Atlanta to Beijing. They told us it was 14 hours but who really knows? It felt more like 24.
> 
> The Heat's chartered jetliner -- 130 people strong -- left Atlanta around 7 p.m. on Sunday and we arrived at 9:30 p.m. Monday. I have no idea where that day went? Maybe the Arctic Circle absorbed it as we passed over the top of the world.
> 
> So about that flight. I was seated behind the dance team, which seemed pretty cool at the beginning of the but then quickly became a problem when it was time to quiet down. I'm only kidding...As for the players, they were seated at the front of the plane, so it's not like I was playing cards with LeBron or anything. I was told by someone in that part of the plane that LeBron was being a little cranky, so it's probably best that stayed put in the back.
> 
> Movies I watched: 1. Prometheus, terrible. A plot like Swiss cheese. 2. Breakfast at Tiffany's, always awesome.
> 
> Books I read: 200 pages of Mailer's The Executioner's Song.
> 
> Each player got to bring two friends, so I chatted with Maverick Carter for about 15 minutes. He told me about his excellent skills on a bike. He once rode 100 miles without stopping.
> 
> OK, that's all for now. Going to sleep. I only slept about an hour so I could be nice and fresh in the morning for the trip to the Great Wall. Also, the players ate all the fish on the plane, so I'm going to bed hungry.
> 
> Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/miami_heat/...eginafter-i-get-some-sleep.html#storylink=cpy


I wonder what LeBron's crankiness consisted of. I have a feeling we may start to hear whispers of some of LeBron's old antics creeping out again behind the scenes. Hopefully he's matured passed all that stuff, but I wouldn't be surprised if it just went away while he got used to a new organization and went through a humbling experience. Now that everyone is back on his jock, we'll see if the humility stays.


----------



## Wade County

Damn, Chinese fans are crayyyyyyyy.

Hopefully LBJ isn't turning back into a petulant little bitch :laugh:. Nah in all seriousness i'd be cranky flying 14 hours too. I've done 24 hours - it's not fun.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Hey WC, you finally get two games this week that will start at a reasonable time for you 


Jace said:


> Wow Chinese fans. Not only do they acknowledge UD(!), two have signs expressing love for Wade's kids, and one with Wade's "L2MS" (laughing to myself) slogan.
> 
> Looks like they're all Wade fans, actually. I think I see a Band-Wade.


All those signs were made by the same person. Seems more like someone (li-ning?) made them and hung them up. Wouldnt explain the UD shoutout though :whoknows:


----------



## UD40

Isn't Battier huge over there from his playing days alongside Yao?


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Apparently, he is. He's also signed with a Chinese shoe brand, Peak.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Heat Practice about to begin in China











> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Fizdale and Spo talking strategy before practice. pic.twitter.com/xt2f0D8q














> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Norris Cole and Rashard Lewis just noticed the smog…inside the arena. Seriously, it’s hazy in here. pic.twitter.com/VkyCvBdR





> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> LeBron, Dwyane and Co. warming up for practice.





> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Tweet: Wade working out in his new kicks. No logos yet. pic.twitter.com/9HHxOG6j


----------



## doctordrizzay

Come on guy's Lebron is a human, everyone get's cranky...it's in our nature.


----------



## TheAnswer

Those kicks could have potential depending on the logo(s) and other stuff. 

Might have to keep an eye out for that.


----------



## Jace

Wade County said:


> Damn, Chinese fans are crayyyyyyyy.
> 
> Hopefully LBJ isn't turning back into a petulant little bitch :laugh:. Nah in all seriousness i'd be cranky flying 14 hours too. I've done 24 hours - it's not fun.


Yeah, I was half-kidding. Has been in the back of my mind a little, though.

24 hours????? Where the hell?

Speaking of, I met a very hot and awesome girl whose man lives in Australia. I may ask you to hunt him down for me. 



UD40 said:


> Isn't Battier huge over there from his playing days alongside Yao?





Wade2Bosh said:


> Apparently, he is. He's also signed with a Chinese shoe brand, Peak.


Crazy part is he was big over there and got the shoe deal before he got traded to Houston. Apparently they value his characteristics, which led to him becoming a star known as "The President" over there. Playing with Yao was just a coincidental cherry on top.












> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> Beijing practice number one for your @MiamiHEAT is in the books!














> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> Ray Allen pulling up for a three at @MiamiHEAT practice in Beijing!


Only Jesus can shoot 3's from inside the arc. 












> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> Here's @DwyaneWade with a dunk on the fastbreak.














> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> Your @MiamiHEAT open practice working on the fastbreak.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> A source tells me Wade will play Thursday but only for about 10 mins.





> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Team bonding after practice with competitive 3-pt contests. So many incredible shooters on this team.


Where's the Randy pic?


----------



## Jace

> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Dexter Pittman missed practice due to a blister on his foot.
> 
> Joel Anthony (hamstring) practiced today and felt fine but still might be held out until Shanghai.


More pics for the visually stimulated.












> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Chris Bosh on the cover of this morning’s Beijing Youth Daily.


More L2MS signs in the background. Viral promotion by Li-Ning?










Zo sends the grittiest, most-intense texts ever texted.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Think its obvious that those Wade signs were made by someone and handed out. Twitter is(or was) blocked in China. How else would you hear about "L2MS" over there?


----------



## Jace

The hearts do seem to indicate that, and they all use the same paper.

On your Twitter point, many in China use Twitter anyway, circumventing the firewall or whatever. I guess there could also be sites that post his tweets. :whoknows:

But yeah, I think they're pretty clearly handed out by one person.


----------



## Smithian

Jace said:


> Wow Chinese fans. Not only do they acknowledge UD(!), two have signs expressing love for Wade's kids, and one with Wade's "L2MS" (laughing to myself) slogan.
> 
> Looks like they're all Wade fans, actually. I think I see a Band-Wade.


That's incredibly creepy.


----------



## Jace

*ABC 10's Will Manso reporting from China*

My god that smog! I would've thought it was fog. That's terrible.


----------



## Jace

LOL @ Cole in the Marlins hat

So weird, the guys are just getting back from 6 hours at the Great Wall. I don't know if I'd be able to adjust in the short amount of time they'll be there.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Here are Wade's new shoes



> Tim Reynolds ‏@ByTimReynolds
> Wade/Li-Ning hilites: Shoes & apparel. He has huge input in design & endorsers. Brand is WADE. US sales in early 2013. Expected $120/pair.


----------



## Wade2Bosh




----------



## Jace

Interesting, looks like they gave him his own sub-brand, hence the use of his brand logo. Cool, I guess. I hate the Li-Ning logo.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Apparently, they're still working on the final design for his shoe


> He's hopeful that he'll be able to wear something close to a final product by Oct. 30, when the Heat open the regular season against Boston.
> 
> ''I'm not rushing,'' Wade said. ''To me, I want to make sure it's a good product and when people see me, they need to know I'm comfortable with it. I want to make sure people understand that this is a big deal, not only for China, but for me.''


Link

More Heat in China vids on *heat.com*


----------



## Jace

I think the Heat store accidentally put up the new black replica. The @MiamiHEAT account tweeted a link to authentic LeBron blacks that still say "HEAT," I guess trying to push them before they officially unveil these. Must be a mistake.


----------



## Wade County

Only you would pick up on these things Jace :laugh:

Also, the 24 hour flight was 24 hours in transit. So, from Melbourne to Brunei - Brunei to Dubai - Dubai to London. Takes a long ass time.

It also takes ages to get to China or the US - around 21 hours all up. It's hard being all the way down South


----------



## Jace

True that. At least y'all got kangaroos and platypi(?)

Nice Hot Hot Hoops writeup on my dark horse Dozier's chances.

*



People cannot take much out of preseason games, especially when key players are sidelined.

But for some players, exhibition games and training camp represent their only chance of making an NBA squad. Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony and Terrel Harris all needed to work through the Heat pipeline to make the 15-man roster.

Miami has 13 players with guaranteed contracts, but perhaps Pat Riley is open to adding up to three of the training camp invites. Miami cut Eddie House, who had a guaranteed contract, to make room for the team to sign Harris and Mickell Gladness last December.

Robert Dozier received 20 minutes of playing time Sunday afternoon, almost twice as much as Harrellson got. Dozier was "Mr. Irrelevant" in 2009, with Miami selecting him with the last pick in the draft. After playing overseas for three years, Dozier played in the Heat’s summer league team in 2012 and earned a training camp invite.

Against the Hawks, the 6-foot-9 power forward played pretty well. He apparently has added some muscle to his previously frail frame since his days of playing with the Memphis Tigers in college (Dozier played with Derrick Rose in Memphis during the 2007-08 season, ultimately falling to Mario Chalmers and the Kansas Jayhawks in the final game). He grabbed six rebounds, played solid defense and made a couple of jump shots in his time on the floor. ESPN’s John Hollinger said that he was impressed with Dozier’s performance against Atlanta.

Moreover, Dozier fits into Miami’s new style of what Erik Spoelstra called "position-less basketball." He’s versatile, long, athletic, and can defend multiple positions. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers all played well in the Finals because they defended several players and offered offensive skills to stretch the floor. Dozier still has to play well over the rest of the preseason schedule, but he looks like he has the potential to do that.

Harrellson is likely to make the team because of his unique floor-spacing abilities as a big man, and the Palm Beach Post’s Ethan J. Skolnick tweeted that he’d be surprised if Harris didn’t make a roster spot. But Dozier can still make this roster if Riley decides to waive Dexter Pittman.

The Heat’s effort to play conventional basketball allowed Erick Dampier, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Jamaal Magloire, Eddy Curry and Ronny Turiaf to soak up minutes and roster spots. As a result, Miami’s lineups were decidedly worse offensively than the ones with Bosh as the center. The Heat don’t need another lumbering center like Pittman, who hasn’t shown much of any development in more than two years with the team. Dozier may not be as good as Kenneth Faried, but he probably fits with this team more than Pittman does. Miami’s offseason moves – signing Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis – signaled that Riley buys into the new Heat style. Why have another old-school center on this team when a young prospect who has more potential is available?

Click to expand...

*


----------



## Wade County

Only thing that possibly is wrong is that Dozier is a 'young prospect' - he's nearly 27, after all. So he's older than Pitt. That doesn't mean I disagree with what he said, as Dozier looks like a good fit for our style of play. He's Battier-esque.


----------



## Jace

Haha, keep forgetting how old he is. Good point. Still need to see how he plays in the NBA and with good players, I guess.

*Li-Ning has some sort of countdown clock for Wade's unveiling.*


----------



## Jace

*Prized Possession: The Return of the Cut*



> If there is one thing we have consistently stressed in this space over the course of the last two seasons, it is the importance of off-ball movement to the Miami HEAT offense. Not only do possessions involving a cutting player receiving a pass represent a more efficient offensive play-type for Miami than even fast-breaks (according to points-per-possession and Synergy Sports), but the gradual increase in such possessions has provided an easy-to-follow marker for the improvements made by the team’s high-usage All-Stars.
> 
> The more comfortable LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh grew in an offense where they wouldn’t have the ball in their hands the majority of the time, the more cuts we saw. Between 2010-11 and 2011-12, the HEAT jumped from 7.1 cuts per game to 9.9, with each of Miami’s leading scorers using at least 0.3 more per game. The team’s efficiency may have dropped off as offense fell around the league in a lockout-shortened season, but shots in the restricted area rose from 22.85 to 27.25 per game.
> 
> That might not seem like much, but between James, Wade and Bosh, the HEAT now had three players combining for nearly six possessions a night paying dividends of at least 1.3 points per. Depending on how you classify players like Thaddeus Young and Shawn Marion – not to mention James – by position, James and Wade were either two of the top four, or the top two perimeter players in the game at cutting to the rim. Certainly, nobody that dribbled as often as James and Wade did as primary playmakers used cuts nearly as much.
> 
> With cutting coming more naturally to Wade and Bosh, with one having spent time around a true pivot in Shaquille O’Neal and the other as adept as any big man in finding seams after years of rolling to the rim, James stood to gain the most in learning to play off the ball. And so he did, enjoying the largest jump in cuts, from 1.2 to 1.9 between seasons.
> 
> James may have only used one cut in 23 minutes of play against the Atlanta Hawks, and it was a simple one at that, but in an otherwise meaningless preseason game with Dwyane Wade sitting on the sidelines, it was about as good a sign as you could hope to see in anticipation of Miami’s continued offensive evolution.
> 
> The early part of this possession is the type of quick-hitter you’ll see often from the HEAT. With the floor spaced on the strong side, the ballhandler – Norris Cole here, but it can be anyone – uses a quick backscreen from Bosh to try and catch the defense off guard before bodies begin collapsing into the paint.
> 
> Upon Cole turning the corner and darting toward the rim, this is what the court looks like, with Mike Miller in the far corner, Shane Battier filling the left wing and James lurking on the right.
> 
> Two years ago, James may have elected to wait outside the arc and see what developed, but then again, two years ago the HEAT may have had a bigger, slower body on the floor.
> 
> Now, just look at all that space.
> 
> You have Bosh pulling out Al Horford and James, the power forward here, pulling Josh Smith above the free-throw line, leaving Kyle Korver as the sole defender in position to provide help at the rim.
> 
> Instead of sliding over to Cole, who was caught behind the rim, Korver sticks with Miller, not wanting to give up a corner three. James catches Smith ball-watching, takes off and less than ten seconds into the shot-clock, there’s a dunk derived from half-court offense.
> 
> Granted, Atlanta’s defense will be better prepared during the regular season – and Smith won’t be standing as flat-footed – but this is the conundrum teams will be presented with all season. When Miami spreads the floor and the ballhandler gets a step on his defender, what do you do? What do you do if that’s Wade driving baseline? Who do you leave knowing that not only are there multiple shooters on the floor, but some of the best finishers in the league are about to split any seam your decisions leave open?
> 
> How teams choose to answer those questions will be something we follow all season, but for Miami’s part, the cutting – filling and using the earned spacing – will always be just as important as the passing, shooting and dribbling to unlocking the potential of the HEAT’s myriad of lineup options. And this may seem like a small, innocuous example from an already forgotten game, but big things tend to have small beginnings.


I'd like to see our cut numbers by series in last year's playoffs. I feel like we killed OKC with cuts and great feeds.


----------



## Jace

Time to Let It Fly!

I don't know why people sweat NBATV's Open Court so much. The show sucks. Reggie right now is saying LeBron still needs to be in a dunk contest for his legacy to be legit. Wut?


----------



## Jace

Chinese media up the wazoo












> @NBA
> 
> Ray Allen & @kingjames discuss shooting tactics before practice in Beijing.


We really don't need Juwan "The Lockerroom Guy" when we have just as good of one, who actually can still play. Maybe the Heat brought Juwan to China to ditch him somewhere. They all go to a restaurant, and when Juwan gets up to wash his hands, the whole crew runs for the buses.










Mike's kicking himself for not carving "Let It Fly" into the back of his hair.

*Video of Wade talking about his shoe and some of the differences in the Chinese/US versions.*


----------



## Jace

Dwyane's publicist's husband snuck in a different colorway of the Wades. I think those would probably look better than the black/gold.












> @NBA
> 
> The @MiamiHEAT's @ChrisBosh & @PG30_MIA look over film at practice in Beijing.


A new video has been put up on that link I posted of Wade talking about his shoes. This one is of the team running some sort of crazy drill with Spo guarding LeBron in the post (Spo is laughing), while Cole simultaneously runs a pick and pop with Bosh.

I like these China practices more. More access.










Practice over. Also, they posted even another video. *Here*'s the link again. Rashard is such a smooth shooter. Looks like he might be getting that lift back, as he shot this one out of rhythm after a pause.


----------



## Jace

Also, Chalmers fed Rashard for that 3, so hopefully he's good to go.


















Wade's lines in his hair make his hairline look like LeBron's. :laugh:


*



SUIT PARTY

Shane Battier was one of the more tired players at practice. The veteran forward hosted a “suit party” for his teammates, coaches, and Heat staff members after arriving in Beijing on Monday night.

“It was a late night,” Battier said. “I have the tailor connection here, so I brought my tailor to the hotel room and we had a suit party at about 1 o’clock [Tuesday morning]. Everyone was picking out suits and shirts and people were ‘Skyping’ their wives to make sure they were picking out the right color, so it was pretty good fun.”

Battier has more experience in China than most NBA players. He has been sponsored by Peak Sporting Goods for seven years and visits the country every summer for an endorsement tour.

“After so many years in China, I have some connections,” Battier said. “In America, I can’t hook anyone up. No one cares. But in China, I know people.”

Click to expand...

*

:rotf:


----------



## Jace

Question for everyone: Does anyone else struggle with the apparent conventional wisdom that more LeBron at the 4 means more LeBron in the post? Really depends on the situation and how the other team plays it, but if the other team is forced to put their PF on LeBron, wouldn't he be more inclined to attack from the perimeter? Of course, he may still outsize/weigh a few PFs, and his speed advantage could still help him in the post. On top of that, when a Battier/Miller/Lewis/Jones-type is the other forward, the opposing team might be able "hide" their 4 on them.

Its all going to depend on the matchups, I guess, but I just see a lot of writers and such essentially saying LeBron at the 4 = more LeBron in the post. Not sure its that automatic.


----------



## Jace

> @WillManso
> 
> Dwyane Wade just wrapped up new sneaker release announcement w Ni Ling in China. Big story in Beijing.














> Here's a picture of the big media announcement for Wade's sneaker. Huge presentation w video and lights.













Presentation just ended. Looks like a nice turnout.


----------



## Jace

*



For two seasons, Rashard Lewis did everything he could to ease the pain in his ailing knees. He visited doctors in three cities. He prayed he would wake up one day and would feel better.

Yet nothing worked.

By last year, Lewis’ scoring average had plummeted to 7.8, less than half his career mark. Many wondered if his NBA days were coming to an end.

“It was very tough for me,’’ Lewis said. “I tried my best. I did everything I could do.’’

But listen to what he’s now saying.

“This will be my 15th season,’’ said Lewis, who played the past 1 1/2 seasons with Washington before signing with Miami last summer as a free agent. “My whole goal is to play another five years and try to get to 20 years… The way I feel now, I most definitely think I can do it.’’

It sounds as if Lewis, 33, has gotten a miracle treatment on his knees. He wouldn’t disagree.

While courting Lewis during free agency, the Heat suggested the 6-foot-10 forward undergo a process called OssaTron. Miami guard Dwyane Wade had it on his left knee in March 2008, and by that summer won an Olympic gold medal while being Team USA’s leading scoring.

The process involves shock waves. It’s a non-surgical treatment the Heat believed could get Lewis back to at least somewhat resembling a player who was an All-Star in 2005 and 2009.

“They just numb the knees basically like ultrasound,’’ said Lewis, who had tendinitis in his right knee in 2010-11 and missed 27 games and then had left knee problems last season and missed 38 games.

"It breaks down a lot of the scar tissue and it kind of rebuilds it. It took me off the court for a couple of months. (The Heat believed) it was something that could really help me and get me back on the court playing at a high rate, and I told them anything that would help me be even a little bit better than I was the past season, the past couple of years, I’m willing to try.’’

So Lewis was hooked up to a machine. Gel was put on his knees and the shock waves went to work.

“I was so sore for the first month or so, I was like, ‘I hope to get to the point that this helps,’’’ Lewis said. "And over time it did…. I took my time and it did help, and I feel good. I’m happy.’’

So are Lewis’ kids. For more than a year, Lewis said he couldn’t pick up his daughter, Gianna, now 5, and son, Rashard Jr., now 2. He had to get down on the floor to play with him.

But what did Lewis do recently?

“I picked up my 2-year-old and my 5-year-old,’’ said Lewis, whose wife Giovanni had another daughter last spring in Grayson, now 5 months. “And my wife carries around the baby.’’

While Lewis is feeling much better, he is rusty. While going through his knee treatments, he didn’t do any court work between mid-July and mid-September.

With Lewis still getting his conditioning back, nobody was too alarmed when the longtime 3-point threat shot 0-of-5 from long range and 1-of-9 overall in an Oct. 3 Heat scrimmage. He did go 1-of-2 from 3 and 2-of-5 overall in last Sunday’s preseason opener at Atlanta.

“I just want him getting comfortable in our system,’’ said Miami coach Erik Spoelstra, who next will evaluate Lewis in a preseason game Thursday in Beijing against the Los Angeles Clippers. “I want him to be aggressive offensively and look for opportunities… He’s trying to fit…. The rhythm will take time. I understand. I’m not putting pressure on him.’’

There really isn’t any pressure on Lewis, a low-budget risk for the Heat. He was traded last June by the Wizards to New Orleans and his $23 million contract for this season was bought out for $14 million. He signed with Miami for the veteran’s minimum of $1.35 million.

Lewis might have a 16.1 career scoring average and rank eighth in NBA history in 3-pointers made, but he knows his role will be much more limited with the Heat.

“I want to win a championship before I retire, and I think I have the best chance of doing that (with Miami),’’ Lewis said. “As of right now, I’m looking at my role is coming off the bench. There most definitely will be a lot of times when I don’t get shots, and that’s fine with me.’’

But there will be times when the Heat hope Lewis can provide a few glimpses of what he did in the past decade with Seattle and Orlando. Lewis averaged as many as 20.6 points with the SuperSonics in 2006-07. His most memorable season was in 2008-09, when Lewis led the NBA in 3-pointers made and attempted, averaged 17.7 points and helped the Magic to an NBA Finals appearance.

Heat forward LeBron James certainly remembers that season. James was then with Cleveland, which fell to the Magic in the Eastern Conference finals.

“He’s looking healthy,’’ James said. “He’s going to be great for our team, spreading the floor for our team. And he’s also a guy who has won many playoff series and many playoff games.’’

Not in the past two seasons, though. After being a traded by the Magic to the Wizards in December 2010, Lewis sat home in the postseason while toiling for one of the NBA’s worst teams.

In 60 overall games with Washington, an injury-riddled Lewis averaged just 9.7 points. He tried but just couldn’t deliver.

“It was very frustrating not only for myself but I’m sure for the fans in Washington and for the staff,’’ said Lewis, who while with the Wizards visited doctors in Washington, New York and in his hometown of Houston. “I was playing injured and I forced myself to get out there and play and help… I did all my rehabs, and I prayed on it. It seemed like nothing would work.’’

Thanks to OssaTron, Lewis finally has found something he believes will.

“It’s like night and day from how I felt the past two years,’’ Lewis said. “It brings a smile to my face…. I’m going to show that I got a little more basketball left in me.’’

If he really can make it to 20 seasons, that would be a lot of basketball.

Click to expand...

*


Good stuff. I thought he had the Kobe procedure, turns out he had the Wade one, which apparently the Heat like. Really encouraging stuff, and shows why he may be a bit rusty to start out.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Its that time of the year again when this article gets written. 3 season in a row and counting.

*Heat shooters too open? They say it's a challenge*


> Rashard Lewis has a problem, something he didn't have to worry about much during his two seasons with the Washington Wizards.
> 
> The wide-open 3-point shot. The everyone-is-paying-attention-to-LeBron-Wade-Bosh shot. The shot that players work on endlessly in practice yet come to loathe in games.
> 
> "Got to get used to it," the veteran forward said as the Miami Heat continued training camp, "because that's the hardest shot in basketball. I may have to hold it for a couple of seconds, so I can get somebody closing out to me."
> 
> To a degree, it sounds preposterous, that in a league loaded with length, athleticism, speed, that an outside shooter would prefer defensive company before launching.
> 
> Yet it practically is a universal truth, one the Heat's shooters will have to deal with while LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are attracting attention elsewhere.
> 
> "When you're playing a game, you're so used to playing instinctively," Heat forward Shane Battier said, as he snapped his fingers to mimic the typical split-second timing of NBA decisions. "When you get a wide-, wide-open three, you're naked. You have time to think and rationalize, and that's counterintuitive to how we normally play. We normally play instinctively -- time to think and time to react only. But when you have time to think in basketball, calculation often leads to miscalculation."
> 
> "Sometimes you're surprised that you're that wide open," he said. "Normally, when you shoot shots, you just shoot in repetition. But in a game, when you find yourself just wide open, it kinds of shocks you."
> 
> At a time when some say widening the court would open up the game, the Heat created vast expanses for their shooters last season and are expected to so again.
> 
> But that also becomes a head game for a newcomer, with center Josh Harrellson, brought in to stretch defenses, admitting it's not always easy to take the 3-pointer with defenders staying home, often double-teaming James, Wade and Bosh.
> 
> "It becomes," Harrellson said, "a thought process. 'Oh, I'm this wide open, should I take a dribble for a layup? Should I take one dribble in for a jump shot?' There's a lot of thought that goes into it.
> 
> "If you're that wide open, you really don't know what you want to do. A lot of people might think, 'Why don't you shoot a layup, you were wide open?' So there's a lot of different thoughts that go through your head at that time."
> 
> For his part, Ray Allen, the NBA's all-time leader in 3-point conversions, has long gotten over such concerns.
> 
> "A shot is a shot, really, for me," the Heat's prime offseason acquisition said. "It's not really just the wide-open shot. It's just really how the ball's delivered to you."
> 
> Allen, in fact, said the toughest part of being left open might be the waiting game.
> 
> "I think if you're waiting on the 3-point line, that's probably the toughest shot," he said. "You're waiting, you're waiting, you're waiting, and then you have to kind of reposition your feet. That to me is probably the toughest shot, because there's not really a rhythm shot.
> 
> "When you catch in a rhythm, you're learning forward. So if you don't get it, you got to make sure you kind of get your momentum going back into that shot."


----------



## Jace

OT: But SVG and Popovich are on LeBatard's radio show right now, and its gold.

*A bunch of pictures from Wade's Li-Ning event*


Heat will be wearing these on X-mas and for home, weekend games in the 2nd half of the season.



Now I understand why they went red/white.

Though, we'll be playing the Thunder who'll be wearing these:










At least the league isn't having them wear green like they did with the Knicks a few seasons ago against us.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Guess we now know where the "L2MS" sign came from.


----------



## Jace

Oh no! Flash....things. Don't they know he dropped the nick?

How did you post that picture? I can't right-click from his site.

In honor of the switch, I thought I'd remind everyone of Wade's best commercial ever, by far. Jordan, Gatorade, or whatever. This is a Jordan one, of course, though.






Sad we'll never see something like this again.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Jace said:


> How did you post that picture? I can't right-click from his site.


Gotta do it the long way. On chrome, right click on the page(not the pic) view page source, then scroll down to find the .jpg links to the pics.


----------



## Jace

Ah, thought it would be something like that. Didn't want to go trial-and-error, though.


----------



## Wade County

I don't mind those red and white Heat ones, not bad. Thunder ones look awful.

the flash signs are pretty funny - they missed that memo. 

D-Ling baby.


----------



## Jace

Think those Thunder unis are awful? Check their new alt.


















Such a mess. They go from rainbow colored normal sets, to simple dual-color alts. The stripes are weird and don't line up. OKC logo on one side of the shorts, random OKC script on the other, then Oklahoma City on the butt. Too many variations of the same thing. They could really use some orange, too. I think they saw the success of fauxbacks (how a team that's been around a handful of years throws back is another issue), as well as the success of our black/whites, and wanted to mimic. Trainwreck.




> Wade will provide significant input and approval license of all future endorsers for the WADE brand, and be instrumental in selecting the athletes he feels best embody the presence, perspective and personality of the brand.




Awesome. Didn't occur to me he could sign other athletes to his brand. BRING IN JOEL!! :joel:


----------



## Wade County

Yikes, OKC, what are you doing...?

If Seattle get a team again, do they get the Sonics back?


----------



## Jace

God I hope so. Its only fair. OKC shouldn't have their history. That might be a sticky situation getting it back, though.

If anyone wants a little more Rashard reading, here's a Q&A from yesterday with Slam Magazine.

*



During Miami’s offseason, a lot of focus centered on new addition Ray Allen. However, the Heat quietly picked up Rashard Lewis, a two-time All-Star ready to bounce back from an injury-plagued past few seasons.

SLAM: What factors led you to sign with Miami?

Rashard Lewis: I’m at a point in my career to want to win a Championship and it’s not all about the accolades, being an All-Star, scoring, none of that. I just felt like this was the best fit team to give me a chance to compete for a title. We haven’t done it yet, so we got our work cut out for us. If you look at the history of guys that defend an NBA Championship, it’s very tough to do that.

SLAM: Did you talk to any other teams?

RL: I was talking to Atlanta, [and] there was a couple of other teams but once Pat Riley called, I pretty much had my mind made up what I wanted to do and where I wanted to go. It’s just something you think about not only during free agency, but before you become a free agent.

SLAM: A lot of veterans have to sacrifice when playing for a team with a chance to win a title. But your skill set fits in well with the Heat.

RL: Well you most definitely got to sacrifice—[on] any Championship team, guys on the team have to sacrifice ’cause you got a lot of great talent on the team. I’m sure DWade had to sacrifice as well as Chris Bosh. That’s just something that I’m gonna have to do as well. Coming off the bench, playing five, 10 minutes, whatever it is, I’m willing to do that to go out there and make basketball plays to win a Championship.

SLAM: How tough were your last two seasons, dealing with a lot of transitions?

RL: It’s most definitely been tough, not only just playing on a team that was rebuilding, just fighting the injuries with the bad knee. It’s the first time I’ve felt this healthy in a while so I’m trying my best to take advantage of it.

SLAM: Obviously, injuries limited the number of games you played in. Now, being back on the floor, do you feel like you are in game shape?

RL: No, not yet. When you haven’t played in so long, you got to really get your condition up. It’s not only condition, but getting your legs up under you, especially when you’re a jump shooter. It’s gonna take some time but that’s why I gotta keep working every day, and keep running and keep pushing myself, and hopefully by the beginning of the regular season, my legs will be under me and I’ll be ready to go.

SLAM: You, like everybody else, always saw the Heat from the outside looking in. Now that you’re a member, is there anything you didn’t realize about this team that you now know?

RL: It’s a great bunch of guys. They get scrutinized in the media and talked about negative, but these guys are great teammates, they love to have fun. Of course they’re very serious about the game of basketball, but other than that, they like to have fun.

Click to expand...

*

The rest is just about the Dwight saga.

I have a feeling 'Shard will start slow and get the 'Toine treatment from the crowd, only to find his groove sometime around the AS break when knee-jerk fans have given up on him. Hopefully by the playoffs he's a real weapon for us.


----------



## 29380

Wade County said:


> If Seattle get a team again, do they get the Sonics back?


I think so but the deadline for them to keep there history has already passed.


----------



## Jace

Damn, that sucks. Can OKC turn it over if they feel so inclined?


----------



## -33-

Jace said:


> Question for everyone: Does anyone else struggle with the apparent conventional wisdom that more LeBron at the 4 means more LeBron in the post? Really depends on the situation and how the other team plays it, but if the other team is forced to put their PF on LeBron, wouldn't he be more inclined to attack from the perimeter? Of course, he may still outsize/weigh a few PFs, and his speed advantage could still help him in the post. On top of that, when a Battier/Miller/Lewis/Jones-type is the other forward, the opposing team might be able "hide" their 4 on them.
> 
> Its all going to depend on the matchups, I guess, but I just see a lot of writers and such essentially saying LeBron at the 4 = more LeBron in the post. Not sure its that automatic.


That's where you use him in the high post or short corner. He's not on the perimeter, but in the middle, where he can use his strength and quickness advantages together to kill just about anyone. He's also such a good passer that it opens up cutters to the basket, backdoor, etc. If you google "horns" or "A-set" offense, Spo uses this type of set a lot if you're looking for x's and o's.


----------



## Jace

Where's the "short corner" exactly? Halfway down the baseline? Not familiar with that term, as my X and O knowledge is limited since I never played organized ball.

I've actually been thinking a lot about 'horns' this summer as one of our prime sets. We've used it a lot with Bosh/UD, with mixed results. I imagine LeBron/Bosh as the horns quite often this year, with Ray or Rio & Shard or Shane in either corner, and Wade handling, as an example. Not sure any team out there can run it as versatile-y or effectively as us. So goddamn pick-your-poison.


While we're on the subject, here's ESPN's Mike Wallace's piece on LeBron developing classic post moves:



> A year ago, LeBron James adopted elements of Hakeem Olajuwon's Dream Shake. This time around, the Miami Heat star forward is implementing Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's patented skyhook.
> 
> And no one in the gym is more ecstatic to see James continue to add to his low-post scoring arsenal than longtime Heat assistant coach and Hall of Famer Bob McAdoo, who knows a thing or 20 about finding different ways to score around the basket. Especially old-school ways.
> 
> So when a sweat-soaked James spent nearly 30 minutes alone after a recent practice working on his sweeping hook shot, on some levels it was déjà vu for McAdoo.
> 
> “I'll be down here even more this year,” James shouted through near exhaustion as he wrapped up the extended workout. “Might as well keep getting more comfortable.”
> 
> James vows to add the traditional hook shot to his game, and he could test it out when the Heat play a pair of exhibition games this week in China against the Los Angeles Clippers. McAdoo proudly acknowledges that James is continuing to build a foundation of post moves that took root two summers ago in Houston with Olajuwon.
> 
> Those workouts with Olajuwon came after James struggled with his rhythm and confidence as the Heat faltered in the 2011 Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. But after boosting his post game, James worked more from the power forward position and led the Heat to a title last season.
> 
> Now, he's tweaking, adding and refining for another run.
> 
> “To already be the best, the most unstoppable player in the game, and still put this kind of work in to pick up little moves here and there to make him even better shows you the kind of great player LeBron is,” McAdoo said. “He studies the game. There are moves guys used back when I played that I know would be effective today. There's a lot more to it than shooting 3-pointers and athletic dunks. When you get to a certain point, it's about doing whatever you can to complete your game, to have something else to go to when entire teams try to take something else away.”
> 
> During the 1970s and early '80s, McAdoo played against – and later alongside – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who perfected his skyhook and used that virtually unstoppable shot en route to scoring more career points than anyone in NBA history.
> 
> McAdoo said Abdul-Jabbar's combination of nifty footwork, execution, high release point and soft touch made his version of the skyhook “one of a kind unique.” McAdoo would also see former Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson refine his own low-post game in his mid-20s by developing a “baby hook” that ultimately would help beat Boston on the way to the 1987 NBA title.
> 
> When factoring in James' freakish leaping ability, size, strength and quickness, McAdoo believes the versatile Heat catalyst can breathe new life into an old-school move. James said he's been studying multiple back-to-the-basket maneuvers used effectively by star players over the years.
> 
> “[Michael] Jordan's fadeaway, Steve Smith's head-fake-and-go, [James] Worthy's baseline spin. There's a few,” James said. “I'm still developing. Ten years in the league, I still have no idea what my signature move would be.”
> 
> James' high-profile Heat teammates agree. James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are considered elite players, masters of their craft. Yet they still remain students of the game.
> 
> Wade insists his favorite move borrowed from another player didn't come from the likes of an influential megastar such as Jordan. Instead, it was swiped from Sam Cassell, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks when Wade was a star college guard at the city's Marquette University.
> 
> “When I was in Milwaukee, Sam would come down the court all lackadaisical, then all of a sudden he'd pump his head and everybody would leave their feet,” Wade said. “I took that from him when I came to the NBA. And when I finally got [Cassell] with that same move, I was like, 'Yes.' That's what I added to my game, because I was like, 'You know what? I need that.'”
> 
> Wade has parlayed that move into hundreds of free throw attempts after getting defenders to leave their feet on his shot fakes. Wade and others grew so effective at leaning in to draw contact that the league tweaked the rules last season to render extreme cases of the move an offensive foul.
> 
> For Bosh, who grew up in Texas, Olajuwon was the standard-bearer for low-post play in the 1990s.
> 
> “That Dream Shake, to the turnaround, to the one-legged fade – seeing that as a kid changed my life as a basketball player,” Bosh said. “ He was shooting turnaround jumpers with the Shake, back when they were telling bigs to stay under the basket and rebound. He did a lot for me when I was watching it in the mid-'90s. When I started loving basketball a lot in Texas, it was amazing watching him do what he did. My eyes were wide. I was like 5-8 and a post guy in little league, hearing my coaches telling me, 'Don't do that' and 'Boy, if you take one more dribble … '”
> 
> McAdoo said he'd like to see more current players study how effectively yesteryear's good players honed their craft. He then leaned back and rattled off some of the most unstoppable signature player moves he's ever seen.
> 
> There was Wilt Chamberlain's over-the-shoulder flip shot, Sam Jones' bank shot and Earl "The Pearl" Monroe's elbow spin move in either direction to get into the lane.
> 
> Then McAdoo rocked his head back and smiled from the nostalgia of short shorts, Afros, sideburns and old-school skill sets that seem to be a lost art in today's game.
> 
> “And, of course, there was anything Tiny Archibald did in the open court,” McAdoo said. “When you saw him coming, all you could do was yell, 'Help' and hope it came. Because if you were by yourself, you were in trouble.”
> 
> James' game is known to conjure up similar sentiments. And if that hook shot ever gains traction in his game, it just might provide one more headache for defenders. During a TV broadcast of the Heat-Thunder Finals last June, Magic Johnson told viewers that James had attempted to contact him in hopes the two could work out. But Johnson said scheduling conflicts prevented them from getting together.
> 
> Evidently, that didn't stop James from working on the baby hook entering this season. James still prefers his face-up game but insists he's gaining confidence in post-up options.
> 
> “If I had to make one move to get a basket, it would probably start with me out top, with a right-to-left crossover facing up,” James said. “Then, I'd just have to see where that takes me. I'm trying to work on a couple from the post, though. So we'll see how that goes, too.”





> @SherwoodStrauss
> 
> If this was 2010, LeBron getting a skyhook would be framed as, "WHO DOES HE THINK HE IS??"


:rotf: :yes:


----------



## Jace

Gotta love Kobe's late career honesty:



> @ArashMarkazi Kobe: "Smush Parker was the worst. He shouldn't have been in NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard."


Amazing.

Speaking of ex-Heatians:



> @JMcDonald_SAEN Curry at half: 7 points, 5 boards, 3 of 6 from floor, 1 of 4 from line. Has played 15 minutes, has not keeled over


!!

Doesn't that surpass his entire total from last season? Ira's Q&A should be fun tomorrow if this continues.


----------



## Wade County

Bahaha that Smush comment is hilarious.


----------



## Jace

Shootaround right now. So weird.


----------



## -33-

Jace said:


> Where's the "short corner" exactly? Halfway down the baseline? Not familiar with that term, as my X and O knowledge is limited since I never played organized ball.
> 
> I've actually been thinking a lot about 'horns' this summer as one of our prime sets. We've used it a lot with Bosh/UD, with mixed results. I imagine LeBron/Bosh as the horns quite often this year, with Ray or Rio & Shard or Shane in either corner, and Wade handling, as an example. Not sure any team out there can run it as versatile-y or effectively as us. So goddamn pick-your-poison.


Yes, short corner is essentially half way down the baseline. It's the spot where Haslem commonly was found bricking shots last year that he used to make 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkgr7MAonwo&feature=player_embedded (too much help)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZN9vFGaA3XI&feature=player_embedded (no help)

Horns example - but think about this year's versatility on this play. Wade with the ball (instead of Rio), Bron and Bosh as the screeners, Ray/Rashard/Mike/JJ/Shane in the corner. If you don't help off the shooters, the p&r will beat you. If you help too much off the shooters, corner 3's will rain. If you play with no help, Wade is going to beat you off the screen more times than not.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-42ZuHeUhfs

Another horns example - lots of options. The offense is old school, but you can do so many thing out of it.


----------



## Jace

Awesome SD, thanks. I've spent waaaaay too much time daydreaming about these possibilities. In most cases, the teams will choose to focus on the pick-and-roll (mainly LeBron), but Ray Allen is one of the guys in the league you just never leave open, and between all of our other shooters you'd have to imagine we can get at least one other one hot just about every night. Its gonna be very interesting to see how teams play this.


----------



## doctordrizzay

curry 11 points 8 boards in 25min. lol


----------



## Jace

No, I don't want him back.


----------



## Jace

Holy shit.


----------



## Jace

> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Spoelstra says he's leaning towards keeping two bigs w/ last two roster spots but that could change (and then change again).


No Harris?

Jorts/Gladness, I would think, assuming he's not calling Dozier a big.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Yeah, I'd guess that means that Gladness and Jorts have the upper hand. This team is loaded at the wings so I can see why Spo would lean that way.

Just now learned that JJ was writing quick postcards from China for the sun sentinel. Here are the 1st 3 in order


> "The flight from Atlanta to Beijing was a long, yet productive trek. Every single player managed to get some much needed rest. It has been a very competitive and productive start to season. We are all excited about the opportunity for growth during this China trip. This is all business, the fun will come later.
> 
> "We are greeted by a few hundred fans as we exit the airport. D Wade! LeBron James! Shane Battier! Chants fill the air. The fans here love the Miami Heat. They roll off the names of all the players and coaches with ease. As the buses pull away, a group of fans give chase.
> 
> "It never gets old. It's always exciting to see the different faces. All across the globe, there are Heat fans. The NBA Champs are back!!!"





> "After a short night's rest, we set off for our first China practice. It's familiar territory for my Beijing Olympic teammates.
> 
> "Practice starts out fast. The speed of our team is evident. Fast breaks, dunks, layups and threes. Every day we get a little better with timing, spacing, and efficiency. We put in a good day's work and finish with 3-point shooting games.
> 
> "This roster is loaded with shooters. Competitive shooters from top to bottom . . . which happen to the best kind. D-Wade, LeBron, Mario, Ray, Terrel, Shane and Norris end up winning the best-of-5 series (3-2). We'll get even tomorrow.
> 
> "After leaving the arena we take a team photo and head over to the Great Wall. The majority of the team and coaches make the climb up and down the wall. We take photos, videos, and haggle for souvenirs. The bait-and-switch from the street vendors is the best we've ever seen.
> 
> "This team is a true team. On the bus ride back, we talk about how much we enjoy winning and playing for/with each other. That's the only thing that matters to us."





> Heat forward James Jones details the Heat's third day in China on Wednesday, including a hard practice and a welcoming reception in Beijing.
> 
> After yesterday's fun excursion, today has been all business. We had the late time slot for practice. The Clippers had the early-morning practice slot.
> For the first 30 minutes we had interviews and the reporters watched our initial drills. After they exited, we really started to work. Everything that we do is at full speed and we play the full length of the court. To be at our best, we must play fast on both ends of the
> floor. There are no shortcuts. Our defense was on full display today. We want to be the best defensive team in the league. That is our identity.
> Later in the evening, we set off for our Beijing NBA China Welcome Reception held at the Westin Beijing. The Clippers are the home team for our game in Beijing and were our hosts. We left the event and walked back to the hotel. Immediately after our team dinner, we all headed to get some physical therapy and sleep.
> 
> [Thursday] is the day that we all have been waiting for . . . Let the games begin.


----------



## Jace

Yup, love that they had him do that.


----------



## Jace

Shanghai Days w/ JJ



> It was an extremely long night. After the victory against the Clippers, we made our way to Shanghai. We arrived at our hotel as the sun started to rise. As 8 a.m. rolled around, all of the players made their way up to their rooms.
> It is said that Shanghai is comparable to New York. I would have to agree. The architecture and feel can easily be mistaken for a major U.S. city. We visited a local market and the salesman are the most aggressive I've ever seen . . . since Beijing.
> It was good to see D-Wade back in action. Ray looks like he's been here for years. The Heat No. 34 in red looks great on him. LeBron is well . . . LeBron.
> Norris continues to show that players really do improve in the summer. Shane and Chris have great chemistry on the court; it gets better every day. Mario, Joel, and U.D. are quicker and look extremely sharp. They are anxious to get back at it. Rashard is getting his rhythm back and adjusting to his role. Mike is shooting lights out and still Letting It Fly.
> But we still have a lot of work to do.
> Heat fans . . . we are working!


----------



## Jace

*Dwyane Wade interview* with solecollector about Making the Change.

Heard this from Joe Goodman, and its in this interview too, apparently PEAK is trying to sing a bunch of our guys. Would be funny if 4-5 guys come back with shoe deals.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Marc Stein ‏@ESPNSteinLine
> How did Li-Ning swipe D-Wade from Jordan Brand? Says one industry insider: New Chinese shoe deal pays annual base of $10 mil for 10 years


Wow


----------



## Jace

Whoa. I heard 8x8, and they framed it as if it was 8 over the 8 years, not each, which obviously wouldn't make sense. They also said it wasn't fully guaranteed. 

So I guess somewhere between 8-10 per, for between 8-10 years?


----------



## Jace

BOOM!



> @MiamiHeraldHeat
> 
> Source tells me that Peak Sporting Goods will soon announce deals with Haslem, Pittman and Terrel Harris. James Jones will sign in a month.


That's 4 more Nike boys PEAK poached (UD was with Nike-owned Converse). Nice haul for PEAK. They may all be small-namers, but getting PEAK even more associated with the highest-profile team in the world is a boon.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

You know Micky is loving this.


----------



## Jace

Gotta love their devotion to those shooting contests.






If Shard can hit that mid-range pull-up with any sort of consistency, that would really make him dangerous here. It can really be almost that simple for our supporting players.


----------



## Jace

Question for SD or anyone who can answer it: How often have we run triangle-type sets? I've heard Spo say he's adapted some triangle philosophy into the offense, but I've never quite noticed how much. I'm reading a Chuck Klosterman article about it, and it seems tailor-made for our personnel. Here's an excerpt:

*



When the Bulls ran this offense in the '90s, the key adaptation Jackson made was moving Scottie Pippen to the top of the key and playing Jordan as a forward (in Los Angeles, he made a similar tweak with Lamar Odom and Bryant). But those players would have succeeded in any offense. The real advantage of the Triangle is what it does for players with less ability. Most NBA sets are static; they require perimeter players to create their own shot, usually off the dribble. The Triangle's relentless off-the-ball movement allows standing jump shooters to contribute within their own preexisting skill set. This is why it worked so well for John Paxson and Steve Kerr, and even for guys like Sasha Vujacic and Luke Walton. You don't need four or five athletic scorers to make the Triangle work. Two is plenty, because it amplifies the value of role players.

Click to expand...

*

Not suggesting it should be our predominant attack, but it seems if our guys could pick it up enough to run it a few times and keep D's on their toes, it could be a great fit.


----------



## Jace

Joe Goodman is becoming my favorite Heat beat writer, not because he has the most access or knowledge, but because he always gives us a fun angle. He has an interesting write-up on the team's one night out at a 3-story club party thrown for Wade. This is from a blog he wrote on his adventures in China:



> *LEBRON WINS AT EVERYTHING*
> So, LeBron had a few promotional appearances in China and I attended one of them in Shanghai. LeBron sells doughnuts and ice cream in China. OK, whatever. During the event, LeBron had a chopsticks contest against some kids. Put the doughnut nuggets (or whatever you call them) on the crown like jewels. LeBron won. He wins at everything. Even chopsticks contests against the Chinese!
> 
> Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/miami_heat/...uff-that-happened-in-china.html#storylink=cpy












:laugh:


----------



## Jace

*



The Heat feature two players who have won the All-Star contest in Ray Allen, the 2001 winner with Milwaukee and a six-time participant, and James Jones, the 2011 champion with Miami and a two-time participant. They have three other guys who have competed in six combined contests in Rashard Lewis (three), Mike Miller (two) and Mario Chalmers (one).

Click to expand...

*

Only 14 appearances in the 3-point shootout on this roster.


----------



## Jace

Marvel/ESPN *collaborate *on a LeBron comic. Good stuff.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

While the team was away in China, the Heat updated Championship alley with 2012 pics



> Ira Winderman ‏@IraHeatBeat
> Heat "Championship Alley" at arena now reflects the Heat's 2012 championship as well as the 2006 championship. Less Antoine, more LeBron.













> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Money pic here. Big 3 on the wall outside the hallway to the locker room. @MiamiHEAT pic.twitter.com/84A9y2AM


----------



## Wade2Bosh

From today's practice:


> Tom Haberstroh ‏@tomhaberstroh
> To finish up practice, Heat running 5-on-5 fastbreak drills. Corner 3 after corner 3.





> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Just entered gym, to hear LeBron getting on Pittman for missing a defensive assignment.





> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Chalmers' shot is really on today after practice. Nailing everything from outside. Didn't go full speed today, though.
> 
> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Haslem and Joel Anthony held out of practice today as well. @MiamiHEAT





> Ethan J. Skolnick ‏@EthanJSkolnick
> Still no practice for Chalmers. Taking it slow with him.


Lebron, the last one on the court, working on the sky hook

http://twitter.yfrog.com/gob9gktivfpgzmvygtzgecxiz


----------



## Dee-Zy

Looking forward to seeing that in game.

Doesn't look ready for in game situations yet.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> MIAMI -- Miami Heat guard Dwyane Wade believes his surgically repaired left knee is progressing ahead of schedule and plans to play in his third consecutive preseason game Thursday against the Detroit Pistons.
> 
> Wade said Tuesday his knee responded well to his first game action and extended plane travel during the Heat's seven-day trip to China last week. Wade also participated in Tuesday's full practice and scrimmage sessions in the team's first workout since returning from the trip.
> 
> After sitting out of the Heat's Oct. 7 preseason opener against Atlanta, Wade started both exhibition games against the Los Angeles Clippers. He played more than 23 minutes in Wednesday's win against the Clippers and then played a little more than eight minutes in Sunday's loss.
> 
> Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Tuesday that Wade wasn't expected to play in both games in China amid the team's cautious approach with his rehabilitation, but was encouraged by the way the 10-year veteran responded.
> 
> "I feel ahead of schedule," Wade said. "If I continue to keep progressing, I'm going to try to play as much as possible, but try to be smart as well. I want to play Thursday, get back out there and continue to get my legs under me ... so I can be ready for opening night."


Link


----------



## Wade2Bosh




----------



## Wade County

That baby hook is awesome.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Just looked up the stats of the 3 guys we thought we'd be drafting in this last draft, before we decided to trade out of the pick.

Festus Ezeli - 7ppg on 80% 6rpg 2blks 26mpg

Perry Jones III- 11ppg on 56%, 4rpg 24mpg

Arnett Moultrie- 2ppg on 33%, 3rpg 10.3 mpg


Cant teach size. And Ezeli is huge. Would've been nice to have him to develop...


----------



## Wade County

Yeah, still annoyed about those 3 a bit. All could've helped.


----------



## Jace

For what its worth, Blatche is starting off nicely, too.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Noticed that as well. He looks to be in shape now.


----------



## myst

Wade County said:


> Yeah, still annoyed about those 3 a bit. All could've helped.


"Traded a 2012 first-round pick to Philadelphia for a future first-rounder and the No. 45 pick; drafted Justin Hamilton: This was a heck of a trade. Miami chose to massage its luxury tax hit by using a first-rounder at some point down the road instead of picking 27th this year. The pick from Philly is top-14 protected each of the next three seasons and then turns into second-rounders in 2015 and 2016; most likely, it will be a pick in the late teens in 2013 that will replace the one the Heat owe the Cavs from LeBron's sign-and-trade.

The Heat moved down 18 spots and selected project center Justin Hamilton, who will play in Europe this season. Apparently Miami's lovefest with players of this ilk couldn't be completely cured in one go, but last season's playoffs came pretty close to extinguishing the malaise."

http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/preview2012/story/_/page/hollinger-mia-forecast/miami-heat-outlook


----------



## Wade2Bosh

That pick looked much better at the time, before they got Bynum.



> It didn’t take me long to embrace being a Celtic. I hate whoever they hate. The Lakers are number one up there and the Heat aren’t too far behind. Doc tells us every day to think about the Heat. Not only does he tell us, but the film plays over and over if you go to the practice facility. Before practice and after practice, that series [2012 Eastern Conference Finals] is playing over and over on the television. We start off the season against them (Oct. 30 in Miami). Obviously the road to the championship goes through the champions and that’s the Miami Heat. I take it on. I take it on personally.


Link

Doc is going all out. I just wonder what happens if we beat them again this season after how hard he's been pushing this Miami hate train?


----------



## Jace

Honestly, and I love the "Lakers are number one" comment. Spo doesn't seem like the bulletin-board-material-type, but that's gotta go up in the locker room. 

Shows Terry and Doc aren't exactly in lock-step. Rivers' claim has been that they're not worried about the Lakers because they need to beat Miami first.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> For those wondering, Mike Miller is not injured. At least that's what he told me on Tuesday when I asked him why he hasn't been playing lately. Miller started the first game of the preseason and played 17 minutes but hasn't sniffed the court since.
> 
> "No, I'm good," Miller said when asked if he was injured. "We've just got a stacked team. I'm just going to keep working and hopefully find a spot."
> 
> Now, it's entirely possible that Miller is hiding an injury. After all, he has been injured off and on for the better part of two years. But Miller said he went "full bore" in practice on Tuesday. The Heat practiced for two hours today, working on everything from conditioning to defense, to fast-break offense, to side-out-bounds plays.
> 
> "It was actually a really good practice," Miller said. "We were surprised."
> 
> Read more here: http://blogs.herald.com/miami_heat/...t-injured-just-not-playing.html#storylink=cpy


Doubt he's not playing because the team is stacked and I doubt he's hiding an injury. Just think its part of the maintenance program for him. We know what he can do, just gotta make sure he's good to go when the games begin to matter.


----------



## Dee-Zy

I say, just rest him until March.


----------



## doctordrizzay

There are so many 3 point threats on our team it's ridiculous. Besides Allen, I like Miller the most...but he's so brittle. I think the only way the wings are going to find playing time is if one of them catches on fire during the game's and spo decides to keep them playing.

Then again Spo is the ulitimate master of taking the hot hand out of a game for absolute no reason.


----------



## Dee-Zy

For pure shooting, I actually prefer JJ to MM.


----------



## doctordrizzay

Dee-Zy said:


> For pure shooting, I actually prefer JJ to MM.


Absolutely, But Mike is light year's above JJ on everything else.


----------



## Dee-Zy

At hustling, rebounding and playmaking but JJ is better in Defense IMO (and drawing charges).


----------



## Jace

Might be a wash in terms of drawing charges, Mike is great too.

Here's Heat.com's Couper Moorhead interviewing coach Dan Craig on Norris' development:

*



Were you showing him Steve Nash footage?

Yeah, we’ve watched a little bit of everybody. We even watched Dwyane. He’s a smaller version of Dwyane, but he moves very similar to Dwyane. We showed Norris Dwyane’s change of pace, his two speeds. Fast-to-slow, slow-to-fast. And then we watched a lot of Tony Parker, Steve Nash, a lot of point guards, Chris Paul, a lot of guys that he can learn a lot of different things from.

But Tony Parker was great because he does a great job of keeping his feet on the ground. A lot of pivots around the basket to make plays. Steve Nash is just so creative with his extra dribbles, his dribble-throughs. A lot of his finishes are not very athletic finishes. Everything is how he uses his body keeping the dribble alive, then making the defense make a mistake – and somebody is open.

Then just Chris Paul, just his pace and his overall playmaking. He’s watched a little bit of everything. He’s really made some jumps.

Click to expand...

*
Click the quote for the rest.


Heat Index:

*



There's only one real obstacle complicating Allen's transition from Boston to Miami, where he'll make his home preseason debut Thursday against the Detroit Pistons: South Florida traffic.

“U.S. 1 is the pits,” Allen said of the oft-gridlocked route from his Coral Gables home to AmericanAirlines Arena downtown. “The toughest thing? Probably my commute. Just trying to figure out which way to go. It seems like there's traffic when there shouldn't be traffic. I'm sitting there trying to figure out why there's traffic. I was probably stuck there for 30 minutes and there was just one car pulled over and somebody left it there. So [traffic] was backed the whole way up to [Interstate] 95. Just ridiculous."

Click to expand...

*
:laugh:

I used to work 8-5 at the James L. Knight Center (attached to the Bank of America tower downtown), and lived off sw 124th & US1. Hour each way. Was hell.

Weird, though. Last night I had a dream I read Ray was struggling to adjust to life in Miami. Obviously this isn't anything that extreme, but I was blown away when I read this because its rare I remember my dreams, and even rarer that they line up with something later that day.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

OT: Poor Ronny Turiaf. Never seen a player get owned so badly mg:


----------



## Wade County

Yeah saw that....just....wow

Ronny would want to run and hide with his tail between his legs after that


----------



## Jace

> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> And this is the final image @MiamiHEAT players see when taking the court prior to every home game!


Love this. The two longest-tenured Heaters giving their blood.










And this one is just like the pic of Gary releasing that jumper from Game 3. Similar moments.










:rotf:

Little JLIII should be extra grateful he wasn't signed here. Immortalized.












> @MiamiHEAT
> 
> An image of last season's black Larry O'Brien Trophy is now on the wall inside the HEAT locker room.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

^Love that they got the Lebron Stare from ECF game 6 in there as well.


----------



## Jace

turning this post into a cool pic I just found


----------



## Wade2Bosh

no worries


----------



## Wade County

Those pics are awesome.

Love the quote for Lebron's death stare pic too.


----------



## Jace

Yeah that quote is so Riley. If ever the team needs inspiration or to remember what it took to get to the promised land, look no further than LeBron's cold, vicious gaze.


----------



## Jace

Good stuff on Jorts from Tom Haberstroh over at Heat Index



> The man they call "Jorts" was in Beijing, cleaning up after LeBron James.
> 
> The reigning MVP missed a turnaround jumper off the left elbow in a preseason game last week against the Los Angeles Clippers, and Josh Harrellson -- the man who famously earned the "Jorts" nickname for his affinity for jean shorts -- caught James' ricochet off the rim and put it back in for a bucket.
> 
> These are moments when Harrellson, a 23-year-old from St. Charles, Mo., has to pinch himself. Not just because he's sharing the court with the likes of James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. That's pretty special for any young basketball player trying to land a spot on an NBA roster.
> 
> But Harrellson pinches himself more because of this fact:
> 
> He played his first 5-on-5 basketball game as a freshman in high school. Now he's flying around the globe and catching passes from some of the best players of this generation. And they demand to see the 270-pounder shoot.
> 
> "There's a lot of pressure on me," Harrellson said this preseason. "Everybody is like, ‘Oh, he’s a shooter. Let’s see him shoot.’"
> 
> Oh, Harrellson can shoot. Shooting is his ticket to the NBA, but you wouldn't know it by looking at his country-strong frame. He's listed at 6-foot-10, but isn't as, let's say, chiseled as his fellow professional basketball counterparts. He came into Heat tryouts last month weighing 292 pounds but through a rigorous training camp, he's now down to 270.
> 
> "When I saw it on the scale how much weight I put on over the summer, it felt like a ton of bricks landed on me," Harrellson said after Wednesday's practice. "I had to get off that weight real quick. I’m still busting my butt off, so hopefully I can lose about 10 more."
> 
> Harrellson works hard because he knows his spot on the team is not secure. He's fighting for one of the last two spots on the 15-man roster, along with several other big men in training camp. But he possesses something most players of his size, never mind his training camp competitors, don't: a reliable 3-point stroke. He flaunted his long-distance range last season for the New York Knicks, shooting 34 percent from downtown, playing next to Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin and Amare Stoudemire.
> 
> Rarely do players at Harrellson's point in their career get to play alongside offensive talents like Anthony and James. But in the short time in training camp, Harrellson has already noticed the stark differences between the two Olympians.
> 
> “They’re both superstars, but their games are totally opposite of each other," Harrellson said. "Carmelo’s one of the best scorers in the game, but LeBron does everything. He’s a great passer, a great scorer, a great defender."
> 
> A 3-point shooting talent like Harrellson could thrive next to Miami's star trio, and he knows it. That's why, before and after every practice, Harrellson makes a habit of firing up 100 3-pointers to maintain his competitive edge. He says he usually hits around 70 of those shots, which is a pretty good sign according to his math.
> 
> "Seventy percent in practice usually translates to 35 or 40 percent in games," Harrellson said, who shot just 29 percent from beyond the arc following a fractured wrist suffered in January. "If I didn’t hurt my wrist, I would’ve ended up at 40 percent last year."
> 
> The results are mixed so far. Harrellson had a relatively quiet preseason until Sunday's game in Shanghai when he tallied 9 points, 6 boards, 2 steals and 2 blocks in 21 minutes. The odd thing? He only took one 3-pointer and he missed it. Though the coaches and his teammates have encouraged him to shoot at almost every opportunity, Harrellson has only taken four 3-pointers in about 42 minutes of action this preseason.
> 
> He could force his way onto the team if he displays his unlikely 3-point shooting prowess. But considering he's played basketball for less than a decade, he's still something of a raw talent, especially on the defensive end, where he's trying to improve his pick-and-roll defense.
> 
> "I haven’t even reached 70 percent of my potential," Harrellson said. "The game comes natural to me; every day I’m still improving. Coaches see me keep doing things that they didn’t think I could do. I think it amazes them."
> 
> Harrellson has shown a wider skill set than many imagined from his days as a Kentucky Wildcat. He played almost exclusively around the rim under coach John Calipari.
> 
> "I’ve always been able to shoot the ball, but I really didn’t showcase it at Kentucky because I always played with a lot of great shooters around me," Harrellson said. "Primarily, I played my role as a 5, but coming into the league, they like guys that space the floor. And that’s my specialty."
> 
> It's been a winding road for Harrellson the past few months. He was traded by the Knicks to the Houston Rockets in a deal for Marcus Camby, and then the Rockets cut him almost immediately upon arrival. That's when the Heat, looking for a big man to help back up Chris Bosh, decided to bring the former Knicks reserve in for a tryout.
> 
> Harrellson insists he doesn't feel any ill will toward the Knicks organization. After all, they gave him his first real shot in the NBA -- but the trade still surprised him.
> 
> "When I got traded, it definitely caught me off guard," he said. "I thought I was set in New York for one more year. Houston wanted me in the trade, they wouldn’t not trade Camby without getting me because they were trying to add pieces to the puzzle for a Dwight Howard trade."
> 
> Howard ended up in Los Angeles, while Harrellson might land in Miami. Despite the nickname, he hasn't busted out his jean shorts out in South Beach yet.
> 
> "Nah, not yet," Harrellson laughed. "I mean, I could wear them every day if I wanted to, it’s hot enough. It’s definitely a culture shock. You go to one place and nobody speaks English. Definitely not what I’m used to."
> 
> The 23-year-old from a town outside St. Louis has enjoyed his time in Miami thus far, tweeting photos of the downtown nightlife and shoreline. Ahead of his first game in front of Miami fans on Thursday night, Harrellson hopes he can make it his home for the long haul.
> 
> But he has to stick out on the court like a pair of jean shorts in a South Beach nightclub.
> 
> "Right now it’s up to the coaches," Harrellson said. "But I’m going to do whatever I have to do to make them notice me."


Can see why he has a lot of room for improvement, yet he seems like so much more of a basketball player than Pittman.


----------



## Smithian

To these LeBron/LA rumors;

If you're LeBron, do you want to play for a team with coaches/management convinced Josh Harrellson could be a contributor on a championship contender?

I'll call bs on the rumors, but I sure as heck see how they orginate.


----------



## Jace

> @ThisIsUD
> 
> Oh and y'all can stop wit dis Bron playin in LA talk. Dat man dade county certified. Once 305 always 305! U can put da house one dat! Lol.
> 
> @ThisIsUD
> 
> By way of Akron of course. Lol.


Only way he leaves is if Josh Harrellson averages over 4 minutes a game, I guess.

Smithi, would you like Harrellson better if he wasn't a 3-point shooter? He embodies many of the elements you so famously value: energy, hustle, defense, toughness. Not sure I really get your stance on this one. I could understand if he'd been in the league a few years and we knew for sure what he was, but even then he had a solid year last year, and has looked like our best bubble center the past two games.


----------



## Smithian

I find him to be whiny and I have no problem holding grudges for multiple years; http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basket...ed-from-Twitter-for-criticiz?urn=ncaab-280365

Plus, he went to Kentucky. He also is taking minutes from my favorites.

And I need an Eddy Curry to complete me. He is my Eddy Curry.


----------



## Jace

:rotf:

I didn't factor college into it. I don't follow it nearly as much as you. Fair enough.

And yeah, that Calipari incident kinda bothered me, too. He was young, though, and it wasn't any sort of major transgression. It does appear to be indicative of some sort of inner-weakness, however.


----------



## doctordrizzay

jorts is varajeo with a 3 pointer.


----------



## Jace

Hate to humor 2014 talk, but I wonder if Dwyane would be willing to opt-out and opt-in for much less, considering the new 10mil/yr Li-Ning deal.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

I think all 3 will opt out and if they all do re-sign, then they'll all take another pay cut.


----------



## Jace

From Heat Index



> As LeBron James walked toward the bench with his Miami Heat ahead by 35 points at the end of the third quarter in Thursday's preseason game, a Detroit Pistons assistant approached the scorer's table with a white towel over his shoulder and a befuddled look.
> 
> He resisted the urge to throw in the towel.
> 
> Instead, he tossed a staggering rhetorical question at the game's official stats crew.
> 
> “If they're going to go 82-0 this season, then why the hell are the rest of us even here?” he said, half-jokingly, while shaking his head in disbelief. “We're all wasting our time.”


:laugh:

Was thinking yesterday, Detroit could wind up better than people expect. Their starting back court is well-rounded and talented, their eventual starting power duo compliments each other immensely, and they have a slew of promising wings behind Prince. Still, it just seems like they're a mess over there right now.

OT: Man, the '6ers are looking pretty good without Bynum. We'll have to see if Cpt. YOLO's presence disrupts their flow or chemistry, though. They've been so perimeter-driven. Adding a big who needs plenty of touches will force adjustments.

Damn, Dorell looks great. Miss my homie.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

:laugh: must suck to coach for a team that you know has no chance from day 1. And that game last night probably beat that point home for that assistant coach.

Yup, hard to judge that team right now without Bynum. That's an entirely new style of play they'll have to get used to. Definitely a team that will be much scarier come March.


----------



## Jace

Took me a minute to realize they were missing Turner tonight. Pretty impressive.

Their opponent, the Nets, somewhat impressed me with their depth. I knew they had signed all those players, but never really thought of them as a whole. They have a pretty nice mix of skillsets. If they come together properly, I honestly think they'll be the better NY team.


----------



## Jace

Skolnick on Shane becoming our 4-man



> It’s not accurate to call Shane Battier a forgotten man, not after he started the final 16 games of the playoffs – six more than he had started during the entire 2011-12 regular season – and not when he now appears to be a certain starter as the Heat sets out to defend its title.
> 
> Still, it is fair to say that there has been far more attention on how Chris Bosh will manage his transition to center than on how Battier – who has played on the wing for most of his 12-season career — will adjust to his insertion as the Heat’s nominal power forward.
> 
> There is always an assumption, after all, that Battier can handle anything that he encounters, as seamlessly as he handled guarding the brawnier David West and Brandon Bass in the 2012 playoffs.
> 
> “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Battier said, smiling.
> 
> Sometimes, competence can be a curse.
> 
> Some of the switch shouldn’t be much to master. Battier’s primary role – “bring energy” – won’t change, and he’ll still often spot up in the corner as part of Erik Spoelstra’s position-less offensive approach. Defensively, however, is where Battier is still trying to get comfortable.
> 
> “Learning a position that I’ve been familiar with my whole career, but now I really need to know it,” he said. “Just instinctually I’m not there yet.”
> 
> To illustrate that unease, he pointed to one situation in Thursday’s preseason rout of Detroit.
> 
> He was primarily assigned to power forward Jason Maxiell, who had leaked out to the opposite high post. In his old defensive role as a wing defender, Battier would have been expected to serve as the low man on the opposite block, which would mean sliding over to take a charge against a baseline driver. In his current role, that wasn’t his job.
> 
> “Well, instinctually, I ran over there and stopped the drive, even though that’s incorrect according to our defense,” Battier said.
> 
> Battier can retrain himself over time, through study and repetition, and he insists that he will. He can’t grow, however, not up, and not really out either.
> 
> “I’m going to be undersized every single night,” said Battier, who is 6-foot-8 and 225 pounds. “I know that.”
> 
> That puts a premium on positioning, both his body and his feet.
> 
> “I have to know personnel like the back of my hand,” Battier said. “I have to know play calls like the back of my hand.”
> 
> He doesn’t yet.
> 
> “That drives me crazy,” Battier said. “But I’m confident I’ll figure it out. In the meantime, I just hope I don’t mess up too badly, and get too overzealous in trying to do more than I’m used to doing. I’ve been dealt bigger challenges in my career.”
> 
> And this one, he actually appreciates.
> 
> “To be honest with you, at this point of my career, it’s what I needed,” Battier said. “Not that I was bored, but this is an unbelievable challenge for me. I’m 34 years old, and I enjoy a good challenge. This is a great challenge that I look forward to figuring out.”


----------



## Jace

Shandel Richardson on Ray in the post, and more if you click the blurb

*



One of the areas the Heat could possibly use Allen is in the post. It was a big part of his game during the early portion of his career before he became identified mostly as a jump-shooter. Allen said he often pleaded with Celtics coach Doc Rivers to play more in the post, but it was not part of the plans.

"In practice, I always posted up," Allen said. "I just could never convince my coach to allow me go down in the post. He was always telling me he wanted different matchups. I've had so many matchups in the post throughout the years. It gives me a different scoring angle. It takes pressure off having always to shoot 3s."

Playing in the post would force teams to rethink their strategies of defending Allen. Opponents generally place a smaller defender on Allen because his tendency to run off screens and tire bigger players. The presence of a post game all but eliminates the possibility.

"What teams try to do is when they want a guy to chase me they bring a small guy that's quick," Allen said. "So you roll to your next stunt and you post them and get them out of the game. The way we play here just creates so many different opportunities. You put the other team in so many complicated situations that it forces their defenses to play more uncomfortable."

Although Allen rarely played in the post the past five seasons, he doesn't expect rust to play a factor. He would often practice just in case the Celtics' offensive strategy changed.

"If I knew I had a smaller opponent, I always practiced after practice, before practice, I'd always go to the post," he said. "Before games, I'd always post up. It wasn't like I wasn't working on it or I was able to do it. Coach wasn't focused on that positioning. A lot of my teammates were always like, 'Man, put me in the post."'

Click to expand...

*


----------



## Wade2Bosh

They have a preview of another new heat intro vid on heat.com. They're for the new "white hot" unis. Which ones are those?


----------



## Jace

Whoa - Heard a rumor they were going to have a White Hot jersey, but when I investigated I only saw pictures of a fan mod loaded into NBA2K. Makes sense. Surprised they kept this under wraps so well.

White
Black
Red
Winter Court Red
90's Red
White Hot

That's a lot of different jerseys. LeBron seems happy about it though. 

Wonder if we'll wear these for ring night, or the regular homes with HEAT and the player names outlined in gold like these:










Hope the latter, because the reg whites would look cool with the gold outline since it fits our color scheme.


----------



## Smithian

I'll be shocked if we go the entire season with that small ball look.

The rest of our bigs should be ashamed that Spoelstra was forced to start Battier at power forward over them.


----------



## Dee-Zy

Battier is actually 6' 9.5" in shoes with a wingspan of 6' 10.5" and he weighted 229lbs in his pre-draft measurement. Chris Bosh is listed at 235lbs.

Battier is not really "undersized".


http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Shane-Battier-1619/

Great interview though.


----------



## Jace

Yeah, Shane, Mike, Wade, and even Bosh are all underlisted. Its weird, players are usually over-listed.

Shane doesn't seem to have a problem with playing at PF, so I won't until it looks terrible. I thought in the playoffs last year he showed more efficacy guarding bigs than perimeters (Melo/Durant destroyed him, recall.)


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Lebron, Wade, UD, Mario and Ray are at the FSU/Miami game.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

I believe NBA tv is playing the 2012 Heat championship DVD right now. Ahmad rashad is narrating and it has interviews with players, coaches, Riley and Micky sprinkled in.


----------



## Jace

Caught that. At the end they said there's more on the DVD. Anyone know how much more?



Wade2Bosh said:


> Lebron, Wade, UD, Mario and Ray are at the FSU/Miami game.












LeBron has quite the arsenal of Heat hats. He got to watch both his teams win today (FSU).


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> MIAMI—
> The Miami Heat reduced their roster from the training-camp NBA-maximum of 20 to 18 Sunday by waiving center Mickell Gladness and forward Robert Dozier.


Surprised they cut Gladness so soon. Definitely seems like Jorts made the roster.

Dozier has what Riley looks for in prospects, but there's just no spot for a project at that position.

Last spot still likely between Harris and Temple, and since the Heat specifically told Harris to work on his ball handling and Temple can handle the ball better, he'd seem to have the upper hand.


----------



## Wade County

Surprised Varnado wasn't cut?


----------



## Wade2Bosh

They probably have to wait until he's healthy.


----------



## Jace

Yeah they'll give him to the end of camp to get healthy, likely. Its only fair.

Not surprised they cut Gladness. Pitt was a near-lock all along, and him finally showing something yesterday, along with Jorts' performance, made it easy. With Joel in tow, Mickell was a shitty version of redundant. Does him the favor of being able to catch on with another team before it's too late. On that note, I don't see him as an NBA player, despite starting a few games in GS last year.

On the other hand, while I completely understand him not being a true fit for this roster right now, I can very much see Dozier getting a look on the right team. He definitely has valued NBA qualities, but his lack of range as a part-time perimeter player wasn't going to "fly" here. 

Harrellson is pretty clearly locked in. Pittman isn't going anywhere. Now its down to Harris and Temple, since Carney would have to completely blow people's minds to make the cut. Temple pretty clearly has the lead right now, and I agree with it. He's taller and longer than Harris, and might actually be a better shooter in the end. The fact that he can handle and shows better efficacy making plays and taking care of the ball (expect against pressure) than Cole is a huge advantage for him. Rio being out nearly seals it, for me.

Just thought of a potentially awesome huge lineup

LeBron
Allen
Battier
Bosh
Jorts

Lots of spacing, and very large. Wonder if we'll see it this year.


----------



## Wade County

Agreed on Jorts and Temple. 

Just a random thought I had for 2014....Dorell Wright. Would love to get him back, particularly as he is now a very good 3pt shooter and would fit really well in our current lineup ethos.

Could be the Battier apparent.


----------



## Smithian

Wade County said:


> Surprised Varnado wasn't cut?


Back down on that one, partner


----------



## Smithian

Jace said:


> Just thought of a potentially awesome huge lineup
> 
> LeBron
> Allen
> Battier
> Bosh
> Jorts
> 
> Lots of spacing, and very large. Wonder if we'll see it this year.


:mad2:


----------



## Wade County




----------



## doctordrizzay

Jorts is cocky enough actually make an impact though. He isnt shy, which we need on this team. Mario and Jorts have good ego's for this team.


----------



## Jace

Wade County said:


> Agreed on Jorts and Temple.
> 
> Just a random thought I had for 2014....Dorell Wright. Would love to get him back, particularly as he is now a very good 3pt shooter and would fit really well in our current lineup ethos.
> 
> Could be the Battier apparent.


Oh man, I'd be one happy little Heater. He's been looking very good lately, not just shooting, but guiding the offense and making plays for teammates. Is his deal up then? He'd be a dual-replacement for Battier and Miller, skill-set-wise.


----------



## Dee-Zy

I think Wright will want to get paid and he won't get that money here.

Unfortunately...


----------



## Jace

OT: Anyone watching this Kings/Lakers game on NBATV? Their starters are in a dog-fight with Kings mostly playing bench players in the fourth. The Kings are notoriously one of the most rag-tag groups in the league, and that's with their regular units. We've all learned teams need time to gel, even with great talent, but its not like they're playing a team with well-forged chemistry.

Its their first game with Dwight back, so its early, but I'm not sure their talent is as overwhelming together as advertised. Do a dance, doctordrizzay.


----------



## Wade County

It's early, i'd give them time.

Their starters will be good, I don't doubt that....but their bench is paper thin woeful. I think we can handle them.

As for Dorell, pretty sure he signed a 3yr $12M deal with Golden State back in 2010. So yep, this is his last year.

Come join the Super Friends, DWrightway!

Like old times.










Dwyane is a godson to Dorell's kid too I think


----------



## Smithian

You are all going to be _sooooo_ embarrassed when Josh Harrellson gets pounded by every half decent frontcourt we play.


----------



## Jace

His wingspan is only a half-inch wider than Wade's, which sucks obviously, but I've heard only good things about his post defense. I think basket protection on drives might be the bigger issue, as well as, potentially, pick-and-roll D.

Battier has 11 3's through these first 5 preseason games (19 attempts). Last year he missed both preseason games with the hamstring injury (another indicator he "celebrated the lockout more than the championship"), making his debut against Dallas in the first game. It took him 14 games to reach 11 3's, finally hitting the total against LAL, playing about a minute more per game than he has this preseason. Obviously 58% is totally unsustainable, but great to see him starting off on a drastically different foot this time around.

Despite his season-long struggles, he still wound up at league-average 34% last year. His career-high was 42% his first season in HOU, oddly also in his career-high in attempts, so not a small sample size. Hopefully he gets it to around that % again, or even surpasses it.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

The Annual NBA GM Survey is out. They have the Heat as the heavy favorite (all but one vote from Riley since GM's cant pick their own team) to win the East, and favorite to win the championship.

They also vote Lebron as the favorite for MVP.

Funniest thing was how Lebron, not surprisingly, was named best SF, and was also voted by GM's as the 3rd best PF in the league :laugh:

Here's the rest of the survery.


----------



## Jace

Smithi, the issue with that logic is I don't think any of us envision Josh playing major minutes, let alone against dominant front courts.


----------



## Dee-Zy

Kevin Love the best PF in the league!?

Am I the only one who do not agree with this!?!?

I think Dirk, Gasol and Bosh are still better or am I crazy?


----------



## Jace

Look at the numbers. And which one of those 3 you listed were MVP candidates last year? Believe it or not, Love was one. None of those 3 had seasons as good as Love. Its a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately culture in sports.


----------



## Adam

I like Harrellson.


----------



## doctordrizzay

Dee-Zy said:


> Kevin Love the best PF in the league!?
> 
> Am I the only one who do not agree with this!?!?
> 
> I think Dirk, Gasol and Bosh are still better or am I crazy?


:cosby::cosby::cosby:


----------



## Jace

YOU EARNED 3 COSBYS ON THE DOCTOR SCALE


----------



## Wade County

I think Love is a pretty clear #1 on the PF scale at the moment.

How good a fit would he be offensively here? And on the boards?

His defense may not quite cut it though :laugh:

Sidenote, Bosh has become a much better defender.


----------



## Jace

Definitely on Bosh. It'll take the national view another season or two to come around though.

But yeah, Love would be ungoldy here.


----------



## Wade County

Doesn't KLove have like a 3yr contract?

Make it happen Riles.


----------



## doctordrizzay

Wade County said:


> Doesn't KLove have like a 3yr contract?
> 
> Make it happen Riles.


oh ****!


----------



## Jace

He did say if they don't make the playoffs soon, he's out.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

No more center on the all star ballot. 3 top vote getters in the "frontcourt" will start.

Link


----------



## Jace

Haha...THE WORLD WILL SOON BE POSITION-LESS.

:spo:

Seriously, though. That's awesome. Such blended positions anyway.

Someone mentioned Boston having played their last preseason game already. That's great for us. They should be rusty on ring night.

OT: What the hell is Bill Simmons doing in ESPN's NBA studio? I knew it was happening, but he just doesn't work on TV and really doesn't belong among NBA analysts who have played/coached. ESPN really ****ed up listening to the NBA and nixing SVG. He wasn't replaced by Simmons, but still.


----------



## Jace

Wait a minute...the top 3 front court vote getters? Does this mean we could have 3 SFs, hypothetically?

Off the top of my head, can't think of a third SF that could start. Hopefully Bosh goes on an early tear and we see something like Rondo-Wade-Melo-LeBron-Bosh, finally.


----------



## Smithian

Bill Simmons is a great pick.

The man is pure when it comes to basketball.

His book is my sports Bible.

Multiple Double Digit Scorers + Rebounding + Toughness + Teamwork + Chemistry = Championship


----------



## Wade2Bosh

He's also a big ass Boston homer and is sometimes blinded by it. When he isnt talking about Boston or something that could affect one of his Boston teams, he's good.


----------



## Jace

We have no more room for anymore talent, but Derrick Brown was also waived by SAS, and going by the games he's had against us and other games he played for Charlotte, I'd have been interested. He's soiled goods though, at least by reputation. Not sure in what capacity he left Charlotte, but, I mean damn. If you can't help them?



Smithian said:


> Bill Simmons is a great pick.
> 
> The man is pure when it comes to basketball.
> 
> His book is my sports Bible.
> 
> Multiple Double Digit Scorers + Rebounding + Toughness + Teamwork + Chemistry = Championship


I've been wanting to read that. I generally like his commentary when not soaked in bias, but he's already failed on TV, and I don't see him being a great on-the-fly analyst.

I don't necessarily love TNT's crew as much as most, but they're still head and shoulders above ESPN's. SVG would've been epic. Love that man.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

I'd love to know Brown's numbers against us. He's quietly had some really nice games against us.


----------



## Wade County

Don't know about career, but last season he averaged 11.7 ppg, 6 rpg and 1.3 apg in 24 mpg against us in 3 games. Solid.


----------



## Jace

The previous season's numbers would bring those down (less minutes), so I guess we'll just go by that. His per36 numbers overall aren't very impressive, but if he's able to play like that against us with those teammates, he'd be a very solid role guy here.


----------



## doctordrizzay

Smithian said:


> Bill Simmons is a great pick.
> 
> The man is pure when it comes to basketball.
> 
> His book is my sports Bible.
> *
> Multiple Double Digit Scorers + Rebounding + Toughness + Teamwork + Chemistry = Championship*


captain obvious over here.


----------



## Wade County

Watching Eric Bledsoe saddens me. Why Pat? He was a Kentucky guy to


----------



## Jace

I wanted him so bad. When he fell to #18, I died inside. Can't hindsight Miller off the team after *GAME 7*, but if I went back in time I might keep that pick and let UD go get paid somewhere else (SORRY UD).

LOL, the SportsCenter highlight of tonight was literally all Heat baskets, then at the end Stan slides in "...Wizards won, though."

:rotf:


----------



## Wade County

Eddy Curry picked up by the Mavs. Good for him.

I know this is EXTREMELY unlikely (for obvious reasons...), but would we have any interest in Delonte West? 

Despite it all, he seems like he'd be a good basketball fit for us - although personality wise, and past 'indiscretions', would suggest it is a pretty huge longshot.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

He' be great here if it werent for the off the court issues. But then again, if he didnt have those off the court issues, he wouldnt be available.


----------



## Jace

Thought about it, but he's way too volatile and unpredictable to put on a team with such tight, well-developed chemistry. Would be a great fit, though. He's tough and competitive as hell. Feel bad for him, he's clearly not right in the dome right now.

Can't wait for Tuesday. Man, Boston is really doing themselves a disservice with all the training camp talk about the Heat. If they kept their mouths shut, I could see us coming out really soft and mentally glossing over that game, but they've all but eliminated that possibility.


----------



## Jace

Oh yeah, Jax mentioned last night that the black-on-blacks and white hots are part of a 3-year plan to introduce a new set each year. Wonder what we're in store for next season. They're already doing all-red this year, so...yellow?

This year's uniform guide has some things that might affect the Heat. I noticed LeBron went back to the regular headbands, and it seems its because they must all be a certain size with the NBA logo now.

Also, it says all socks must have NBA logos. The Heat have been the *only team in the league without logos on their socks* for awhile now. Wonder if that'll change or we'll continue to defy.

(click for larger version)


Looks like no more XVI or colored mouthguards either.


----------



## Jace

> Delonte West's tenure with the Dallas Mavericks appears to be over, according to a source.
> 
> West was suspended indefinitely for conduct detrimental to the team, his second suspension in two weeks.
> 
> West said he was being blamed for an argument between teammates after the Mavs' 88-76 exhibition loss to the Thunder.
> 
> "There was an argument between two teammates in the locker room last night that didn't involve me," said West, who had two points, one assist and three turnovers in 21 minutes against the Thunder. "Somehow I'm being blamed for it. I had nothing to do with it. I don't know what's going on."
> 
> The Mavericks' front office is concerned about West's influence on young players on the roster, according to a source.
> 
> West and the Mavericks could agree to a buyout that would leave him free to sign with another team.
> 
> Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/224149/Delonte_West_Wont_Return_To_Mavericks#ixzz2AMtzcDsk


Whelp, LAL is about to get better.


----------



## Wade County

With the uniform policy, what does that mean for guys like DWade who have McDavid endorsements for compression pads and the like?


----------



## Jace

I think as long as the logos don't show.

Alright...They're doing something totally different for ring night...pinstripes! Sorta...










The Heat store says they're a replica of what we'll be rocking on ring night. The stripes look like they say something.


----------



## Wade County

Glad we are doing something special for it. I would've liked the gold outline around the heat logo or players names, but I guess it has been done.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Maybe the lines spell out the names of the players on the championship team like the black trophy has?

Edit- Actually, looking closer, it looks like the same pattern repeating every other line so it cant be that.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Rodney Carney and Jarvis Vanardo waived today by the Heat.


No surprise. 




> Joseph Goodman ‏@MiamiHeraldHeat
> Spoelstra: "We'll finalize the roster after tonight's game." Down to Terrel Harris, Garrett Temple and Josh Harrellson.


Definitely seems to be down to Harris or Temple as the final roster spot.


----------



## Smithian

Wade2Bosh said:


> No surprise.


----------



## UD40

That bitch Sandy is supposed to hit up here Tuesday. I swear if I miss the game because of her I will be HEATED.


----------



## Jace

That would suck immensely.

Heat announce uniform updates and schedules



> *Trophy / Ring / Banner Ceremony Uniform*
> 
> As the reigning NBA Champion, the Miami HEAT will wear a special version of its home white uniform for the Opening Night Trophy / Ring / Banner ceremony and game. As is customary for the defending champion in the NBA, the team uniform will feature gold trim elements outlining the team name, along with the Larry O’Brien Trophy affixed to the right shoulder of the uniform and on the back of the warm-up jacket.


So they are doing the gold, but no mention of those vertical lines. Miamihoopsgear.com called them replicas of what will be worn.



> *White Hot*
> 
> In a nod to the immensely successful and nationally recognized White Hot playoff campaigns that preceded the team’s two championships in 2006 and 2012, the HEAT will unveil their White Hot uniform on Saturday, November 24 when the team takes on the Cleveland Cavaliers at AmericanAirlines Arena. The team will re-christen the traditional “Black Friday” date as “White Hot Friday” and will make the uniform available at retail for the first time on the same day as the game. The White Hot uniform is bold and sleek, an all-white garment with white team name, numeral and logo elements, highlighted by black trim. The White Hot uniform will become the team’s Saturday game uniform for the season, with two other nationally-televised home game dates included amongst the wearing schedule. Below is a complete list of the dates the HEAT will wear the White Hot uniform:
> 
> 
> November 24 Saturday Cleveland Cavaliers
> 
> December 1 Saturday Brooklyn Nets
> 
> December 6 Thursday New York Knicks
> 
> December 8 Saturday New Orleans Hornets
> 
> December 15 Saturday Washington Wizards
> 
> December 22 Saturday Utah Jazz
> 
> February 10 Sunday Los Angeles Lakers
> 
> April 6 Saturday Philadelphia 76ers


Didn't realize they were doing "Black Fridays" last season. Those were all national games, many on TNT Thursdays or ABC Sundays. Interesting they're only wearing these for two national games this time.



> *NBA Christmas Day – BIG Color*
> 
> As the marquee match-up in the NBA’s traditional Christmas Day slate of game broadcasts, when the HEAT take on the Oklahoma City Thunder in a rematch of the 2012 NBA Finals, the team will be sporting a special red Christmas Day uniform. As part of the NBA’s BIG Color initiative, all teams participating in a Christmas Day game will wear a new uniform highlighting one of their team colors. The HEAT red Christmas Day uniform is all red with white trim outlining just the team name, player name and numerals. The Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami HEAT game will air on ABC on Christmas Day starting at 5:30p.m.


No mention of weekend home games after X-mas, like we've been hearing.



> *Red 25th Anniversary Hardwood Classics*
> 
> To commemorate the franchise’s 25th Anniversary season, the team will unveil a special Red 25th Anniversary Hardwood Classics uniform. This red throwback uniform pays homage to the mid 1990’s HEAT teams and features chunky numbers with a large drop-shadow and a scoop neck silhouette, as well as the original design of the “flaming T’ element in the HEAT word mark. While the team will be recognizing its anniversary throughout the season, the HEAT will dedicate the month of February to wearing the Red Hardwood Classics uniform. Each home and road game during the month of February (with the exception of the February 10th game) will showcase the HEAT wearing the Red Hardwood Classic uniform.
> 
> In addition to wearing the 25th Anniversary uniform, each of the Hardwood Classics games will include a variety of special in-game features and activities which will celebrate the team’s history. The Red Hardwood Classics home game schedule includes:
> 
> 
> February 4 Monday Charlotte Bobcats
> 
> February 6 Wednesday Houston Rockets
> 
> February 8 Friday Los Angeles Clippers
> 
> February 12 Tuesday Portland Trail Blazers
> 
> February 24 Sunday Cleveland Cavaliers
> 
> February 26 Tuesday Sacramento Kings


I guess the whole league is just doing the 90's throws in Feb.



> *25th Anniversary Patch*
> 
> As a season-long acknowledgement of the HEAT’s tenure in Miami, the team will wear a special 25th Anniversary patch on selected team uniforms this season. The special patch will be seen on the following on-court uniform elements:
> 
> 
> Home White Jersey
> Road Black / Road Red Jersey
> Alternate Road Red Jersey
> Red Hardwood Classic Jersey
> All Warm-up Jackets


I was wrong, patches again. Last time they had them on the jersey for media day.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

I remember us talking about this happening right after we signed the big 3. Didnt think it'd be this many new uniforms.


----------



## Wade County

Happy they are doing the gold trim, and equally stoked on the red hardwood classic. Awesome.


----------



## Jace

> @tomhaberstroh
> 
> How is it decided who takes tech FTs? James Jones: "clock, score." What does that mean. James Jones: "If we're up 19 3rd quarter, LeBron"


:rotf:

He took it down for some reason, though.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Ira Winderman ‏@IraHeatBeat
> No Heat cuts yet. If non-guaranteed (Temple, Harris, Harrellson) need be done by 5 p.m. today. Guaranteed (Pittman? Jones?) by 5 p.m. Mon.


Only a couple hours left unless the Heat dont care about having to pay one of them a full year of guaranteed money.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Ira Winderman ‏@IraHeatBeat
> The Heat waived Garrett Temple. Roster now at regular-season maximum of 15. Means Terrel Harris, Josh Harrellson, Pittman, Jones on roster.


Bit of a surprise. 

Congrats to Terrel and Jorts.


Two former Heatians got cut today. Big Cat in Toronto and Q-Rich in Orlando.


----------



## Jace

Don't forget Shavlik Randolph!

Somewhat surprisingly, Solomon Alabi was cut too. I thought he'd be a player.

Odd to see Temple cut, but I guess the combination of MC getting healthy and Temple not doing quite enough to make it obvious made the team go loyalty over practicality. Good for Harris.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Definitely think the loyalty factor played a big part. Not only for already being here a year, but because he came back on an unguaranteed deal.


----------



## Jace

I wonder how safe the end of the bench's jobs are. SA surprisingly released Josh Powell. Not a game-changer, but an athletic, 6-9 PF who is a solid rebounder.


----------



## Jace

*Ring sneak peak*











Would be sweet if they each had a button to make a flame come out like that. Dangerously sweet.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

:laugh: 







Ray using NOAH






I'd love to know what a meticulous shooter like Ray thinks about that machine.


----------



## UD40

Is it a censor on the rim or something? I hear the voice but I don't see the mechanism.

Damn kids and their technology...and yes, I'm 22 years old.


----------



## Jace

Its a box mounted onto the wall with a camera.










*Tom Haberstroh spoke with Ray afterward*



> You could say it was love at first sight.
> 
> Following the Heat's practice on Saturday, Heat assistant coach Keith Askins introduced Ray Allen to a talking black box on the wall named "Noah."
> 
> Noah is a shooter's best friend. The technology tracks a player's shooting arc as the player goes through drills and logs it into its computer for post-workout analysis. Not only that, the machine provides instant verbal feedback, shouting out the exact angle at which the shot is projected off the player's hand.
> 
> After consulting the instructional poster on the wall next to Noah (get it, Noah's arc?), Allen went to work, firing off an 18-foot jumper.
> 
> "Forty," Noah said.
> 
> Allen shot another.
> 
> "Forty-two."
> 
> And another.
> 
> "Thirty-seven."
> 
> This went on for several minutes as Askins explained the virtues of Noah to Allen as he passed him the ball.
> 
> You see, Allen is a shooting perfectionist. Shot after shot, Allen constantly tinkered with his shot arc depending on what Noah told him. (Yes, that's Noah reciting out the numbers in between Allen's shots in the above video).
> 
> "That machine’s going to keep me around for 10 more years," Allen said. "I didn’t know it was here. I’ll definitely use it everyday."
> 
> Noah has been hanging on the Heat practice facility wall for years. In fact, Dwyane Wade used the machine to help correct his free throw shooting last season. Now, Allen is Noah's latest pupil.
> 
> But does Allen really need it? I mean, this is a guy who has made more 3-pointers than any player in NBA history.
> 
> Apparently, he does need it.
> 
> "Over the past 10 years, I’ve been in a fight with my jump shot," Allen said, in all seriousness.
> 
> "Just tryin to figure out how to get bigger arc in my shot, how to get my legs involved, to get better lift on it, to get the ball getting a better angle on it into the air."
> 
> Wait, Allen has been at odds with his jumper over the last decade?
> 
> "Strange as it seems, yeah."
> 
> Impossible.
> 
> "When I was in college," Allen began, "I would have a great practice and I’d miss only two or three shots the whole practice. Coach (Jim Calhoun) would always ask me, ‘Did you shoot 100 percent?’ The answer was always no. If you don’t shoot 100 percent, you always have something to strive for."
> 
> Remember: perfectionist.
> 
> “Me, I’m so particular about it, I want to be perfect," Allen said of his shooting. "Basketball is imperfect, so shooting-wise it’s a constant struggle.”
> 
> But Noah could be a little over the top, no? Couldn't it cause you to be self-conscious, like too many thoughts going through your head?
> 
> "A thought in my head would be if I was coming out of the game and someone told me 'You’re doing this wrong, you’re doing that wrong,'" Allen said. "You don’t want those thoughts."
> 
> Allen clearly values Noah's thinking. This makes sense; Allen's been receptive to the analytics movement that has gradually impacted the sport. While casually talking about the value of empirical analysis to surrounding reporters, Allen gave a tip of the hat to Boston Celtics' assistant GM Mike Zarren, whom the Celtics teammates called "Numbers."
> 
> Zarren would keep Allen and his teammates in Boston up to date on their advanced statistics, including plus-minus and per-possession lineup data. But now, in the case of Allen, the student becomes the teacher. After the Heat's preseason game against New Orleans, Allen taught fellow Heat reserve Norris Cole a lesson on plus-minus.
> 
> "I was telling Norris, the best thing that we can do is make sure we have great plus-minus numbers," Allen said. "That means we’re not giving up leads and we’re efficient while we’re on the floor."
> 
> While single-game plus-minus may be too fluky to hold any real predictive value, it can be of use over the long haul. To Allen, these numbers help him digest a game that is played at blinding speeds.
> 
> "It's just information," Allen said. "For us, going into every game, you want that information. It does force you to do something out there on there for. For improvement, information is key."
> 
> But not all statistics are created equal.
> 
> "Sometimes it can be too much," Allen said. "SportsCenter often comes up with some random stat or fact. This guy scored this many points every Tuesday of this month in his 10-year career and he’s leading this category and only two players have done that. Sometimes those figures get kind of crazy."
> 
> Almost as crazy as the notion that Ray Allen struggled with his shot over the past ten years.


So perfect. I'd wondered what his arc hovered around and whether he'd use it. I wonder if they waited to introduce him to it until the end of training camp so he wouldn't destroy his legs messing with it. :laugh:

Think I saw Jones using it during camp, so I really doubt that.

Some great parts



> "That machine’s going to keep me around for 10 more years," Allen said. "I didn’t know it was here. I’ll definitely use it everyday."





> "Just tryin to figure out how to get bigger arc in my shot, how to get my legs involved, to get better lift on it, to get the ball getting a better angle on it into the air."





> Allen clearly values Noah's thinking. This makes sense; Allen's been receptive to the analytics movement that has gradually impacted the sport. While casually talking about the value of empirical analysis to surrounding reporters, Allen gave a tip of the hat to Boston Celtics' assistant GM Mike Zarren, whom the Celtics teammates called "Numbers."
> 
> Zarren would keep Allen and his teammates in Boston up to date on their advanced statistics, including plus-minus and per-possession lineup data. But now, in the case of Allen, the student becomes the teacher. After the Heat's preseason game against New Orleans, Allen taught fellow Heat reserve Norris Cole a lesson on plus-minus.
> 
> "I was telling Norris, the best thing that we can do is make sure we have great plus-minus numbers," Allen said. "That means we’re not giving up leads and we’re efficient while we’re on the floor."


Glad to see he loves and thinks it can help. Also nice to see him really trying to develop a synergy with Cole, since I suppose he expects them to play a lot together as backcourt bench duo.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Yeah, it is funny that he's just now being told about NOAH. 

Here's everything you need to know about *NOAH*. Pretty cool stuff.


----------



## Jace

> @RealGM
> 
> James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, Daequan Cook Traded To Houston For Kevin Martin, Jeremy Lamb, Future Picks


Whoa. They were having contract talk issues with Harden, but this is still crazy.

I've loved Lamb since his freshmen year at UConn, and Martin is a high-volume scorer. Plus Woj says the future picks are "significant." This going to be interesting. Presti is good. Might as well make a move like this while the core is still young, so they grow with the new young guys. K-Mart, Lamb, and PJIII will be nice off the bench.

EDIT: I knew Kevin wasn't that young anymore, but didn't realize he'll be 30 early next year. Looking at his numbers, his shooting % is pretty horrible. That was one of the ways Harden helped them so much, he was incredibly efficient. Not sure they need another perimeter scorer beyond Durant and Westbrook whose not efficient.

EDIT2:



> ‏@WojYahooNBA
> 
> Houston sends two 2013 first-round picks (from Dallas and Toronto) to Oklahoma CIty, source tells Y!
> 
> @WojYahooNBA
> 
> Houston also sends a 2013 second-round pick (via Charlotte) to Thunder.


Depending what they get out of Lamb and Jones, this might hurt their chances to beat LAL this year, but with the way Presti drafts, their future is bright as hell. 

Lotto protection on the Toronto/Dallas picks? Neither are shoo-ins for the playoffs.


----------



## Smithian

This move confuses me.

Do they think K-Mart can adequately guard Kobe/Wade/LeBron?


----------



## Jace

They'd have to be crazy. I think they feel confident in Sefolosha and maybe even Perry Jones there.

OKC maxed out at 54 over 4 for Harden, which he rejected. Houston is going to give him the full 60 over 4. Does anyone think James Harden is a max player? This is nuts.



> @bruce_arthur
> 
> Got math wrong: Toronto pick is 15-30 AND top-three protected this year, top-three next year, then top-two for two years, No. 1 for in 2016.
> 
> @CoupNBA
> 
> From what I can tell, that Dallas pick OKC is getting is Top-20 protected until 2018. They'll likely only get one lottery pick from deal.


Not sure MLB is "America's Pastime" anymore. The World Series is a close game in the 9th and every twitter trend is about the Harden trade.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Man, hadnt checked Twitter in a while and all I see is talk of this trade. Crazy.


Harden was big for OKC, but they had to do something. Getting Lamb and KMart. plus those 2 picks is pretty good. KMart also has an expiring contract which is a nice trade chip as well.

For Houston, this is a great deal. KMart is a bit of a chucker and they had to do something with all those picks they had. Add Harden to Lin, Asik, Jones and Parsons. That's gonna be a really fun team to watch.


----------



## Adam

I mean, it's nice that they got value for Harden instead of losing him for nothing. The picks and Martin is good return, but they still gave up the best player in the deal. They're a worse team than they were yesterday. That's good for us. OKC was always going to lose either Ibaka or Harden after they overpaid for Perkins. When Ibaka got paid that meant Harden was done in Oklahoma.

OKC doesn't make this move if not for financial reasons. Don't see any reason to praise Presti when him overpaying for other players forced him to trade away a valuable piece that he would have not traded if not for financial reasons.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Not a good day to be an OU/OKC fan.

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/50703/nba-players-react-to-harden-trade

^NBA players reaction to the trade via Twitter. Tony Allen, who has spent dozens of games guarding Harden, spelled his last name out as "Harding" :laugh:



> Kevin Durant ‏@KDTrey5
> Wow


----------



## Jace

Yeah, I laughed my ass of when I read that Allen tweet. Also to think he probably read the news instead of hearing it, you'd think he'd remember the spelling. :laugh:

Everyone wanted the new CBA to break up the Big 3 in 2011, and it seems to have gotten to OKC first/instead. Some people are blaming Harden, but I really can't. Wound up being a difference of over 20 mill for him, gotta take that. If OKC is lucky, this winds up being like the Joe Johnson to ATL trade, and they're still dominant. That team didn't win a ring, though.

Watch out for Denver. They're somehow always better than you'd think they'd be, and this is the nicest post-Anthony team yet. I'd also think the Clippers would be a tough matchup for LAL if it wasn't for VDN.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Yup, LAC need to get rid of VDN asap and go after a Nate McMillan. That guy can coach, but those Blazers teams were just snake bitten in his final few years. So many injuries.


----------



## Jace

Yeah, and I know SVG wants to coach again. Either would be better options. Sterling is cheap though. Not sure what's left on VDN's deal, but he probably doesn't want to swallow it.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

> Shandel Richardson ‏@ShandelRich
> Joel Anthony was limited in practice, but said he should be ready by Tuesday.


Seems to be the only non-Harden related news to come out of today's practice.


----------



## Jace

There's, like, nothing else to talk about.


----------



## Jace

OT: Harden as a leading-man...closer to pre-injury Brandon Roy or post-injury Monta Ellis?


----------



## Wade County

I'd say closer to Roy. He's more of a playmaker than Ellis and less offensively selfish.

Roy's best year with Portland was 22/5/5 on 48% shooting in 37 minutes per. Harden should be able to achieve something around that mark.


----------



## Jace

True, and for some reason I thought Harden was a little smaller than he is. His height and wingspan are virtually identical to Wade, just a quarter inch-taller. Wade's athleticism lets him play bigger, though.

Reason I thought of Roy was because he was never an overwhelming athlete either.

Interesting, just saw Monta put up 26/4/5 and 24/4/6 both on 45% the two seasons before last. Didn't realize those two were that close, but I think if Roy was in Ellis' role he would've scored at least as much. I blame Nelly ball and Roy sharing the rock with better teammates. I feel as though the common perception is you could win with prime Roy as your best player, but not Ellis. I'd always seen Roy as the better guard to build around.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

I'll be interested to see Harden's shooting % for the year. 

What do you all think? Above or below 45%?


----------



## Jace

I think just above. He knows how to play efficiently, and will be playing with unselfsih guys who share the rock well (Lin, Parsons, Royce White). Even in a lead role, he probably won't Kobe up a lot of shots. Simultaneously, if healthy, Martin's % should pump up closer to 44-45, I'd think.

Anyone else surprised Washington waived Shelvin Mack? He led Butler back to the championship game without Hayward, and had a few good games in preseason, including 2-2 with 7 assists in about 23 minutes vs. us. Would be a nice fit here if we weren't loaded up.

EDIT: Wait, that wasn't preseason, read the gamelog wrong. That was when they blew us out at the end of last season. He was 2-3 in 5 minutes against us in preseason.

His numbers definitely don't look horrible from this preseason. Had a couple of solid games, and still had a 7 assist game to start the preseason.


----------



## Wade County

I think 45% is about right. Hard to really say as yet, depending on how Lin goes, Houston could be pretty easy to defend. Asik and Patterson arent scaring anyone offensively. Parsons is nice, but he's no superstar...

Saw this on RealGM:

The Washington Wizards have cut Shelvin Mack and Brian Cook, leaving Jannero Pargo and Earl Barron on their regular season roster.

*The Wizards reportedly feel more comfortable with Barron helping fill in at point guard due to the early regular season absence of John Wall.*

Via Mike Prada/Bullets Forever


Read more: http://basketball.realgm.com/wiretap/224197/Wizards_Cut_Shelvin_Mack_Brian_Cook#ixzz2AeQ7ml5e

:laugh:


----------



## Wade2Bosh

^:laugh: they were thinking of the other Earl "the pearl" :laugh:


----------



## Jace

:rotf:

WTF? Please Washington, take the mania to new heights. Play the Earl at the point!


----------



## Jace

> Eddy Curry could go directly from being waived by the San Antonio Spurs to starting for the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA opener on Tuesday night.
> 
> Curry was cut from the Spurs roster last Tuesday and was playing in preseason action for the Mavericks by Friday. Rife with injuries in their frontcourt, the Mavericks didn't have big bodies to put in the game.
> 
> The same issue could come up in their Tuesday game against the Los Angeles. Mavericks center Chris Kaman is unlikely to be available on the NBA’s opening night. Dallas is also without star Dirk Nowitzki, as he continues to recover from knee surgery and will be out at least another six weeks. That leaves Curry, who has played in 24 games since the 2007-08 season, when he was a featured big man for the New York Knicks.
> 
> Kaman has been struggling with a sprained back and has not scrimmaged with the team since suffering the injury Sept. 29 in training camp. Based on his most recent look at Kaman in practice, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle does not expect Kaman back in time for Tuesday.
> 
> “There was a sighting. It was brief,” Rick Carlisle said, according to the Dallas Morning News. “He got through some of the shooting and 5-on-0 work. But he’s not there yet.”
> 
> The Mavericks have not seen much of Curry at this point, either. He scored 11 points in 25 minutes of an exhibition game Friday against the Bobcats and is slimmed down, a good sign considering his previous weight issues.
> “He’s doing OK,” Carlisle said. “He’s a force in the paint offensively. We’d like to get him more active defensively and rebounding a little bit more. But his attitude has been good, and he’s worked hard to get himself in pretty good shape.”


Awesome. 

Remember when Chris Kaman was our ideal center? Can't even get on the court.


----------



## Wade2Bosh

Bad backs are a bitch







Happy that Ray's getting this out of the way early and can fall to background a little after this one.


----------



## Jace

Love the mental approach to tomorrow night for this team. They're acting like the ring ceremony is a dentist appointment to get through.


----------



## Jace

Also, Shaun Livingston surprisingly was waived today. He's been good since leaving here. Another I would've loved if earlier in training camp.


----------



## Jace

OT: NY to announce tomorrow Amare will be out "at least" 6 weeks. Chandler has a bruised knee and is questionable. Sheed and Camby are both ailing, I believe. They making the playoffs?


----------



## 29380

Jace said:


> OT: NY to announce tomorrow Amare will be out "at least" 6 weeks. Chandler has a bruised knee and is questionable. Sheed and Camby are both ailing, I believe. *They making the playoffs?*


:hano:

Not even mad Knicks got their pick this year, and if the season looks like a lost cause Shump might get a full year to recover.


----------



## Smithian

I feel so bad for Mavericks.

Let's trade them Josh Harrellson.


----------



## Jace

Is there anyone on their roster we'd want? Not seriously humoring you, just got me wondering. Mayo would be nice, but not right now.


----------



## Dee-Zy

Would still take Kaman.


----------



## Smithian

For Josh Harrellson? I'll take a 2015 or 2016 second rounder.


----------



## Dee-Zy

I think you will be eating crow buddy.

He's like UD with a 3pt range.


----------



## Smithian

Dee-Zy said:


> I think you will be eating crow buddy.
> 
> He's like UD with a 3pt range.


You just compared "Jorts" to Udonis Haslem.

Reading that almost gave me a seizure.


----------



## Dee-Zy

Both scrappy and hustlers, rebound well, blue collar work ethic, can't block. Jorts has the longer range. UD is more pure. 

If I'm not mistaking, he plays D pretty well too, just sucks on the pick and roll. Where UD is better. He is bigger to bang in the post though.


----------

