Luol Deng is convinced that he made the correct move last summer by choosing Miami over Atlanta in free agency, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. Deng remains happy with his choice of the Heat, even without considering the alleged race-related comments by former Hawks GM Danny Ferry that led to him taking a buyout deal. Deng could have pursued free agency again this year, but chose to opt in for $10.15MM. “I know I made the right decision,” Deng said of coming to the Heat. “What happened last year was a lot of injuries and ups and downs. I’m happy where I’m at. I love the organization. I love my teammates and I love Miami.”
There’s more Heat-related news this morning:
- Several players who spent time on Miami’s roster last year won’t be in the league this season, Winderman notes in the same story. Henry Walker, Shannon Brown and Shawne Williams failed to sign training camp deals, while Justin Hamilton is playing in Spain, Andre Dawkins is in Italy and Michael Beasley is in China. Walker signed with the new Amerileague, becoming the league’s first player who saw regular season NBA action last year. In addition, Danny Granger got permission from the Pistons to stay in Arizona and rehab his knee, and could be released. Walker signed
- Josh Richardson is too talented for the Heat to give him extended stays in the D-League, Winderman contends in a separate story. In his “Ask Ira” column, Winderman says Richardson should push Tyler Johnson for playing time, although it appears Miami is giving Johnson the first crack at being the third-string point guard behind Goran Dragic and Mario Chalmers. As the columnist notes, Richardson’s contract is fully guaranteed, while Johnson only carries a partial guarantee.
- Chris Bosh understands that he will be judged by the numbers he puts up, even if the balanced Heat lineup isn’t conducive to big numbers, Winderman writes in another story. After receiving a five-year max contract to stay in Miami in the summer of 2014, Bosh had his season cut short by blood clots in his lungs, playing in just 44 games. “I knew what that meant when I signed my name on the dotted line,” Bosh said. “It’s always everybody’s dream, ‘Oh, yeah, I’m going to be the team’s highest-paid player.’ And then, do it, and you expect things that aren’t realistic.”