Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat To Fill Roster Spots: McRoberts Fights For Minutes

April 3rd, 2016 at 6:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat are considering Dorell Wright for one of their open roster spots, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The 30-year-old Wright, who played his first six NBA seasons in Miami, recently became available after his team in China finished its season. Jackson says the Heat are also looking at point guard Briante Weber, who had a 10-day contract with the Grizzlies last month and is currently with Miami’s D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. The Heat plan to fill both spots, Jackson notes, but they have to wait until they’re sure the moves won’t put them back above the tax threshold. They could make the first of the signings Thursday if they wait until April 13th, the final day of the regular season, to make the second.

Josh McRoberts has been forced to battle for playing time in the second year of a free agent contract he signed with the Heat in 2014, notes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The 6’10” power forward/center is averaging just 14.3 minutes through 39 games in an injury-plagued season. McRoberts, who still has two years and more than $11.8MM left on his deal, would like to become part of Miami’s rotation in time for the playoffs. “Obviously, you want to play in every game,” McRoberts said. “I’m professional. I’m here to be ready when my number’s called.”

Winslow: Title Clinched Draft Decision; Green Bounces Back

April 2nd, 2016 at 7:42pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat rookie Justise Winslow may not have entered last year’s draft if Duke hadn’t won the national championship, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel. The 6’7″ small forward, who is averaging 6.6 points and 5.2 rebounds in 72 games, was selected 10th overall after leaving school as a freshman. “It depended how we would have done in the tournament — losing early, how I was playing,” Winslow said. “But I wasn’t guaranteed or I didn’t go into college saying I’m going to be one and done without a doubt.” Without Winslow in the draft, Winderman speculates that Miami may have used its pick on Kentucky sharpshooter Devin Booker or Texas big man Myles Turner.

Gerald Green had plenty of motivation for breaking out of a long slump with 30 points Friday in Miami’s win over the Kings, Winderman writes in a separate story. The 30-year-old Green, who will be entering free agency this summer, has seen his playing time cut dramatically since the Heat signed Joe Johnson in late February. “Every day, I go to the gym at night, I run, I read y’all comments, and go back to the gym, read y’all comments, go right back to the gym,” Green said. “So I’m just motivated. My teammates motivate me. So I’m just doing whatever I can to just keep myself together.”

Smart Battling Back From Skin Cancer

April 1st, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

Heat assistant coach Keith Smart is trying to overcome a rare form of skin cancer and rejoin the team on the bench, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Chris Quinn has moved from behind the bench to take Smart’s place while he undergoes treatment, and Smart said he doesn’t want to disrupt the chemistry of the coaching staff when he returns. He credits the Heat for keeping him involved during his absence. “This team has been great,” Smart said. “The organization has been great. [Coach Erik Spoelstra] is incredible, managing this team and also communicating with me almost on a daily basis or every other day, just to make sure that I’m doing OK.”

Positive Signs For Whiteside's Free Agent Stock

April 1st, 2016 at 12:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald examines the improving offensive game of Hassan Whiteside, who’s No. 10 in our latest Free Agent Power Rankings. Whiteside has engendered himself to Heat brass as he’s given more deference to winning instead of statistics of late, as The Herald’s Ethan Skolnick examined this week, and he’s looking at ways to apply the influx of cash he’s expected to receive starting next season toward bettering his performance, as Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post relays. “It’ll help me do things to better myself and finally get to do some things I’ve wanted to do, different things like going to train at places I couldn’t afford,” Whiteside said. “I couldn’t afford them places. That’s why I was working out at the Y. I could get a nutritionist and a chef. I could get a massage therapist. Stuff I could use to better myself that are a little hard for me right now.”
Josh McRoberts will still have two years and more than $11.8MM left on his contract after this season, but Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel finds it tough to envision him remaining with the Heat for next year, given coach Erik Spoelstra‘s reluctance to use him.

Southeast Notes: Beal, Batum, Dragic, Hawks

March 31st, 2016 at 9:52pm CST by Arthur Hill

Bradley Beal‘s harsh comments toward his teammates after Wednesday’s loss in Sacramento are a sign of underlying problems on the Wizards, contends J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Beal, who is headed toward restricted free agency this summer, said the team isn’t “hungry enough” and seemed to give up in the closing moments of the game. “We bark too much,” Beal said. “We say what we need to do. We scream at one another. We can even try to blame [coach Randy Wittman] if we want to, but at the end of the day we still the ones playing. … We just do dumb mental lapses that just mess up the game and end up hurting us in the long run.” Michael thinks Beal and John Wall need to get together as team leaders and work out whatever personal differences they have with each other before their relationship is too far gone.

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

Nicolas Batum figures to be the most sought after among a large group of Hornets free agents, writes Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. Contracts for Marvin Williams, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson will also expire at the end of the season and Jeremy Lin has the choice to opt out, but Batum has risen above the crowd with his versatile play. “I’ve been around teams where people think about their contract and their personal situation. I can’t understand that,” Batum said. “With this team, we know if we do great as a team, if we all do our jobs, everything will work out.”
If the Heat were giving any thought to trading point guard Goran Dragic and pursuing Grizzlies free agent Mike Conley, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald says Dragic has changed their minds with his recent performance. “We love Goran,” said team president Pat Riley. “Now he’s playing like The Dragon. His game has opened up. I’m very happy that we have this point guard.”
The Hawks plan to keep Lamar Patterson and Edy Tavares with the Austin Spurs through the D-League team’s playoff run, according to Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Both rookies have spent extensive time in the D-League this season. Tavares, a 7’3″ center, has played in 27 games for the affiliates of the Spurs, Suns and Cavs, while Patterson has been in 17 games with San Antonio’s and Cleveland’s D-League teams.

Heat Notes: Whiteside, Johnson, Stoudemire

March 30th, 2016 at 6:00pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There have been reports that the Lakers intend to target Hassan Whiteside this offseason, but the big man said that any potential interest from Los Angeles was news to him, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays. “They’ve been talking about me and the Lakers?” Whiteside responded when asked about the Lakers’ potential interest. “I didn’t know that.” The big man did add that the Lakers should be familiar with what he can do from his time spent with them prior to the 2014/15 campaign, Winderman adds. “I worked out for the Lakers before I worked out with the Heat,” Whiteside said. “So, I mean, they’ve seen it. They had a chance to see what I could do. I know Byron Scott was there and a couple of other front-office guys.”

Whiteside, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, added that his favorite places to play on the road were New York and L.A., Winderman also relays. “I feel like [Madison Square] Garden and the Staples Center are like the two biggest places to play,” he said. “I feel like those places are just special just because there are so many celebrities and everybody is there.”

Here’s more from South Florida:

The addition of Joe Johnson has revitalized the player as well as the Heat’s offense, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today writes. The veteran was looking beyond the 2015/16 season when making his decision, and Johnson envisions himself finishing his career in South Beach, Zillgitt adds. “I’m not looking at the big payday. Been there, done that,” Johnson said. “I just want to be somewhere where I could help contribute and play in meaningful games. That’s what it’s all about. I was looking for some type of security – not necessarily a verbal commitment – but somewhere where I could play and enjoy the game.”
Amar’e Stoudemire‘s revitalized play and relative good health this season has reinforced his desire to play in the NBA for a few more years, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. The 33-year-old has appeared in 45 games for the Heat this season and is averaging 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds in 15.0 minutes per contest. Stoudemire will be an unrestricted free agent this summer.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra appreciates the maturity that Justise Winslow has shown in his willingness to embrace and earn a role in the rotation rather than relying on his status as a lottery pick to garner minutes, Winderman writes in a separate piece. “You can talk yourself into existence. He doesn’t believe in that. We don’t believe in that,” Spoelstra said. “He’s got a very good head on his shoulders. He has a great approach. He has a veteran approach to the game, and it’s pure. He wants to win. He’s only about winning and getting better every single day.”

Pelicans Sign James Ennis To 10-Day Contract

March 30th, 2016 at 2:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

2:05pm: The signing is official, the team announced. The contract will cover six games, against the Spurs, Nuggets, Nets, Sixers, Celtics and Lakers.

1:31pm: The NBA has indeed given the Pelicans another hardship provision for an 18th roster spot, as Jim Eichenhofer of the team’s website confirms. Eichenhofer doesn’t mention Ennis but suggests the team may make a signing as soon as today. New Orleans has a two-day window from the time the league grants the provision to use it.

8:47am: The Pelicans will sign former Heat and Grizzlies swingman James Ennis, sources tell Scott Kushner of The New Orleans Advocate (Twitter links). The move appears to be a signal that the NBA has given New Orleans another hardship exception for an extra roster spot. Seven Pelicans are out for the season with injuries, including Jrue Holiday and Alonzo Gee, whose season-ending maladies the team announced Tuesday. The Pelicans already have 17 players under contract, two over the normal limit.

Memphis waived Ennis on March 2nd to make room on its roster for Ryan Hollins, and somewhat curiously, the Grizzlies and Ennis haven’t circled back to each other even as the team has made a flurry of moves and received multiple hardship exceptions amid a rash of injuries similar to the trouble the Pelicans have gone through. The Grizzlies nonetheless seemed to have little use for the 25-year-old who was the 50th overall pick in 2013, sending him on eight D-League assignments and only putting him on the floor in 10 games at the NBA level.

Ennis began the season with the Heat, for whom he saw much more playing time before they shipped him out in November via the Mario Chalmers trade. The Heat never sent Ennis to the D-League once they signed him in 2014, and he averaged 5.0 points in 17.0 minutes per game across 62 appearances for Miami last season.

He’ll see $49,709 on his 10-day contract with New Orleans and add to a shrinking reserve of healthy Pelicans. Dante Cunningham, Omer Asik, Luke Babbitt, Toney Douglas, Tim Frazier, Jordan Hamilton, Kendrick Perkins and Alexis Ajinca are the only New Orleans players without some sort of ailment, The Advocate’s Brett Dawson notes (Twitter link).

Dwyane Wade Doesn't See Friendship With Other Players As A Problem

March 27th, 2016 at 8:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Dwyane Wade doesn’t see his friendship with LeBron James or any other opposing NBA player as a cause for concern, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel writes. “I use the analogy, it’s just like growing up with my brothers,” Wade said. “I love ’em to death, but I want to beat them every time. That’s the same thing. I love ‘Bron. My respect for Kobe, my friendship with all these guys, I love ’em all. But I want to beat them every time, and vice versa.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

DeMarre Carroll has not played since January and the Raptors should consider shutting him down for the rest of the season, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star argues. Smith believes the team has good chemistry at the moment and integrating Carroll into the rotation may keep the team from making a serious run in the playoffs. Carroll’s $13.6MM salary for the 2015/16 campaign, which is the first year of a four-year, $58MM deal, is the highest on the team.
Dwight Howard may flirt with the Magic this offseason, but a reunion between Orlando and the center can only end horribly, George Diaz of the Orlando Sentinel opines. Diaz doesn’t believe Howard can be the face of the franchise and believes the 30-year-old wouldn’t get along with coach Scott Skiles.
The 2015/16 campaign has been a disappointment for the Nets, but Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has been a bright spot for the team, Brian Lewis of the New York Post writes. The rookie wing even received praise from James after Brooklyn’s recent win against the Cavs. “I think he’s going to be a really good player for them,” James said. The Nets acquired Hollis-Jefferson’s rights on draft night last June.

Heat Rumors: Whiteside, McRoberts, Green, Bosh

March 27th, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Heat have decided they want to keep impending free agent center Hassan Whiteside but are concerned that he’s getting more expensive, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. There were “serious concerns” earlier in the year about giving a huge deal to Whiteside, Jackson hears, but his recent play has taken care of those. Team president Pat Riley and executive Alonzo Mourning have both told Whiteside they’re happy with his progress, but the team can’t hold any formal contract discussions until summer because league rules prevent extensions for players with two-year deals. Whiteside could get a starting salary of approximately $22MM on a max contract, depending on the size of the cap. “I hope [there’s interest],” Whiteside said. “I like the organization. Pat Riley is always going to do a great job of adding people that are going to help you win. It’s not hard to sell to come to Miami. You can always recruit great talent.”

There’s more news from South Beach:

Miami’s decision on how to handle its two open roster spots could be determined by the team’s faith in Josh McRoberts and Gerald Green, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The columnist says if the Heat believe both veteran forwards can contribute in the playoffs, they will likely fill the spots with players from their successful D-League affiliate in Sioux Falls. However, if there is doubt about McRoberts and Green, Winderman thinks the Heat will pursue a more seasoned player, suggesting 30-year-old Dorell Wright as a possibility. Wright, who began his career in Miami, played for the Blazers during the past two seasons but spent this year in the Chinese Basketball Association.
With the regular season schedule dwindling, it’s becoming unlikely that Chris Bosh will play again before the playoffs, Winderman writes in the same story. Bosh hasn’t been in a game since February 9th because of concerns about reported blood clots in his left calf. With a western trip looming this week, Winderman notes that the team may not hold another practice before April 4th, which limits Bosh’s chance to return.
Joe Johnson has started riding an exercise bike after games to help build endurance to keep up with Miami’s fast-paced offense, tweets Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post. Johnson chose the Heat over the Cavaliers after agreeing to a buyout with Brooklyn because he prefers an up-tempo style.

Wade Praises Haslem's Profesionalism

March 25th, 2016 at 9:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Udonis Haslem has seen his role markedly diminished for the Heat this season, but teammate Dwyane Wade stuck up for his teammate and noted that the veteran can still play and would be a rotation player on quite a few other teams, Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post writes. “Just look at Udonis,” Wade said. “He’s a three-time champion. There’s guys on other teams playing around this league that I would put him against any day, and here he’s not playing and not getting minutes. Think about the pride that takes and the ego that he doesn’t have to still be here and not be asking to get out of here, to not be tearing up the locker room every night. I get it. It’s tough. Special guys like that come around and when an organization has those guys, they try to keep them as much as they can.”