Miami Heat Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Beasley, Payton, Harkless

March 19th, 2015 at 9:43pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Nets are two and a half games behind the Celtics for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference and Tim Bontemps of the New York Post believes the next four games will decide their season. Brooklyn will play Milwaukee on Friday and then Indiana, Boston and Charlotte. Any loss hurts twice as much as it will elevate the direct competition closer to a playoff berth.

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

The Heat and Michael Beasley have indeed agreed to a rare team option (and not non-guaranteed salary) for next season in their deal, confirms Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
Elfrid Payton has improved as the season has progressed and the Magic have found their point guard of the future, opines Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. After recording a triple-double on Wednesday night, Payton seems to be feeling more comfortable leading the team. “I’m just working, putting up shots, getting in the gym, working hard,” Payton said. “I think the confidence has always been there, but I know I’ve got the support of my teammates.”
Maurice Harkless has seen more minutes since Orlando fired coach Jacque Vaughn and the team likes how the forward is playing, writes Robbins in a separate piece. “He’s showing that he wants to play,” interim coach James Borrego said. “There’s a confidence about him right now, and he’s got to continue to play with that.” Harkless is under contract through next season, but he is eligible for a rookie scale extension this summer.

Southeast Notes: Ferry, Bazemore, Bosh, MKG

March 18th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Charlie Adams

Kent Bazemore admits that Danny Ferry‘s name gets brought up in the Hawks‘ locker room quite a bit and the guard believes Ferry deserves credit for putting a championship contender together, as he tells Charles Bethea in an interview for Grantland.com.

“[Ferry is] definitely a huge part of this year’s success. It was unfortunate what happened, but that doesn’t change the way I feel about Mr. Ferry. I flew into Atlanta this summer and had lunch with him. And he’s a great guy,” Bazemore said. “We sat there, we laughed, we joked. He has a huge group of friends, believe it or not, in the NBA. So I look at it as a business. He’s trying to do his best for his organization, and he’s done a great job of getting the right guys in and creating a team that’s number one in the East and almost the best team in the NBA right now, recordwise. He could win the GM award.”

In our latest poll, about 30% of Hoops Rumors readers believe Ferry should win the Executive of the Year award. As we wait to see whether or not the summer controversy surrounding the Hawks prevents Ferry from taking home the trophy, we’ll round up more from the Southeast:

Bazemore, before signing his two year, $4MM deal with the Hawks, played last season with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. Some have suggested that free agents would be disinterested in signing with Los Angeles because of Bryant. Bazemore tells Bethea that that’s simply not the case and that it wasn’t difficult to play with the 17-time All-Star.
Chris Bosh isn’t letting his season-ending injury prevent him from contributing to the Heat, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel observes (subscription only link). Bosh has been playing the role of an assistant coach, and Dwyane Wade is supportive of what the big man brings to the bench. “If he sees something, he’ll come to you and he’ll tell you,” said Wade. “He’s been exciting. He’s been into it. I think he’s just enjoying being around the game again. We feel his excitement. It’s just good just to look over there and see him.”
Hornets coach Steve Clifford believes Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has the talent to become the best perimeter defender in this generation of NBA players, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Kidd-Gilchrist becomes extension-eligible this summer, and such strong words likely indicate the Hornets would prefer to keep the Kentucky product around going forward.

Chris Crouse contributed to this post.

Eastern Notes: Beasley, Bucks, Celtics

March 18th, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by ChrisCrouse

Michael Beasley‘s latest stint with the Heat has been a success, writes Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald. Miami signed him through at least the remainder of the season, after his second 10-day contract expired on Tuesday, and coach Erik Spoelstra believes he can be a contributor down the stretch. “Michael has been very good, and with all the changes and moving parts, we are very fortunate to add a player who is familiar to us and our system,” Spoelstra said. “He has improved a great deal and he has helped us, so he has made the most of the opportunity, and we’ll go from there.”

Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:

Beasley confirmed that his contract for next season will be a team option, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link).
The Bucks have signaled that they won’t pony up any more than the $250MM they’ve already committed toward the construction of a new arena in Milwaukee as legislators continue to haggle over public funding, as Don Walker of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details.
The Celtics may be on the verge of making the playoffs, but Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com (video link) is looking ahead to the offseason to see which free agents might land in Boston. Toscano believes it would be wise for the franchise to look at Draymond Green and Wesley Matthews as possible free agent targets. Toscano also names Greg Monroe as someone who the team could conceivably land.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Heat Sign Michael Beasley For Season

March 18th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:26pm: The signing is official, the Heat announced.

1:12pm: The deal is believed to cover next season as well with a team option, according to Winderman, who writes in a full story. I’d speculate that next season would involve non-guaranteed salary rather than a team option, since that’s a more typical structure for this sort of contract, but that remains to be seen.

WEDNESDAY, 12:10pm: Karnes confirms via Twitter that his client will re-sign with the Heat.

TUESDAY, 1:02pm: Heat coach Erik Spoelstra indicated today that the Heat will re-sign Michael Beasley on Wednesday to a contract that covers the balance of the season, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Today is the final day of his second 10-day contract with the team, so the sides would have to do a deal for at least the rest of 2014/15 if they were to continue their partnership. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the team indeed commit to the former No. 2 overall pick for at least the next month or two, given the praise that Spoelstra and team president Pat Riley have given him since he signed the first of his 10-day contracts with Miami late last month.

The Jared Karnes client has also played a fairly prominent role for the team on his pair of 10-day deals, averaging 9.5 points and 3.9 rebounds in 22.9 minutes per game across 10 appearances. Those averages are better than he posted last season, when he was on the Heat’s roster all year. He spent most of this season playing in China after a brief stint with the Grizzlies during the preseason.

Miami has a full 15-man roster with 14 players already signed through at least the end of the season, so a new deal for Beasley would close off the Heat’s ability to add another player without waiving someone else. Miami is limited to giving Beasley no more than the minimum salary, but the team can tack an extra year onto the deal if it wants and if Beasley and Karnes permit it. It would be reasonable to expect Beasley to demand at least a significant partial guarantee for that to happen, but it’s unclear if either side is thinking beyond 2014/15.

Eastern Notes: Rose, Stevens, LeBron, Pistons

March 17th, 2015 at 10:12pm CST by Charlie Adams

After Derrick Rose tore his meniscus, he was given a six-week recovery timeline that began on February 27th, but Tom Thibodeau said today that the former MVP is “ahead of schedule” in the healing process, notes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Thibodeau also said he was “hopeful” that Taj Gibson and Jimmy Butler would return to action this week, but the Bulls coach stopped short of making any guarantees. Here’s tonight’s look at the Eastern Conference:

Celtics coach Brad Stevens is defying stereotypes and proving a coach hired straight out of the NCAA can be effective in the NBA, writes Chris Bernucca of Sheridan Hoops, who points to P.J. Carlesimo, Tim Floyd, Leonard Hamilton, Lon Kruger, Mike Montgomery, Jerry Tarkanian, and Rick Pitino as big names who failed to make their mark at the NBA level.
Pat Riley admitted he was surprised when LeBron James left the Heat to re-join the Cavs, and he regarded the decision made by LeBron a result of the “contemporary attitude of today.” However, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer isn’t shocked in the least at James’ decision and argues that the same attitude is the what led LBJ to originally leave Cleveland in 2010.
The Pistons took a risk when they made a deal to acquire Reggie Jackson, and given Detroit’s 2-10 record in games in which Jackson appears, both the soon-to-be restricted free agent and the team are hoping they can figure out how to effectively mesh during the last month of the season, as David Mayo of MLive details. It’s worth noting that Jackson scored 23 points and dished out 20 assists in tonight’s win over the Grizzlies.

Southeast Notes: Beasley, Bazemore, Magic

March 17th, 2015 at 7:29pm CST by Charlie Adams

The Hornets and Heat are two of the five clubs competing for the final pair of playoff spots in the East, and Charlotte will have a chance to move into a tie with Miami for the eighth seed if they can find a way to steal a win from the Clippers tonight in Los Angeles. While there’s still over a month left in the regular season, it wouldn’t be shocking to see four of the Southeast’s five teams end up with postseason berths. We’ve got the latest from around that division below..

Erik Spoelstra pointed to Michael Beasley’s familiarity with the Heat’s system as a major reason why the club went after him once his season ended in China, observes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (subscription required). The 26-year-old called the roster movement he’s been a part of throughout his career “humbling” and admitted he’ll need to continue to work hard every night if he wants to stick in Miami.
It wasn’t exactly a splashy signing when Kent Bazemore inked a two-year, $4MM deal with the Hawks last summer, but Jeff Teague and others from Atlanta’s locker room contend that the third-year guard’s presence has been a boon to the club’s chemistry and overall success, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Shaun Powell of NBA.com breaks down James Borrego’s coaching credentials and wonders if his popularity among the Magic players and relative success so far as interim head coach could lead Orlando’s front office to keep him at the helm of the club going forward.

Eastern Notes: Irving, Heat, Scott, Perkins

March 16th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

Reports last season that made claims of a rift between Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters and alleged that Irving wanted to leave the Cavaliers put a strain on the point guard, as he tells Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. Irving silenced much of the chatter when he agreed to a five-year extension with Cleveland on the first day he could this past July.

“It really got to me,” Irving said of the rumors. “I’m not a big Twitter person and I don’t tweet a lot of my emotions, but last year I was clarifying because there were so many sources. I’m dealing with people coming at my character. Saying I’m detrimental to my teammates and I’m like, ‘Man, that’s not even close to who I am at all.’ It started to get to me because once people start to question the things that you’re doing, and you know you’re not doing them, then it starts to get to you.”

There’s more on the Cavs amid the latest from around the Eastern Conference:

Dwyane Wade believes Goran Dragic is a fit for the Heat, but even if he re-signs and Chris Bosh and Josh McRoberts return healthy for next season, Wade thinks the team would still need to add more to return to contention, as he told Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post.
Mike Scott is expected to miss four to six weeks with his broken left big toe, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Hawks signed Austin Daye on Saturday to a 10-day contract to help offset the loss. The regular season ends four weeks from this coming Wednesday.
Kendrick Perkins is enthusiastic about the way he’s fit in with the Cavs and the warm reception his new teammates have given him, as he tells Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders (Twitter links). Perkins, who nonetheless added that he misses his former Thunder teammates, will once more hit free agency in the summer.
Public funding for pro sports facilities is coming under fire from President Obama, who’s proposed eliminating the ability for states and cities to use bonds that are exempt from federal taxes to raise money for construction, reports Elaine S. Povich of Stateline (USA Today link). It’s unclear whether that would affect the Bucks‘ plan, which is based on a “jock tax” that draws from players.

Mavs Drop Out Of Running For JaVale McGee

March 16th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Mavs are no longer interested in signing JaVale McGee, and they aren’t seeking any other upgrades to their roster, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who writes amid his weekly power rankings. They join the Warriors among the teams who have apparently grown chilly on the idea of signing the free agent center after he and the Celtics failed to reach a deal earlier this month. Dallas reportedly had serious interest in McGee as of a couple of weeks ago.

McGee has been a free agent after securing his release from the Sixers, who acquired him in a deadline-day trade with the Nuggets. There’s little financial pressure for McGee to find a deal, since the B.J. Armstrong client didn’t have to give up any of his $11.25MM salary for this year or his $12MM salary for 2015/16 to part ways with Philly. The Mavs already have 15 players on their roster, as our roster counts show, so there’s financial disincentive for Dallas to make a move. The Mavs were reportedly the front-runners for Jermaine O’Neal earlier this season before he called a halt to his comeback efforts, while Dallas also apparently had cautious interest in Larry Sanders.

The Rockets, Raptors and Heat were still interested in signing McGee as of 10 days ago, Spears reported then. The center has reportedly been seeking a player option for 2015/16 in his next contract, a demand that apparently helped unravel the would-be deal with Boston.

Eastern Notes: Ferry, Brand, Kirilenko, Heat, C’s

March 13th, 2015 at 1:50pm CST by Chuck Myron

Hawks executive and prospective owner Dominique Wilkins hasn’t exactly been enamored with Danny Ferry after he tried to block the building of a statue in honor of the Hawks legend, as Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes in a subscription-only piece. Schultz examines the uncertain future of the GM who’s been on indefinite leave of absence since September and the opposition he faces from Hawks co-owner Michael Gearon Jr., who reportedly sought Ferry’s ouster and, according to Schultz, fears the GM’s return. There’s more on the Hawks amid the latest from the Eastern Conference:

Elton Brand says he’ll wait until season’s end to decide whether he’ll retire, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Brand also considered retirement after last season before he re-signed with the Hawks on a one-year, $2MM deal.
It appears that Andrei Kirilenko‘s departure from the Sixers constituted a buyout deal, as his salary was reduced from $3,326,235 to $2,328,365, according to Eric Pincus, who reports via Twitter and shows more detail on his Sixers salary page at Basketball Insiders. Presumably, that $997,870 difference is on top of the money Kirilenko lost during his unpaid suspension.
Having Hassan Whiteside blossom as he has is “almost like getting a lottery pick” to make up for the first-rounders the team dealt away when it signed-and-traded for LeBron James and Chris Bosh in 2010, Heat president Pat Riley tells Bleacher Report’s Ethan Skolnick (Twitter link). Riley added that he feels as though Michael Beasley and perhaps Tyler Johnson also have the ability to offset the loss of those picks.
Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge is much more pleased with his club now than he was two months ago, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com observes.

Heat Ink Henry Walker To Multiyear Deal

March 13th, 2015 at 10:14am CST by Eddie Scarito

FRIDAY, 10:14am: The deal is official, the team announced.

THURSDAY, 7:02pm: The Heat intend to sign Henry Walker to a multiyear deal that includes the remainder of this season and the 2015/16 campaign, Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reports (Twitter link). David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link) also confirmed that a deal is imminent. Walker’s second 10-day deal with Miami ends today. It’s unclear if next season’s agreement will be a team option, or if any guaranteed money will be included.

This signing will give the Heat 14 players on the roster who have guaranteed salaries for this season. Miami also has Michael Beasley, who is on his second 10-day deal, which is set to expire on March 17th. At that point the team will need to re-sign the forward for the remainder of the season or else he’ll become a free agent immediately.

In 10 appearances for the Heat this season, including five as a starter, Walker is averaging 8.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 27.4 minutes per game. The swingman is only hitting 34.1% of his shots from the field, which is well below his career number of 45.7%.