The city of Miami has been partying since Thursday evening and the celebration will continue at least through Monday when the Heat are honored with a championship parade through downtown. The event should serve as further validation for LeBron James and his achievements after enduring a bizarre two years in South Florida since making "The Decision" to leave Cleveland and join the Heat. Here's the latest news and happenings from South Beach courtesy of the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Ira Winderman…
On Thursday, the Miami Heat defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder 121-106 to clinch their second NBA championship in franchise history. Here are the latest news and notes surrounding both 2012 NBA Finals teams on Saturday evening:
We've already covered a few draft rumors today, and Zach Links went in-depth on West Virginia power forward Kevin Jones in our latest Prospect Profile. There's plenty more going on as the draft approaches, including news from John Mitchell of the Philadelphia Inquirer that the Sixers put point guard Marquis Teague through an "exhaustive" individual workout this morning. Bookmark this post for the rest of the day's draft news, with latest on top.
- Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star has an article on the Pacers' scouting staff as they prepare to pick 26th overall in Thursday's draft.
- Kurt Helin of NBC Sports looks at several players with the potential to become the second-best talents in the draft.
- Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News suggests Meyers Leonard as a possible fit for the Warriors.
- The Lakers are in talks to acquire a first-round pick, and could be after the Heat's selection at No. 27, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio tweets.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer offers his thoughts on the implications of a rumored swap of the second and fourth picks by the Bobcats and Cavs.
- Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group thinks the Warriors could trade down from No. 7 and still get the player they want, unless it's Damian Lillard or Dion Waiters. He also believes the team will give serious consideration to Andre Drummond (Twitter links).
- We have the latest from Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com in a separate post.
Earlier updates:
Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News has a new column focusing on Miami Heat president Pat Riley, who is attempting to build a new dynasty in Miami following the team's NBA Finals victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. Here are the highlights of the column:
We're less than a week away from the NBA Draft, and the Raptors big board doesn't seem to be getting any clearer, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. However, multiple team sources say that the club was impressed with North Carolina power forward John Henson’s workout on Thursday. More draft news and other odds and ends on this Sunday afternoon..
Even though the Heat captured the 2012 NBA championship on Thursday night, their roster may look very different entering next season, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The team’s core obviously stay, but they’ll have to re-sign or replace a number of players who were key during their title run. Here's Kennedy on what's next for Miami and more..
Earlier tonight, we learned that Game 5 hero Mike Miller is currently weighing his options and isn't sure if he'll return to basketball in 2012/13. The veteran guard is still under contract for three more seasons and nearly $19MM, but he may look to go out on top after winning his first NBA title in memorable fashion. Here's the latest batch of links out of SoBe and the rest of the division..
Heat guard Mike Miller will meet with doctors soon to determine if his injured back needs surgery that includes a lengthy rehabilitation process, according to the Associated Press. Miller has dealt with a slew of injuries in recent years, including a foot problem that he played through this season.
The Southeast Division came into existence just eight years ago, in 2004, so it's no surprise that the Heat are the division's only NBA champion its inception, winning their second title last night. But Miami isn't the only franchise in the Southeast with an NBA Finals victory in its history. Before Washington's team was the Southeast's Wizards, it was the Central Division's Bullets, winning an NBA title in 1977/78. The Wizards introduced new acquisitions Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza at a press conference today, and they weren't the only Southeast club in the news — let's round up a few more Friday notes out of the division….
All eyes tonight will be on Game 5 of the NBA Finals, as the Thunder look to stave off elimination in Miami, but exactly one week from now, we'll be gearing up for the 2012 draft. The first draft-related trade of the month was finalized yesterday, when the Wizards sent the No. 46 overall pick to the Hornets along with Rashard Lewis as part of a three-player swap. Will we see another deal consummated today? We'll keep track of the day's latest draft news and rumors right here, with the newest items added up top….
- Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com wonders whether Royce White's decision to pull out of his remaining workout has to do with an injury or his fear of flying instead of a promise from the Celtics (Twitter link). Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune pegs White as a candidate to be picked at No. 18 by the Wolves, and lists the second-round hopefuls the team will be working out Friday.
- Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal sizes up Andrew Nicholson and the chances he'll go to the Cavs at pick No. 24.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com has tweaked his mock draft in the wake of the latest developments (Insider link).
Earlier updates: