Haslem Sacrifices a Buttload of Money to Return to Miami

The Miami Heat's blue collar power forward Udonis Haslem has decided to return to his hometown team despite receiving offers from Dallas and Denver that could have been up to $35 million over five seasons. Haslem instead signed a five-year deal with the Heat for around $20 million. In regards to leaving such a large sum of money on the table, Haslem said, "I would be changing my DNA if I was leaving just for money."

Pat Riley has made no secret that he has a big boner for Haslem's gritty, selfless playing style, as he has stated time and again that retaining Haslem during the offseason was one of his biggest priorities. Former #2 draft pick Michael Beasley was spared in order to keep Haslem in Miami, with Beasley being traded to Minnesota for two second round picks. While Beasley has the potential to be a more productive player than Haslem, the Heat are clearly in win-now mode and Haslem is better suited for this, especially because of his defense.

I must say that Haslem's return makes me feel much better about carrying on as a Heat fan in the wake of the arrival of the big three. I think Haslem's willingness to return for much less money says something for the Miami Heat as an organization.

Farewell 2009-10 Miami Heat

First off, I just wanna say you guys look real tough in your little suits. Real classy, but like I said, tough too. It's been quite a ride this season. There's been times when I thought you guys were on the verge of a real break-thru (Coach Spoelstra buzz word) and times when I thought you guys might wind up under .500 and out of the playoffs. Turns out you were somewhere between the two. I guess you just weren't quite fluid (another Coach Spoelstra buzz word) enough. Now, I'd like to have some parting words with each one of you guys.

Dwyane Wade: Simply put, you are phenomenal at playing basketball. Sure, your fashion sense is iffy at best, but so is Jordan's. Although you didn't have a season that was as transcendent as last year's, the Heat finished with a better record, so who cares. It seems like you'd like to stick around in Miami, but I know that you have to see the front office make some big moves before you sign on the dotted line. I just hope Pat Riley knows what he's doing this summer, because it'd be a damn shame if you left.

Michael Beasley: I just can't figure you out, bro. I know you're young and have room to grow, but I'm just not convinced you're the guy everyone was gushing about before the Heat drafted you. You've got all the talent in the world, but you just can't seem to get your head in the game. I'd love to see you turn into a 20-10 guy and win multiple championships with D-Wade in Miami, but it's starting to seem less and less likely.

Wade Turns Up the Heat in Indy

Tonight I had the pleasure of witnessing a 43-point performance by Dwyane Wade in a 105-96 overtime win against the Pacers. Typically I get to Pacers games early before they start checking ticket stubs for the lower section, but bad traffic led to us arriving shortly before tip-off. We nearly eluded an old guy who was checking some other people's tickets, but dude took his job seriously and chased us down. Even if we had escaped that diligent old man, it would have been tough to find vacant seats because this weekend's Final Four in Indianapolis brought in a considerable crowd for the oft-empty Conseco Fieldhouse. Normally I wouldn't mind sitting in the nosebleeds, but it would've been nice this time to see Dwyane Wade do stuff like this from up close:



And that was just one of many highlight worthy plays by Wade.

Michael Beasley struggled yet again as my faith in him continues to fade. I really want to believe in the kid, but he just doesn't seem to quite get it. He did come out strong at the beginning of the game with a few encouraging plays, including this drive on Troy Murphy AKA Big Ugly:



But overall, the self-proclaimed Supercool Beas was pretty disappointing. He and Haslem couldn't contain Big Ugly, who finished the game with 29 points and 15 boards! Also, Big Ugly had the runner-up for play of the game with this put back dunk:



It was a great game to see, especially since the two Heat games I went to last season at Conseco Fieldhouse were losses. And one of them was a heart breaker that ended with a would-be game winner by Wade that just rimmed out. This time around, Wade sealed the deal in OT with consecutive three-pointers that had me grimacing upon their release, but celebrating after they dropped. The victory extended the Heat's win streak to seven games and moved them ahead of Milwaukee for the 5th seed.

Beasley with the Putback Dunk Over Gasol

Michael Beasley has been in quite a slump lately, which continued last night as he scored just 6 points. It could be the result of his minutes being cut down, but I guess that's what you get when you can't lead your team past bottom feeders like the Timberwolves while Dwyane Wade is out. Unfortunately, that game made Charles Barkley's assertion that the Heat are a bunch of Tito Jacksons without Wade seem pretty true. At least he had this highlight worthy play on Gasol, but of course he followed it up with a dumb technical for yelling in Gasol's face. It seems like Beasley often has trouble containing his emotions after big plays like these. Hopefully he can start to turn it around as the playoff race heats up (pun definitely intended).

If Amare goes to Cleveland, how will it affect 2010? (UPDATE)

With the NBA trade deadline quickly approaching, rumor has it that the Cavs could be on the verge of trading J.J. Hickson and Zydrunas Ilgauskas to Phoenix for Amare Stoudemire. The Suns have been actively shopping Amare in fear of losing him for nothing in free agency. If the trade goes through, Big Z would likely be bought out by the Suns, probably because he'd be unable to keep up with their run and gun offense. Then again, Shaq somehow managed to keep up. Once Z is waived, he would likely be resigned by the Cavs. These types of moves have always seemed fishy to me, but the NBA allows it.

The Cavs have also been linked to trade rumors with Washington for Antawn Jamison and Indiana for Troy Murphy AKA Big Ugly (props to my homeboy Ryan Hubbard for coming up with that nickname). It has been reported that LeBron prefers Stoudemire, so there's a good chance that these trade talks have died. After all, keeping LeBron happy so that he'll resign in 2010 is Cleveland's biggest priority outside of winning a championship.

There is also word that the Heat have been actively pursuing Stoudemire, but it seems that the Suns have no interest in Miami's players. Because of this, I'm assuming the Heat haven't offered Michael Beasley, unless his off court issues have made the Suns weary.

So how might these potential deals affect the much hyped 2010 free agent market? I have my own theory, however it is highly wrought in hypotheticals. But hear me out.

If Cleveland does pull the trigger to bring Amare to Cleveland, I think Chris Bosh will realize the Raptors don't have what it takes to be true contenders, especially with Hedo Turkoglu making big money past his prime. In realizing this, Bosh will look to sign elsewhere in the offseason, with South Beach being his most likely destination. If Bosh signs with Miami and Pat Riley is able to put together a quality roster around Bosh and Wade (assuming he resigns), the Heat and Cavs would both be contenders for years to come.

UPDATE: Cleveland has acquired power forward Antawn Jamison in a three-team, six player trade. Zydrunas Ilgauskas is headed to the Washington Wizards along with a first-round draft pick and the draft rights to Emil Preldzic (whoever that is). Washington will also get Brian Skinner and Al Thornton from the Los Angeles Clippers. Cleveland will also get point guard Sebastian Telflair from L.A. and the Wizards will send Drew Gooden to the Clippers.

So, um, yeah. You can kinda disregard most of this post now.

Heartbreak Heat

This season's Miami Heat team has been a huge flirt. They start the season out strong at 6-1, and before you know it they fall back into a middling team struggling to remain above .500. Then they have those games when they look poised to turn a corner, only to be put in their place by a buzzer beating freak shot by the best finisher in the game. Then they come out and get embarrassed by the Grizzlies on their home court. Less than a week after that, they blow out Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic at home.

And then there's games like last night, when they trade runs with the KG-less Celtics and let a sizable lead in the 4th quarter disappear, putting the game up for grabs in the waning moments. And then, when Wade seemingly has the game sealed after a an improbable steal and dunk putting them up by 2 with .6 seconds remaining, Paul Pierce executes a perfect mid-court inbounds alley oop to Rajon Rondo for a tip-in that would tie the game and send it to overtime. And of course, the Heat collapse in overtime. What makes this even more heartbreaking is that the game should have ended after Wade's dunk. The time keepers mistakenly stopped and restarted the clock after a Celtics turnover with about 8 seconds left, as they anticipated the Heat to call timeout. I don't know how much more of this I can take, and when you factor in the Bengals' gut wrenching season, I'll probably be going grey by the time the NBA Playoffs roll around... but I digress.

Dwyane Wade seemed livid after this loss, and you can't blame him. Dude posted a season high 44 points and basically had the game won only to see it go to waste because Mario Chalmers couldn't keep up with Rajon Rondo on that final play in regulation. In a season that's been all about assessing the Heat's youth, you have to wonder if this single play has made Chalmers' future with the Heat all the more questionable. While Chalmers did have a few big plays (mostly steals), he shot poorly from the field and crumbled on defense when it mattered most. Is this really the type of running mate Wade is hoping to spend the rest of his career with? Can Chalmers really contribute to a championship team? The answer to those questions is seeming more and more like a resounding "no."

As for the rest of the Heat's youth movement, Dayton's Daequan Cook has basically been banished from the rotation as he still struggles to find his shooting stroke, which he lost all the way back at last year's All Star break. Dorell Wright has been pretty solid this year, but it's doubtful Heat management will resign him unless he's willing to settle for a meager contract. Michael Beasley still looks to be an All Star in the making, but you have to wonder if he can maintain consistency in the playoffs if the Heat do retain Wade and become contenders with a big free agent signing this summer. I even have my doubts that Beasley has what it takes to contribute throughout a single playoff series, although I'd like to think otherwise. If only coach Spoelstra would give Beasley minutes when the games matter most so we could have a better idea. Lord knows his offense could've been used last night in overtime. With that said, you can't blame Spo for sticking with Haslem last night as Udonis had the hot hand in the second half, nailing baseline jumper after baseline jumper to finish with 19 points.

And so Dank Gamers, I'll end this long overdue Miami Heat rant with more or less no conclusion, because it's hard to make any sense of this team thus far. Maybe the inevitable return of Rafer Alston (who's contract was bought out by the lowly Nets) to South Beach can bring some perspective to this motley cast of characters, or maybe he'll make the roster all the more confounding. I just hope Pat Riley has a better idea of where this team is headed than the rest of us Heat fans.

Beasley making big plays on both ends

After watching most of the Heat's brutal blowout loss to the Grizzlies, I couldn't bring myself to watch the Heat vs. Raptors game last night. Thankfully, they turned things around against the Raptors with a blow out win of their own and Michael Beasley had a huge game, tying his career high with 28 points (he hasn't scored 30 yet, seriously?!?) and pulling down 11 rebounds. The above sequence is encouraging and I hope to see more of this from Mike.

Heat split back-to-back

The Miami Heat are now 4-1, which is an encouraging start for a team many observers had missing the playoffs. They should be 5-0 if it weren't for an awful 4th quarter in which they only scored 15 points. Michael Beasley was largely absent in the past two games during the final quarter, as coach Erik Spoelstra seems to still lack confidence in Beasley when the games matter most. While it is understandable with Haslem playing strong down the stretch in the previous game against the Bulls, you can't help but wonder if Michael's offense could've helped them win the game.

Speaking of Spoelstra, sometimes his rotations are truly mystifying. At the beginning of the fourth quarter against the Suns, Spoelstra had a lineup of Carlos Arroyo, Dorell Wright, James Jones, Joel Anthony, and I think Quentin Richardson. That just isn't going to work. Maybe if J.O. were on the floor, Spoelstra might explain that he is spacing the floor with shooters, but Joel Anthony was playing center, who doesn't even come close to demanding a double team. Hell, Anthony can more or less be left open on offense. That's not how you close games as a coach.

The Heat started out strong against the Wizards last night, ending the first quarter up 31-17. While the Heat's defense has looked strong, this good start can also be credited to turnovers by the Wizards. Dwyane Wade carried most of the offensive load early in the game and the Heat also had to rely on Wade to close out the game, which is a growing concern. Wade finished with 40 points, going 14 of 26 from the floor.

Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal have got to step up their offense and rebounding if the team wants to be considered even marginal contenders. O'Neal finished with 4 points and 7 boards, while Beasley had just 10 points and 4 boards. The Heat forced the Wizards to 37% shooting, but they also gave up 13 offensive rebounds.

Quentin Richardson continues to be a big addition for the Heat, especially in these last two games. His defense has been great throughout the season, but he's finally starting to find his outside shot going 5-7 from deep against the Wiz. He's also provided great hustle on both ends of the court.

Another glaring problem for the Heat that has come to light in the past two games is the point guard position. Chalmers has provided some quality offensive play, but he just couldn't handle guarding Steve Nash and Gilbert Arenas who both had big games. Carlos Arroyo couldn't even stay on the floor against the Wizards as Arenas quickly forced him into foul trouble.

Despite all of the Heat's problems, they've shot well as a team, played overall good team defense, and they're off to a 4-1 start. I'm hoping that Daequan Cook can come back soon from his shoulder injury, as he was a key factor to the Heat's success in the first half of last season. I'm also wondering what the status is on Jamaal Magloire who's yet to play after serving a two game suspension due to an altercation in the preseason with Pistons rookie Jonas Jerebko. Magloire has proved to be a serviceable center in limited minutes.

Heat end Conseco Fieldhouse drought

The Heat were finally able to end their streak of 14 regular season losses at Conseco Fieldhouse (two of which I attended last season) with a 96-83 victory against the Pacers. The win was also Dwyane Wade's first win in Indiana, after losing his first 11 visits. Pretty much everyone on the Heat contributed, except for Daequan Cook who had an off shooting night. J.O. continues to impress after another big game against his former team. He put up the same numbers he did against the Knicks with 22 points and 12 rebounds. Dwyane Wade made scoring 32 points look easy, getting buckets by hitting jumpers, posting up, and getting to the line. While Quentin Richardson has been relatively quiet on offense in his first two games with the Heat, his defense on All-Star Danny Granger was encouraging. I forgot to mention in my post about the Knicks game that Udonis Haslem has finally lost his starting power forward spot to Michael Beasley, and thus far he's continued to produce. At some point Beasley's talent had to trump Haslem's productive yet limited game. You got to love Udonis for being such a dedicated player and coming off the bench with no complaints and a consistent effort. Then again, he is in a contract year. Speaking of Haslem, he had the play of the game making a poster out of Solomon Jones. The 2-0 start is definitely encouraging, but the Heat has yet to face any real competition and I can't help but wonder if O'Neal can continue to produce like he has these first two games.


Here's the aforementioned Haslem dunk on Solomon Jones. Pretty nasty.

Heat abuse Knicks 115-93

Dwyane Wade has talked of having to do less this season after putting up otherworldly numbers last season to carry the Heat to 43-39. Tonight, Wade got what he asked for. The Heat shot an astonishing 56% from the floor and 7-15 from deep.

Wade had a relatively "off" game, going 10-22 for 26 points. Despite looking a bit tentative early, Michael Beasley had an inspired effort with 21 points. His offensive repertoire included his typical perimeter jumpers, but he also attacked the rim, still with more finesse than power, though. Jermaine O'Neal looked alive going 10-12 for 22 points and pulling in 12 rebounds. He and Wade played well off of one another, with both picking up assists and easy baskets. It should be noted that 6'9" David Lee was playing center, which makes J.O.'s numbers a bit less impressive. Lee also put up 22 points on several easy putbacks. Chalmers and Dayton's own Daequan Cook also played well with 11 and 15 points respectively. Haslem played his typical reliable game. It was a great shooting night for the Heat, but they'll have to come together more as a team when the shots stop falling and they start playing legit teams. With that said, it was good to see them come out and take New York out with ease.

The Knicks were pretty awful throughout most of the game. Mike D'Antoni looked ready to throw a tantrum, especially after Miami pulled out a big lead. David Lee came just short of a double-double and Danilo Gallinari was three-point happy, hitting 7-13 from deep on 14 shots, but not much else was going for them. Nate Robinson was especially terrible, going 0-8 from the floor, five of those misses from deep.

Here's one of the better plays from the game. After a nice move by Beasley, Wade turned around out of nowhere for the steal off the inbound pass and a crazy 360 layup. Unfortunately, the camera crew cut to Beasley as Wade took it to the hoop.

Dank Game Showdown - Heat vs. Thunder

Yesterday, there was a Dank Game preseason showdown between my own Miami Heat and Mustache's beloved OKC Thunder (I'm anxiously awaiting your Thunder season preview, 'stache). This match up was also a showdown between young stars Michael Beasley and Kevin Durant, who were childhood friends having grown up in Washington D.C. together. The Thunder would pull this one out 96-91 after the Heat controlled the game through the first three quarters. Listen Mustache, before you get too excited, fantasizing about the Thunder bringing home the Larry O'Brien trophy, keep in mind that Dwyane Wade sat this one out due to a strained muscle in his left rib cage.

Michael Beasley (seen throwing down a fastbreak oop from Chalmers at the beginning of the video) had an excellent game, going 9-13 from the field and 6-6 from the line to finish with 24 points in 38 minutes. Despite those impressive numbers, Beasley only pulled in 4 rebounds, none of which were offensive, and he turned the ball over 7 times. The rebounding numbers could be worse, but the turnovers are a real concern. Beasley started at small forward but would see plenty of time at power forward when the Heat played small ball with Haslem at center.

Haslem was his reliable self, adding 9 points, 9 boards, and 2 blocks in 35 minutes. Unspectacular as usual, but mildly effective nonetheless. The Heat might continue to utilize Haslem at center (who's already somewhat undersized as a power forward) as Jermaine O'Neal continues to struggle with rebounding, pulling in just 3 in 23 minutes. Numbers like these are all too familiar after acquiring him last season. J.O. did go 4-7 from the field and 2-2 from the line for 10 points, though.

Two of the Heat's youngsters, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers, had some solid production with both playing about 30 minutes. Both of these guys have been having decent games with Wade out since they can look for their own offense without having to defer to Wade. Dayton native Daequan Cook would only shoot 5-15 from the field, but he did hit 4-7 three pointers, two of which can be seen in the highlights. He would finish with 14 points. Chalmers shot 4-7 from the field and 4-4 from the line for 13 points and added 4 assists. He also had 4 turnovers, though. Chalmers can be seen setting up J.O. for a dunk with a nice pass at the 1:16 mark on the video.

As for the rest of the Heat, James Jones shot well in limited minutes, Quentin Richardson struggled shooting going just 1-7 from deep, and newly acquired point guard Carlos Arroyo was quiet with a couple of dimes in 16 minutes.

Kevin Durant continues to look like a superstar in the making, going 10-16 from the field and 9-10 from the line for 30 points. His dunk on Joel Anthony at the 0:25 second mark on the video is reminiscent of Clyde Drexler and he can be seen dominating throughout the rest of the highlights, including the game clinching shot in the final minutes. I guess he had something to prove after firing back at Truehoop's Henry Abbot via Twitter after Abbot wrote a piece about Durant hurting his team when he's on the floor, despite being an obvious star.

The Thunder's Jeff Green also had an impressive game, going 9-16 from the field and 3-3 from deep for 25 points in 36 minutes. For as much hype as KD gets, I've always thought Green has shown a lot of promise. Second year point guard Russell Westbrook struggled from the field going 3-12 and 6-10 from the line for 12 points, but he did add 7 dimes.

We have yet another Dank Game showdown tonight in Kansas City between the Heat and HAM's New Orleans Hornets. I guess you would only know that from the Hornets logo on the side of the blog, though. Wade could play, so hopefully the Heat can pull it together as a team with only three more preseason games left and no wins.

NBA Training Camp Story Lines & More

It's been a minute since I've written anything about the NBA, and now that media day is past and training camp has started, there's suddenly more interesting things to talk about than Lamar Odom's hasty marriage to reality TV's Khloe Kardashian. Speaking of which, I've been speculating their marriage was the deal breaker for Odom's potential Miami reunion. I probably should've written something about Delonte West being arrested for carrying two hand guns and a shotgun after being pulled over on a three-wheeled motorcycle, because, y' know, that was pretty fucked up. Also, I guess the richest man in Russia is going to buy the Nets, which will probably lead to their highly anticipated move to Brooklyn.

Not in a Golden State: Some of the biggest news to come out of media day is the bleak situation the Warriors have found themselves in. After being fined $25,000 for publicly requesting a trade, Stephen Jackson doesn't seem phased as he continued to express his desire to be dealt. Obviously the league is employing a ridiculous double standard with this fine, as Kobe bitched and moaned all throughout the offseason in 2007 without any consequence. As for Captain Jack's desired destinations, he'd like to end up with Cleveland, anywhere in Texas, or New York to reunite with former Warrior Al Harrington.

As if the drama with Jackson isn't enough, Monta Ellis has said that he and rookie Stephen Curry can't work together as a backcourt as Warriors management had envisioned. Ellis says he has no hard feelings towards the Warriors for drafting Curry, but because they're both small guards, he doesn't feel they can produce wins playing together. Man, what a disappointment this team has been since that glorious upset against the Mavs in the first round of the 2007 Playoffs. I wish I could say that I still believe, but what's left to believe in.

KG Questionable: While I don't normally take pleasure in people being injured, I couldn't help but do a fist pump upon reading the news that Kevin Garnett's bone spur in his knee is more serious than he initially realized. After missing much of the end of last season and the entire playoffs, the Celtics have been pretty quiet about his injury. Garnett has had minimal health issues throughout his 14-year career, so he insists that the injury has forced him to take his health more seriously. Details remain vague.

Cut like a Prizefighter: Along with media day and training camp comes the inevitable rhetoric from coaches and players alike about how the players are in such great shape. Starting with my team, the Miami Heat, coach Erik Spoelstra has been gushing about Jermaine O'Neal's improved health after an offseason of working out in Chicago with noted trainer Tim Grover. Grover has received much attention after helping Dwyane Wade return to form last season. Spoelstra has said that Jermaine looks like he did during his All-Star days in Indiana, but even stronger. JO reportedly has looked much better moving around and can apparently jump again, which would probably be beneficial to to the Heat this season.

Elton Brand will return to the Sixers after recovering from a shoulder injury that kept him out the majority of last season. He's also recovered from the previous season's torn Achilles tendon. According to teammate Thaddeus Young, Brand has been a "monster" on the court, while GM Ed Stefanski says that he is "cut like a prizefighter." We'll have to wait and see if this can translate to wins for the Sixers, as last year Brand's presence seemed to throw off their fast paced offense.

Rajon Rondo has added 11 pounds to his frame which he insists is "all muscle." Judging from this photo from the Celtics' media day, Rondo really does look substantially more muscular. Dude used to be pretty bony. On the topic of Rondo, Celtics GM Danny Ainge has said that he started talks last week with agent Bill Duffy on a contract extension, as he is entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Beasley Ready to Go: I feel the need to follow up on my my previous post about Michael Beasley's now infamous tattoo picture in which two baggies in the background appeared to contain weed. Beasley claims that the bags weren't his as the photo was taken at the place he got the tattoo. He insists he isn't addicted to drugs, and the reason he was checked into a Houston rehabilitation center in the first place was due to his involvement in the incident at the rookie symposium last year when Heat point guard Mario Chalmers, the Grizzlies' Darrell Arthur, and Beasley were caught in a room that smelled of marijuana. I'm guessing there must have been other missteps along the way considering Chalmers wasn't sent to rehab with him.

Beasley apologized to the Heat organization and its fans for his immaturity and insists that his time spent at the rehabilitation center has helped him out. As for those supposed "suicidal Tweets," (I can't believe I'm typing that) Beasley has said that he posted those after hearing his time at the rehabilitation center had been extended. Although I wouldn't go posting some shit like that on the internet, I'd also be pretty pissed if I found out I had to stay in rehab longer. Beasley says he is now through with social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook, and MySpace.

Last But Not Least: Ron Artest is still totally sweet and a really nice guy, too.

Oops...

Nice tattoo, Mike, but maybe you should have cropped the dime bags out of the photo.

Michael Beasley posted this photo of his new "Supercool Beas" tattoo (the name of his first Twitter account) on his second Twitter account, GorillaBeas. Although the photo's resolution is too low to clearly make it out, it's hard to think of anything else that could be in those two bags besides weed. Shortly after the photo started to elicit controversy, Beasley's Twitter account was erased. However, shortly before the account disappeared, these three "tweets" came through:

• "Y do I feel like the whole world is against me!!!!!!! Back on my FTW!!!!! I can't win for losin!!!!!!!!!!"
• "Feelin like it's not worth livin!!!!!!! I'm done"
• "not feelin this at all!!!!!"

Woe is you, Supercool Beas. It seems like Beasley is shaping up to be last year's Greg Oden – the silly kid that starts to believe the world is out to get him. As much as I want to believe in Beasley, he just doesn't seem capable of avoiding stupid mistakes like this. He does have superstar talent and potential, but it seems he doesn't have superstar smarts. With that said, he's still just a kid and I personally could care less about this on a moral level. But you have to wonder if all of this bad publicity is going to affect his game.

Update: According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, Michael Beasley has checked into a rehabilitation center in Houston where he will stay for at least 30 days with little outside contact. Goddamn... I didn't think this was going to get quite so serious. Here's to hoping he can sort everything out.

Stoudemire "50-50" on Returning to Phoenix

According to Marc Spears of Yahoo! Sports, Amare Stoudemire is "50/50" on whether he will accept his $17.6 million player option to return to the Suns for the 2010-11 season.

“I was really looking forward to my entire career being in [Arizona],” Stoudemire said. “It kind of put a hold on a few of my decision-making things. … I don’t know if I’m sure if I want to play one more year here, or be gone, or sign an extension and play here for another six years or so.

“If they are loyal to me, I’m loyal to them. I’m a loyal person and always have been. My word is bond. I’d love to stay; the Suns have been phenomenal so far. But anything can change.”

Although I don't doubt that Amare is a loyal person, nor do I doubt that his word is bond, what is going to convince him to stick around in Phoenix? An aging Steve Nash? An even older Grant Hill? Jason Richardson? Sideshow Bob? The ugliest human of all time? Phoenix is going to have to make some type of move if they really want Amare to stick around.

As a Heat fan who's growing more and more skeptical of Miami's chances of landing Lebron (like there was ever a chance) or Chris Bosh, the thought of picking up Amare is definitely enticing. Bosh would be ideal next to Wade, but Amare certainly would be more than just a consolation prize. With that said, I've always been wary of Amare's diva act, as he's constantly making a fuss about being the first option on offense. If he comes to Miami, he's obviously going to have to defer to Wade and possibly even Beasley depending on his development next season.

Another concern about adding Stoudemire to the Heat is his defense. He's never been known as a great defender and if he were to be the Heat's starting center, a frontcourt of Beasley and Stoudemire might give up a lot of points inside. Although on the other end, they could be one of the best center/power forward duos in the league.

Back to reality, Amare recently finished a 10 day recovery from a minor operation to remove fluid from his right eye that involved lying face down, staring at the floor for 22 hours a day. Stoudemire says it was by far the hardest thing he's ever had to do in his life, which says a lot considering he's had to recover from microfracture knee surgery. The operation was a follow-up procedure to previous surgery to repair his partially detached retina. According to Stoudemire, his new pair of goggles will be bigger than what James Worthy wore back in the day.

“Being cool is definitely a big thing of mine, being swaggered up,” Stoudemire said. “But you definitely want to protect yourself, man. That’s the most important thing.”

What are the implications of the Heat acquiring Quentin Richardson?

Quentin Richardson has been traded a lot this summer. From New York to Memphis for Darko Milicic and cash, to the Clippers for Zach Randolph, to Minnesota for Sebastian Telflair, Mark Madsen, and Craig Smith, and finally to the Miami Heat for 7-foot softie, Mark Blount. Although I'm pretty unfamiliar with Richardson's game, I feel a little apprehensive that the Heat are acquiring someone that's been tossed around so much during the offseason. I do think it was a good trade to make though, as Mark Blount's career in Miami has mostly been on the bench. At least Richardson might have some impact, but whether it will be positive or negative remains to be seen.

When considering what role Richardson will have in Miami, many of the questions surrounding the Heat's roster become magnified. If Richardson will play primarily at the two, will he be a back-up to Dwyane Wade, or will he play alongside him when Wade takes over duties at the point? Although Richardson seems pretty inconsistent, he could be capable of providing some scoring when Wade is on the bench, which was one of the Heat's main weaknesses last season. If he plays alongside Wade, what will become of Daequan Cook? Cook remains a big question mark for the Heat. Sometimes he is the three-point threat that the Heat covet to have beside Wade, and sometimes he disappears (i.e. the second half of last season after winning the three point contest). Cook's potential remains a mystery, and Richardson might be an impediment to his development. I think gauging Cook and the other young players like Chalmers and Beasley ought to be a priority for this season.

If Richardson spends more time at the three, what becomes of the other Heat small forwards? James Jones was never at full health last season, so his ability to mesh with the team remains unknown. If his hand has completely healed, will he be able to return as the three-point specialist he's been in the past? I like Jones but I have concerns about his athleticism, which is an important attribute for a small forward. Jamario Moon had the athleticism I wish Jones possessed, which was why it was tough to see him leave for the Cavs. And what about Yakhouba Diawara and Dorrell Wright? Diawara is a solid perimeter defender and a decent three-point shooter, but when all is said and done, he doesn't seem to be much of a difference maker. Dorrell Wright remains to be a project that has yet to show what he is capable of. When Riley coached, he mostly rode the pine because of Riley's lack of trust in young players. Since then, nagging injuries and inconsistent play have hampered his career. This season could be the final straw for Dorrell, as it is essentially his last chance to prove his worth. I still have a delusional hope that he can become a solid contributor at small forward, but more than likely he will end up falling short due to unreliability or a lack of playing time because of the Heat's glut at small forward. When he had the chance to play during that painful 2007-08 season, he showed some flashes of promise on both ends of the floor. As if those aren't enough questions at the small forward position, will Michael Beasley end up putting minutes at the three? I'm in the line of thinking that he should be the Heat's starting power forward next season. I think the only time he should be at the three is when the opposing team is playing a small forward with offensive deficiencies. Most starting small forwards in the league will take advantage of Beasley's poor defensive footwork, blowing by him over and over. It also might make sense to slide him to the three when Udonis Haslem's defense and rebounding is needed at the power forward position. This way, the Heat would still have Beasley's scoring on the offensive end and Haslem's defense on the other end.

Despite all of these question marks, I think this is ultimately a good trade to have made. Richardson has proven to be a legit three-point threat in the past with Phoenix, setting the Suns single-season record for three-point field goals in 2004-05 by surpassing Dan Majerle's record of 199. He also has a career 35% three-point field goal percentage. The Heat highly value three-point shooters to surround Wade, and this trade gives them plenty of options with Richardson, Cook, Jones, as well as Beasley, who shot just over %40 from three last season. Another positive aspect is that Wade and Richardson are both Chicago natives and friends. Regardless of how this trade works out on the court, it seems as though it will at least improve morale. But there are still plenty of concerns, one of which is Richardson's conditioning. He appeared somewhat out of shape during his stint with the Knicks. Fortunately, he is busy working out in Chicago this summer alongside Wade, Jermaine O'Neal and Dorrell Wright with Tim Grover, who aided Wade in returning to superstar form last summer. Because his contract expires after next season, Richardson will likely only be in Miami for a year, so it's not like this is a high risk move. Let's just hope that this trade actually pays dividends rather than serve as simply a move to lose Mark Blount's contract. And most of all, let's hope this isn't a move that stunts the growth of any of the Heat's young talent.