The Fact of the Matter Is ...

- Pat Riley is receiving calls regarding Shawn Marion's availability in trades.

- Riley is likely even making a phone call or six to check interest.

- It's all part of doing business in the NBA.

- It's also what Riley is supposed to do, considering his history at building and rebuilding teams around minor and major trades.

-Shawn Marion has had a difficult go of it in Miami's offense.

-Miami's offense doesn't really cater to Marion's game, because, unlike in Phoenix, where Marion was a finisher at the rim, a guy named Dwyane Wade takes care of the finishing in these parts.

-Marion is sensitive. Super sensitive.

-And the combination of circumstances (Marion's expiring contract, Heat needs elsewhere on the roster, the relentless rumor mill, Riley's never-really-satisfied approach to running a team, Marion's sensitivity) makes this a turbulent time across the board.

-The Heat is still ahead of schedule, regardless, in this rebuilding stage.

-As Michael Beasley develops - and defends - it reduces to the all-out need for Marion.

-Holding onto Marion for the rest of the season wouldn't be all that bad for the Heat, especially come playoff time.

-Parting with Marion at the trade deadline in any sort of lateral move that doesn't bring a starting big man and relieves the Heat's roster of either Marcus Banks or Mark Blount wouldn't be worthwhile.

-Hanging onto Marion for the rest of the season and having him walk away in the summer wouldn't necessarily cripple the Heat.

-And Marion's departure alone in free agency won't necessarily make the Heat a major player in the 2009 class to be headlined by Carlos Boozer (a sign-and-trade or subsequent roster move would be needed because, while dumping Marion's salary would take the Heat significantly under luxury tax, it won't leave them far enough under the salary cap).

-Sometimes, it's better to leave good enough (as in playoff progress) alone.

-Something eventually has to give, because Marion's pride and sensitivity, agent Dan Fegan's reputation as being hard to bargain with and Riley's itchy trade finger might not be able to co-exist much longer.

-It's going to be an eventful few weeks, to say the least, leading to the Feb. 19 trade deadline.

Comments

[blackthetrucker]

well if boozer is available why make that trade. straight up marion for boozer. then maybe caron butler for say banks blount, daiwara or cook, throw in blatche. hopefully zo comes back 100% and a run in the playoffs. keep in touch.

[Ken B.]

Caron Butler...for BANKS...BLOUNT...Daiwara...or maybe cook instead. Do you think the gm for the wizards is an actual retard? I mean honestly, how do you think they would ever even consider that terrible trade. And what does Boozer for us that Haslem and Beasly do not? You think we should just stockpile slightly above average power fowards and neglect our gaping hole at center? Or not upgrade our PG position? Or at least cover the hole at SF we'll have if we trade marion?

[ebag]

good open-minded blog. shows the pros and cons of both sides.

i once supported trading shawn marion for vegetables. but right now, i am a believer in, "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". trading marion for a center would leave cook/diawara for 48 minutes at sf. plus way more pressure for beazy to play well every night. better to stick with whats been working than to create new problems. the heat are in the playoff hunt and i am happy.

i mean, a trade for a center does seem to make sense. but of the names i've heard out there, the best we could do would be camby or b.miller. e.curry is too crappy. i would not be very excited about any of those re-treads.

if we could get a young big man, that would be cool. i would be down to swap the hornets for tyson chandler, or the bulls for ty thomas and hinrich. i would also be down for a young sf, like josh howard (which would make sense if mark cuban didn't hate us). but realistically, nobody is trading a good young prospect for a pouty all-star with an expiring contract.

so while a trade would be cool, i doubt we could get anything we want. we would be left with a lukewarm role player. and a team full of those guys would make us the sixers. do we really want to fight for the 8-seed? or do we want to run up-and-down the court with beaz, matrix, udonis, chalmers & wade?

i say trade quinn and dorrell for a vet p.g. like bobby jackson or speedy claxton. then run with the team we've got.

go heat!

[cc]

You folks came out in another article mentioning that Marions agent was in fact contacting other teams to find out their interest level for Marion. Then we hear that both Marion and his agent want Marion to be here?I'm confused.

It will have to be a sweet deal to make the heat move Marion - we need him for the playoffs. The heat mandate has all been about 2010 and anything great before that is considered a bonus. Consider us in the bonus now. If Riley trades marion for crap but it gives us cap space - great for 2010 -but then we just threw away our bonus. We also will piss Wade off - because he doesnt want to waste 2 years waiting for 2010.

Marions stats are down because this isnt Phoenix. But he is still a stud and he is part of the olympic pool. We better bring someone in here just as valuable if we are going to move him.

[Jay D]

Everyone here have great point of view on what would be best for the heat and marion. I personally see it like this we're surprising many doubters with what we got, no complaint from my part. On the other hand If the Heat WERE to make a Marion trade the best common sence scenario would be Marion and some cash(or D Wright) for Toronto big men, scorer, defensive, Shot blocker and rebounder J. Oneal. Yea yea I know he being hurt but with Wade and the great supporting cast we have taking the main focus away from him he'll be back to his Indiana playing shape.....Jay from OneUnited Bank.

[thejuandiggler]

Good coments guys , Ebag, keeping Marion and then freeing his money might end up better than trading for someone with a longer contract.
Even tho J Howard is a punk , i would take him off dally.
His mid range game and D would be a perfect fit for D Wade.
Not sure how long J Oneal's cntract is ???

[doctrjon_pinoy_ako]

trade marion for j. o'neil!!! that wud b swell!!! then come 2010, wade;oneil;bosh;beasly;cook!!! dats my fave 5...

[Cyrus Lassus]

Jermaine O'Neal seems like the he would be the trade target... brings a defensive presence and a low post target.

I appreciate that Heat fans are starting to warm to Marion's game and realize that what he brings to the team will be missed when he is gone.

I don't know if we pull the trigger if Banks cannot be packaged along, though. 2010 flexibility as well as room under the luxury tax in the meanwhile is quite valuable to this team.

[cp12]

Who will guard LeBron james if not for Marion?

Our other defensive stoppers are just not stopping people at times.

[The Watcher (The blog is more divided than team)]

So Marion stopped Lebron??

[Ken]

With a Marion/Banks trade Toronto could send us O'Neal AND Jamario Moon. Moon is only making 700,000 this year and is a pretty solid defensive SF. Also allows James Jones more time to get back up to speed before we throw him in the starting line up.

[Sam Maister]

i live in Toronto and am a huge raptors fan. i would love to send you JO, seeing how he only plays 20 games a year. jamario is great and will be missed. raps can use a marion type SF to compliment bosh. with calderon dishing marion the ball, some things could happen. and now with the emergence of bargnani, it makes it easier to trade away JO. marcus banks is exactly what the raptors need. overall its a great trade for both teams

[BillyDAkid WADEforMVP2009]

DONT DO IT!

annd to the "trade haslem instead guy": It shouldnt take HAslem being traded for Beasley to get the bulk of the PF minutes, that should just take good old-fashioned common sense(Common sense to NEVER play Haslem at center either, kills our team BADLY and Joel/Magloire are MUCH MUCH better C-E-N-T-E-R-S than Haslem is) considering Wade is a one-man-show on offense otherwise, and no one wins as a one-man show, even if they ARE as GREAT as Dwyane Wade (ask MJ..... hey they coulda just kept starting Oakley over Grant/Pippen though, he was MJ's best friend and all, how'd that work out?)

PS: Marions a PERFECT fit at SF alongside Beasley at PF, and has nothing to do with "being in Beasleys way" cuz he plays the 3, a position we refuse to play Beasley for even one second at (rightfully so)

Dont do that trade. If anything trade HAslem for Camby. Not this one....

[BillyDAkid WADEforMVP2009]

"-As Michael Beasley develops - and defends - it reduces to the all-out need for Marion."

CORRECTION: "As Michael Beasley develops- and defends - it reduces to the all-out need for Haslem."

WHAT IT SHOULD HAVE SAID. REALITY. Beasley is a PF. Haslem is a PF. Marion is a SF. Nuff said.

[BillyDAkid WADEforMVP2009]

PS: Why the heck would we want Carlos Boozer? Didnt we just draft Michael Beasley, a guy that plays the same position and already plays better defense while being the same on offense?

[JC]

This trade won't work if marion is involved...Marion does a lotttt for the miami heat...and he is needed, now i love udonis halsem, he is a warrior, a fighter, the best heart and soul on our team along side wade and zo...and he is a good player, very underrated PF, that is just the truth, he can give you a double double on any night, and he fights for an undersized player at PF and especially at center. But udonis can't handle yao, shaq, dwight, oden, and all the other bigger power forwards in the game every night. He will break down and our defense will break down. While he has a sweet shot, sets great picks, and rolls out, gets good baskets, and good and 1's as well, we should hope beasley learns to battle down low like haslem and trade him instead.

Haslem, blount, banks, bit of cash, and 2009 second rounder for jermaine o'neal is much better trade...

Haslem might not fit into their plans immediately but he will be their besttt bench player by far, blount can help them out when bosh is out of the game and give ok minutes at center when really needed as well, and banks gives them a back up point guard where they are being hit with the injury bug right now...cash helps any team out, and second rounder is like the icing on an ok cake...

That would leave
Chalmers
Wade
Marion
Beasley
O'neal

as out starting line up, pretty good in my book, and that is all while having cook, jones, anthony, quinn, and hopefully Zo on the bench soon...I think that would be chance that I would be willing to take other wise...forget it, marion should stay, we are playing well with him...

The only way you take marion out is for josh howard and someone like stackhouse...that would be a decent trade, because then howard would immediately provide his own scoring punch, and that would take the burden off of B easy and wade when they are out...

Anyway those are my 2 cents, if it ain't broke don't fix it, unless you can make it better...

[Sam M]

there is not a chance the raptors would do that trade. why would we trade a 6 time all star for Haslem, blount, banks, bit of cash, and 2009 second rounder. lets break it down 1 by 1. haslem is a good backup to bosh, blount is just awful, banks is overpaid and averages 2 points a game, so our backup roko ukic is already better. cash is nice, a second rounder is pointless. theres not a chance the raps would trade their 6 time all star, starting center, for a backup (Haslem), a guy who will never play (Blount), and a third backup point guard (Banks).

The only way the raps would trade JO to the HEAT is if they get marion in return

[ebag]

i have said it before and i will say it again. the heat are NOT trading udonis

[blackthetrucker]

ok, good convo, but the trades that make the most sense are. marion to ny for harrington and curry. then cook and blount to the bulls for hinrich. then banks, diawara, beasley to washington for butler. or banks, daiwara to min for mike miller. keep in touch.