Mid-level Happy Medium

If you think the Heat will be in a free-agency frenzy once the clock hits 12:01 a.m. on Wednesday, do yourself a big favor.

Forgetaboutit.

It ain't happening, captain. Unless one of those numerous covert meetings Dwyane Wade keeps tweeting about actually included a sit-down with Pat Riley and a commitment to an extension.

Otherwise, the Heat will be ballin' on a budget. Window shopping. Riding around on a quarter tank of gas. And make no mistake, the approach will test Riley's patience.

Riley has never been one to do his spending in the opening days, weeks or even month of free agency. He takes a methodical approach. But this is one of those times when his hands are essentially tied. The pockets of his Armani suits are stuffed with I-O-Us. He can't - make that won't - make any major roster moves until Wade commits to a contract extension as early as July 12.

Wade said he looks forward to being a free agent for the first time in his career next summer, when he can max out with the Heat at six years and $120 million. Any moves Riley can make then, he should considering making now. That's Wade's thinking. Don't wait. Gravitate. 

But one happy medium between Riley and Wade could be the mid-level exception. Even if the Heat isn't willing to gamble on trading for major star power right now, would it not be wise to step out on a much smaller limb and spend the mid-level on a one or two-year deal if it lands you Iverson, Kidd or Andre Miller now? Or even a smaller-scale upgrade to the post depth, such as Chris Wilcox or Marcin Gortat?

Would that make the Heat a much better playoff contender going into next year? Yes. 

Would it show Wade a slice of the "doing-all-we-can" approach LeBron James is getting from Cleveland, even though James is also in the same contract situation as Wade? Sure.

Of course, this would mean paying a price. Perhaps a big price if it meant spending all of the mid-level this summer. That would leave the Heat, already over the luxury tax, paying twice as much for any new contract it adds to the current rolls.

So floating Kidd or Miller a $5 million deal for one season would mean a $10 million tax hit if the Heat can't shed other payroll by the Feb. trade deadline. Would Iverson or Grant Hill as an opposite wing scorer at $3 million this season and an option at $3.4 million next be worth the one-year tax hit if it improves the Heat with Wade in his prime? Absolutely.

The Heat is going to have to pay a price this offseason regardless of the course it takes if Wade doesn't sign that contract extension.

Will it be the heavily-taxed mid-level (or another of its exceptions) in an attempt to add a key piece?

Or is it going to be the cost of standing pat and possibly sliding down the standings in the East if the internal improvements of Wade's current supporting cast aren't good enough?

 (For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports)

Comments

[Paolo]

Trade Beasley while you can he is a complete BUST!

[elwyn green]

That is the stupidest thing I have ever heard you are going to release the future of the franchise. A big man that can score with the left or right, has excellent range and showed glimpses of what the future holds. I am so glad you aren't Pat Riley. Kevin McHale for that matter.

[Paolo]

When he learns how to play defense and rebound -- when he learns that there is more to the game than scoring, he might just be a starter and better help the team

[ebag]

sad to say, gortat looks like the best free agent out there

[heatstroked]

"Bring Tmac and lowry and send J.o and call it a day."

You know? That's NOT half-crazy -- especially if you're among the few Heat fans or media types NOT guzzling the Beasley Kool-Aid.

Blake Griffin is simply the latest "scorer" without a clue from a conference (Big 12) that built its reputation on football and is now leading recent NBA drafts with the The Next Big Hype. Ibid, Durant, Beasley and now, Griffin.

Houston wouldn't bite on O'Neal alone. But they could do some serious nibbling at O'Neal PLUS Beasley for, say, TMac + Scola [ http://www.realgm.com/src_checktrade.php?tradeid=5158564 ].

O'Neal becomes their designated Yao, Beasley moves to 3, stays at 4 or rotates at either forward spot with Landry -- who had an excellent rookie season filling in for an injured Scola.

On Miami's end, TMac is a ready-made 3, has actually been more dominating at 3 than as a 2 according to position stats (82games.com), including 2007, his last healthy season for the Rockets.

McGrady's defense is also much better than reputed (e.g., career DRtg of 103 vs. Kobe's 105). Scola is a wily active 4 who boards, passes from the blocks, nails a high percentage of js and draws fouls. In other words, a Miami frontcourt could survive and even thrive at smallball with Haslem at 5, Scola at 4. Or in any big rotation with Magloire/Anthony at 5, Haslem at 4, Scola moving to 3 with McGrady/Wade shifting to 2/point respectively.

Yes, Joneal had a decent "scoring" postseason for the Heat -- but he only averaged 4.5 boards per with a mere 7 out of 27 coming from offensive glass. Cf. Scola, who at 6-9 (vs Joneal's 6-11), averaged 9.9 boards per and collected 17 (16.8) offensive boards over 7 games vs. the Lakers -- 4 of those without Yao. Moreover, O'Neal's Heat playoff PER of 21.2 was only the 2nd time O'Neal cracked 20 in his postseason career -- his last occurring when the Pacers lost a 1st-round series to Pierce and Antoine Walker.

Shorter: With or without numbers, O'Neal was never a dominating postseason presence healthy *or* younger. That's not about to change at 30.

You can say the same for McGrady -- who never "led" a team beyond the 1st-round -- but it wouldn't be backed by his production (career playoff PER of 25) *and* he wouldn't be *leading* the Heat.

So -- who ever heard of a playoff team led by an All-Star 2-guard & an All-Star 3 abetted by a supporting cast of mostly no-names, particularly at center?

With the RIGHT system fitted to its All-Star talent, who's to say Wade-McGrady couldn't do just as much damage as Jordan-Pippen?

Except the right system isn't Rileyball or Spo's derivative thereof. Until or unless TMac to Miami actually happens.

[heatstroked]

And "Until or unless TMac to Miami actually happens" -- Riley/Spo aren't about to change.

[JDOG]

Na I wouldn't give them Beasley, I would however give them Haslem which probably would interest the Rockets since both their contracts expire after this season. We sign Gortat to play the 5 and ask the lakers to give us the big Aristotle Mbenga lmaooo and call it a day! We wont need scoring only rebounding and defense when your starting 5 are chalmers or Pat (I think he is gonna take his spot) Dwade, Tmac, beasley, and a big nobody in the middle.

[heatstroked]

The Rockets wouldn't take O'Neal alone, not when other teams could/would offer more. Plus they'd want a scorer to offset TMac's loss. Haslem isn't that guy.

I'd give them Beasley + O'Neal for TMac + Scola without a blink. Or a wink.

[wizardraz]

WOW!! As a rook off the bench he averaged 13 points and 5 boards. OFF THE BENCH. AS A ROOKIE. Project it out to starter minutes and he's 20 and 8 every night. Quick get, name another 20 y/o forward that can expect to avg 20 and 8. Whats this crap about defense. D-Wade just starting playing defense last season. But you love him because he can score and dunk real pretty. Nevermind that the guy he defends torches the team in scoring. Please bandwagonners, get over the defense-learning obstacle. B-easy will help alot, once somebody either Trades U-D (not what I want) or makes U-D come off the bench (What should happen, but won't). And everybody who wants McGrady, you are so living in the past. He hasn't done anything in the last three years. It could be said that Houston was better without him (see last year's playoff run). Please don't compare McGrady to Pippen. He couldn't carry Pippen's shoes. First T-Mac doesn't play D, which was Pippen's main strength. Another T-Mac can't direct an offense, which Pippen could. All T-mac can do is score and with his fragile body, he hasn't been doing much of that. So get off T-mac. I say bring Andre Miller (I think J-Kidd may be too expensive) and then we've got a way better team. But the chances of that happening is minimal.

[conch salad]

wow heatstroked that's pretty nice analysis and data you put together. The only thing I disagree with is that kevin durant is not hype he is a good player and getting better.

I like beasley though, hate to get rid of him so early. Scola is good though, and you never know what you get with tmac as far as injuries go.

[heatstroked]

That's why I love the web. Nothing worth saying is always worth posting. And reality NEVER gets in the way.

Pippen's career DRtg was 102, McGrady's 103. And TMac earned his on mostly bad defensive teams.

Contemporartly, Trevor Ariza, fresh off his Laker turn in the defensive spotlight, has a career DRtg of 104. His DRtg for the Lakers this year -- 102.

Shorter: TMac is NOT the defensive equivalent of Steve Nash.

Unless you live in the Beasley fairyworld where up is down, left is right and "the truth" is anything you want it to be.

[heatstroked]

"you never know what you get with tmac as far as injuries go."

True enough. But you could say the same for Wade and Miami's kamikaze 1-on-5 iso dependence on same. McGrady would shrink the target on Wade's back.

Except TMac has *devolved* to a mostly fulltime jumpshooter. But that could change.

McGrady was a scary mofo attacking the rim when younger. And his career ast/to ratio is a +2/1 -- better than Wade or Kobe. Give TMac an offseason with Tim Grover and who knows?

[heatstroked]

Redacted.

"First T-Mac doesn't play D, which was Pippen's main strength..." Posted by: wizardraz | July 01, 2009 at 12:07 AM

That's why I love the web. Nothing worth saying is always worth posting. And reality NEVER gets in the way.

Pippen's career DRtg was 102, McGrady's 103. And TMac earned his on mostly bad defensive teams.

Contemporartly, Trevor Ariza, fresh off his Laker turn in the defensive spotlight, has a career DRtg of 104. His DRtg for the Lakers this year -- 102.

Shorter: TMac is NOT the defensive equivalent of Steve Nash.

Unless you live in the Beasley fairyworld where up is down, left is right and "the truth" is anything you want it to be.

Posted by: heatstroked | July 01, 2009 at 12:12 AM

[Stormn Crawford]

THE HEAT NEED TO MAKE A BIG TRADE TO KEEP UP WITH REST OF THE NBA . THEY CAN HAVE A THREE TEAM TRADE WITH THE JAZZ AN PISTONS, THE HEAT WILL GET STUCKY AN BOOZER. THE JAZZ WILL JAMES JONES AN R.HAMILTON. THE PISTONS WILL GET BEASLEY , HASLEM AN COOK. AN THAT FIRST ROUND PICK THE HEAT HAVE FROM THE RAPTORS

[Shawn]

Man you guys are saying some dumb things...you either get it or you don't get it & Wizardraz gets it. ya'll should listen to what he's saying...

simple, you don't trade B Easy for some over the hill playa, ex TMAC hasn't done anything in years/ injured, or any good potential piece that you can pick up with the trade of expiring contracts. Have you seen the recent trades; expiring contracts of bad / average players for great players.

Patience is all we do right now. It will happen for the Heat very shortly. There might not be another team in the league that is better positioned with dollars to spend and two great players to build around; Beas & Dwade...wait for it...

9/11 was an inside job

checkout wtc7.net & watch the collapse videos

learn the truth.

[thejuandiggler]

Tmac....that is laughable.
If we got him for say Mark Blount I would say aiiiiight , Beasley ?
The only guy you consider trading Beasley for is Bosh with Calderon or Stoudamire with Nash. ( obv throwing in big contracts of JO Mark Blount , Haslem etc.. ).
He is on the cheap and will be for 3 more seasons.....you cant get talent for cheap like that , this is still a numbers game that plays out in the NBA summer of 2010.
GO HEAT

[JD]

That is interesting heatstroked but I'm sorry, it is a one sided trade.... Scola is not really that young, and T-mac is as old as JO almost....Scola is not a low post precense, and T-Mac has far too much injury history...Don't get me wrong I would take T-Mac, but we would have give up garbage for me to like the deal....The biggest peice would have to be Haslem, and maybe add blount, jones, quinn, and a 2nd rounder...HAHAHAHAH....But you do not give up Beasley just like that, the only way you give up Beasley is for Bosh, and the heat would still have to make other trades to make up for losing Beasley and the chance to have both bosh and beasley in 2010....The heat would have to find a SF, a PG, a bench scorer and a back up center....which they can using JO, Haslem, Wright, Quinn, and Jones's contarcts....But in the end, this team looks like it will stand pat....

The only thing I would do for real is trade for Boozer now, Trade Haslem, Jones, and a 2nd round pick for Boozer, The jazz get haslem and Jones for their bench, start millsapp, dont have to sign boozer long term or lose him for nothing, and a 2nd round pick for next years draft which you never know what you can get, and cap space for 2010 with haslem expiring and jones having a team option 2010...The heat would be a nice fit for Boozer, and we can start beasley at SF with the hope he adjusts well, and that would leave us with the 5.5 million dollar Mid Level to use on a veteran who is interested in playing alongside wade, beasley, and boozer....I think options can be kidd, iverson, daniels, marion, or miller....But they would have to take a 1 year deal....would they? probably not, but worth a shot....I think the best option would probably be Kidd, but I'll take any of those guys and work with what I got...But imagine

Kidd
Wade
Beasley
Boozer
JO

Bench:
Cook
Chalmers
Moon
Magloire
Quinn
Anthony
Wright

Not a good bench, but you never know what those guys can proive, cook and chalmers can be huge, magloire is decent, and who knows what dorell will bring healthy and motivated...The starting 5 is instant title contender though in my book and would not jeopardize 2010....we let boozer walk and go after lebron, bosh, or amare i 2010....Hopefully something like that can be pulled off

[Zak Kertesz, The Sports Complainer]

What did you watch:
The NBA Draft or Michael Jackson?

by Zak Kertesz,
The Sports Complainer
http://www.sportscomplainer.com
written on 06/25/09

----Like music to my ears: With the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft…

Love it. Feel it. The sensation that indicates a new wave of youth and talent and optimism is entering the league.

But I couldn’t feel it. And I didn’t love it. What I felt, was the same thing I heard.

The King (LeBron, please sit down).

Michael Jackson. The King of Pop. Not just an iconic figure. The iconic figure. As big as Elvis and The Beatles. Surreally, tonight, The
King has passed.

We will always remember Michael for the good and only the good. And if you feel otherwise, stop reading my article. For this piece, along with the billions of other dedications across the globe, is in memory of the King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

Sports. Okay. Let’s get to it, huh? But first, in your head, replay your favorite Michael Jackson song. And while you’re at it, stand up, and moonwalk. C’mon. Just do it, no one’s watching.

“With the first pick in the 2009 NBA Draft, the Los Angeles Clippers select Blake Griffin,” David Stern stated during the commencement of ESPN’s coverage. And that was about as exciting as it got for this year’s draft. Superseded by the passing of The King; and more basketball appertaining, the major trades that transpired, the draft was anything but a “Thriller.”

Before I plunge into the nitty-gritty of the selection process, let’s first reflect upon the legitimate NBA news. The blockbuster trades.

Shaq to LeBron. Whoa. RJ to San Antonio. Whoa. Vinsanity to Superman. Whoa. Hold on a moment as I get my inhaler. Alright, I’m back. As I was just alluding to, these trades could be “Dangerous” for the rest of the league.

Shaquille O’Neal to the Cleveland Cavaliers

-Phoenix receives Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic, 2nd round pick in 2010, cash considerations
-Cleveland receives Shaquille O’Neal

Looks like The Big Leach has managed to attach himself to another superstar. Just recollect for a moment. Undoubtedly, the three best wing players in the league are Dwyane Wade, Kobe Bryant and LeBron James (yes, in that order). And two out of the three is obviously not sufficient enough for Shaquille. Thus, it’s no surprise that Shaq landed where he did. Championship? Not quite.

Rather than acquiring better perimeter defenders, Cleveland went down another road. Not exactly the road well traveled, but the road over traveled. Shaq has more miles on him than South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford’s (we all know his pathetic story) frequent flyer card. That’s partially why (and money) the young and rebuilding Suns told Shaq to “Beat It.”

Besides, Shaq is selfish, always has been, always will be. In his interview aired during the draft, Shaq declared that he’ll do anything to be “the first to five [championships].”

Kobe! Duck! Shaq just took another shot at you. Clearly, Shaq will never get over his former lover. Selfish does not work in the NBA, just ask Allen Iverson (sorry A.I., you’re still in my Fav 5, I promise).

Vince Carter to the Orlando Magic

-New Jersey receives Courtney Lee, Rafer Alston, Tony Battie
-Orlando receives Vince Carter, Ryan Anderson

The Magic is clearly in win-now mode. They let a rising star in Courtney Lee escape. Not to mention, the wand behind the magic, Skip is gone. Yes, Jameer Nelson is still there, but Skip is the one who hopscotched them all the way to the Finals.

Although, Vinsanity has his own magic to stir in Merlin’s pot. With all of Orlando’s perimeter talent, evidently, Carter does not need to be a primary option. So, Championship? Closer than Cleveland, but no.

Hedo He Does Turkoglu, one of the most underrated and complete players in the league, has just opted out of his contract. And Orlando, due to the trade, does not have the salary cap flexibility to offer the kind of “Money” that he’s going to demand (and acquire elsewhere). After all that Hedo has done for the Magic, instead of saving cap space by not trading for Carter, GM Otis Smith has basically told Hedo to “Fly Away.”

Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs

-Milwaukee receives Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas
-San Antonio receives Richard Jefferson
- (Additionally, the Spurs sent Fabricio Oberto to the Pistons for Amir Johnson, who then went to the Bucks)

Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Richard Jefferson and Tim Duncan. Whoa. (Draftees: Jack McClinton, an under the radar Stephen Curry with even more grit and heart; and DeJuan Blair, a poor poor poor man’s Charles Barkley; but we’ll get to the draft a bit later.)

Gregg Popovich must have told GM R.C. Buford, “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough.”

They got enough. What other team has three legitimate penetrators who can finish and dish out? Unstoppable? Possibly. Championship? Indeed (quote me).

Of course, health remains a question, but Pop will get them through the grueling NBA schedule with his pedigree, and with the manner in which he regulates minutes. While it’s tasteless and ungrateful that San Antonio just threw away the defensive soul in Bruce Bowen, overall, R.C. Buford looks like a “Smooth Criminal.”

Whoa, huh? Major movement, huh? Now for some minor movement in which I call the honorable mention of the blockbuster trades.

Mike Miller and Randy Foye to the Washington Wizards

-Minnesota receives 5th overall pick, Etan Thomas, Darius Songaila, Oleksiy Pecherov
-Washington receives Mike Miller, Randy Foye

“I’m Ricky Rubio, I’m not like anybody else,” Rubio (selected 5th overall by Minnesota) stated in his post draft interview. Well, the kid definitely has flair. More substantially, he has the anticipation of Wayne Gretzky and the vision of Jason Kidd. Plus, he resembles Pistol Pete Maravich (I only said resembles).

Then why did Washington trade away that pick? Gilbert Arenas is a scoring point guard; why not move him to shooting guard and let Ricky run the team? Sure, Gilbert would be undersized as a shooting guard, but Rubio would be 6’5” at the point position.

Nonetheless, I am slighting neither Miller nor Foye, they’re legit players in this league. Couple them with Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and a healthy Arenas and Brendan Haywood: That’s a nice little squad. Anyway, with reports from Marca.com stating that Ricky Rubio may stay in Spain for a few more years, the world is wondering, “Will You Be There,” Ricky?

Jamal Crawford to the Atlanta Hawks

-Golden State receives Acie Law, Speedy Claxton
-Atlanta receives Jamal Crawford

Don’t dismiss this trade. Jamal Crawford is “Bad.” Yes, he’s as inconsistent as it gets in professional sports. The guy can put up 52 one night and 2 the next. But he’s playing for an Atlanta team that’s already loaded with talent. Championship? Just Kidding.

Big names possibly on the move

-Amar’e Stoudemire, Rasheed Wallace, Tracy McGrady, Brandon Bass, Ricky Rubio, Zach Randolph, Mehmet Okur, David Lee, Ben Gordon

Even after all the amiss in the day, those trades have to make you “Smile.” I’m getting the “Butterflies” just thinking about it all.

Rather than starting with the specifics of the draft, I have opted to first display the humorous “Monkey Business” that occurred:

Mark Jackson, who is usually excellent in his observations, gave his input on Blake Griffin. “This is a special player,” Jackson continued, “[who is] going to a great situation.” Really, Mark? I don’t think you’d feel that way if you were headed to the Detroit Lions of the NBA. Yea, great situation. And so is Iraq.

Ricky Rubio. Projected by most analysts to go in the top three, didn’t go till five. Furthermore, two guards were selected above him (James Harden and Tyreke Evans). I naturally assume that analysts attributed so much hype to him, simply because they enjoy saying his name. Try it with me: If you roll the R’s, it’s really fun. Rrrrricky Rrrrrubio. I get it. Hell, I’d select him number one with that name. And that accent. That accent is just too much. I’m still laughing. “I’m Ricky Rubio, I’m not like anybody else.”

“Is It Scary?” Yes, Blake Griffin’s purple shirt was scary.

“Speechless.” Yes, I was when James Harden came out in a bow tie. C’mon dude, only Miami Heat Assistant Coach Keith Askins can pull that ensemble off.

Tyler Hansbrough to the Indiana Pacers. Of course Larry Bird took a white dude. I haven’t seen a basketball team with that many white guys since the 1950’s. Keep piling on those high character, low talent players, Larry. That’s precisely what’s going to get your club out of financial woes.

David Stern. What a Jew. (I can say that, I’m Jew.) The guy is never happy or satisfied. Yet when he announced the 23rd overall pick (Sacramento’s), his double chin quadrupled over. I’ve never seen The Stern so giddy. Why? Because Omri Casspi, an Israeli out of Maccabi Tel Aviv, was selected. If he makes Sacramento’s roster (which is pretty certain, considering 1st round selections have guaranteed contracts), then he will become the first Israeli born player in the league. Hey Jordan Farmar, you now have a buddy.

With the 5th pick in the NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select…a point guard. With the 6th pick in the NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select…a point guard. With the 18th pick in the NBA draft, the Minnesota Timberwolves select…a point guard. Yes, I’m aware they traded away Ty Lawson; still, that’s comedy.

But this year’s Sports Complainer Award for Best Comedic Performance goes to Brandon Jennings (applaud). Reader, please tell me you witnessed what occurred with Mr. Jennings. This kid is out to lunch (he’s at dinner too.) His comedic genius surpasses Larry David, Don Rickles and Jack Benny (even though his drollery was actually unintentional).

For those of you who were not fortunate enough to view such a spectacle, allow me to explain. When Milwaukee selected Jennings with the 10th overall pick, he was absent. ESPN then reported that Jennings would not attend the draft unless he was ensured to be a lottery pick. I’m assuming he received the news of his draft status; for when Phoenix selected Earl Clark with the 14th overall pick, Brandon Jennings magically appeared on the stage (No, he does not have any relation to Earl Clark or the Suns). Wait, it gets better. He then raised his arms in the air as if he had just knocked out Apollo Creed.

You’ve got to love this kid. He does everything unorthodoxly: Went oversees instead of attending college, sported a High-Top Fade when it was clearly out of style, and for his grand finale, he was tardy on draft night. If his NBA career doesn’t pan out, he clearly has other options.

Hilarity. Disorder. Grief. Wasn’t this night supposed to be about the young talent entering the league? It was. Keyword, was.

Nevertheless, for The Sports Complainer’s full player analysis of the 2009 NBA Draft, go to: http://www.sportscomplainer.com/id19.html . “Will You Be There?”

“We’ve Had Enough” of the NBA talk. Someone else deserves the coverage. The “Man In The Mirror,” The King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

“You Are Not Alone” Michael, we will always remember your moves. We will always remember your music. And we will always remember you.

He once sang, “gonna change the world.” Well Michael, you did. And you did it for the better.

Tonight a legend has passed. And while Michael is “Gone Too Soon,” Legends never die. Legends never die.

(Note: I watched Michael Jackson. I DVRed the NBA Draft.)

In Memory of Michael Jackson (1958 – Forever)

for more, go to:

http://www.sportscomplainer.com

Zak Kertesz, The Sports Complainer

[myndraize]

you posted this three times already enough!

[JDOG]

"I wish he realized that America never stopped loving him!" THATS FOR YOU MICHAEL JACKSON!

[DVD]

2009 NbA draft on DVD $10 COMPLETE 5 HOUR COVERAGE, visit website at www.myspace.com/dvdmemorabilias to or email dvdmemorabilias@gmail.com for more info.

[Daniel]

Beasley is easily Glenn Robinson or Juwan Howard at best. Nothing all that special. A good player, but not special. That being said I am totally against any kind of thought of bringing in Jason Kidd, Andre Miller, or Allen Iverson. None are good choices with the mid level. None will make us better.

[C.G.E]

That T-Mac and Scola for Beasley and JO talk is foolishness. Your going to trade a potential superstar for some washed up has been who will probably miss half of next season recovering from knee sugery and a younger version of UD (Scola). The only thing is Scola will be like 30 at the start of next season so it won't be that much of an upgrade. And what happens after next season when T-Mac becomes a free agent and demands $10 million a season not to mention Scola's still on his rookie contract so he's going to wanna get paid at some point. That deal turns into a JO and Beasley for Scola? If you ask me your equation of Wade and McGrady = Jordan and Pippen can also be divided by Bull Sh%#. And what's with the proposed three team trade with detroit and utah that Stormn Crawford keeps bring up in every post. It will never happen dude forgetaboutit. What we need to do is try to add some role players like a Marquis Daniels, Charlie Frye or Drew Gooden and bring in vet pg like Bobby Jackson or re-sign Luther Head. We could also look into possibly bringing back Shawn Marion or Lamar Odom, all on one year deals of course. Mickey Arison has deep enough pockets to pay the luxury tax for one season. Thats if he is about winning now and plans on staying on D-Wade's good side.

[rafy]

wade why you dont want to sing be honest and said the truth

[Don]

Trade Beasley while you can he is a complete BUST!

Posted by: Paolo | June 30, 2009 at 07:31 PM

The kid was 19 and made 1st team all rookie, and the 5 games he got to play when U Haslem was out at the end of the yr he won rookie of the month and avg close to 22 an 12, correct? Are U an idiot? In Todays NBA, U need 3 good players and role players. Kobe,Pao, Lamar odom/bynum and ariza, SAn Anto, Duncan parker ginobili, orlando, lewis turk howard. etc. SO, trading beas for bosh still leaves us 2 good players. Next summer, we can sign any max we want to play next 2 wade and beasley. AND, if Jer Oneal is healthy, he is an allstar and only 30 yrs old.
PLUS< Haslem is not gonna play much this yr(thank god) and beas should get the bulk of the minutes. We are a good team until next summer.
DID THE OTHER TEAMS REALLY GET BETTER????????
ORLANDO-lost turk,lee,alston, gained carter
CLE--got an old shaq
Det=ben gordon and villanueva?? who cares, losing wallace
wash, foye? miller?big deal. Arenas keeps them out of team ball and goes 1 on 1.

SO, the east really is not that much better. and if we are healthy, we are a good team

[Don]

I dont buy this tax thing. next summer, when we have wade , another max, a few FA"s, and our rookie guys, we are gonna be way over the tax. Then, in 2-3 yrs, beasley jumps up to 12-13m per yr like wade is making now. SO, if we want to win, TAX IS GONNA HAPPEN. They just dont want to pay the tax for role players,.

[Don]

THE HEAT NEED TO MAKE A BIG TRADE TO KEEP UP WITH REST OF THE NBA . THEY CAN HAVE A THREE TEAM TRADE WITH THE JAZZ AN PISTONS, THE HEAT WILL GET STUCKY AN BOOZER. THE JAZZ WILL JAMES JONES AN R.HAMILTON. THE PISTONS WILL GET BEASLEY , HASLEM AN COOK. AN THAT FIRST ROUND PICK THE HEAT HAVE FROM THE RAPTORS

Posted by: Stormn Crawford | July 01, 2009 at 12:47 AM

SO basically we are giving up beasley for boozer? Boozer and Bosh and Amare are all FA's next summer. I am quite sure if Riley wants them, and they want to play in Miami, we can get them w/o giving up our 2nd best player. The object is to get better w/o trading your best assets.

Did riley give up wade in the 04 shaq deal? after wades rookie yr? Noooooooooooooo We have 50m or so in expiring contracts,. those are huge chips. When U have that much expiring chips, U dont trade beasley. U dont have too