Finally.
It took three preseason games, multiple injuries that depleted the backcourt depth and shaky play from the starter at the position. But the Heat finally added a much-needed, veteran presence at the point.
The team on Monday signed free agent Carlos Arroyo (pictured right, driving against Wade) to a non-guaranteed, make-good contract. And if anyone has seen either Arroyo or the Heat play recently, the assumption is that not only will he make this roster, he might even play a meaningful role.
First things first. This is not a referendum on Mario Chalmers. The kid is the starter. He'll be the starter as far as the team is concerned. But now, Mario finally has a legitimate push to get better every day in practice and to perform at a consistent level in games.
No, Carlos Arroyo isn't an absolute answer at point guard. That much should be taken from the fact that he was sitting at home in Pinecrest three weeks into the NBA training camp season for the first time in his career without a team. But Arroyo, 30, does add the playmaking skills to effectively run the Heat's pick-and-roll.
He also knows how to shoot and score. Is he a pure defensive stopper at point guard? Hardly. But who is in this league right now? Is he a solid upgrade at a position where the Heat was essentially scratching the NBA's equivalent of rock-bottom behind Chalmers? Absolutely. And on top of that, this makes Dwyane Wade a bit happier. That could be just as vital.
Arroyo has been in this sort of role before. Just two years ago, he was in Orlando and considered a serious threat to the anointed point-guard-of-the-future there. A guy by the name of Jameer Nelson. Arroyo left as a free agent two summers ago. The only time you can really question his decision making was when he and agent Leon Rose thought too highly of his open-market value and turned down NBA jobs to play overseas.
Now Arroyo is back in the NBA. He says he'll accept any role he's given by the Heat. But he made certain to mention that he could "run the show."
"It was about being in the right position," Arroyo (pictured left, having his FIU jersey retired last year) said after his first practice with the Heat on Monday. "I had to be patient to wait for this opportunity. To be honest, I've never been at home at this time. I'm usually in training camp. I've been working out and waiting on the call. For the first time, I can use my house and not have to move."
Arroyo, who lives in Pinecrest and was a star at FIU, said he's been trying to get on with the Heat since he left college. But timing and contract amounts always prevented it from happening. He now comes at the right price for the Heat, on a non-guaranteed deal that will pay him the veteran's minimum of $1.1 million for a player with seven seasons of experience. That's only if he's still around in mid-January.
He also comes at the right time in terms of having a chance to address the Heat's needs. Mario shouldn't feel threatened, but he will certainly be challenged. Dwyane Wade essentially agreed Monday, when he said he wouldn't try to console Chalmers if there were any feelings of anxiety right now about his status, which there aren't. But he was still making a point.
"It'll be good for (Chalmers)," Wade said of the day-to-day competition Chalmers (below right) will face.
If things work out as planned, the Heat gets a solid backup point guard on the cheap who also happens to be a hometown hero of sorts. Don't discount the fact that Arroyo could be a crowd favorite, especially among the Latino and Hispanic communities if he performs up to task. And that can't hurt the Heat's bottom line at a time when it has to curtain off the upper deck of the arena to hide empty seats.
This means Chris Quinn, who is out at least a week with a sprained right foot, will fall back to a third-string option, which is probably where he belongs. No shame in that. The kid works his tail off and will qualify for an NBA pension after this season.
This means that John Lucas became even longer of a long shot to make the roster, despite being one of the really good guys in camp who also happens to be a productive spark plug off the bench.
This means team president Pat Riley is off the hook for now in his reluctance, albeit understandable on many levels, to initially address the point guard position before unfortunate things had to happen.
This means coach Erik Spoelstra no longer has to cover up what might be his true feelings about his concerns at the position, even though the good soldier Spo offered this gem on Monday: "We've been going through a lot of decision making. Unlike, I guess, some of you (media), we weren't in a panic situation. We wanted to make the right move. And this is the right move right now."
Most of all, this means the Heat stacks up a little bit better - top to bottom - at the point than it did yesterday. And that's the ultimate point. The most obvious void on the roster is a little less obvious right now.
Finally.
(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/wallacesports. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)
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