After seeing Juwan Howard and Zydrunas Ilgauskas commit to joining the Heat for the
chance to win a ring alongside Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh, it's amazing how many other old-time NBA players had a pep in their step Tuesday night.
Chris Webber still looks in shape. So does Steve Smith. Heck, may as well throw Kevin McHale down on the low block and see what he's got left. I'm sure he can still pump-fake and up-and-under his way to the free throw line to knock down a few.
These days, almost everybody seems willing to jump on board with the Heat. Ilgauskas confirmed his commitment earlier Tuesday when he said he loved Cleveland, but the best path to a championship runs through Miami and alongside good friend LeBron James.
So counting Ilgauskas, the Heat has either signed or is on the verge of signing James, Bosh, Wade, Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem, Howard and Mike Miller. There's also the qualifying offer out there for Joel Anthony.
Miller's situation created quite a buzz among league people in the two gyms being used for the Las Vegas Summer League. The fact that he remained unsigned as of Tuesday night led to speculation that Miller might be having second thoughts. At least two teams have reached out to him again to see if he would reconsider signing with the Heat.
Miller even reached out to people Tuesday to make it clear that a deal is not yet done in Miami. The hangup, however, doesn't appear to be Miller having any sort of cold feet. Instead, it seems to be a technicality that deals with the completion of physical exams and trade paperwork.
Part of this goes back to Michael Beasley, who has yet to arrive in Minnesota to complete his physical with the T-Wolves. Everyone assumes he will pass the physical, but Beasley had root canal surgery recently and was unable to fly the past couple of days. If Beasley is unable to pass his physical for whatever reason, there's a chance the trade can be rescinded, meaning Mike and his $4.9 million salary for next season would fall back onto the Heat's books.
And that would essentially mean no space for Mike Miller. The T-Wolves expect Beasley to arrive either Wednesday or Thursday to be formally introduced to the media. So this saga could drag on a day or two. The Heat doesn't want another Tyson Chandler situation to come of this. Chandler was dealt two seasons ago from New Orleans to Oklahoma City, arrived in OKC and failed the physical because of a toe injury. He was then sent back to New Orleans.
- The Heat's summer league team fell to 1-1 with Tuesday's 72-69 loss to Golden State. It was a painful setback for a number of reasons. First and foremost was the fact that former Heat camp prospect Brian
Chase nailed the game-winning shot on a 34-foot 3-point dagger with 12 seconds left.
Two summers ago, Chase was one of the better point guards in camp. But he got caught up in a numbers crunch because the Heat had more money and time invested in Chris Quinn. Another former Heat short-timer, Kasib Powell, had 16 points for the Warriors. Miami was led by Kenny Hasbrouck for the second time in as many games. He had 14 points. Center Garret Siler had 10 points and six rebounds.
It was another struggle for second-round pick Dexter Pittman, who is being groomed to be a rotation player with the Heat this season. But Pittman was in early foul trouble and closed with seven points, four rebounds and four turnovers in 18 minutes.
The Heat lost former Duke guard Jon Scheyer in the second quarter to a lacerated right eyelid. Scheyer was taken to UMC Trauma Center for treatment and did not return. He received five stitches and was released. His status for the Heat's remaining three games has not yet been determined. The Heat plays again Wednesday night against Detroit at 10:30 p.m.
(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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