A lot of chatter in Vegas regarding the Heat's two former O'Neals - Shaq and Jermaine.
Both have made headlines in recent days. Jermaine O'Neal was introduced to the media on Wednesday in Boston, where he indicated he turned down an opportunity to return and play with Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh.
Some of the comments O'Neal made raised quite a few eyebrows.
There was this ...
"I could have re-signed back with those guys," O'Neal said in his press conference. "It comes down to personalities and style of play, and I thought Boston had all of that for me. It came down to winning now and not worrying about chemistry."
What Jermaine didn't come right out and say was that he had absolutely no chemistry with Bosh when the two were in Toronto. For that matter, Jermaine also didn't have much of a rhythm with Wade in Miami, either.
O'Neal favored the Big 3 that already has won a championship together over one that's forming in Miami. "Being part of something great is what matters to me," O'Neal said. "Obviously, those guys (Garnett, Allen, Pierce, Rondo), they have a ring already. They want another one. They know what it takes to get one."
It will be interesting to see how Jermaine's comments are interpreted by Wade, Bosh and James.
And then there's the other O'Neal. Shaquille. Word is he's looking for Brendan Haywood and Marcus Camby-type money in free agency. But there isn't a team in the league - and perhaps on the planet - that would pay Shaq anything close to $10 million a year.
And there might not be any teams out there willing to give him the full mid-level amount of about $5.8 million in first-year salary. But there are a handful of teams that would toss him a portion of the mid-level or the $2 million veteran's exception.
Let's make one thing very clear here: Miami isn't one of those teams. There is absolutely no interest in a Shaq reunion from the Heat's side. Even if the burned bridges didn't exist, it just wouldn't be a good fit.
The last thing the Heat needs is a lane-clogging, ball-hogging presence in the paint. The first thing Shaq would want is his share of touches to feel involved in the process.
The one thing Shaq remains - and always will be - is an attraction. That's why fan-starved Atlanta makes sense. That's why New Orleans (returning to the state where Shaq played his college ball) might work.
One league official tossed out one very intriguing potential destination for Shaq: Los Angeles. No, not the Lakers. The Clippers. Imagine that.
LOCKOUT CONCERN: Heat fans better take every opportunity to watch Wade, LeBron and Bosh this
season. Because the way the things appear to be headed, this could be a one-and-done-for-awhile show.
In an interview Wednesday with Yahoo! Sports, players union executive Billy Hunter insists the league is headed for a lockout when the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2010-11 season. A day earlier, commissioner David Stern said, "we're not as far apart" as people make it seem. Sounds like Hunter disagrees.
"We can't be caught blindsided," Hunter said in the interview. "We have to prepare for a lockout. That's what I'm expecting."
Scare tactic? Perhaps. But this battle will loom heavily over what could be an extraordinary season.
RECRUITING SEASON: As it looks to fill out its final roster spots at the veterans' minimum, the Heat officially has shifted from recruiter to being recruited. Former Heat point guard Mike James is the latest in a line of vets who'd like to latch onto the Heat's thrill ride guided by Wade, James and Bosh.
Speaking at Wednesday's golf event in advance of The Summer Groove in Miami, James said he's been in contact with the Heat, contact he initiated. "I'm 35 years old, but I'm in the best shape I've ever been in," James said. "I want to be able to help these young guys get better. But I can still hit a jump shot and I can still stop somebody on the other end."
HEAT MOVES TO 2-1: Guard Weyinmi Efejuku scored 19 points and center Garret Siler put together his second consecutive strong performance with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocks to lead the Heat to a 92-83 victory against Detroit on Wednesday in the Las Vegas Summer League.
Siler, a 6-11, 304-pound prospect, was undrafted out of Augusta State last year. But he has been the biggest surprise through three games of action. Siler has outplayed Heat second-round pick Dexter Pittman, and has averaged 12.5 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 76.9 percent from the field in his last two games. Pittman, Jarvis Varnado and Shavlik Randolph were held out Wednesday.
Siler, however, held his own against lottery pick Greg Monroe. "He was just one of the those guys that people saw potential in early, and some people didn't see it in me early," Siler said of his matchup with Monroe, who finished with 20 points and six boards. "You don't want to go out there with a chip on your shoulder. But you want to prove your own worth out there against some of these guys."
The Heat plays its fourth game Friday against Milwaukee.
MEDIA ROOM HUMOR: True story. Question: "So no Bosh jersey burnings in Toronto after his free agency announcement?" Response: "Nah. We knew a long time ago he wasn't coming back."
(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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