ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Hornets 96, Heat 89

BEST OF THE NIGHT: It's gotta be Anthony Davis. It might have been the last preseason game, but I think Davis was looking at it from an entirely different perspective — his first game against the defending champion Heat. Davis finished with 24 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and a block. He committed three turnovers but more than made up for it by going 11 of 18 from the field.

WORST OF THE NIGHT: Rashard Lewis wasn't very productive. He went scoreless in 26 minutes of work and had just three rebounds without a steal or block. He did register an assist but was 0 of 3 from the field.

LINE OF THE NIGHT: Chris Bosh had 21 points on 8 of 17 shooting to go along with 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal. He committed two turnovers and four fouls in 34 minutes. Bosh led the Heat in scoring (126 points), field-goal percentage (.551) and rebounds (43) in the preseason.

NIGHTLY ANALYSIS: Turnovers werer down but still more of a problem than the Heat would like. Spoelstra would like the Heat to limit its turnovers to 12 or less. In the final preseason game, the Heat committed 17...Ray Allen is still working out the kinks. He led the Heat in scoring but was 3 of 10 from the field. The effort was there, though. He had four assists, four rebounds and two steals and cut down on his turnovers, committing just two...Spoelstra put off releasing his final camp invitee on Friday night in case anything unexpected happened like a freak injury.

This happened in Kansas City

Charles Barkley says LeBron can be better than Jordan

It appears Charles Barkley is changing his tune.

The Hall of Famer once said LeBron James would never reach the stratosphere of greatness reserved for Michael Jordan. Now, Barkley has amended that opinion.

Barkley and other NBA analysts and former players will appear on the new season of NBA TV’s “Open Court,” which debuts on Oct.30. NBA TV has released a snippet of the show, which features Barkley praising James.

“I do think he can be better than Michael,” Barkley said. “I thought I would never compare somebody to Michael Jordan. But this guy, LeBron James, he does everything well. Michael did everything well. LeBron James is just bigger, stronger, faster. That’s the only difference.”

In the summer of 2010, Barkley was critical of James and his decision to leave Cleveland for Miami.

“He’ll never be [Michael] Jordan,” Barkley said in an interview on 790 The Ticket. “This clearly takes him out of the conversation. He can win as much as he wants to…There would have been something honorable about staying in Cleveland and trying to win it as ‘The Man.’”

Udonis Haslem returns to the action against Wizards

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Udonis Haslem is set to make his preseason debut tonight against the Wizards at Kansas City's Sprint Center. Mario Chalmers is also a possibility.

Both Haslem and Chalmers have been sidelined since the beginning of training camp with upper-leg injuries. They worked out alongside each other before Tuesday's game in Raleigh, appearing ready for a return after a long series of sprints. Haslem, who participated in a full-contract workout on Saturday, is more likely to see action against the Wizards.

"I think he will physically harm me if he doesn't play tomorrow, so he's playing," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.

LeBron James is ready for Chalmers to rejoin the starting lineup. James voiced slight concern on Tuesday about the need for Chalmers to play a few games before the season begins.

“He hasn’t practiced because of the quad injury,” James said. “It doesn’t matter what kind of rhythm you have, you need some kind of repetition out on the floor and we haven’t been able to get that.”

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Heat 98, Bobcats 92

BEST OF THE NIGHT: Chris Bosh, the center of attention

Bosh didn't like the way he played on Saturday against the Spurs. He got off to a bad start and it affected his rhythm for the rest of the game. On Tuesday, Bosh made a point to get into the action quickly, whipping a pass to LeBron James inside on the Heat's second play of the game. James finished the play a monstrous dunk. Bosh had 10 points in the first quarter and finished the game with 21, shooting 8 of 12 from the field. He also had seven rebounds, five assists (to one turnover) and a pair of steals.

Bosh was clearly faster than the plodding Brendan Haywood, who only played nine minutes. Bismack Biyombo wasn't much better. He played 31 minutes but only managed four rebounds, a block and five points.

WORST OF THE NIGHT: Turnovers

The Heat had 22 turnovers one game after committing 26 turnovers against the Spurs. Ray Allen was the worst offender, giving the ball away five times in 27 minutes. Garrett Temple and Norris Cole each had three turnovers.

LINE OF THE NIGHT: We've giving it to Kemba Walker of the Bobcats. Walker had 24 points to go along with six rebounds and four assists. He was 7 of 16 from the floor, 2 of 4 from three-point range and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line.

PLAY OF THE NIGHT: The first play of the game. LeBron James led the break and lofted an alley-oop to Terrel Harris, who finished the play with an athletic dunk.

 

NIGHTLY ANALYSIS: Wednesday in Kansas City will likely be the final game before coach Erik Spoelstra cuts the roster down to 15 players. Harris started for Dwyane Wade on Tuesday and played well, scoring 12 points on 4 of 8 shooting. He was plenty active, despite getting poked in the eye in the first quarter. He finished the game with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Harris' competition to make the team appears to be Garrett Temple. Temple had eight points off the bench plus for rebounds and two assists. He logged more minutes than any other player than LeBron James.

ABOUT THE OTHER GUYS: The Bobcats guard combination of Walker, a starter, and Ramon Sessions, who came off the bench, scored 48 points against the Heat's defense. Cause for concern?

Dwyane Wade to rest tonight against Bobcats

RALEIGH, N.C. — As part of his ongoing rehabilitation schedule, Dwyane Wade will not play tonight against the Charlotte Bobcats at PNC Arena.

Wade participated in the Heat's shootaround in the morning but will watch from the bench during tonight's sixth game of the preseason. It's the first game of an away back-to-back. The Heat plays the Wizards at Kansas City's Sprint Center on Wednesday and Wade plans to be in the starting lineup.

"I had a good week coming back from China and really hit it during practice and in those two games but now I'm going to be smart with my body and come back Wednesday and Friday," Wade said.

The Heat plays the Hornets at AmericanAirlines Arena on Friday in the final exhibition game before the season opener. Wade led the Heat in minutes (27) in Saturday's preseason victory against the Spurs. He had 13 points to go along with five assists and two rebounds. He was active during his time on the floor, leading the Heat in shot attempts (13).

"I feel like I've done a good job of probably doing more than they expected from me at this time," Wade said. "Just right now I'm being smart and not trying to push it and have any setbacks."

ETC
Mario Chalmers, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony will also sit out against the Bobcats. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra didn't rule out the trio for Wednesday's game. Chalmers, Haslem and Anthony are scheduled to have "an extensive workout" before tonight's game, according to Spoelstra, and then the team's trainers will "reevaluate them tomorrow."  

Eddy Curry should give his ring to Mickell Gladness

Mickell Gladness got cut on Sunday. That sucks because Gladness was one of the best tweeters on the team. He was entertaining, lighthearted and fun to cover. But, well, scoring is not one of his strong suits and, you know, the Heat already has one center who sometimes airballs dunks.

So, the Heat did the smart thing and cut a player. I get that. Happens every day. Josh Harrellson gets the spot because he can shoot three-pointers and make baskets and his defense is serviceable enough to help out in short bursts.

Here's what I can't understand. Why the heck wasn't Gladness on the team for the entire championship run? The Heat never played Eddy Curry, who was terrible and fat and lazy and, according to the Sun-Sentinel, didn't even appreciate the second chance he was given in the NBA. Curry said before Saturday's game that he wasn't in a hurry to get his championship ring because he never logged a single play "in that joint."

God love him, that Eddy Curry.

Instead of cutting Curry, which would have cost the Heat some money (so, really, I understand the logic and reasoning, which means I guess I'm just ranting at this point), the Heat waived Gladness to make room for Ronny Turiaf. Fine. It worked out well enough. Turiaf isn't a very good pro either but he's better than Gladness (at this point) and Curry combined and he played in a few important games last season.

Still, I hate seeing Gladness put in the work and not get a ring. On some teams, Gladness would have gotten a ring. Not the Heat. You have to be on the playoff roster to get the jewelry. If Curry doesn't want his ring, he should give it to Gladness, who didn't play either last year but at least would appreciate some bling. And now, one last tweet from Gladness in a Heat uniform...

ABOUT LAST NIGHT: Heat 104, Spurs 101

***UPDATED: The Heat released Mickell Gladness and Robert Dozier on Sunday. The roster is now down to 18 players. The team can only carry 15 players into the regular season.***

(Tip time was 3:30 p.m., but you get the idea.)

BEST OF THE NIGHT: Dexter Pittman's effort

The Heat's reserve center played one of his best games in a Heat uniform. While he still has plenty of work to do — note the turnovers in the second half — Pittman moved well, found space on offense and finished with eight points on 4 of 4 shooting in 17 minutes. He also had six rebounds, including two on the offensive glass. When he checked out of the game, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra gave Pittman a hand slap. (photo credit: Associated Press)

WORST OF THE NIGHT: Turnovers

The Heat had 26 of them but still pulled out the victory. Ray Allen, Dwyane Wade and Norris Cole had four turnovers each. Cole, who has started at point guard throughout the preseason, has 18 turnovers and 13 assists in five games. 

PLAY OF THE NIGHT: Giving it to Josh Harrellson for his clutch three-pointer with 1:01 left in the game. It gave the Heat a three-point lead. Harrellson helped himself tremendously on Saturday, scoring 10 points and grabbing five rebounds in about 13 minutes.

LINE OF THE NIGHT: Rashard Lewis had his best game of the preseason, going 6 of 9 from the field and 3 of 6 from three-point for 15 points. He led the Heat in scoring in his 20 minutes off the bench. He also had three rebounds, four steals and an assist.

NIGHTLY ANALYSIS: It's pretty clear who's not making the team at this point in the preseason. Jarvis Vanardo and Robert Dozier didn't play and Mickell Gladness and Rodney Carney played limited minutes at the end of the game. It appears the final two roster spots are now between three players: Harrellson, point guard Garrett Temple and shooting guard Terrel Harris. Harrellson appears to be in good shape to make the team. Temple, who led the Heat in minutes (26), had five points on 2 of 4 shooting to go along with six assists and four rebounds.

Temple, entering his third season in the NBA, might have the edge on Harris based on point guard being a perceived position of need. Mario Chalmers (quadriceps) hasn't played yet in the preseason, leaving only Norris Cole as the only healthy point guard with a guaranteed contract.

Gladness and others might be free agents soon. Gladness entered the game late and one turnover and one rebound in about four minutes. After the game, he posted this on Twitter:

If the Heat indeed cuts Gladness — and that decision could come before the team leaves for Raleigh, N.C., on Monday — he should have no problem finding a job. He played well for Golden State last season after being released by the Heat.

ABOUT THE OTHER GUYS: Danny Green led the Spurs with 17 points, going 6 of 10 from the field and 5 of 8 from three-point range. Tim Duncan had 15 points (7 of 10 shooting) and six rebounds in about 16 minutes.

Mario Chalmers delivers the zinger of the night

So, you think Mario Chalmers receives wisecracks from LeBron James but never gives them back? Think again.

Chalmers had fun with LeBron last night about LeBron's wardrobe choice for the Miami-Florida State game at SunLife Stadium. Chalmers on LeBron's shirt: "Where did you get that shirt, from the Miccosukees?"

Here's a picture of the taken, taken by the Associated Press at the game. Chalmers, LeBron, Dwyane Wade and Udonis Haslem attended the game. LeBron is a fan of Florida State, so maybe there really was a point to his American Indian-like T-shirt.

Popovich loves LeBron and LeBron loves Popovich

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich is always good for a quote about LeBron James, his favorite player in the league. Here's what Pop said about James' ongoing development.

"He's so good already," Popovich said. "We all know what his skills are. He's a great passer, he can rebound, he can defend. But I think, if anything, he is maturing mentally in the sense that he is enjoying playing the game. He doesn't listen to talking heads anymore — or a lot less than when he first came in the league."

And, of course, LeBron returned the kind words after the game.

"I appreciate that," James said, who was followed by ESPN.com as he left the arena to get this quote. "Pop knows what he's talking about. That's why he's one of the best to ever coach this game."