After watching that pass from Dwyane Wade to LeBron James so many times, it's tough not to want to compare it to some of the best passes in NBA history, as LeBron already called it the best.

Here's a few of the best from NBA Action... I'm partial to the Penny Hardaway no-look and the Charles Barkley behind-the-back pass, which has to be the longest successful behind-the-back in league history.

This pass from Jason Williams might have been the best ever if it a) came in a real game and not the rookie game, and b) was actually finished by Raef LaFrentz. Instead, he got fouled and sent to the line.

Then, of course, there's the Wade-to-LeBron 90-foot alley-oop. BTW, it seems like Chris Bosh can never win on this team. His coast-to-coast move with the behind-the-back dribble and the and-one finish was one of the best plays of the year. And he's not even on the Sportscenter highlights that I saw. Poor guy.

It's just a thought, really, but Jason Williams just got waived from the Magic, and he only likes to play in two places (family reasons), Miami and Orlando.

Well, should the Heat even consider bringing in J-Will for another run? The Heat has already taken Carlos Arroyo out of the rotation, should they cut ties with him altogether? That would be plain cold-blooded, but it happens all the time in this business. It doesn't necessarily have to be Arroyo who's waived to make room for him. Jamaal Magloire hasn't played in a while and is, technically, the fifth center on the roster.

Williams, 35, still wants to play, according to his agent.

"This is a buyout that's been discussed for some time," Williams' agent, Dan Tobin, told the Orlando Sentinel. "It's mutually beneficial. They'll have three quality point guards instead of four and it'll give him an opportunity to play elsewhere when that opportunity presents itself. He's not retiring.

"For him, it's about playing basketball."

Want more reasons?

Well, J-Will and Mike Miller are pretty much BFFs, and I know Mike wanted badly for the Heat to sign Williams before the season started and he eventually went to the Magic. Udonis Haslem is boys with J-Will also, and Dwyane Wade already won a title with him. J-Will happens to be terrific at throwing the lob pass, knowing when to, when not to and getting it right on target. The Heat has a guy or three who enjoy the lob pass.

I'm just saying, it wouldn't be a crazy idea.

Eddie's back again. No, not Eddie Jones. Been there, done that. And did it again.

This time, it's Eddie House's turn for a Heat reunion. House agreed with the Heat Thursday on a two-year deal worth the veterans' minimum. The deal is worth a total of $2.8 million over two seasons, with the second season at House's option.

Agent Mark Bartelstein confirmed the deal just minutes before the start of our weekly Heat chat. As we do every week at this time, I try to answer your Heat questions. Or, at least try to provide an entertaining way to waste your time as we search for the answers.

Here's another sample of the hot questions this week...

Most Recently Answered Questions

You've got Heat questions. I've got answers. Or at least as close to them as possible. Or, maybe not. 

But here's a sample of the questions and answers from our weekly Heat Q&A. From Allen Iverson to Shaq. From LeBron to Pat.

Most Recently Answered Questions

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/qna/forum/heat_chat/index.html#ixzz0uR7QyE4v

(For live news, notes and updates on the Heat, follow me on Twitter @ twitter.com/WallaceNBAHeat. To post a question or join our live Heat chat each Thursday from 1-2 p.m., click here.)

Credit the Heat for fighting. But credit the Magic for finishing.

After four playoff-intense matchups between the teams this season, Miami and Orlando are even. After losing the first two meetings, the Magic rallied to take the last two games from the Heat, including Thursday's 108-102 victory at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The Heat tied the game late in the fourth after trailing by as many as 12 points midway through the period. But Orlando (49-21) made every extra shot, grabbed every loose rebound and came away with just enough blocks to reject the Heat (35-34).

After winning the first three games of the homestand, Miami is now 3-2, with the six-game stretch ending Saturday against nemesis Charlotte, which is 3-0 against the Heat this season.

Dwyane Wade, Jermaine O'Neal and Mario Chalmers did enough to put Miami in position to win down the stretch. But a couple of missed shots and late-game turnovers proved to doom the Heat's chances. These teams could very well see one another again in the postseason.

If the standings hold to form, the second-place Magic would host the seventh-place Heat in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: If the Heat is facing the Magic, you may as well go ahead and book Wade for at least 30 points. He always gets his numbers against former coach Stan Van Gundy and Orlando. He doesn't always get the victories, however. Wade tossed in 36 points, grabbed 10 boards and dished out seven assists on the way to filling every statistical category on the stat sheet. Wade was 12 of 26 from the field, 3 of 7 on threes and 9 of 10 from the free-throw line. He had a shot to win it in regulation, but found himself dwarfed by Matt Barnes and Dwight Howard with three seconds left before he launched a fall-away, twisting, one-handed heave. It wasn't close. The Magic loaded up on Wade in overtime, and didn't allow him the clean looks Vince Carter and Rashard Lewis got in the extra period. Still, Wade tied Alonzo Mourning with his 442 double-figure scoring game with the Heat.

TURNING POINT: Vince Carter's three-point play in the overtime period essentially put the Magic in control. He scored on a floater over Dorell Wright, was fouled and converted the free throw to put the Magic ahead 104-100 with 2:13 left in the extra period. You could tell that took the wind out of the Heat.

WINNING/LOSING EDGE: The Magic outrebounded the Heat 33-24 in the second half and overtime, and held a 20-14 edge in second-chance scoring. In a game decided by slim margins, this was the one that  stuck out most, especially coming down the stretch.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: For all of the Heat fans who scream for Michael Beasley to finish games, there was one voice heard above all others late in Thursday's loss. A fan sitting a few rows back from press row yelled, "Take Beasley out" after the second-year forward committed a turnover late in the game. He had at least two blunders down the stretch, including a play when he mishandled a pass from Wade in transition that would have led to a layup. Beasley remains very much a polarizing figure with this team. At times, he appeared completely lost while trying to guard Rashard Lewis. At other times, Beasley's confidence soared. He made a key floater in the lane that put the Heat ahead 95-93 with 27.3 seconds left in regulation. He also made two free throws to give the Heat a 100-99 lead with 3:09 left in overtime. But his turnover with 1:19 left and the Heat trailing 105-100 was critical in that spot. These are the type of growing pains he probably should have been learning through throughout the season. For those who criticize Spoelstra's handling of Beasley, well, he went with the second-year forward for the duration of overtime while veteran Udonis Haslem sat the entire extra period. Not saying it was the wrong decision. Just saying the debate likely rages on. I've maintained all season Miami needs to find a way to make these guys co-exist. That hasn't been the case.

KEY CONTRIBUTION:Dwight Howard has struggled so much against Jermaine O'Neal and the Heat this season that he even anticipated another tough night Thursday. O'Neal did his job again and forced Howard into foul trouble. Dwight was limited to 10 points and 11 rebounds on 3 of 9 shooting in 31 minutes. O'Neal finished with 14 points, six rebounds and five blocks, with at least four rejections coming against Howard in a straight-up situation. O'Neal didn't get much going on offense either, but over the last three games, he has frustrated Samuel Dalembert, Tim Duncan and Howard. The Heat is 1-2 to show for it. But still, O'Neal is giving the Heat what it expected when it traded for him last February. He's finding his comfort zone and legs at just the right time of the season.

NEXT UP: Charlotte Bobcats at Heat, 7:30 p.m. Saturday - AmericanAirlines Arena

(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.)

ORLANDO - No need to beat around the bush here. The Heat just simply didn't measure up in Wednesday's 90-86 loss to the Magic at Amway Arena.

That much was obvious from the end of the national anthem. That notion really sank in minutes into the game, when Dwight Howard not only slammed home a thunderous dunk in the first quarter, but almost stuffed Udonis Haslem's torso through the rim right along with it.

It's only the second preseason game. Still, you could easily see Wednesday that one team in the state of Florida is locked and loaded for a shot at a repeat run to the NBA Finals this year. Meanwhile, the other hopes to do a bit better than tread water until it can make some major moves next year.

Orlando was without Rashard Lewis, who sat out as coach Stan Van Gundy looked to work in other perimeter players in preparation for Lewis' 10-game regular season suspension for a drug violation. The Heat was without Jermaine O'Neal (ankle) and Daequan Cook (thumb).

The Heat now carries an 0-2 preseason record into Sunday's home game against San Antonio - yet another championship contender using these exhibitions to fine-tune while Miami works out frustrating kinks.

D. WADE'S DOINGS: For the second time in two preseason games, Dwyane Wade flexed his season-ready muscles in limited doses. His shot was off, but he attacked the rim and made several aggressive plays around the basket. One move in particular - a crossover dribble and pull-up jumper - left J.J. Redick reevaluating his purpose in life. Wade finished with 17 points, two rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. He was 6 of 18 from the field.

TURNING POINT: The Magic never seemed threatened. But it broke the game open midway through the third quarter with a 14-2 run fueled by Orlando's offseason additions. The run opened with a pair of Vince Carter free-throws and included a Brandon Bass dunk and a pair of 3-pointers from Ryan Anderson and Matt Barnes. As Wade said after the game, this team is loaded enough for another run at the Finals.

LOSING EDGE: When Joel Anthony is shooting a far better percentage from the field than Michael Beasley, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers, you can expect a rough night offensively. And that's what was delivered as the Heat shot 33.8 percent from the field. That's after the team was 36.6 percent in Monday's 87-83 loss at Detroit. Spoelstra and Wade both said afterward that they were confident the offense would come around. The majority of camp was spent on the defense.

HEAD-SCRATCHER: The fouls piled up in a hurry for the Heat. Quentin Richardson was 3 of 3 from three-point range, but he was hardly around to sustain that hot-shooting streak. He picked up three fouls in four minutes. Haslem, who has been in foul trouble all preseason so far, had his fourth foul by the 9:15 mark of the second quarter. Both Haslem and Anthony would foul out. A total of 45 fouls were called, with players and coaches from both sides barking frequently at the replacement officials. "You're messing up a good game," Carter yelled at one ref after he was called for a foul. "Pay attention," Spoelstra shouted moments later after the officials got another call mixed up. "Just pay attention. Is that too hard?"

KEY CONTRIBUTION: Joel Anthony, who started at center in the absence of O'Neal, was far more active in the game than his numbers indicated. Anthony was essentially all the Heat had for interior defense. He finished with five points, five rebounds and two blocks before fouling out with two minutes left in the third quarter. He disrupted about a dozen shots at the rim. His offense and touch with the basketball is slowing coming around. Is he a savior at center? Hardly. But he does give the Heat energy and a legitimate shot-blocking threat.

DAMAGE DONE: Dwight Howard had 11 points and nine rebounds. His five blocks, however, did the most damage to the Heat. In all, the Magic had 16 blocks in the game compared to two for the Heat, both by Anthony (pictured left).

NEXT UP: San Antonio Spurs at Heat, 6 p.m. Sunday - AmericanAirlines Arena.

(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.)

As the Lamar Odom sweepstakes turn, it appears that the Heat's recruitment team of president Pat Riley and star guard Dwyane Wade has taken the sales pitches to Los Angeles.

Word is that Riley took a flight out to Southern California late last week (where he maintains a home), and Wade followed with his second trip out west in as many weeks, arriving last night.

Both men presumably have other business and personal reasons for the trip. But it's not beyond the realm of possibility that they might also squeeze in some one-on-one time with Odom. Wade created another Twitter frenzy last night when he tweeted - and joked, perhaps - that he was in L.A. to bring Odom back to Miami.

This situation appears to be coming to a head within the next 24-48 hours. But even as this episode drags on, you have to wonder what happens with the Heat if Odom stays with the Lakers. If Plan L.O. goes up in smoke, is there a Plan B?

By offering Odom the full mid-level contract, Miami has already shown that it is willing to go well above the luxury tax limit and use funds Riley had suggested earlier this summer that he wouldn't touch. He also is willing to take on a contract that cuts into the precious 2010 salary space the franchise has protected as if it were a national treasure.

Without making a follow-up move to dump some salary, Odom's $5.85 million starting salary next season would equate to close to a $12 million investment for the Heat, when you consider the luxury tax penalty.

There's no question that Riley has contradicted many of his previously stated positions in this Odom pursuit. But what happens if things fall through, and Riley/Wade return to Miami w/o L.O.?

Is there a fall-back plan to salvage the offseason?

Would the Heat still be willing to use the mid-level to go after help at point guard (where the options range from a reunion with Jason Williams to a reclamation project with Jamaal Tinsley)?

Would there be a pursuit on the sign-and-trade front to secure a Carlos Boozer or Tyson Chandler or Amare Stoudemire?

Would there be any interest in making a marginal, but athletic upgrade such as a Hakim Warrick? And since they're out in L.A. anyway, why not check in with the other team regarding a Kaman or a Camby?

Or does Odom simply represent a Powerball situation - one ticket, one shot at the big stash? There's still time to make smart moves this summer.

But if Odom isn't issued a boarding pass alongside Riley and Wade on the return flight to MIA, might Riley ground all meaningful attempts at a major roster upgrade in Summer '09? 

Obviously, there's a will to get something done with Odom. But will there be a way or effort to salvage this offseason if things don't work out?

With Odom - as has been the case throughout his career - there always seem to be more questions than answers.

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

It comes as little surprise that Jason Williams is angling to end his seven-month retirement by seeking reinstatement to the league.

It would, however, come as a bit of a surprise if the Heat bites - assuming Miami's former starting point guard somehow gets out of the contract he signed last summer as a free agent with the Clippers.

I never believed for a second that J-Will lost his love for the game. He was one of those players that clearly seemed to have fun when he was on the court (structure and play-calling, at times, be damned). Part of the reason he walked away at 33 last year was for family reasons. Word is his wife was just about to give birth to another child.

The Heat certainly could have brought J-Will back last summer - even on a veteran minimum deal. But it chose to pass. It certainly could use his help now - if he's in shape - to fill out a roster that has only two traditional point guards at the moment.

But J-Will is as much of a link to the recent disastrous pass, defensive indifference and attitude issues that Pat Riley vowed to clear out as he was to the Heat's 2006 championship run.

J-Will certainly has an on-court connection with Dwyane Wade, one that could easily be rekindled with a couple of practices, and a few alley-oops. He also has watched Heat games this season from a section of courtside seats that are typically reserved for Wade's family and friends.

And there's no doubt that Jason would be willing to play a reserve role behind Mario Chalmers. Should Williams somehow be granted free agency, there are plenty of signs that would seem to point to a reunion with the Heat (considering Orlando, where Williams lives, has already addressed its point guard issues by trading for Rafer Alston).

I'm just not sure if the Heat is willing to go there again.

Especially when there are - or soon will be - plenty of other options.

Again, I could very well be wrong. Been before. But I've just got a hunch.

Let me first say I have no idea how this Shawn Marion saga will end with the Miami Heat.

But here's what I do know. You'd be hard-pressed to find anyone on the roster who plays harder, sacrifices for the team and brings a better attitude to his job day in and day out than Marion.

That's as far as I know. I'm not privy to the behind-the-scenes goings on. Frankly, none of us who don't have a secret password and fingerprint scan at AmericanAirlines Arena knows for certain. We hear second-hand, third-hand and even fourth-hand info. Either that or first-hand spin.

I'm saying that to say that Marion could take one approach when the cameras and microphones show up when the media is allowed into the locker room and practice facility. He might be another person behind the scenes with his teammates, coaches and administration.

But I haven't heard that to be the case.

Marion is constantly involved in trade rumors because he has an expiring contract. And when the Heat loses games, he's the easiest person to point at as an ill-fit for the offense. He's also the biggest trade chip. But when Miami wins, there's very little credit offered for him being the glue guy who did majority of the stat-stuffing dirty work.

Marion is a scapegoat because he makes $17.8 million in the final year of his contract. Don't hate him because he's getting paid. Would your view of Marion differ if he earned the mid-level or veterans exception?

Yes, his numbers are down in almost all of the major categories.

Yes, he's been about as accurate with his shot recently as a shoe-throwing reporter in the Middle East.

And yes, he's better suited in a up-tempo offense where he can use his athleticism, run the wing and finish. But Steven Nash ain't walking through that door. Neither is J-Will. And unless something drastically changes within the Heat's front-office thinking, neither is Steph - as in Marbury.

But don't discount Marion's effectiveness on the defensive end. It was Marion who locked up Michael Redd in the second half against Milwaukee. It was Marion whose blocks and baseline-to-baseline effort often go unnoticed.

The Heat has bigger needs, and Marion is probably the key to landing other vital pieces to the roster.

But it's unfair to diminish his deeds just because the Heat has other needs.

Yes, the Heat will fill other voids at center or point guard if Marion is dealt. But best believe there will be another hole left behind.