Miami Heat

2006-07 record: 44-38 First in the Southeast

Added: Joel Anthony, Mark Blount, Brian Chase, Daequan Cook, Ricky Davis, Devin Green, Penny Hardaway, Alexander Johnson, Smush Parker, Jeremy Richardson, Marcus Slaughter

Lost: Michael Doleac, Eddie Jones, Jason Kapono, Gary Payton, James Posey, Wayne Simien, Antoine Walker

PG: Jason Williams, Smush Parker, Chris Quinn, Brian Chase

SG: Dwyane Wade, Daequan Cook, Anfernee Hardaway, Jeremy Richardson

SF: Ricky Davis, Dorell Wright, Devin Green

PF: Udonis Haslem, Alexander Johnson, Marcus Slaughter, Joel Anthony

C: Shaquille O’Neal, Alonzo Mourning, Mark Blount, Earl Barron

versus Bulls

2006-07

Away Tue. October 31 W 108-66

Home Wed. December 27 W 109-103

Home Sat. January 27 W 100-97

Away Wed. March 7 L 70-103

Home Sat. April 21 W 96-91 Playoffs

Home Tue. April 24 W 107-89 Playoffs

Away Fri. April 27 W 104-96 Playoffs

Away Sun. April 29 W 92-79 Playoffs

2007-08

Away Wed. January 16, 6PM

Home Thu. February 14, 7PM

Away Tue. April 8, 6:30PM

Overview:

The Heat got exposed last year for being old, injured, and disinterested. While ridding itself of the Gary Payton, who hung on for three years too many, and Antoine Walker can only help them, Miami is going through a quiet rebuilding year. Rebuilding? Yes, I believe when a team changes seven players from one year to the next that they are undergoing a rebuilding project. Despite being named as possible destinations for almost every available free agent, the only name players they landed were Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Smush Parker and Penny Hardaway.  While they will get all the headlines of the newcomers, I think that it will be who makes the team from the group of Alexander Johnson, Devin Green, Brian Chase, Jeremy Richardson, Joel Anthony, and Marcus Slaughter that Bulls fans should think about, because they were Bulls specific signings. The Heat felt like they ran into a bad matchup at a bad time in getting swept by the Bulls. Eddie Jones and Gary Payton could not keep up. James Posey and Udonis Haslem are not anything special as players, but were playing 30 minutes per against the Bulls because they were the two guys who could run the Bulls. Riley brought in as many high energy, athletic bodies as he could in the hopes that they can rub off on the veterans.

In fairness, these guys do have some pedigree. Slaughter left San Diego State a year early and made a bigger name for himself playing for Pinar Karisyaka in Turkey averaging a double-double in a very good Turkish league than he did in college. Jeremy Richardson had a similar 06-07 campaign where he averaged 17.5 PPG in Fort Worth of the NBDL while showing that he had NBA range and athleticism after flying under the radar while playing at Delta State. Devin Green bounced around the world playing with the Los Angeles D-Fenders where he averaged 19.3 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.50 steals in 38.4 minutes per game and the RheinEnergie Koln. He averaged 10.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 1.4 SPG for the German league champs. Brian Chase emerged as a star of the NBDL last season as a teammate of Devin Green with the Los Angeles D-Fenders, averaging 16.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 1.41 steals and 33.2 minutes while shooting 46.0 percent from the field, 43.9 percent from three-point range and 92.3 percent from the foul line. Chase also earned All D-League Honorable Mention honors and was selected to play in the 2007 D-League All-Star Game. Joel Anthony has a mostly non-descript career at UNLV, but he did establish himself as a great shot blocker. In 20 minutes per game as a senior, Anthony averaged 3 blocks per game! Alexander Johnson had a quiet, but effective season as a power forward for the Grizzlies. His emphatic dunks, blocked shots, and all around hustle endeared himself to many. He was only released because the team needed to clear up money to sign Darko Milicic. Of young group, probably only two to four make the team, depending on what they do with Penny Hardaway, Earl Barron, and Chris Quinn, but in bringing them in Pat Riley sent the message that the Heat are going to be younger, quicker, and more active this season.

The rewards for overhauling the supporting cast probably will not be reaped until Dwyane Wade is fully recovered from his knee injury and in mid-season form around the All-Star break, Until then, all the Heat have to do is tread water and stay within reach of .500. If they can do this, then they have an opportunity to make a run at the Magic for the division and even if they fall short at least a spot in the playoffs. Come playoff time, a healthy Dwyane Wade and Shaquille O’Neal is still strikes fear into the hearts of the NBA, and the rebuilding effort will simply look like a reloading.

What they mean for the Bulls
Of the teams in the East that are likely to contend for a playoff spot, the Bulls match up with the Heat the best. Wade doesn’t like chasing around Gordon. Jason Williams can’t keep up with Hinrich. Shaq doesn’t really want to try. Even Ricky Davis had problems staying out of foul trouble when playing Deng and Nocioni the past few years when he was in Minnesota. I’m not sure how the result of the 1^st round differs if Dwyane Wade was 100% last year, clearly it would not have been a sweep, but the Bulls might just be a matchup where the Heat will be best off avoiding.

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