Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:36 pm
Prologue
The Miami Heat are a team at a crossroads. For too long they have been maligned for being a one man team; the height of which came in the 2009-2010 season when Charles Barkley said that Dwyane Wade was playing with a bunch of "Tito Jacksons". Now with D-Wade signing a 6 year extension, the Heat association must repay his faith in the franchise by putting together a supporting cast that one of the greatest scorers in the game deserves.
Will the Heat be more than first round casualties? Will they have to start all over again? Or will they stay the course?
Thu Jun 24, 2010 10:37 pm
Whose in... Whose out
In: Shaq makes his return to the Miami Heat lineup after almost 3 years away. Along with other free agent addition Joakim Noah, he's looking to add much needed strength and energy to the front court. 2011 also sees the arrival of another future hall of famer in Allen Iverson. He copped a lot of criticism over the last few seasons and is looking to finish his career off the way you'd expect a player of his caliber.
The bench has received a big boost with the addition of Hakim Warrick. His athleticism will hopefully bolster the second unit along with the likes of Mario Chalmers, Joel Anthony and Quentin Richardson. Dane Grimes is the first round selection of Miami this season. He is a shooting guard, so minutes will likely be limited for him... but he has the potential for a great future in the league. Ime Udoka adds a nice wing defender off the bench, while South Korean centre Ha Seung-Jin returns to the NBA after a 5 year absense.
(Shaquille O'Neal [free agency], Allen Iverson [free agency], Joakim Noah [free agency], Hakim Warrick [free agency], Dane Grimes [first round draft pick], Ime Udoka [free agency], Ha Seung-Jin [free agency])
Out: As one O'Neal comes in, another leaves. Jermaine, along with other aging centre Jamaal Magloire weren't seen in the plans for Miami in moving forward. Daequan Cook and James Jones were both allowed to walk after Miami didn't exercise their team options, while French wing defender Yakhouba Diawara decided to test the free agency as his minutes were limited last year.
(Jermaine O'Neal [free agency], Jamaal Magloire [free agency], Daequan Cook [free agency], James Jones [free agency], Yakhouba Diawara [free agency])
Fri Jun 25, 2010 3:44 am
Fri Jun 25, 2010 5:01 am
Fri Jun 25, 2010 8:41 am
Fri Jun 25, 2010 10:22 am
Fri Jun 25, 2010 6:07 pm
Martti. wrote:Don't really like the Shaq addition, but great signings with Noah and Warrick.
Why's Wright in the IR and Udoka and that rookie on the bench? Overalls?
Clutch wrote:(Y) on Noah,on the Cryverson (espec. with Chalmers playing second fiddle to him), neutral on Shaq; loved the first Shaq-Flash title but just not sure the same love/respect is still there anymore
Thierry. wrote:Ha Seung-Jin?
dare wrote:Shaq once again put himself to a team that can be a champion, he really is chasing Kobe
Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:27 pm
The Heat have gone down in the first game of the season in a loss over the Toronto Raptors. Dwyane Wade had an excellent night with 30 points, 3 rebounds and 5 assists, but he had little help on the offensive end. Despite carrying a hip injury from the pre-season, Shaq managed to score 15, but was often proven to be a liability on the defensive end.
Miami managed to match Toronto in 3 quarters of the game, but it was the second quarter that killed them.
Boston had their way with Miami at home in a blowout game. Dwyane Wade was the top scorer for Miami, but he only scored 19 this time around and he was completely overshadowed by the brute force of Kevin Garnett. KG scored 32 against a woeful Heat side.
Miami have snuck away with their first win of the season against the lowly New Jersey Nets. Wade once again only scored 19 points, but the standout in this game ended up being Michael Beasley. He scored 21 points and grabbed 7 rebounds.
In other news from this game, Seung-Jin Ha got his first taste of NBA action in 4 years and had quite a productive game with 9 points and 7 rebounds from 13 minutes of play. He came in for Shaq, who was a late scratch as he succumbed to his hip injury. Noah started at centre, while Beasley moved to power forward and Ime Udoka got his first start of the year after impressive coach Spoelstra in the limited minutes he's had. Shaq will be back for the game against Cleveland.
Miami were absolutely woeful against the Cavs, who have won their first 4 games with their victory. LeBron James was dominant once again, but the story of the game proved to be Anderson Varejao. He was far too quick for O'Neal, who is looking to be a big liability in Miami's defense.
Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:44 pm
Dwyane scored 30 against the Heat
Fri Jun 25, 2010 7:45 pm
Sat Jun 26, 2010 3:18 am
Sat Jun 26, 2010 7:48 am
Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:00 pm
Martti. wrote:You might want to fix the NJ scorecard, I doubt there was a tie.
The layout is nice, gets you through the season quickly. Poor start though. The old farts need to step up. (AI, Shaq)
And you might want to fix this :Dwyane scored 30 against the Heat
dare wrote:Nice layout, short and simpleAbout the card I think you should only credit The X maybe you can ask Thierry to do a template for the card. I hope Beasley is next
Hyperize. wrote:Tough start, especially with those blowout losses in Boston and Cleveland. Varejao doin' work.
megarover wrote:When Varjeoa is scoring big you know there is some problems. I like the player card thing too.
Sat Jun 26, 2010 6:49 pm
The Miami Heat have managed to get past their overwhelming loss to the Cavaliers and defeat the Clippers. D-Wade had another outstanding performance with 26 points and 8 assists. He also got help for the first time from Allen Iverson, who scored 14 and assisted with 7 other baskets.
Joakim Noah was a standout in the front-court registering 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Heat were able to get closer to Cleveland in their second matchup of the year, but were still unable to pick up the W. Miami won the second half by 42-38, but it was once again their second quarter that let them down. Wade had a season high of 36, but apart from that, only Iverson (13) and Beasley (12) made double figures for the Heat.
Varejao was kept at bay in this game, but LeBron James and Mo Williams combined for 42 points.
Despite a slow start, the Miami Heat narrowly defeated the Thunder. While D-Wade had another 30-5 game (31 points, 6 assists to be exact), Michael Beasley was judged as the game's best. He had 28 points and 7 boards, in a display that combined brute force in the front court and a soft touch from the perimeter. Perhaps B-Easy is ready for a breakout year with the Miami franchise.
Miami completed their most comprehensive win of the year, downing the 9th place Bobcats. Michael Beasley has continued to improved with another stellar performance. He was named the Jordan Player of the Game with 24 points. Despite the double-digit win, coach Spoelstra wasn't happy with Miami's offense as only two players scored in double figures. Wade was the other one with 20.
Sun Jun 27, 2010 3:53 am
Sun Jun 27, 2010 5:25 am
Thu Jul 01, 2010 5:41 pm
Axel13 wrote:Nice association, though for me it would be hard to manage both an assoc. and a dynasty at the same time. The Heat is a good choice, since they are a near top-level team in the East. Nice signing in old man Shaq.
megarover wrote:Beasley finally seems to be developing into a nice player. Too Bad he can't do it irl
Thu Jul 01, 2010 6:27 pm
Miami had a strange win against Indiana. Although point guard Derek Shroeder was the Pacers' top scorer, he had a shooting percentage that even Antoine Walker would blush at if he saw it. Shroeder shot 8-46 from the field and 5-37 from behind the arc... the Heat were leaving him open for a reason.
Even though Wade was the player of the game with his performance, it would be a game for the rookies as Dane Grimes scored 24 points off 11-21 from the field.
After a great comeback in the fourth quarter, Miami were up by two with the last play of the game. Rajon Rondo ended up hitting a three with 0.4 of a second left. Unfortunately Miami couldn't pull off any Derek Fisher-esque heroics. Rondo picked up the player of the game, as he picked up 13 dimes to go with his 8 points.
It was a see-saw game as both sides traded buckets throughout the game... nobody had any real ascendency, so winning off the last shot was a fitting ending for Boston. Wade and Iverson were fantastic for the Heat, scoring 29 and 26 respectively. This game coming on the heels of rumours that Miami have been shopping around Iverson, along with Quentin Richardson.
Despite a slow start, Miami have won a scrappy game against the Bobcats. Nobody was able to get going for the Heat in the first half... but when that happens; D-Wade will often come to the rescue. He ended up with 27 points and was by far Miami's best on court, as he was the only one in double-figures for the Heat.
While it's a luxury to have such a big time player, coach Spoelstra wouldn't be happy that he's had to carry the team in this game.
Miami almost squandered a 14 point 3rd quarter lead as they triumphed against the Thunder by a point. With the shot to potentially win the game for OKC, Jeff Green missed for the first time from 3 as he went 3/4 for the game behind the arc.
The story of this game is the veterans of Miami. Both Shaq and AI had 22 points each. O'Neal was named the player of the game, grabbing 7 rebounds and blocking 4 shots. He was 9-9 from the field.
Thu Jul 01, 2010 8:20 pm
Fri Jul 02, 2010 12:26 am
Fri Jul 02, 2010 2:16 am
Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:05 am
Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:21 pm
King Dee wrote:I gonna follow this as well..
Thierry. wrote:Simple layoutAnd AI looks really nice on a Heat jersey.
Tyler. wrote:Weird that the Bulls let Noah hit Free Agency.![]()
He's a great signing for your team though, maybe he could be the next player card?
Hyperize. wrote:Nice to see you above .500 now, and much better losses against the Cavs and Celtics this time around.
Fri Jul 02, 2010 3:31 pm
Sat Jul 03, 2010 12:55 am