13Oct

The Rio wrap-up blog post: Stuff I learned

October 13, 2014 by

By Joe

No.1 Don’t drink the water.

I’m not saying I went around chugging the stuff from the tap, but somewhere along the way my body was invaded by black death. Still, I managed to write THIS and THIS and THIS and THIS and I’m back at practice today, but don’t ask me how.

No.2 Blanket statement here: Chocolate in Brazil can save the world.

No.3 Huge growth potential for the NBA in Brazil. During one 15-minute walk, I saw about 10 beach volleyball players who could probably play right now in the D-League.

No.4 Good luck covering the Olympics, guys and gals. Get ready for all-day bus rides.

No.5 Those girls don’t think you’re cute. Those girls are working.

No.6 The NBA should adopt tassel nets.

No.7 When in doubt, stay as close as possible to the guys with the big guns.

No.9 They know how to throw parties in Rio.

IMG_3034

No.10 The Heat is a long way from ready for the regular season.

…read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

08Oct

The Heat has arrived in Rio de Janeiro and the Coke tastes like Coke

October 8, 2014 by

By Joe

For the first time in over four years, the Heat is on the outside staring into the LeBron fishbowl, and that reality is going to set in here in Rio de Janeiro over the next three days.

In the meantime, Chris Bosh says he’s just happy to be here.

“I’m looking forward to having a great time,” Bosh said. “I’ve never been. I think this is a chance for us to soak in another culture and take a nice trip in the NBA, so this is always a good opportunity to see the world. If it wasn’t for basketball, I wouldn’t have gone to 100 percent of the places that I’ve been to, so I’m very excited and looking forward to meeting to some Brazilians.”

Such an ambassador, that Christopher Wesson Bosh.

So … this Rio place is pretty exciting, and I can’t wait to experience it (or experience as much of it as the NBA security apparatus will allow. We had some kind of serious police/military/commando escort from the airport to the hotel, which is across the street from the beach.)

My first bit of Rio exploration invovled me trying a Coca-Cola. I just had to do. Coke! … In Rio! … And it …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

08Oct

On the Heat’s growing concerns at point guard and other observations from the second preseason game

October 8, 2014 by

By Joe

Norris Cole started at point guard and he played well, so that was a major positive for the Heat on Tuesday night in its second preseason game, a 108-101 overtime loss to the Orlando Magic.

Now the bad news.

While Cole’s debut at helm of the offense helped calm some troubled waters, it is already obvious (and sometimes painfully so) that the Heat’s needs at point guard go well beyond who is introduced on the videoboard before the game. Starter is important, yes, but so is depth, and the Heat doesn’t it have it right now in the backcourt.

The memory of LeBron James has cast a long shadow over the position.

Cole finished with six assists and two points in less than 27 minutes, and that allowed Mario Chalmers to come off the bench as something of a hybrid guard. I wouldn’t call it a true Sixth Man role at this point because, well, he also had to do plenty of ball handling, which has never been a true strength. The Heat could use a third point guard, but rookie Shabazz Napier is developing slowly.

Napier has received minutes at the end of both preseason games, but nothing more, and he has had trouble …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

07Oct

Stuff from the Heat’s shootaround today, including Spoelstra on LeBron, Stan Van Gundy and this ‘microwave society’ we all live in

October 7, 2014 by

By Joe

Dwyane Wade called the Heat’s point-guard position a work in progress on Tuesday after the Heat’s shoot around. The progress continues tonight with a home preseason game against the Orlando Magic before the team boards a plane for Brazil. The Heat plays LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in Rio, and one of the biggest voids the Heat must fill after losing LeBron is at point guard. Mario Chalmers is the veteran at the position, but his role as completely different last year than what it is expected to be this season. Norris Cole is the backup at the position, but pushing to be the starter.

“We’ll need them to be aggressive,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said of his point guards this season. “They’ll have more opportunities than they have in the past. I don’t want them thinking they have to shoulder all the responsibility to create opportunities for the rest of the team, but the more aggressive they are and the more confident they are, the better it is for us.”

Tons more from shootaround Spoelstra today:

## On the offense:

“We’ve made some progress. We’re trying to balance the two so we’re really trying to set the tone defensively for …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

07Oct

Vague and Tenebrous Tweets by Almario Vernard Chalmers: Did Chalmers get benched today?

October 7, 2014 by

By Joe

This is a running blog post of all the entertaining stuff Mario Chalmers writes on Twitter and/or Instagram…

This is a great thing, this new blog-post idea, because I can pretty much speculate about whatever I want because Mario Chalmers is so enjoyably vague and tenebrous when he communicates with … his fans? … his teammates? … his coaches? … his family? … himself? I’m not quite sure, but does it matter? That’s also part of the fun, obviously. Who the heck is Mario Chalmers talking to and what on Earth is he talking about?

Monday, Oct. 6, 2014

Is Mario Chalmers benched?

I raise this question based on purely anecdotal evidence, if you even want to call it that. After a long day of practice, in which the team ran over its scheduled stopping time by at least an hour, Chalmers posted this to Instagram:

“After the day of negativity I had it’s good to b around some positive energy…”

Why would Chalmers be depressed? Well, being demoted to second-string point guard is enough to put anyone from Miami in a bad mood. (Of course, so is being in stuck in traffic on Biscayne Boulevard waiting on that damn …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

07Oct

Josh McRoberts might not be fully healthy for the #Heat season opener, which is kind of a problem.

October 7, 2014 by

By Joe

Last week we asked the all-important question “Is it time to start worrying about the Heat’s projected starting power forward?” and the answer appears to be yes. Yes, it is time to worry.

On Monday, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra indicated that Josh McRoberts might not be cleared medically in time for the start of the regular season. The Heat opens the season on Oct. 29 with a home game against the Washington Wizards. McRoberts is recovering from offseason surgery on is left great toe.

“It’s too early to tell, but he’s doing a lot,” Spoelstra said. “I anticipate he’ll increase his workload significantly in the next week to 10 days.

The Heat plays the Orlando Magic at AmericanAirlines Arena on Tuesday before flying to Brazil for a preseason game against LeBron James and his Cleveland Cavaliers. McRoberts certainly isn’t expected to play in either game unless, of course, Spoelstra is being completely evasive, which sometimes he is wont to do.

But, for the purposes of this blog post, let’s assume McRoberts is out for at least the next 10 days, which means at best he’ll be back for the Heat’s preseason home game against the Golden State Warriors on Oct. 17. That …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

05Oct

Here are three things to think about after tonight’s loss by the #Heat

October 5, 2014 by

By Joe

STUFF I’M THINKING ABOUT

1. Could rookie forward James Ennis average more than 10 points per game as a rookie?

If that actually happened, everyone in the Heat’s scouting department should get raises. An unexpected offensive infusion this season from someone like Ennis would certainly help compensate for the loss of LeBron James. Ennis led the Heat with 17 points tonight in Miami’s 98-86 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Ennis, who played in Perth, Australia, last year, is an athletic wing who has put in the work developing his outside shot since graduating from Long Beach State. The Heat is hoping for big things from Ennis as a back-up to Luol Deng, and he delivered in his first NBA preseason game.

2. Birdman and Josh McRoberts didn’t play. Is it time to start worrying?

Probably not, but it’s not a positive sign that Chris Andersen finished last season with an injury and he’s nursing another injury after the first week of training camp. Soreness and aches and pains are common in the preseason, of course, but for someone who relies so much on athleticism, it’s at least worth noting. Josh McRoberts is being held out …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

02Oct

Stuff I saw at the Heat scrimmage and other things from training camp like the depth chart and also some craft beer

October 2, 2014 by

By Joe

So, let’s start this blog post by first making note that, while I was setting up my laptop and munching on some carrots courtside on Wednesday night before the Heat’s scrimmage, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra walked up for some small talk and asked, “What could you possibly write about this scrimmage or take away from it?” or something like that.

And then I wrote this: MY STORY IN TODAY’S PAPER ABOUT THE HEAT’S SCRIMMAGE

Spoelstra also asked me if I was on a gluten-free diet because I was eating carrots and almonds, and I assured him that, no, I prefer gluten over all other protein composites because, well, obviously and also and such and such and so on.

Well, turns out, there were things worth observing from the scrimmage — important things, actually. As in, who didn’t play.

Chris Andersen didn’t compete in the scrimmage and neither did Josh McRoberts. Andersen has a sore calf muscle, and of course you would have known this immediately last night if you follow me on Twitter. McRoberts still hasn’t been fully cleared by the Heat’s training staff after having …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

01Oct

Is a South Beach bling king from Ohio partly to blame for ending the LeBron James Era in Miami?

October 1, 2014 by

By Joe

A South Beach bling king from Ohio might be partly to blame for the Heatles break up, and for not only LeBron James going back to Cleveland, but also Mike Miller and James Jones joining the Cavaliers as well.

Haider Zafar of Ohio, who allegedly conned Miller, Jones and Rashard Lewis out of millions in 2013, is expected to plead guilty to multiple wire fraud charges, according to court documents filed on Wednesday in Columbus, Ohio. The Heat amnestied Miller in 2013, but not before a Heat employee introduced Miller, Jones and Lewis to Zafar, who then swindled them to the tune of $7.5 million, according to a grand jury indictment.

So what does this have to do with LeBron going back to Cleveland? Well, let’s just say the whole mess didn’t help Miami’s chances of keeping last year’s team together.

It’s well known at this point that the Heat angered LeBron by amnestying Miller not long after Miller helped the Heat repeat as NBA champions in 2013. Miller said early this week in Cleveland that LeBron thought the move “was an unnecessary change.” That’s Miller being nice, of course. Really what probably made LeBron most angry is that the Heat amnestied one …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat

01Oct

Udonis Haslem signs on to be an executive producer of an inspiring film about a South Florida youth basketball coach with ALS

October 1, 2014 by

By Joe

Heat power forward Udonis Haslem has signed on to be an executive producer of an inspiring film about a South Florida youth basketball coach with ALS.

The film “Who is Lou Gehrig?” is being directed by Gil Green, who is well known in the music video business and also directs commercials and the Heat’s player introduction videos. Green’s lifelong friend, Jeff Fogel, has ALS, but continues to coach girls’ youth basketball at the North Miami JCC. The movie will focus on Fogel’s powerful imagination, which he uses as a coaching tool.

“He doesn’t make it about himself and he doesn’t crawl into a shell and give into his circumstances and limit himself,” Haslem said of Fogel. “He continues to use his mind and use his heart to contribute to others and give back. For me, that’s just like the ultimate, because I’ve known people who have had diseases and illnesses and just kind of given up and gone into a shell.

“His story is inspiring.”

The finished film will be screened at this year’s Borscht Film Festival, which is Dec. 18-21. The film will feature Haslem’s debut as an actor. He will play himself. Many of Fogel’s lessons as a coach revolve around his …read more

Source:: Raanan Katz – Miami Herald – Miami Heat