| A Jayhawk Goes To Florida For The Winter Authored by Michael Leffman - June 29, 2005 - 2:49 am
| Current Featured Columns | | Merry Christmas, Raptors Fans The Raptors might not be playing good basketball right now, but there are plenty of things for Toronto fans to be thankful for this holiday season.
A Melo Behind The SuperstarsCarmelo Anthony has never been one of the league's most efficient offensive players.
 |
Maynor Using Utah’s Resources
Eric Maynor is an increasingly rare four-year, small college rookie. He sat down with RealGM to discuss how his first few weeks of NBA life has gone and what he has learned from Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan.
|
 |
Why LeBron To The Clippers Makes Sense
LeBron James already plays for a perennial underdog in Cleveland, but moving to the Clippers would allow him to do so in a huge market and with a core that will immediately compete for championships while also having an encouraging long term outlook.
|
 |
First Place Hawks Not A Fluke
After a week that included wins against Denver and Boston, people around the league are starting to get the feeling that this Hawks team might be better than initially thought.
|
|
More from RealGM's Columnists
|
| |
Miami’s selection of Wayne Simien, a power forward from Kansas, who led the Big 12 this year in scoring and rebounds with 19.4 points and 11.1 boards, is likely to make Haslem more interested in testing the free-agent market. Simien is a mature player who could see decent playing time during the 2005-06 season.
The Heat extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Haslem on Monday, so they can now match any offer from other teams. Will they? Simien is an inch bigger than Haslem (6-9 to 6-8) and he’s heavier (255 lbs. vs. 232 lbs.). Plus he has a nice jump shot. Money could be an issue... with Haslem. A late-round pick does not get a massive signing bonus, that’s appealing. And the Heat will need a lot of their money for Shaquille O’Neal and possibly Damon Jones.
Heat general manager Randy Pfund told The Miami Herald, “I think the challenge of this [draft] is really trying to project where a player is going to fit in.”
The pessimist would say the Heat guaranteed the ability to retain Haslem this past Monday with their qualifying offer, just in case they had to draft a short point guard. They didn’t.
The optimist would say the Heat believe Haslem’s talent is ready for a long-term commitment so they can make a stronger playoff run in 2005-06 and a rookie power forward is best not starting those games.
Here’s a mix of optimistic thought and pessimistic-thinking: The Heat players gave 110 percent during the regular season making them spent and injured for the playoffs.
Regardless of how the Heat treat the two promising power-forwards, they have what could be a timeless two-some of O’Neal and Dwyane Wade. That duo carried them pretty far. And it’s not a matter of if O’Neal will be re-signed, just how much and how long.
They’ve already secured Alonzo Mourning for next year. Keeping D. Jones should be a top priority as his 3-point shooting would continue to be a strong asset in the starting lineup.
What the Heat and GM Pfund already know is they’re team could have beaten the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals, despite what most other sportswriters are saying, but in no way were they going to do that with the injury-plagued team they had.
The free agent period begins July 1. |
