The Miami Heat has to wait 18 days to find out how high its lottery selection will be for the NBA Draft on June 26. But Heat officials are well into their draft preparations and the teams' options are beginning to crystallize.
The draft is loaded with college underclassmen -- some who have ditched the rest of their NCAA eligibility by signing agents, and others who are testing the NBA waters. The NBA released an official list of early entry players Thursday. Ninety-one early entry players are eligible, including 22 international players.
By finishing with the NBA's worst record, the Heat is assured of a top-four pick, and there is a strong chance whomever Miami selects will be an underclassmen.
Speaking about the team's draft options, Heat president Pat Riley said earlier this week: ``I don't have any idea which [player] I would pick today. I really don't.''
Memphis point guard Derrick Rose and Kansas State forward Michael Beasley -- both freshmen last season -- are projected as the top two picks in the draft. But after that, mock drafts and analysts differ on the order for the remaining lottery selections.
Riley could not talk specifically about underclassmen of interest because the NBA had not released the list. But Riley said the team had contacted agents to schedule meetings with players.
The Heat is entitled to meet with two players, one for two days and the other for one day, between now and when the NBA predraft camps start May 27 in Orlando.
''We want to start talking to certain guys, and that's all I'm interested in -- getting to know everything I have to know about the player we're going to pick,'' Riley said.
The Heat has a 46 percent chance of landing a top-two pick when the weighted, but random, lottery is held May 20 in Secaucus, N.J. If the Heat falls outside the top two, the team could try to make a trade. That couldn't happen until draft night because the Heat would have to draft a player and then package him in a trade.
Riley perhaps tipped his hand during the regular season, when he mentioned that making a draft night trade could be a plausible option if the Heat is unhappy with its drafting position.
The Heat's preparations began during the NCAA Tournament. Riley and front-office officials scouted dozens of players but said team officials would do background checks, watch film and attend predraft camps and schedule private workouts in Miami.
This is one of the Heat's most important draft choices in recent years. Riley believes the team can follow an injury-devestated 15-67 season by making the playoffs next season. Making a splash in the draft could go a long way in the Heat's rebuilding effort.
Beyond Rose and Beasley, the Heat might focus on freshman guards Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), Eric Gordon (Indiana) and O.J. Mayo (Southern Cal); 7-0 centers DeAndre Jordan (a Texas A&M freshman) or Brook Lopez (a Stanford sophomore) or 6-10 power forward Anthony Randolph of LSU.
''This is a very deep draft,'' NBA assistant scouting director Ryan Blake said.
He said it is strong in guards, but noted that many teams will be making selections as much based on upside as the player's body of work to date. He cited Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Atlanta Hawks rookie Al Horford as sound lottery picks in recent years because of their quick impact. Wade was a sophomore and Horford a junior before going to the NBA.
''Most [teams] want someone that is going to be the franchise player. You don't want a project,'' Blake said.
Two of the Heat's recent first-round picks have fallen under that category. Swingman Dorell Wright, drafted out of high school, barely played until last season -- his third in the league. Guard Daequan Cook had an up-and-down rookie season in 2007-08 after leaving Ohio State following his freshman season.
Of the players who declared early for the draft, 29 of the collegiate players are freshmen or sophomores. With far fewer picks in the draft than entered players, some are taking gambles.
''Only 30 guaranteed contracts for the first round, so there is going to be a lot of decision-making for a lot of the kids,'' Blake said.
Early entry players have until June 16 to withdraw from the draft, so long as they do not hire an agent.
That deadline is not likely to affect the Heat. Team officials are focusing primarily on the elite prospects, the majority of whom are committed to an NBA future.
