Miami Heat bench strong, reliable
Heat forward Udonis Haslem, a starter for the previous six years, didn't like the idea of coming off the bench when the strategy was introduced at the beginning of the season.
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First thing's first.
The round of speculation that has LeBron James possibly signing with the Heat next summer is only the current direction this discussion is going. Next week it'll be different. The week after that it'll change again, and so on until the 2010 free agency period actually arrives, by which time every possibility will have been discussed at least once, including the idea of James signing with Sacramento under the condition that the team adds an apostrophe to make them the King's.Heat forward Udonis Haslem, a starter for the previous six years, didn't like the idea of coming off the bench when the strategy was introduced at the beginning of the season.
Michael Beasley's playing time has diminished late in recent games, and coach Erik Spoelstra had extended talks with him to explain why
Playing off the bench exclusively for the first time since he was a rookie in 2003-04, Udonis Haslem isn't merely contributing as much as he did when he was a starter. He's contributing more.
With Dwyane Wade's shot off, the Heat used balance scoring with five players in double figures to knock off the Nuggets.
During the preseason, it didn't appear Quentin Richardson did anything particularly impressive to be the starter at small forward.
On second thought, Heat guard Dwyane Wade isn't quite ready to relinquish his scoring title just yet.
After scoring a season-high 40 points in 43 minutes during Wednesday's road win against Washington, Wade said he accepts the fact he may have to pour in the points again this season for the Heat to be successful.Dwyane Wade scored 40 points and delivered the game-winning basket with 24.6 seconds remaining.
Heat forward Michael Beasley admitted he was overcome as a rookie by distractions associated with returning to his hometown to play the Wizards.
Miami lost its first game of the season and Phoenix stayed undefeated after outscoring the Heat 29-15in the final quarter.
WEDNESDAY: HEAT AT WIZARDS
When/where: 7 p.m.; Verizon Center, Washington. TV/radio: ESPN; WINZ 940, WQBA 1140.Ailing from a strained right shoulder that has been slow to heal, Heat shooting guard Daequan Cook apparently has been downgraded from day-to-day to out indefinitely.
Udonis Haslem's 19 points and 11 rebounds and strong defense in the fourth quarter lifted the Heat past the Bulls.
Something has to give. And if things go according to plan for the Heat, it's defense would prevent Steve Nash from being the guard that keeps on giving Tuesday when the two-time league MVP leads the Phoenix Suns into AmericanAirlines Arena.
We all hear the sob stories about professional athletes feeling disrespected and, frankly, they're almost all repetitive and boring and, most of the time, wildly exaggerated.
It might be difficult to find anyone more thrilled with the way Heat center Jermaine O'Neal has started the season -- outside of O'Neal himself -- than guard Dwyane Wade.
Jermaine O'Neal had 22 points and 12 rebounds against his former team and Dwyane Wade added 32 points as the Heat ended a 14-game regular-season skid in Indiana.
Heat guard Daequan Cook just cannot seem to shake shoulder injuries.
Cook was held out of Friday's shootaround with a sprained right shoulder and was limited in the game against Indiana. He warmed up before the game and was in uniform but wore a heat pad on the bench.Heat center Jermaine O'Neal isn't ready to declare himself back to his dominant form, but his performance in the regular-season opener proved he's on his way.
Injuries and illness might force the Miami Heat to rely on its perimeter depth far sooner than coach Erik Spoelstra anticipated.
Reserve guard Daequan Cook was held out of Friday's shootaround with a sprained right shoulder and could miss the game against Indiana.