nbrans
All-Star
After his team lost to the Knicks last Friday, its fifth defeat in seven games, Dwyane Wade could no longer hide his frustration over the Heat's sluggish play.
"Something has got to change," Wade said. "Something has got to happen. I will leave it up to your imagination [what it should be]."
Miami apparently will take a step in that direction soon when it signs veteran guard Eddie Jones, waived by the Grizzlies on Tuesday, to shore up its perimeter depth. The Heat are also still seeking a point guard, with veteran forward James Posey as the trade bait.
But will Jones and/or some second-string castoff point guard be enough to cure what ails the Heat, currently mired in ninth place -- out of the playoff field -- in the East? Will either provide the scoring help Shaquille O'Neal and Wade need? Will either provide the emotional spark the defending champs have been lacking?
Maybe the guy the Heat should be pursuing is Ron Artest.
Yes, Artest is a head case. Yes, he can cause problems. Yes, he might wander off to South Beach in the middle of the season to promote a rap album.
But Artest, who has been rumored to be on the trade block in Sacramento, is also one of the best two-way swingmen in the game. He can shoot from long range. He can score inside. He can pass. Best of all for a Pat Riley-coached team, he can defend.
With Artest in the lineup, Jamal Crawford won't be going for 52 points -- hitting 16 straight field goals at one point -- as he did against Miami in that loss that prompted Wade's frustration.
The question for Riley and the Heat is whether they have anything to lose at this point. Maybe they'd be better off sticking with their current roster and hoping Shaq gets back to full strength. But Shaq has not looked anything close to 100 percent (he sat out Tuesday night's win over the Bucks because of his lingering knee issues) and it might be a long time, if at all, before he can dominate.
Besides, the Heat look like a team in need of a spark. They need something to get their home crowd fired up again and those role players excited about going to the arena each night. Artest certainly would create a buzz at the box office, while also giving the Heat a needed dimension on the court.
Would the Kings go for it? Who knows? Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie is playing his cards close to the vest, even saying recently that he wasn't looking to deal his mercurial swingman. Few around the NBA seem to believe him.
At any rate, Miami could offer Posey and his expiring contract to the Kings, along with maybe a future first-round pick or young player. In Posey, Sacramento would get a solid veteran defender for the rest of the season. It could then either re-sign him this summer or use him in a sign-and-trade. Even if Posey walked away for nothing, the Kings still come out ahead because they rid themselves of Artest and the remaining two years and $14.8 million on his contract.
Again, any GM would have to be very careful before taking on Artest. As I wrote in a recent blog, he is just too big a risk to team chemistry. Just ask the Bulls, Pacers and Kings.
But as one Eastern Conference GM told me last week, Miami might be the one team that could bring out the best in Artest. They have two superstars in Shaq and Wade who command respect. They also have other veterans such as Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker to keep Artest in line.
Riley, meanwhile, is a coach who loves hard-nosed players with a bit of an edge. Xavier McDaniel. Anthony Mason. John Starks. Bruce Bowen. Artest just might buy into Riley and his championship rings the way Dennis Rodman bought into Phil Jackson when he joined the Bulls.
"Riley himself, I'd think he relish it," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "It's a challenge."
Walsh said the Heat showed interest in Artest last year but didn't have the particular pieces needed to get a deal done. He also said he was reluctant to deal him to another East contender. Likewise, the Kings no doubt would rather ship Artest to Miami rather than a conference rival.
As for Artest, one has to believe he'd love to be in a major media market. It certainly wouldn't hurt his music career. Artest reportedly wanted to be traded to Los Angeles last year for that reason before he wound up in Sacramento.
"As of right now Ron's a member of the Kings," Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, said this week. "He's happy to be in Sacramento. He doesn't want to be traded. But it's a business. If it happens, we'll deal with it."
Maybe it's just too risky for the Heat. But Artest can play. It all depends on how much Miami is willing to risk to defend its title.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/marty_burns/01/31/artest.heat/
"Something has got to change," Wade said. "Something has got to happen. I will leave it up to your imagination [what it should be]."
Miami apparently will take a step in that direction soon when it signs veteran guard Eddie Jones, waived by the Grizzlies on Tuesday, to shore up its perimeter depth. The Heat are also still seeking a point guard, with veteran forward James Posey as the trade bait.
But will Jones and/or some second-string castoff point guard be enough to cure what ails the Heat, currently mired in ninth place -- out of the playoff field -- in the East? Will either provide the scoring help Shaquille O'Neal and Wade need? Will either provide the emotional spark the defending champs have been lacking?
Maybe the guy the Heat should be pursuing is Ron Artest.
Yes, Artest is a head case. Yes, he can cause problems. Yes, he might wander off to South Beach in the middle of the season to promote a rap album.
But Artest, who has been rumored to be on the trade block in Sacramento, is also one of the best two-way swingmen in the game. He can shoot from long range. He can score inside. He can pass. Best of all for a Pat Riley-coached team, he can defend.
With Artest in the lineup, Jamal Crawford won't be going for 52 points -- hitting 16 straight field goals at one point -- as he did against Miami in that loss that prompted Wade's frustration.
The question for Riley and the Heat is whether they have anything to lose at this point. Maybe they'd be better off sticking with their current roster and hoping Shaq gets back to full strength. But Shaq has not looked anything close to 100 percent (he sat out Tuesday night's win over the Bucks because of his lingering knee issues) and it might be a long time, if at all, before he can dominate.
Besides, the Heat look like a team in need of a spark. They need something to get their home crowd fired up again and those role players excited about going to the arena each night. Artest certainly would create a buzz at the box office, while also giving the Heat a needed dimension on the court.
Would the Kings go for it? Who knows? Sacramento general manager Geoff Petrie is playing his cards close to the vest, even saying recently that he wasn't looking to deal his mercurial swingman. Few around the NBA seem to believe him.
At any rate, Miami could offer Posey and his expiring contract to the Kings, along with maybe a future first-round pick or young player. In Posey, Sacramento would get a solid veteran defender for the rest of the season. It could then either re-sign him this summer or use him in a sign-and-trade. Even if Posey walked away for nothing, the Kings still come out ahead because they rid themselves of Artest and the remaining two years and $14.8 million on his contract.
Again, any GM would have to be very careful before taking on Artest. As I wrote in a recent blog, he is just too big a risk to team chemistry. Just ask the Bulls, Pacers and Kings.
But as one Eastern Conference GM told me last week, Miami might be the one team that could bring out the best in Artest. They have two superstars in Shaq and Wade who command respect. They also have other veterans such as Alonzo Mourning and Antoine Walker to keep Artest in line.
Riley, meanwhile, is a coach who loves hard-nosed players with a bit of an edge. Xavier McDaniel. Anthony Mason. John Starks. Bruce Bowen. Artest just might buy into Riley and his championship rings the way Dennis Rodman bought into Phil Jackson when he joined the Bulls.
"Riley himself, I'd think he relish it," Pacers CEO Donnie Walsh said. "It's a challenge."
Walsh said the Heat showed interest in Artest last year but didn't have the particular pieces needed to get a deal done. He also said he was reluctant to deal him to another East contender. Likewise, the Kings no doubt would rather ship Artest to Miami rather than a conference rival.
As for Artest, one has to believe he'd love to be in a major media market. It certainly wouldn't hurt his music career. Artest reportedly wanted to be traded to Los Angeles last year for that reason before he wound up in Sacramento.
"As of right now Ron's a member of the Kings," Artest's agent, Mark Stevens, said this week. "He's happy to be in Sacramento. He doesn't want to be traded. But it's a business. If it happens, we'll deal with it."
Maybe it's just too risky for the Heat. But Artest can play. It all depends on how much Miami is willing to risk to defend its title.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/marty_burns/01/31/artest.heat/
