I’m not going to take long, because this is literally the last angle to be played, but it’s stuck under my craw since last week. People who supported LeBron James’ move to Miami were criticized for supporting something that would damage Cleveland’s anemic economy, and that moving him to a “wealthy” area like Miami was greedy.

There’s no doubt that an area like Cleveland is facing unique economic issues, and that the two areas have vastly different economic bases. But the simple argument comparting poor Cleveland and wealthy Miami doesn’t exactly play out how you may think.

According to the most recently available data (April 2010), Cuyahoga County, where Cleveland is located, currently has an unemployment percentage of 9.1%, slightly below the national average. Miami-Dade, on the other hand, has a percentage of 11.3%, more than a full point above the national average.

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After what has seemed like an eternity since interest between the two parties was reported, Mike Miller has officially signed with the Miami Heat today. He confirmed it on his Twitter account:

It’s official! Thanks to the Miami Heat Organization, Mr. Arison, Pat Riley, the fans and the players that made this happen!

More details, including the official Heat statement, to come very soon. Now that the Heat has now used up their cap space (along with the Udonis Haslem signing earlier this week) we should expect to see several veteran minimum contracts signed in the near future to round out the rest of the roster.

Patrick Beverley has unquestionably been the player to watch on the Miami Heat Summer League roster this year. He was originally drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers last year and then his rights were traded to the Heat immediately afterwards before ending up on Olympiacos in Greece. Because the Heat did not choose to participate in the Summer League last year this is really the first time we’ve been able to see Beverley playing here in America against professional competition and he’s shown that he’s up to the task.

I talked to Beverley for several minutes before the Heat’s third game in the tournament against the Detroit Pistons about his approach to the game and what he feels he could bring to the Heat should he get a roster spot. [Read more →]

It started with many, most notably Purple Heart Clothing, with the Miami-Wade County t-shirt. It continued yesterday with the LeBroward County t-shirt. And now, it’s time to bring the rest of South Florida into the mix. From Tequesta to Boca Raton, from South Bay to Palm Beach Island, it’s the shirt you’ve been waiting for. It’s Palm Bosh County:

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The Miami Heat’s participation in Summer League play after taking a year off is underway with a few players hoping to make a name for themselves in the hopes of grabbing a roster spot. The question is whether Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra will resist the temptation of adding veterans at the minimum for these final spots instead of these raw rookies. Only former Heat player Shavlik Randolph has any NBA experience among the 15 players on the summer roster and the rest may be too raw for the new-look Heat roster expected to make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Heat’s second game in the tournament ended with a tight loss to the Golden State Warriors thanks to Brian Chase’s late 3-pointer. While the Heat held a lead throughout most of the game the Warriors stormed back with some timely baskets in the fourth period. The Heat had 23 turnovers for the game as most players looked to get their own shots and impress the coaching staff instead of finding the open man and getting easy looks, something that pretty much every Summer League team in the tournament is prone to doing. [Read more →]

We’re on to the next, and now it’s time to vote. Pick your favorite name out of the following looooooong list. Take the time and read them; some are clunkers, some are great. I have my favorite, but I’ll never tell. Not until the voting is over, at least. Remember, one vote per person. Get to it! Voting ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday night.
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The signing of Chris Bosh and LeBron James, as well as the retention of Dwyane Wade, have gotten the excitement and creative juices flowing in South Florida (just listen to sports talk radio or look at our comment contest). But a lot of the hoopla seems to be Dade-centric. Even though I live and work in Dade, I purposefully use the phrase “South Florida” frequently when I refer to the team, because I know the tri-county area is really the target market for teams in South Florida, even if they do happen to play in the county of Dade. So now, for all of those north of the Turnpike Extension and south of Hillsboro Boulevard (roughly), here is the new hotness:

That’s right. Much like with Miami-Wade County, it’s Broward County’s logo, reimagined, with a certain Heat player in mind. Head on over to the Hot Hot Hoops Shop and pick yours up today!

Certain NBA fans can be brutal to some of the players their teams have chosen to wear their jersey. Whether it’s some sort of subconscious form of reverse psychology or the unrealistic expectations that these players must perform perfectly throughout each and every game, fans have been known to have their favorite punching bags. Miami Heat players with this distinction of being punching bags include Antoine Walker and Michael Beasley. Every mistake, big or small, made a player like this elicits groans and hollers from the crowd.

Some players however don’t really deserve the unconditional love that some fans shower them with. The acquisition of the NBA’s largest personality Shaquille O’Neal by the Heat in 2004 to pair up with a young Dwyane Wade and form a powerful duo promised to take the Heat to new heights. While Shaq was very near the end of his prime, his larger than life personality and likeability instantly won over South Florida. In his first years with the Heat he was arguably the league’s most valuable player but soon his production would tail off dramatically and that’s when problems soon began. [Read more →]

Two more roster spots have now been claimed for the new-look Miami Heat.

Lebron James is now in full recruitment mode and has convinced longtime Cavs teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas to sign with the Heat.

Ilgauskas’ agent confirmed the move to the Sun-Sentinel. He will sign with the Heat later this week for two years likely at $2.8 million, with a player option possible for the second season. The 7-3 center from Lithuania has played all 14 seasons with the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Juwan Howard also appears set to join the Heat at a veteran minimum contract. For old-school Heat followers, many will remember the infamous contract he signed with the Heat 14 years ago that was disallowed because it violated salary cap rules. Howard then had a change of heart immediately afterwards and returned to play for Washington instead.

Both contracts should be officially signed by the end of this week.