30 Years of Heat: All-Time All-Player Countdown #75-73

75. Kevin Gamble

Kevin Gamble, a 6'5" small forward from Springfield, IL, was born on November 13th, 1965. After attending Lanphier High in Springfield, he played at a junior college for two seasons. He transferred to the Hawkeyes at the University of Iowa for two more seasons starting in 1985-86. As a senior, he scored 11.9 points with 4.5 rebounds per contest. He was selected in the third round by the Portland TrailBlazers with the 63rd overall pick.

Gamble played just 19 minutes over nine games with the Blazers as a rookie. He joined the Celtics as a free agent in 1988-89, eventually staying with the team for six seasons (436 games). He averaged 11.2 points with 2.6 rebounds and 2.3 dimes per contest. During his stay in Boston, he played every game of three consecutive seasons, ranked third in field goal percentage in 1990-91 (.587), and eighth in free throw percentage in 1991-92 (.885). He also racked up 29 playoff appearances, scoring 9.3 points with 2.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.

Prior to the 1994-95 season, Gamble signed a two year contract to play for Miami for $1,495,000. He played 77 games for Miami that season, all off the bench. He averaged 15.9 minutes per game, shooting 48.9% overall and 39.8% from long distance. He racked up 7.4 points with 1.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. He scored in double figures 25 times through the campaign, as Miami went 30-47 with him on the floor. On December 17th, he scored 18 points with five assists in 24 minutes as the Heat defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 96-85. On April 23rd, in a 129-105 win over the Detroit Pistons, he shot 11-for-15, scoring a season high 23 points wth four rebounds and two assists in 27 minutes. Miami went 32-50 overall, missing the playoffs.

1995-96 would see Gamble start in 13 of his 44 appearances with the Heat. He played 23.5 minutes per game, scoring seven points with two rebounds and two assists on an average night. He shot 39.4% overall, with a 41.8% success rate from three-point distance. He scored 10 or more points a dozen times. On December 20th, he played 46 minutes, shooting 13-for-24 with a five-for-nine night from long distance for a career high of 37 points with five assists and five steals. On February 22nd, he was sent with Billy Owens to the Sacramento Kings for Tyrone Corbin and Walt Williams. Miami earned the eighth seed with a 42-40 record, but lost three straight games in the opening round to the Chicago Bulls.

Williams signed a four year contract with the Kings, but only played in parts of two seasons with the team (83 games). He was head coach for the University of Illinois at Springfield for eight seasons starting in 2002-03, and in April 2012 was named the top assistant with the Central Michigan Chippewas.

Stat Line: 121 games, 18.6 minutes, .451 field goals, .407 three-pointers, .805 free throws, 7.2 points, 1.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.7 steals, 12.9 PER, 5.1 GameScore.

Cumulative GameScore: 604.5

74. Carlos Arroyo

Carlos Arroyo is a point guard from Fajardo, Puerto Rico. 6'2", born on July 30th, 1979, and a product of Santiago Apostol secondary school, he played for the Florida International University Golden Panthers in college. A four year starter who averaged 16 points, 3.4 rebounds, and four assists a game, he increased his scoring average to 21.2 as a senior in 2000-01. During his college offseasons, he played with Cangrejeros de Santurce in PR. After going undrafted, he continued to play with them on and off into 2003.

At the same time, Arroyo signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Raptors, playing 17 games before joining the Denver Nuggets to close out 2001-02 (20 games). Later, he played with the Utah Jazz (145 games), the Detroit Pistons (99 games), and the Orlando Magic (161 games). He signed with Miami during 2009's training camp for two years and $2,330,768.

Arroyo started 35 games at point guard for the Heat, coming off the bench in 37 other games in 2009-10. He shot 47.5%, scoring six points with three assists and two boards in 22 minutes per game. He finished 18 games in double figures, as Miami posted a 43-29 record in games in which Arroyo appeared. On March 4th, in a 114-111 win over the Los Angeles Lakers, he hit six-of-seven shots for 17 points, five assists, and three rebounds in 42 minutes. He hit six-of-nine shots for 12 points and added 10 assists on March 14th for his season's only double double in a Heat win over the Philadelphia 76ers, 104-91. On March 26th, in an 87-74 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, he scored nine points with seven boards and seven helpers. Miami earned the fifth seed with a 47-35 record in their last pre-LBJ circuit through the regular season. They dropped four of five in the first round to the Boston Celtics to end their season. Arroyo played 23 minutes per game through the series, scoring an average of five points with two rebounds and two assists.

2010-11 would see Arroyo start in 42 of his 49 appearances. He shot 46% from the floor and 44% from deep in 20 minutes per game. He also averaged 5.6 points with two assists and 1.6 rebounds per game. He scored 10 or more points on a dozen occasions. On December 6th, he went a perfect six-for-six from the field, including two three pointers, in a win over Milwaukee, 88-78. The Heat cut him on March 1st, and the Boston Celtics signed him five days later. He played 15 games with them to close out the season. He spent 2011-12 with Beşiktaş Milangaz in Turkey and is currently signed with Galatasaray Liv Hospital in the same league.

Stat Line: 121 games, 21.3 minutes, .468 field goals, .393 three-pointers, .832 free throws, 5.9 points, 2.7 assists, 1.7 rebounds, 11.2 PER, 5.3 Win Shares.

Cumulative GameScore: 609.7

73. Jason Kapono

Jason Kapono was a 6'8" small forward from Long Beach, CA. Born on February 4th, 1981, he was selected in the second round of the 2003 draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 31st overall pick. He played his way onto the 1999 McDonald's All American team while attending Artesia High School in Lakewood, CA. After graduating, He played with the UCLA Bruins as a four year starter, scoring 16.5 points with 5.1 rebounds and two assists per game.

Kapono played 41 games for the Cavaliers as a rookie, spending the next season with the Charlotte Bobcats (81 games). He signed a free agent contract with Miami on October 3rd, 2005, signing for two years and $2,288,000.

In 2005-06, Kapono averaged 4.1 points with 1.4 rebounds in 13 minutes per game. He started twice at small forward, playing in 51 games overall. His shooting percentage was 44.6 overall, and 39.6% from three-point distance. He scored 10 or more points three times, and Miami posted a 30-21 record with him in the game. In the season opener, a 97-78 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, he went three-for-five from three point range in 20 minutes. On January 6th, he scored a season high 16 points with four assists in a 111-93 loss to the Phoenix Suns. He scored equalled his season high on April 5th by scoring 16 points on seven-of-nine shooting while dishing out six assists in a 103-100 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Miami went 52-30 overall, winning the division and a second seed. They won the NBA Championship in 23 games, defeating the Chicago Bulls in six, the New Jersey Nets in five, the Detroit Pistons in six, and the Dallas Mavericks in six. Kapono got into one game, playing two minutes.

2006-07 would see Kapono lead the NBA with a 51.4% success rate from long distance. He started in 35 of his 67 appearances, averaging career highs in every offensive category, with 10.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and just over a half a steal in 26.4 minutes per game. He finished with two double doubles and scored in double figures 38 times. Miami was 34-33 in games in which Kapono appeared. In a 105-92 Heat win over the Golden State Warriors, he scored 27 points on an 11-for-18 night, adding five rebounds. He scored a season high 28 points on another 11-for-18 performance on February 3rd, as the Heat won 117-98 against the Milwaukee Bucks. On February 25th, in an 86-81 win over Cleveland, he scored 17 points with 11 rebounds. With a 44-38 record, Miami earned the right to match up against the fifth seeded Bulls in the first round. Miami lost four straight to put an end to dreams of a repeat performance. Kapono totalled 20 points and five rebounds, appearing in all four Miami losses.

Kapono signed on with the Toronto Raptors soon after the postseason ended, He ended up playing two seasons with the club (161 games), later playing with the Philadelphia 76ers (81 games) and the Los Angeles Lakers (27 games). He later played in Greece and Turkey. He averaged 17.4 points in 39 games with Cangrejoeros de Santurce in 2015, then played 2015-16 with FC Barcelona Lassa.

Stat Line: 118 games, 20.6 minutes, .482 field goals, .490 three-pointers, .879 free throws, 7.9 points, 2.1 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 12.5 PER, 5.4 Win Shares.

Cumulative GameScore: 610.2