Jason Williams - "We're like some high-paid prostitutes anyway in this league."

What was once never openly uttered, has now finally been said out loud.

Am I surprised? No.

It is amusing though that it took this long for someone to finally say something.

I just didn't expect it to be Heat guard Jason "White Chocolate" Williams.

Longtime Heat beat writer and Sun-Sentinel columnist Ira Winderman wrote:

"The thing about it is how it affects your family," Williams said before scoring nine points in Tuesday's 96-82 loss to the Cavaliers.

With the trading deadline less than two months away, Williams said he can't help feel he's viewed more as an expiring contract than a needed contributor.

"We're like some high-paid prostitutes anyway in this league," he said. "They just use and get rid of us whenever they want."

Williams is in the final year of a contract that pays $8.9 million this season.

"If it happens, it happens," he said.

What Williams doesn't appreciate is being scapegoated.

"Losing, everybody's just going to start to look for reasons why," he said. "Blame this, blame that, blame him, blame me."

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Basketball Injuries: The Pain of a Sprained Ankle

Caught the tail end of the New Jersey Nets @ Miami Heat third quarter.

With 0.3 tenths of a second left in the quarter, Miami Heat swingman Antoine Wright landed badly on his right ankle (which may effectively keep him out of action for the next few weeks based on the fact that he had to be carried to the locker room by a couple of his teammates).

Watching Wright lying on the baseline of American Airlines Arena brought chills down my spine as I began to recall a similar injury that I suffered to right ankle back in July.

It's no picnic folks. YES Network analyst Mark Jackson wasn't kidding when he said that "your body goes weak" and "you wonder if you will ever walk again" when one suffers such an injury.

At least Wright's ankle was "likely" taped (a standard operating procedure for today's NBA player) when he landed near the base of his opponents foot. Mine wasn't. And I had the misfortune of wearing running shoes in lieu of basketball shoes.

Anyway, here is hoping for a quick and speedy recovery to Antoine Wright.

Shout outs and best wishes as well to Miami Heat center Alonzo Mourning who had surgery yesterday on a "torn patellar tendon and quadriceps tear in his right leg."

Congratulations are also in order to New Jersey Nets quintessential point guard who scored his 14,000th career point in their game against Miami yesterday. AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds reported that Kidd is "the third player in NBA history with that many points to go with 8,500 assists and 6,500 rebounds, joining Oscar Robertson and Magic Johnson."

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Miami Heat Defense made D Stevenson feel like Hibachi

December 14, 2007 - Washington 104 @ Miami 91

Much like the struggling Nets, the Miami Heat have yet to hit mid-season form and win games with some semblance of consistency. It could be worse though, they could be the New York Knicks who can't win anything.

Looking forward, I really don't expect anything to change in the near future as the Heat lost (by a lot as they were down between 8-11 points at HOME to the Gilbert Arenasless Washington Wizards) despite having almost their whole lineup ready for action (this is basically Jason Williams as everyone else (outside the regulars) doesn't get off the bench and Smush Parker doesn't seem to exist anymore in the eyes of the Heat brain trust after his $12 dollar valet parking fiasco a couple of weeks ago).

How bad are things down at South Beach? Well, longtime Heat bear writer Ira Winderman put it best.

Winderman wrote for sun-sentinel.com:

Stevenson said on TNT's halftime interview, "I felt like Hibachi," a reference to the sizzling streak shooting of sidelined Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas.

Stevenson entered having scored 28 total points on 32-percent shooting in his four previous outings.

With the victory, the Wizards improved to 9-5 in Arenas' absence.

The Heat's defense (D.Wade has to take some blame here with his freelancing defense on Stevenson) actually made another player feel like Hibachi?

That's rich!

It's certainly something that you don't hear everyday (and at halftime to boot!).

But I digress, DeShawn Stevenson has and will be given credit. He can shoot the basketball, especially if there is no one in front of him (See Hibachi vs. DeShawn shoot it out in a February 07' YouTube Clip).

Last night, the defense was at best....token.

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It is on YouTube! (Shaq takes out Przybilla) And Barkley says his peace!

I knew it! I knew it! Someone did post Shaq's Attaq on poor Joel Przybilla over at YouTube.com.

However, since embedding the said video to other sites has been disable by the YouTube user, the link is the next best thing.

Recap:

Portland Trailblazers center Joel Przybilla basically got hurt in the second Heat possession of the game! It's an amature video from the bleachers section, but you can still make everyone out on the court (well, at least you can tell who Shaquille is among the group...he is pretty hard not to miss).

Well, at the possession goes, Shaq received the ball on the right block and turns right into Przybilla--BAM! Offensive foul. Everything seemed to be ok at first with almost everyone running down court with an exception of a few Trailblazers.

Then looking at the instant replay up in the Jumbo Tron, the ground must have been the last place that Joel Przybilla wanted to be in as Shaq seemed to get entangled with his feet and did one of those wrestling kamikazi dives towards Przybilla and bore down his full weight (well most of it) and the basketball on Przybilla's face--effectively knocking him out of commission for the next few minutes.

Of course, that is not end of it as there are reports that Charles Barkley had said that if that had ever been done to him, he would have had executed some swift retribution.

I'll leave it at that.

You can see the first two minutes of the Miami Heat at Portland Trailblazers match up in the aforementioned video.

And I am glad that Joel Przybilla is ok.

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The Shaq Attaq!!!

Now I've heard it all (wish I could say that I saw it...maybe YouTube has it somewhere)...

Here is what Sun-Sentinel columnist and longtime Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman wrote about the Heat's recent match up against the Portland Trailblazers:

Portland center Joel Przybilla said he still doesn't know what hit him when O'Neal stumbled into him during Thursday's first quarter, knocking him out when the force of the ball and O'Neal's 325 pounds hit him in the face.

"He apologized for it several times during the game," Przybilla said, "but I told him I didn't remember."

The Shaq Attaq!!!

This certainly beats Shaquille taking down a backboard (April 23, 1993):

Sports Illustrated wrote:

Shaq strikes again! O'Neal sends home a dunk so powerful it rips apart the backboard's support braces, causing the Nets-Magic game at Meadowlands Arena to be delayed more than 45 minutes. The backboard, stanchion and base all have to be replaced. "I just went up and dunked and it broke," O'Neal said. "It really came crashing down. The shot clock hit me in the head. It hurt a little bit, but not that much. I have a hard head. It could have been serious, but it wasn't."

Or somebody's teeth (it was that particular player's fault...he tried to take a charge on The Shaq). The name of the player escapes me at the moment (I think it was A.C. Green...can anyone verify this?), but I do remember that player losing two of his teeth and then scampering on his knees trying to recover them underneath the goal support. After collecting his fallen white pearls, the player then sought immediate dental attention.

Man! I love the game of basketball. But at 5'10 1/2, if I see The Diesel coming straight at me--common sense dictates (as well as a need for self-preservation) to run the other way.

Sorry guys, just threw that last part in there. It's my little attempt at humor :)

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Penny Hardaway: A perfect game

November 15, 2007

That's exactly what Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, the Miami Heat's free agent acquisition, did the other day against the New Jersey Nets wherein he and former Orlando Magic teammate Shaquille O'Neal sealed the Heat's victory (91-87) with "strong fourth quarter play" in East Rutherford, N.J.

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney wrote:

"The Heat were up five with less than 9 minutes left when Hardaway made a 3-pointer. He knocked down another one about 1 1/2 minutes later, giving Miami a 75-66 cushion with 7:22 remaining.

Sean Williams' bucket cut it to four with 4 1/2 minutes left, but Hardaway answered with another 3 with 4:09 to go. Hardaway hadn't scored more than eight points in a game this season, when he returned to the league after not playing since the 2005-06 season because of leg injuries."

Sun-Sentinel and Miami Heat beat writer added:

"And Hardaway finally made shots, going 6 for 6 (4 for 4 from downtown and 3 of the 4 in the 4th quarter), the first time he played without a miss in his career."

Even with D.Wade back, Penny Hardaway's stellar play (as of late as there have been a number of occasions this year wherein the Heat have had to beg him just to shoot the basketball) might actually score some more points with stern taskmaster and Heat coach Pat Riley.

Ricky Davis, watch your back!

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He is now back! He is now back! D.Wade returns tonight against Seattle

And he's back!

On the six-month anniversary (May 15, 2007) of his shoulder and knee surgeries, Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. has finally given his consent to return to the game of basketball.

His presence will certainly boast the Miami Heat's point production (currently standing at an NBA low 83.3 ppg) as well as lower the chances of the NBA's current cellar dweller--the Northwest Division's Seattle Supersonics (0-8 Win-Loss record; 8-game losing streak) from notching their first win of the season.

Wade was not listed in the Heat's match up against the Sonics which begins tonight at 7:30 pm ET.

AP Sports Writer Tim Reynolds wrote:

"It isn't going to be one man that's going to turn this around," Heat Coach Pat Riley said, echoing a line Wade has used in recent days. "He will change the game for us, as he progresses in live action."

While Seattle coach P.J. Carlesimo said Miami "instantly" gets better with Wade, but he also cautioned that he didn't expect to see the 2006 NBA finals MVP back in top form right away.

"When you miss as much time as he missed, even as great as he his, I don't see him coming back and not missing a beat," Carlesimo said before Wednesday's game. "But when he comes back, I expect them to be what they have been, which is one of the best teams in the East."

The knee was Wade's primary source of worry over the past couple weeks. He had surgery to relieve the condition commonly called "jumper's knee" and said he didn't want to return to the Heat lineup until he was convinced that the joint could hold up to the rigors of NBA life.

Team doctors cleared him for full-contact practice earlier this month and Wade began those workouts Nov. 5, although he was able to participate in certain on-court drills since training camp began about a month earlier."

Welcome back Flash!

Good times are back again!

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Shaquille: "I don't need earthlings respect"

Despite averaging less than 20 ppg for the first time in his 14-year NBA career, nothing can be said of the effort that Shaquille O'Neal brings every night.

Let's face it folks, we've all been spoiled.

With career averages (including the 6 games he has played in this season) of 25.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 blocks per game; a lot is expected out of the man who calls himself, "The Diesel."

True, he has slowed down (in 6 games he is averaging career lows in points (15.0 ppg) and assists(1.8 apg). And to some extent--dunks--of which, he only has two as of the recently concluded match up with the San Antonio Spurs) but his presence alone still commands a double-team or two. And let's not forget, even at his depleted state, Shaq is still better than half the starting centers out there in the NBA.

Miami's new starting small forward and former Orlando Magic teammate Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway had this to say about the Big Aristotle.

ESPN's Marc Stein wrote:

"He didn't play in a lot of preseason games. He got injured twice with little injuries to his leg [in October]. And he really didn't practice that much. So I don't see him in any kind of rhythm right now. People on the outside can look at it and say, 'Maybe he getting slower, maybe he's getting older.' But when you're on the inside, you know what's really going on.

"I think [the criticism] hurts him, because he's a guy that's won championships and has been at the top of this game for a long time," Hardaway continued. "But I know he's going to do something about it."

Stein added:

"I'm still the baddest [expletive] in the world," Shaquille O'Neal said. "Yeah, I'm getting older, but Kareem got older. Hakeem got older.

"I don't need earthlings' respect. When it's all said and done, my name will be there and it will be mentioned ... unless you earthlings try to erase it."

That's telling them Shaq!

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Twenty Years of Heat Basketball

The Miami Heat recently celebrated their 20th anniversary by announcing that they will be using 89' throwback basketball jersey's during several games this season was well as unavailing a mural (which lists all 154 players who have donned Heat colors) outside the American Airlines Arena in downtown Miami; Miami, Florida.

Did you know that in the Heat's two decade history, they have retired only one jersey number? Number 23 was retired in honor of the legendary Michael Jordan (who never played for the Miami Heat) during his final season with the Washington Wizards back in 02'-03'.

Till that point, only 4 of the 154 players in Heat franchise history have ever worn #23: John Morton (91'-92'), Gary Grant (96'-97'), Rex Walters (98'-99'), and former NBA Slam Dunk Champion Cedric Ceballos (00'-01').

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The Greatest Dwyane Wade Rookie Card Ever?

Not since the draft of Michael Jordan--which produced future hall of famers: Charles Wade Barkley, Chris Mullin, and Hakem Olajuwon--has there been an NBA draft class with so much talent. The 2003 draft class has already paid dividends with such notable stars and names as LeBron James, Darko Milicic, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Chris Kaman, Kirk Hinrich, T.J. Ford, David West, 05'-06' Most Improved Player Boris Diaw, Leandro "The Brazilian Blur" Barbosa, Josh Howard, Kyle Korver, and Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr.

With these developing talents and the full support of media and mass marketing, these players have become household names with the likes of LeBron, Melo, and Dwyane leading the way.

Getting Down to Business

According to Beckett Basketball Magazine, the card on the top of every Wade collector's wish list is the 2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #74 Dwyane Wade (JSY AU RC) (Pictured above). I have seen this card's value range from 3000 USD to 6000 USD on eBay, and that is already supposed to be a good deal as if you were to open these very, very pricey Exquisite Collection packs, you will be very, very, poor before you would be able to pull anything substantial--and realistically speaking, it may not be the Dwyane Wade card which you were hopping for.

That's what everyone wants.

But what about this?

2003-2004 Dwyane Wade Fleer Authentix Jersey Authentix Autograph (AJADW) numbered to 100. Unlike the Exquisite Collection which patch features your typical red, black, white, or combination of the three swatches; this particular card distinguishing quality is a Nike Swoosh Logo from the manufacturer's patch on each NBA jersey during that time. This would make it a relative 1 of 1 since Nike gave way to Reebok as the official outfitter of the NBA a year later.

Now which one would be more valuable?

A card that is atrociously expensive to begin with or one that: a) has a patch of a manufacturer that was the official apparel endorser of the NBA in 2003-2004, b) the patch has most of the Nike Logo on it (I've only seen two so far and the other card only features the tip of the tail of the Nike Swoosh), c)this is one of the last basketball card sets that Fleer produced prior to filing for bankruptcy in 2005, and d) its autographed.

Can you say, the greatest ever?

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Dwyane Wade back sooner than expected?

AP Sports Writer Cliff Brunt broke the news today that the Miami Heat's All-Star guard, Dwyane Tyrone Wade, Jr. has been cleared to play after the left knee and left shoulder surgeries he had six months ago.

Brunt wrote:

"conditioning is not to the level that he needs it to be for the kind of game we need from him, but this is a big step for us," Riley said. "We're not going to have any kind of watch. I think when he decides to play is the day you'll know about it."

This is certainly good news.

Not only for the Miami Heat faithful, but for Fantasy NBA owners such as myself.

The clock is ticking and D.Wade is coming!

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Employee #8 takes his game over to the Twin Cities

Yahoo! Sports reported that the Miami Heat and the Minnesota Timberwolves have consummated a five-player deal highlighted by Antoine Walker leaving his conditioning problems and moving out West in exchange for one-time Heat player Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount (who both came from the Boston Celtics in a trade deadline deal almost two years ago).

The Boston Globe wrote:

"The Celtics sent Ricky Davis, Mark Blount, Marcus Banks, Justin Reed, and two conditional second-round picks to the Timberwolves on January 27, 2006 in exchange for Michael Olowokandi, Wally Szczerbiak, Dwayne Jones of the development league, and a conditional first-round pick likely to be exercised in 2008."

While for these same two players (Davis and Blount), the Heat got the aforementioned Antoine Walker, third-string center Michael Doleac, forward Wayne Simien (who I know is there, but never really seen play) and a conditional first-round draft pick.

Gosh, it's either the Mutt and Jeff combo of Ricky Davis and Mark Blount isn't worth that much anymore (Davis is projected to be the Heat's third scoring option, while Blount should provide help to the trio of Shaquille O'Neal, Alonzo Mourning, and Udonis Haslem) or this is just another fine move by Timberwolves General Manager (Wikipedia.org lists him as Assistant GM) Kevin McHale to dump salary because I don't think the T-Wolves fans would love the idea of trouping to the Target Center to watch the "spectacular" veteran tandem of Antoine Walker and Juwan Howard fill up the box scores every night.

Certainly, the University of Florida's Corey Wayne Brewer, who the Timberwolves drafted this year, would be more entertaining to watch in their frontcourt.

I mean, come on! They did, once-upon-a-time have the talented Kevin Garnett...

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The reason why Shaq didn't wear #34 in Miami

Saw this little tidbit of information in the April 23, 2007 issue of Sports Illustrated

NBA Back Stories

The Numbers Game

Shaquille O'Neal
Heat Center

"In college (LSU) I wore 33 for Patrick Ewing," says O'Neal. "I wanted it in Orlando, but Terry Catledge wanted to sell it for $50,000. I was not paying that. So I went with 32. With the Lakers, I couldn't have 32 because of Magic, or 33 (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar). I took 34. Here (Heat), I wanted 33, but Zo" -- center Alonzo Mourning, who also wears 33 for Ewing -- "was coming back. SO I took 32." Why not stay with his Lakers digits? Shaq, bitter at being dealt by L.A., says, "I didn't go with 34 because 34 was stabbed in the back in Los Angeles."

Yet another classic Shaq story.

Who would have ever thought that both he and Mourning idolized fellow alum Patrick Ewing.

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Dwyane Wade: “He was like the Magic Johnson of our era”

And of mine…

Unlike NBA Superstars Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan who generated a buzz in their respective NBA comebacks, former Orlando Magic, Phoenix Suns, and New York Knicks guard-forward Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway situation is quite different. Returning after almost a two-year absence, Hardaway seems willing to forgo the luxuries once afforded to him by his ability to play basketball (without a guaranteed contract, Hardaway only received $109 daily for food and expenses)—for one final shot—an opportunity to play the game that has given so much to him and a chance at the elusive Larry O'Brien trophy.

Palm Beach Post staff writer Carlos Frias shares that Penny is quite serious with his return having enlisted the services of a number of individuals:

(Hardaway) moved to Miami last year and began working with Downs, who had helped players like Alonzo Mourning, Baron Davis and Jamal Mashburn extend their careers. The pain in his knee disappeared, but he remained invisible to the NBA.

Nine months ago, he moved back to Memphis to play in a semipro league. He maintained a personal team dedicated to getting Hardaway back to the NBA: Downs, who flew up on the weekends; a therapist from Houston; a strength coach in Memphis; and a shooting coach from Orlando.

On the court, he no longer lived above the rim, but he was throwing down windmill dunks, shooting from long-range and making dazzling passes against lesser but highly motivated competitors.

"Because of his star appeal, everybody wanted to show him up," said his shooting coach, Buzz Braman. "So he had to bring it every night."

Can anyone say, “Team Hardaway?”

But seriously, Frias adds that Hardaway is working on just having fun, regaining lost confidence, and taking on the role of a mentor by working with the Heat’s younger players.

Sun-Sentinel Miami Heat beat writer Ira Winderman had this to share after the Heat’s pre-season loss to the New Orleans Hornets (92-85) in Mississippi:

Penny Hardaway made his Heat debut (after missing the team’s first four games due to an injured quadriceps muscle) and played particularly well in the halfcourt game. At the end of the day, figure on Riley doing what he always does: getting rid of the kids (Jeremy Richardson, Devin Green) and keeping the veteran (Hardaway).

For Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway fans out there, let’s hope Pat Riley remains true to form.

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Pondering the future of the Big Aristotle

As the NBA season draws nearer, one has to wonder how much Shaq Diesel has left in his proverbial “tank.” At 35, maybe he has one good run left in him considering that he will most likely be his team’s primary option until Dwyane Wade returns from injury and “hopefully” O’Neal would also not forget the bashing his Heat team took at the hands of the Chicago Bulls during their first round match up last year.

However, the O’Neal run seems to have taken a turn for the worst over the last few days. The signs are there…one just has to look.

A comment by longtime Heat beat writer Ira Winderman initially got me warmed up when he noticed that during a recent Heat loss to the Orlando Magic, that O’Neal “spent the night on (or near) the stationary bike, because, well, he could.”

Not long after, Heat coach Pat Riley (who probably at this point wishes he had not comeback after winning the title in 06’) eventually made calls for O’Neal to play in their succeeding games, which Shaquille did against the Charlotte Bobcats and played a grand total of 10 minutes and 29 seconds, all in the first quarter.

It turned out that Shaq suffered a left quadriceps contusion brought about by a freak offensive play against Bobcats big man Emeka Okafor.

Michael Wallace of the Miami Herald quotes O’Neal:

After the game, O'Neal said he didn't believe the injury was serious. He seemed more frustrated that he had another "freak injury" despite his wearing padded protection.

"The crazy thing about it is, I've got pads," O'Neal said. “I've got kneepads. I've got quad pads. I've got shin pads. And the place it's not padded, [Okafor] got me.

Man! I ranked The Daddy really high in my Yahoo! NBA Fantasy Leagues (and got him).

Here’s hoping that the O’Neal experiment does pan out.

Wade out until third week of November?

Long time beat reporter Ira Winderman of Sun-Sentinel wrote:

“Dwyane Wade pushed back his earliest possible return date to the third week of November, saying he would need at least one week on the court after being cleared for contact. That would mean he would miss at least 10 games in his recovery from May knee and shoulder surgeries.”

Personally, I hope that D.Wade comes back stronger than ever. But from a Fantasy Basketball perspective, I wouldn’t draft him over Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant (Knicks anyone?), Shawn Marion, Dirk Nowitzki, LeBron James, Steve Nash, Gilbert Arenas, and Jason Kidd (in that order) just yet, especially in Roto leagues.

Back to the Mint

When I first heard that Miami Heat coach Pat Riley was considering giving 36-year old Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway another chance at the big leagues after almost two years of shelf time – I was ecstatic! Ecstatic because I grew up watching the duo of Shaq and Penny strut their stuff for the Orlando Magic in the early 90’s. Now, more than a decade later, I’d get to see them again…

But based on the observations of Miami Heat insider Ira Winderman (http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_basketball_heat/), it looks like it may not happen.

Winderman wrote:

"Hardaway, though, is different. He is not assured a spot and still must play his way onto the 15-man regular-season roster. His quadriceps soreness not only opens more playing time for the likes of Jeremy Richardson, Devin Green and even Marcus Slaughter, but makes one wonder how much longer Riley can justify the comeback bid by the 36-year-old who has been out of the league for nearly two years."

And to think I was looking forward to a picture with Shaq, Penny, and D.Wade.