The reasons are partly because of their awkward mix of contracts and partly because the franchise feels it can topple the defending-champion Miami Dream Team without a deadline deal. Nevertheless, that sentiment was put to the test last night when they were humiliated out of the All-Star break in a 125-91 horror show against the Pacers.

“We had early success against Miami,’’ coach Mike Woodson said, whose team whipped the Heat twice by 20 points earlier this season. “That’s all well and good. But when you get in a seven-game series, that’s different. Anything can happen. Injuries can occur, guys can lose confidence. But if we’re healthy, yes, we have an opportunity to beat Miami or anybody in the East.’’

“They’re not even waiting on anything,’’ one person familiar with the Knicks’ thinking told The Post before the massacre. “It’s pretty safe to say they’re not making a deal.’’

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/knicks/woodson_we_can_beat_heat_as_is_SqSjXt97O4P7zY43ZfamSN

https://twitter.com/SamAmicoFSO/status/301053505429450752

2010-11 salary: $11.3 million.

The case for: We could say willing to work for food, but that just wouldn’t be right. But he would come cheap, and there is enough potential there, potential that Zydrunas Ilgauskas no longer possesses, that Joel Anthony arguably lacks, and that Dexter Pittman may never possess. At the minimum, the risks are minimal.

The case against: The Heat culture has been about hard work, commitment and defensive disposition. So would such a move send the right signal? Plus, it’s not as if Curry has shown anything to anyone in an awfully long time. Should a team in win-now mode be taking on projects?

We say: Clearly, this is not a whim, but something the Heat have been working on and considering for months. For the team that rebuilt Ike Austin, there has to be a degree of curiosity. The fact that Curry might be willing to work for the minimum could speak volumes about his commitment.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/sports_basketball_heat/2011/09/miami-heat-free-agent-focus-eddy-curry.html

Jones, who was waived days before free agency opened last year, then
re-signed 21 days later, would’ve earned $1.3 million this year had he
exercised his option.

The 30-year-old former American High and University of Miami standout averaged 5.9 points on 42.2 percent shooting from the field (42.9 from three-point range) in 2010-11. In stark contrast to his first two years with the Heat, when injuries and coaches’ decisions limited him to 71 total games and seven starts, Jones played 81 games and started eight in 2010-11.

Guard Eddie House is expected to inform the Heat Thursday whether or not he’ll exercise the option to extend his contract into next season. He would earn $1.4 million in 2011-12.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/06/29/2291326/miami-heats-james-jones-declines.html#ixzz1QijfA8lI

So 2011-12 (lockout permitting) for the Miami Heat will start where
2010-11 ended, with a blueprint designed around the skills of LeBron
James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.

The difference will be that Heat President Pat Riley and coach Erik
Spoelstra will have a greater sense of what it takes to complement such a
core.

In many ways, the mandate to Riley and his front-office staff is the same as it was over these past 11 months: Find something that works at point guard and center.

Because when it came to those areas of need, 2010-11 turned into a revolving door that continued spinning through Sunday’s season end.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas started the playoffs as the Heat’s starting center; Joel Anthony finished in that role.

Mike Bibby began the postseason as the starting point guard; Mario Chalmers closed in that role.

As Sunday’s 105-95 season-ending loss to the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the best-of-seven NBA Finals showed, the answers weren’t good enough.

"It’s like a puzzle," Wade said, "and their pieces came together a little bit better than ours."

The Heat’s voids extend beyond mere positional designations.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-lebron-james-s061311,0,2825040.story

A rumour has made the rounds linking Jack with the Miami Heat, where
club president Pat Riley is said to be keen on bringing in more shooters
to spread the floor and provide better spacing for the team’s Big
Three.

Mike Miller remains on the shelf and now comes word of the potential of Jack one day reuniting with Chris Bosh.

Nothing, of course, is imminent.

“I’ve heard about it,’’ Jack conceded on Monday as the Raptors were to tip off their four-game road trip against the Kings. “I can’t control it and it doesn’t bother me at all because I can’t do anything about it.

“It’s just people talking. I’m here with my squad.”

Jack does fit in well with what the Raptors are trying to do in showcasing young talent with upside.

At the same time, the team does need to get a lot more out of its point position.

Back when Jose Calderon was playing at an all-star level, Riley referred to the point guard as a “revelation.”

http://www.torontosun.com/sports/basketball/2010/11/01/15913481.html

Stackhouse met with Heat officials including team president Pat Riley on
Thursday and attended the Heat’s game Thursday night against the Hawks.
He is expected to take a physical on Saturday.

Stackhouse would replace Mike Miller, who will be out until January after undergoing surgery Friday on his broken right thumb.

Though in his 16th season, Stackhouse could be a sparkplug for the Heat. He filled that role last season in Milwaukee, averaging 8.5 points in 20 minutes a game.

Stackhouse has publicly lobbied for a roster spot with the Heat since July, when Miami signed LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join Dwyane Wade.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Friday the team’s front-office staff would reevaluate their options Saturday.

The team has contacted other options including free agent guard Flip Murray, a source told ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/truehoop/miamiheat/news/story?id=5716345

According to a league sources, the revamped Heat, featuring the daunting
trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, will open the NBA
season against the Celtics Oct. 26, a clash that will be nationally
televised by TNT.

The league will release its opening week and Christmas Day schedules
tonight on NBA TV, and it’s expected that the Heat and Celtics will be
prevalent in those games.

The Celtics have spent the offseason appearing unconvinced the Heat are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference, despite their impressive additions. Not only did Miami sign two-time MVP James and All-Star Bosh to join perennial All-Star Wade, they added Mike Miller, Eddie House, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Juwan Howard, and re-signed Udonis Haslem, Joel Anthony, and Carlos Arroyo.

Boston signed former Heat center Jermaine O’Neal and swingman Von Wafer, and re-signed Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Nate Robinson, and Marquis Daniels with hopes of making another title run with a healthier Kevin Garnett.

James played his final game as a Cleveland Cavalier in Boston May 13, with the Celtics winning Game 6 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series. James, the most sought-after free agent of this generation, spoke with six teams that cleared salary cap space for his services and finally decided on the Heat during a much-maligned nationally televised special July 8. James has taken his share of criticism for leaving Cleveland after seven seasons but his addition, along with Bosh, adds instant credibility to a Heat franchise that has been sagging since winning the 2006 title.

http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/celtics/extras/celtics_blog/2010/08/celtics_will_ho.html

Foremost, the focus during an appearance at the team’s youth camp at
South Broward High School in Hollywood was the direction the Heat will
take in free agency, with Haslem and teammate Dwyane Wade both to become
part of that process July 1.

Asked if he expected Wade, his closest friend on the team, to be back
next season, Haslem said "I think he will."

Haslem thinks Wade will be back, not as sure about himself

Asked if he thought he would be back, Haslem was less convincing.

"I’ve never had to wear No. 40 for another team, so I really can’t imagine it," said the University of Florida product who has spent all seven of his NBA seasons with the Heat. "In a perfect world, it won’t have to come to that. But that’s obviously just the nature of the business."

For Haslem, a South Florida native, business and pleasure have become intertwined in recent days.

Last week, the Heat threw a surprise 30th birthday party for Haslem at his Southwest Ranches home.

"It seemed like everybody in Miami knew but me," he said. "I really felt appreciated."

During that party, former Heat center Alonzo Mourning suggested that after turning 30, it might be time for Haslem to cut the braids he has sported for more than a decade.

"It started with just me having a conversation with Zo and his opinion and it just branched out to the other 500 people that were at my house on my birthday," Haslem said.

"This is a tough, tough decision. Right behind where am I going to play at next season, this is the next biggest step."

Told that Wade last week said "If I get a nickel for every person that tells me to stay in Miami, I won’t need to sign a contract," Haslem laughed at just how overwhelming the free-agency buzz has grown.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/miami-heat/sfl-miami-heat-udonis-haslem-s061510,0,1851212.story

But it could come with a price, according to a suggestion Wednesday in a
Miami newspaper column.

According to the Herald item, an unidentified "official close to the
Heat said Miami wants to pursue Carlos Boozer if it cannot get Chris
Bosh (its top power forward choice), or, likely, Amare Stoudemire.
Boozer would love to play here but would need to accept below his $15.8
million maximum first-year salary."
Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star and the Jazz’s top scorer and rebounder this season, will be an unrestricted free agent when the league’s summer shopping market opens at the end of this month.

He makes his offseason home in the Miami area, has spoken about wanting to live there year-round and last summer — while still under contract with the Jazz — talked openly on Miami radio airwaves about the possibility of teaming with Heat star Dwyane Wade.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700039100/Utah-Jazz-Heat-looking-at-Carlos-Boozer-if-they-cant-get-Bosh.html?s_cid=rss-38