It's about Damn Time: The Official Offseason Thread of YOUR World Champion Miami Heat
- Thread starter Alexander The Great
- Start date
OG_StankBrefs
Da Spice...
He Who Posts Well
Superstar
Joel is getting it in. That's one bad broad right there. 
fukk them nikkas we still the best
He Who Posts Well
Superstar
I wonder what Darko is doing right now...
OG_StankBrefs
Da Spice...
It's own nikkas.
I like how everyone on the roster is so versatile and can play multiple positions but I still hope we manage to get at least one more serviceable big man before the season starts.
can we get a damn center pls to counter howard
are you going to go into cry baby mode this early?
am I gonna have to block you again? this time before the season starts... Cut it out.
how am i crying?
but im more confident this year
Prince Akeem
Its not that deep breh....
Remarkable
Rookie
Riley has been quite clear on this.....He feels Bosh is the Center they traded for and that Bron is a 4.
Im still not clear on why so many heat fans constantly think they are looking for a legit 5. They don't need it.
"MIAMI On a roster that has only Joel Anthony and Dexter Pittman under contract at center, Miami Heat President Pat Riley has reiterated that he sees no need to aggressively pursue a veteran in free agency.
"We definitely are going to continue to look for somebody in that spot, but unless there's an injury, we really don't need a center," Riley said during an appearance on WQAM."
Remarkable
Rookie
Here's more:
NBA -- Miami Heat president Pat Riley interview, Part II - ESPN
The future: small ball
It was Battier's role in the Heat's conversion to a small-ball style in the playoffs that helped pave the way to the championship. Riley said the Heat's goal is to add another player or two in free agency who can bring the same level of experience, smarts and versatility Battier brought -- especially with the team committed to its new style.
"Small ball is becoming a big thing in the league, and I think it's going to become even bigger," Riley said. "Whatever it takes to win. If Chris [Bosh] is playing the center, we have a legitimate power forward, and that's LeBron James, who is not a power forward. But he's 6-[foot]-8, 260 [pounds] and he gets 15 rebounds a game when he plays the 4-spot."
So even if straying from their traditional positions gives the Heat their best chance to keep winning titles, Riley said he believes James and Bosh should embrace it.
"If I have that kind of versatility, that all I have to do is move around a little bit to help the team and it equals a championship, I'm asking to play there a lot more," Riley said. "Now, I haven't talked to them like this, so I don't know how they feel about it. But we have one of the most versatile teams in the league and two of the most versatile players in Chris and LeBron that can help us do that."
Priorities in free agency
In the first part of our exit interview series, Riley made it clear he had five or six players targeted in free agency. But he wouldn't reveal much more than that.
Pressed further, Riley remained elusive but did discuss how any new player added would have to be capable of helping to space the floor and complement Miami's Big Three.
"There isn't any one specific thing ... it isn't any one player that can help us," Riley said. "If we can add a shooter, that can help us, because we're that kind of a team. If we can get a real big that had to be guarded and has some versatility, then we might try to go in that direction. If it's a 3-point shooter that is long and can defend, then we might go in that direction. There are a lot of areas you can go."
What seems clear is the one direction the Heat won't go in free agency: point guard. Riley said he's satisfied with current point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, and with James and Wade handling the ball late in games, there doesn't seem to be a need for a traditional floor general.
Or, for that matter, a post-up, lane-clogging center.
"We found a formula in the playoffs," Riley said. "Erik [Spoelstra] and his staff dug down deep and found, throughout the course of the season ... we were a different team against New York [in the first round of the playoffs] than we were against Oklahoma City [in the Finals]."
NBA -- Miami Heat president Pat Riley interview, Part II - ESPN
The future: small ball
It was Battier's role in the Heat's conversion to a small-ball style in the playoffs that helped pave the way to the championship. Riley said the Heat's goal is to add another player or two in free agency who can bring the same level of experience, smarts and versatility Battier brought -- especially with the team committed to its new style.
"Small ball is becoming a big thing in the league, and I think it's going to become even bigger," Riley said. "Whatever it takes to win. If Chris [Bosh] is playing the center, we have a legitimate power forward, and that's LeBron James, who is not a power forward. But he's 6-[foot]-8, 260 [pounds] and he gets 15 rebounds a game when he plays the 4-spot."
So even if straying from their traditional positions gives the Heat their best chance to keep winning titles, Riley said he believes James and Bosh should embrace it.
"If I have that kind of versatility, that all I have to do is move around a little bit to help the team and it equals a championship, I'm asking to play there a lot more," Riley said. "Now, I haven't talked to them like this, so I don't know how they feel about it. But we have one of the most versatile teams in the league and two of the most versatile players in Chris and LeBron that can help us do that."
Priorities in free agency
In the first part of our exit interview series, Riley made it clear he had five or six players targeted in free agency. But he wouldn't reveal much more than that.
Pressed further, Riley remained elusive but did discuss how any new player added would have to be capable of helping to space the floor and complement Miami's Big Three.
"There isn't any one specific thing ... it isn't any one player that can help us," Riley said. "If we can add a shooter, that can help us, because we're that kind of a team. If we can get a real big that had to be guarded and has some versatility, then we might try to go in that direction. If it's a 3-point shooter that is long and can defend, then we might go in that direction. There are a lot of areas you can go."
What seems clear is the one direction the Heat won't go in free agency: point guard. Riley said he's satisfied with current point guards Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole, and with James and Wade handling the ball late in games, there doesn't seem to be a need for a traditional floor general.
Or, for that matter, a post-up, lane-clogging center.
"We found a formula in the playoffs," Riley said. "Erik [Spoelstra] and his staff dug down deep and found, throughout the course of the season ... we were a different team against New York [in the first round of the playoffs] than we were against Oklahoma City [in the Finals]."