THEE OFFICIAL PLAYOFFS THREAD OF THE B2B NBA CHAMPIONS @MiamiHEAT

Wade is a two way player. Can dominate from both sides of the floor. Best shot blocking guard of all time isnt an easy feat. He can take over offensively, especially with his ability to make ridiculously tough shots. And he plays the passing lanes so beautiully. Harden is good offensively but isnt a game changer on defense imo. Wade will def go down as one of the best two guards of all time, right now hes just deeply overshadowed by James and injuries.

I want my dude to have a good year.
 
Heat add Roger Mason Jr.

Howard in, Askins out as Heat assistant; Elisburg now GM

MIAMI—
Juwan Howard's bid for a third consecutive Miami Heat championship ring will not come with a towel to wave, but rather with a clipboard at his side.

In a restructuring of Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff, Howard will assume the coaching role previously held by Keith Askins, who becomes director of college and pro scouting.

Saturday proved to be a day of reshuffling throughout the organization, with Assistant General Manager Andy Elisburg promoted to general manager, the first person to hold that title with the Heat since Randy Pfund's departure in September 2008. Heat President Pat Riley remains the team's lead personnel executive. Elisburg retains his title of senior vice president.

In addition, Dan Craig, who has served as video coordinator, will move to a full-time coaching role, taking the assignment previously held by assistant coach Chad Kammerer, who becomes director of NBA scouting/advance scout.

David Fizdale, Ron Rothstein and Bob McAdoo remain as the primary bench assistants alongside Spoelstra.
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By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
 
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Erik Spoelstra signs Heat coaching extension

MIAMI—
A day after the Miami Heat restructured Erik Spoelstra's coaching staff, the reasoning came into focus: Spoelstra isn't going anywhere.

An NBA source confirmed Sunday to the Sun Sentinel that Spoelstra has signed a multiyear extension. Spoelstra, who had one year left on his contract, will continue to have input in personnel decisions, with the Heat on Saturday reshuffling their personnel department.

Terms of the agreement were not announced. The Heat do not formally announce contract extensions involving coaches or members of the front office.

The Heat open training camp Tuesday in the Bahamas, with media day Monday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Spoelstra, 42, who became Heat coach on April 28, 2008 after Pat Riley stepped down following a 15-67 season, currently has the second longest tenure of NBA coaches, behind only the man his team vanquished in June's NBA Finals, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich. Popovich has held his position since the early stages of the 1996-97 season.


The Heat announced a variety of coaching-staff and front-office changes Saturday, with Juwan Howard and Dan Craig, one of Spoelstra's closest friends in the organization, moved onto the full-time coaching staff and Keith Askins and Chad Kammerer shuffled to personnel positions.

The Heat have made the playoffs in each of Spoelstra's five seasons, advancing to the past three NBA Finals and winning the past two NBA championships. Spoelstra is 260-134 in his five seasons with the Heat, as well as 50-29 in the playoffs.

Spoelstra is represented by Creative Artists Agency, which also represents Heat guard Dwyane Wade and Heat center Chris Bosh. CAA had previously represented forward LeBron James.

Wade, Bosh and James all can become free agents at season end, with an extension for Spoelstra providing stability on the bench.

Spoelstra is scheduled as Monday's first speaker at media day. Riley, in his role as Heat president, has traveled to the Bahamas in advance of the Heat's camp.

This will be Spoelstra's 19th season as a member of the organization. He originally was hired as video coordinator and since had served as assistant coach/video coordinator, assistant coach/advance scout and assistant coach/director of scouting.

The Heat have had only six coaches over their 26 seasons, with an orderly, non-contentious progression since Riley arrived as coach and team president in 1995.

Riley would step down in 2003, with Stan Van Gundy promoted from his role as lead assistant. Van Gundy then stepped aside, citing family issues, in December 2005, with Riley returning. The most recent handoff was Riley moving to his current full-time role in the front office in 2008.

Ron Rothstein, currently a Spoelstra assistant, Kevin Loughery and Alvin Gentry, on an interim basis, previously coached the Heat.
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By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
 
RT @EthanJSkolnick: Haslem says he sat down Beasley and Chalmers and reminded them "this is not 5 years ago." Wants them to focus on court, not off.
 
Heat media day: Spoelstra embraces Beasley return




MIAMI—
A sampling of what was said and what went on Monday at the Miami Heat's media day at AmericanAirlines Arena:

-- Coach Erik Spoelstra, on Michael Beasley, "When he came available, we all wanted to get him back in our organization."

-- Spoelstra on Beasley's potential role, "We'll see how he fits in, and I don't have that answer right now. I don't have specific expectations for him on the court. I'm curious to see how it's going to work out."

-- Spoelstra, on Beasley's second tenure with the Heat, "It's a totally different role than what he had to do last time. And we'll go into it with an open canvas."

-- Beasley, on his second chance with the Heat, "Miami is my second home."

-- Dwyane Wade, on Beasley, "I'm happy he's back. I think he's the spark-plug this team needed from a talent standpoint."

-- Spoelstra, on Greg Oden's return from knee issues, "The expectation is to come in here and get the opportunity to work and get healthy. There's certainly no timetable. He's in here five hours a day."

-- More Spoelstra on Oden, "There is certainly no timetable. If it happens two months, if it happens three months, who knows?"

-- Oden spoke of trying to get on the court during the preseason.

-- Spoelstra, on the Big Three's postseason opt-out possibilities, "We have to focus on now and not become obsessed on the future, because it's unknown."

-- Spoelstra, on having so many potentially expiring contracts on his roster, "We'll address it, but we don't need to belabor it. Our guys aren't naive. When you have a team that has been built like this, we've been trained and conditioned for this moment probably more than any other team."

-- Spoelstra, on a potential championship hangover, "Just focus on now. We've got to let go of what we did last year."

-- Spoelstra, on possibly winning a third consecutive title, "We can convince ourselves of anything. What we have is a tremendous opportunity."

-- Spoelstra, on his contract extension, which was completed over the weekend, "I feel fortunate and grateful for the opportunity to continue working here."

-- Spoelstra, on the low-key word of the extension, "I would have preferred if it could have just happened without anybody noticing it."

-- Spoelstra on Heat President Pat Riley and Heat owner Micky Arison creating a comfort zone, "They know I want to grow. They know I want to continue to improve."

-- Wade, on Spoelstra's extension, "Hopefully he can extend his suit patterns with all that money he's now making."

-- Spoelstra, on naming Juwan Howard an assistant coach, "With Juwan, I'm excited about that. Juwan could probably still play another year or two or three."

-- Spoelstra, on remaining innovative, "We're focused on reinventing where we can reinvent."

-- Spoelstra, on LeBron James, "He's a special dude, that he's always going to stay in a state of uncomfortablness."

-- More Spoelstra on LeBron, "This year, it would be great for him to be recognized for the defensive work that he does. He has that potential to be Defensive player of the Year."

-- LeBron, on his right to opt out at season's end, "I don't think it's appropriate to talk about it right now."

-- More LeBron, on same, "Being a leader of this team, I owe it to this organization, to my teammates to not talk about it."

-- LeBron, on the possibility of a third consecutive title, "The number-one key thing is health. If we're healthy, it doesn't matter who you put in front of us."

-- He then was asked if he's satisfied, " . . . not 11, not 12, not 13, not 14 . . ., " with a huge smile, joking how he just guaranteed a title at 50.

-- And, no, no regrets, "I don't need to vindicate my decision to come here. I know I made the right decision when I said it."

-- LeBron on where he stands, "You guys are tired of hearing me say this, but I got better. I'm a better basketball player that I was last year."

-- Spoelstra, on Wade, "He's had a great summer. He was able to rest. He's coming into camp very healthy. He's had a great summer of rest."

-- Spoelstra continually downplayed Wade finishing last season with knee issues, "There's a major misconception, and I mean a major misconception, about his health last year. It was a bone bruise. It wasn't a knee issue of wear and tear."

-- Wade, on his knee, "It was bruising. It wasn't no more than that. When it comes to training camp, I'll be going at my pace. I'm feeling a lot better. I worked very hard this summer."

-- Wade, on his approach, "My thing is to prove myself right more than to prove you wrong."

-- Wade, on having so many expiring contracts on the roster, "You have concern when you feel people want to go elsewhere. I don't think nobody is looking to go elsewhere."

-- And Wade on whether his health could impact James' free-agency decision, "LeBron James' decision is LeBron James' decision . . . don't try to put that pressure on me."

-- Wade, on the tougher competition in the Easy, "I'm not saying this in a cocky way at all, but I think I always focus on our team more than I focus on other teams."

-- Wade, on his role, "Well, I'm the second option. Let's just point blank, say it. So I've got to do different things than I've done."

-- He added, "I'm one of the only second options to average 20 points a game. That's not bad at all."

-- Then there's LeBron on Wade, "He loves motivation. He thrives off motivation. And he's been given some more motivation."

-- Spoelstra, on holding camp in the Bahamas, starting Tuesday, "We wanted to get away and have a little bit of a mental reward for what we accomplished last year."

-- New Heat numbers of note: Michael Beasley 8; Larry Drew II 0; Eric Griffin 17; Justin Hamilton 7; Roger Mason Jr. 21; Greg Oden 20.

-- It turns out the Heat both signed and released Ricky Sanchez during the offseason, signing him Sept. 16 and released him Sept. 27.

-- Sanchez forced the Heat's hand by signing his contract tender, with the Heat then bypassing an invitation to camp, now no longer holding his rights.
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By Ira Winderman
South Florida Sun Sentinel
 
Coach Juwan... :lol: kinda crazy. This team is headed for more history fellas. I hope I can travel to Miami for some games this year.
 
2014 PRESEASON SCHEDULE
Mon, Oct 7 vs Atlanta 7:30 PM
Thu, Oct 10 @Detroit 7:30 PM
Fri, Oct 11 vs Charlotte 8:30 PM
Tue, Oct 15 @Washington 7:00 PM
Thu, Oct 17 @Brooklyn 8:00 PM
Sat, Oct 19 vs San Antonio 7:30 PM
Wed, Oct 23 @New Orleans 8:00 PM
Fri, Oct 25 vs Brooklyn 7:30 PM
 
someone in the lebron xi thread stated that he is bringing back the CHALK TOSS this year. anyone else read this or hear about this ? jus wonderin , thanks

edit, FOUND IT

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas -- After more than a two-year hiatus, LeBron James has decided to bring back his pregame chalk toss this season.

James is on the cover of a recently unveiled video game and it features the toss, which served as the announcement that it was coming back. He tweeted a link to a Nike commercial from 2008 that featured the routine.

A pregame staple for years, James abruptly stopped the practice during the 2011 playoffs and hasn't gone back to it. He said it was one of the things fans commonly asked about when they saw him or through social media, so he decided over the summer to revive it.

"It's just me," James said after the Miami Heat's practice Wednesday at the Atlantis Resort. "I love my fans and they wanted it back. They wanted me to do it, so it's back."



TY TY TY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



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Thinking of starting a yahoo bb fantasy league for just my NT Heatians.

PM your emails and if I get enough I'll start it up :smokin
 
Go HEAT! So many new twists this year. Looking forward to seeing how they play out.
 
mr2cool80 said:
:rofl: .. Roger Mason makes this team or no trizzo? I say he does ... he's a solid vet when it all boils down to it
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I'm no trizzo but he looked good out there so I would say yes.

Eric GriffIn will make the team over "Justin" Varnado.....BOOK IT!
 
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