Hooped Up

The Miami big wigs are bringing Alonzo Mourning back to the Heat to join their front-office.Classy!

Three months after having his jersey raised to the AmericanAirlines Arena rafters during a retirement ceremony, center Alonzo Mourning will soon bring his game back to theMiami Heat. The team is finalizing a deal to hire Mourning to work with the team in a player development role that also will allow him to serve as a mentor both on and off the court.

I wonder if the Heat will hire Tim Hardaway next??? Nah.

Via Miami Herald

Dwyane Wade is suing a former business partner for $100 million, claiming the man made false statements about alleged drug use and called the Miami Heat guard a bully and coward.

Wade’s lawsuit claims Richard von Houtman is guilty of libel and slander. One e-mail to then-Heat coach Pat Riley claims that Wade and other Heat players smoked marijuana and used steroids.

Another e-mail asks Riley to pressure Wade to settle a lawsuit filed by von Houtman over a failed restaurant venture.

Wade’s lawsuit filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court claims von Houtman’s e-mails and public statements were false and that they harmed Wade’s reputation.

Von Houtman did not immediately respond Thursday to e-mail and telephone requests for comment.

Press Release

Jamaal Tinsley has been on the shelve for way to long and I think of his situation as a mid-west Marbury one. Sure he screwed up, but at the end of the day it’s a business and devaluing your own roster pieces makes no sense at all. Then again, it’s hard to argue with Larry Bird about anything.

The Heat – which has auditioned several potential second-round point guards (France’s Rodrique Beaubois , Arkansas/Ukraine’s Patrick Beverley , BC’s Tyrese Rice, Gonzaga’s Jeremy Pargo) — will watch for Jamaal Tinsley’s July 27 grievance hearing. He could be set free in late summer if an arbitrator forces the Pacers to play him (which they won’t) or buy him out.

The Heat need a quality point guard like K-Fed needs a reality cheque, so waiting for a very, very, very, very fresh legged Jamaal Tinsley makes a lot of sense. So does K-Fed being broke, especially K-Fed being broke.

Via Miami Herald

It’s pretty clear that the best way to keep your free agent superstar player past 2010 is to extend their contract before the 2010 madness begins and never let them get dazzled by the big numbers teams with deep pockets (the Knicks) will throw at them. This is exactly Pat Riley’s plan to keep the amazing Dwayne Wade in a Heat uniform for a long time.

Heat president Pat Riley laid out his offseason itinerary Wednesday. And atop the agenda was signing Dwyane Wade to a contract extension that would keep the team’s marquee player in Miami through the 2014-15 season. Riley put forth a blueprint with Wade as the centerpiece now and in the future. Wade, the NBA’s scoring champion who finished third in MVP voting, has one guaranteed season remaining on his contract and could opt out of his deal next summer, when several other superstars could be free agents. But Riley said Wednesday he would like to lock up Wade well before he can hit the open market in what could be the NBA’s biggest free-agency frenzy ever.

On the flip side, if Dwayne Wade waits until 2010 to except an offer from the Heat. He’ll have plenty of other contract offers to help squeeze out every penny he can as a free agent. I wish I had these problems.

Via Miami Herald

The Heat went down in flames yesterday, burned in Dixie as one of the NBA’s most puzzling playoff series came to its merciful end. From the ashes of Miami’s Game 7 flameout to the host Atlanta Hawks emerges the riddle that remains Jamaal Magloire.

The Big Cat turns 31 in a fortnight after failing to turn heads on the hardwood.

No one can say with any degree of certainty how much game the Toronto native has left because he hasn’t been given any consistent minutes for quite some time.

There are those in the NBA who would argue that he hasn’t earned them, that Magloire has taken a step back in each of the seasons following his breakout offensive year in 2003 when he averaged a career-high 13.6 points. Continue »

Dwyane Wade’s back pain is just one of several reasons momentum appears to be back with the Atlanta Hawks for their first-round playoff series against the Heat.

Wade and Heat coach Erik Spoelstra counter by saying Wade’s back spasms could improve significantly by the start of Game 5 tonight in Atlanta. But then what else could they hope for at this point? Continue »

When JaVale McGee heard about Served, he secretly wanted to be featured in the Hooped Up segment right away. So when the Miami Heat came to town, McVee spotted his opportunity and decided to try swatting Dwayne Wade on a dunk attempt.

SUCCESS!

If your Dirk Nowitzki, don’t read this post. The pain will be too much.

“Told at the door that Prime 112 was closed late Monday for Alonzo Mourning’s private retirement party, actor David Hasselhoff asked excitedly if Dwyane Wade would be there, and could he please come back later to see him. Hasselhoff did return — to hug Wade and Zo, invite Wade to visit him in L.A., and allude to the 2006 Finals, when Heat fans held up Hasselhoff’s photo on free throws by Dirk Nowitzki (who likes his music).”

The Hoff hanging out with the enemy has got to be devastating to Dirk Nowitzki. But I’m sure it’s nothing that a signed DVD copy from David Hasselhoff of his performance at the Berlin Wall in 1989 can’t fix. 

Via Miami Herald

For the first number ever to be retired by the Miami Heat franchise, they sure picked a good one!

Last night, during halftime of the Orlando versus Miami game. Alonzo Mourning’s #33 was raised to the rafters of American Airlines Arena in a ceremony that lasted 43 minutes, honouring Zo’s stellar 15 year career. Mourning played for the Heat from 1995-2002 and then again from 2005-2008, winning a NBA Championship in the process.

The Heat franchise really went all out for Zo’s ceremony and deservedly so! Every single night he left it on the floor and was always a beast. Although injuries is what ended his career, Mourning should have zero regrets walking away from the game he played so hard.

All season long I’ve been guzzling the LeBron James for MVP Kool-Aid at a belly aching rate. But lately, I’ve been stealing sips from the Dwayne Wade for MVP Kool-Aid jug because he’s all kinds of awesome. His numbers 29.9 ppg, 5.1rpg, 7.6 apg, 2.2 spg and 1.4 bpg are fan-friggin-tastic and he must have Miami thinking about the second round of the playoffs already.

Of course, when NBA TV decided to celebrated 24 Hours of LeBron, the MVP race was offically over. But will Dwayne Wade still steal some votes for MVP — OH YEAH!!!