There are the obvious front runners, but the Miami Heat should be Bibby’s choice. Sure he has personal relations with Eddy House, who is his brother in law, but that won’t factor in his decision. It will be the chance to play with Run DLC and get some sniffs at championships while also getting playing time. Bibby wants to play and wants to matter. On the Heat he will get that opportunity as the pressure will not be on him directly, but instead he will be free to perform. Relying on his experience, Bibby will provide the answer the Heat need at point guard. He won’t turn the ball over and can stick the open jumper. He can also penetrate and draw double teams, hit his free throws, and defend most any point guard in the league. In short, Bibby will provide both stability and depth on a team that needs both.

It makes a lot of sense for Mike Bibby to take his talents to South Beach, too. Of course, the next question is, who do the Heat drop? Eddie House? Doubtful (he may be a lead in landing Bibby). Carlos Arroyo? Most likely.

The Heat had a 19 point lead at the half, 51-32 over the Jazz. All seemed well and the Heat were on their way to their 4th straight home win – which would have been a first for this Heat franchise. Instead the Jazz would go on to score 2 points to force overtime.

The Jazz had their hero – Paul Millsap, who, like another Utah legend, comes from the bayou of Louisiana Tech. All he did was score a career high 48 points – shooting 3/3 from three point range and getting a tip in at the end of regulation to force overtime. Deron Williams had 21 points and 14 assists but would foul out of the final minutes of regulation. Overtime seemed like the Heat would get the ship right and bring home the win – but it was not meant to be.

It’s a lesson the Heat will have to swallow hard. Erik Spoelstra pointed the finger at the Heat defense citing the almost routine layups the Jazz were getting to start the 3rd quarter. Getting looks at the rim and playing the two man game to near perfection. The Heat seemed to have an answer for Jazz basketball in the first half, a staple for Sloan basketball for nearly 23 years now. So, no surprises – the Heat just stopped defending.

Yet no one on this team is without blame. Spoelstra made too many cute substitutions in the 2nd half because of having a large lead. Instead of preserving it, he seemed to be using the lead as a fossil fuel to burn on experimenting with the lineup. The question must be asked, what is the point of having Carlos Arroyo out there if Lebron James or Dwyane Wade are going to handle the ball? What is the point of having Eddie House out there if he can’t hit a shot?

The other enigma to figure out here is what is Chris Bosh’s role going to be on this team? Offensively, he is slow to produce on most possession. He is playing facing his defender but is not getting anything going quickly. Right now, Bosh is pressing instead of playing smart. He isn’t setting up his inside game with outside shots and he isn’t able to get spacing because he isn’t getting looks inside to force his defender to give him space to shoot. Also, he isn’t providing much defense or even a physical presence to get rebounds and help control the interior. Look, Paul Millsap is a physical player but there is no reason why he should get 48 points against this Heat team.

So, what did we learn? If you can hit your threes and force the Heat to play half-court basketball, you can slow them down and grind out a win. The Jazz were able to do this because they went red hot in the 4th quarter with three point shooting, finishing the game shooting 42% from three. If the Heat don’t play good defense, they don’t get out in transition and run with the ball leading to higher percentage shots and easier baskets. The Heat use their speed to get away from teams and force them into playing faster paced basketball. Not tonight, the Heat couldn’t defend in the 2nd half and got outshot as a result.

Thursday is the next test for the Heat as the Celtics come to town to do another heatcheck.

Bosh shot 10/15 from the field on yet another quiet but offensively dominating performance. For the first game, against the Pistons, Bosh quietly added 20 points and 8 rebounds. Last night’s performance came in only 28 minutes of play.

Let’s put this in perspective – what does this win signify? Not  a whole lot other than the fact that the Heat should be beating the Thunder. That isn’t to say the Thunder are a weak team – Kevin Durant is the new posterboy for future NBA greatness, helping lead Team USA to the FIFA title this summer while also becoming basically the youngest player in the modern era of the sport to lead the league in scoring. The Thunder have a strong, young team that went 22-8 last season against the East while the previous season they were the opposite of that (8-22 against the Eastern Conference).

In beating the Thunder, the Heat took on a team that had superior chemistry but was still able to succeed on the court. The defense looked pretty solid again, which is to be the hallmark of this team according to coach Erik Spoelstra’s repeated messages during press conferences. Beyond that, what is to be expected from the Heat’s roster?

It looks like Mike Miller is going to be a virtual lock to lead the NBA in three pointers made. He is a sharp shooter on any team, but with Wade, Lebron, and Bosh working the offense and demanding a lot of attention, Miller will be getting open looks. James Jones also can fill the same role and may even offer a bit of flexibility should coach Spo want to run Lebron at the point and get some more shooters around him.

The point guard spot continues to be the most contentious, if not, in some way, the most irrelevant. With Wade and Lebron on the floor, the offense will most likely go through them. There is very little need for a ball handler to set up the offense which means the Heat may not be using a traditional point guard as often as other teams might. That said, Carlos Arroyo seems to provide the better option as he has an ability to play without the ball and can stick open threes better in pressure moments. Chalmers, however, does have an impressive resume of hitting the clutch shot, but his ability to play off the ball is still questionable and in need of work.

This Heat team looks extremely good considering the short amount of time it has been together. Obviously, the natural chemistry between the members of Run DLC (Dwyane Wade, Lebron James, and Chris Bosh) is a large part of that success. The ceiling for this team can remain high.

Tonight the Heat take on the Spurs, but there is no TV coverage in the Miami market. So, Spurs fans, let us know what you think!

Here’s the latest – first they start the day off by completing deals for fellow Gators Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem. Now they are finalizing the Zydrunas Ilgauskas deal, who has opted to play in Miami over all other takers, thanks in large part to Lebron James signing here and recruiting his old friend. (See Lebron’s tweet welcoming Big Z to South Beach)

Now, the Heat are reportedly finishing up a deal for Juwan Howard to join the Heat. This is a deal 16 years in the making (recall how Howard signed with the Heat back in 1996 only to have the NBA nix the deal on account of the fact that the Heat had no cap money left).

The final phase, for now, is to see which Heat free agents will stay. The Heat have extended a qualifying deal to Joel Anthony, who should take the deal. They also have been contacted by James Jones, Carlos Arroyo, and Jamaal Magloire with interest in staying in Miami.

That puts the Heat in a pretty good position to get out of the gate with this team. Not only is getting all their ducks in a row quickly key for the team’s identity, but it creates a fervor among players looking at their options to get in with Miami now and also gets the team plenty of time to start training together. The chemistry is going to have to be molded quickly team-wide. So far, so good.

It seemed that Riley is staunchly fixed on waiting for this offseason to re-sign Dwyane Wade and add someone else to the mix. This has forced the Heat to be very crafty in regards to its financial picture, which the Heat have been able to do. They have tons of money coming off the books as only Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook are guaranteed to be on the books after this season.

So it’s audition time for this team – and the entire franchise is trying to show Wade that this is his current and future home. What to expect?

First of all, who’s in and who’s out. In: Carlos Arroyo, Quentin Richardson and Shavlik Randolph. Out: Mark Blount, and Jamario Moon. The Heat finished 43-39 last season, and lost to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of the playoffs.

What about who’s playing when and where? Expect to see the shift is on as Michael Beasley is going to start at PF while fan favorite Udonis Haslem shifts to the bench. Also, it has been rumored that Q-Rich has jostled his way into the starting lineup at SF, where Beasley was playing last season. Rounding things out will be Jermaine O’neal at C, Mario Chalmers at PG and Dwyane Wade, as always, at SG.

The bench looks intriguing. Questions abound over the role that Carlos Arroyo, Daequan Cook and even Dorell Wright will play. What kind of minutes will they get? When Chris Quinn returns, what is the point guard situation going to look like? Haslem will try his hand at coming off the bench, but it will only be successful if Beasley can show that he can rebound and defend better. Beasley, coming off a tumultous offseason, has seemingly gotten things on track in his personal life and is looking to take the next step in his professional career. Again, the growth potential of this young team is what will be assessed, and the result will be how far they can reach into the playoffs.

This is an audition of sorts. Dwyane Wade wants to be in Miami but only if it is in his best interests – he wants to win, not just make money. If this team can show growth, perhaps get into the 2nd round or deeper, then Wade should be a lock to stay. Who will remain with him, however, will remain to be seen.

Expectations: This team has enough youth to create a higher ceiling. Cook, Beasley, Chalmers – all can take drastic steps forward. The bench is stronger as there are more options to play with – let’s not forget James Jones’ ability to contribute to this team. There doesn’t, however, feel like there is too much of a difference between last year and this year so it is reasonable to expect a 40+ win season and a berth to the playoffs. The difference might be once the Heat reach the playoffs – I’m expecting at least a 2nd round appearance. Can Wade play another MVP-like season? We’ll soon find out.

The kid from Puerto Rico grew up down here and played at FIU – which now sports Isiah Thomas as their head coach these days. He is competitive and physical – something the Heat could use as they look to get back to the playoffs and improve this season.

The question is, would any of this occurred had not Chris Quinn sustained a sprained right foot? You bet. At least, I would hope so. Arroyo became eligible for free agency on Monday and the rumor has long been the Heat would give him a look. What’s not to like about his game? On a team like the Heat, in a reserve role, Arroyo will shine. The question is, will it affect Chalmer’s playing time.

Either way you look at it, you have to be happy about the Heat improving its roster this offseason and sticking to the plan that Riley has set in place – keep the finances free for this offseason to try and retain Dwyane Wade and add another free agent while also staying competitive. Riley made it look easy, trading for Quentin Richardson and now adding Arroyo to the mix. I’s also like to add that Shavlik Randolph is an intriguing prospect who had a pretty tantalizing game coming out of Duke a few years back. Who knows what he adds.

So, you have an asset in Shawn Marion that you could potentially use in a deal to land pretty much any player you want. Sure, Elton Brand is out there, reportedly weighing offers from his current team, the Clippers, and an offer from another suitor the Golden State Warriors – who have apparently lost Baron Davis. How instantly would Elton Brand make the Heat a championship contender.

The problem? The Heat have very little financial flexibility for this season. They are staring at the $58M cap limit right now. Shawn Marion’s $17.8M has significant influence as well, but is only going to be locked in for this season. Then there is the horrible contract of Smush Parker, who is still on the books for $2.4M. Really, all Miami has to offer is the $5.8 mid-level exception (MLE), which was more attractive when Miami had Shaq and Wade and was contending.

Still there are several options that could help Miami this offseason. The first would be signing Keyon Dooling, who is seeking a substantial portion of the MLE. The Heat could offer that, but the problem is that Dooling wants a longer termed contract while Riley wants to stick to 2 years so that he can keep financially flexibile for the 2010 offseason.

Along with all this early bubbling of free agent movement, the Heat do seem to be inactive but we are assured elsewhere that the Heat are biding their time and trying to net the best value. What about Indiana’s Jamaal Tinsley? He is currently expected to be the odd man out as the Pacers just traded for TJ Ford and drafted Jerryd Bayless but then traded him to Portland for Jarret Jack.

How about the Knicks Stephon Marbury? This seems to be a real possibility to Frank Isola, and a necessary step for the Knicks in his opinion. I am sure he would be a good fit, but those draft pundits who were salivating over landing Derrick Rose to play with Dwyane Wade could find a similar scenario with Marbury – if he could reclaim his NBA stardom in a fresh start in Miami. That deal would require Miami to deal Shawn Marion, however, to make it happen. And don’t doubt that possibility as D’Antoni is quite familiar with what Marion can do.

Kirk Hinrich? It would probably take the perfect scenario to get the Bulls to trade him to the Heat and reports are he is going to Denver, which makes sense as that gets him out of the conference. This would be probably the best situation for the Heat as Hinrich could play both excellent defense and work as a shooting guard to play off of Wade when he does have the ball. Plus, you wouldn’t have to worry about Wade getting mauled when they play the Bulls anymore.

Memphis’ Kyle Lowry? Philadelphia’s Andre Miller?

There are also options on the free agent market beyond Keyon Dooling like Carlos Arroyo and Sebastian Telfair. I think Arroyo would offer a better backcourt partner to Wade than most think, as he would be playing in Miami and he would be freed up to shoot when he got the ball or create plays. Everyone remembers how tough Arroyo was when he played for Puerto Rico and something tells me that playing in Miami would give him that same energy.

Also, what about Jason Williams? Don’t expect the Heat to bring him back unless there is some really perceived value there. In other words, if he is the best option left and they can sign him to come off the bench for the veteran minimum.

So, don’t buy the Heat’s relative quietness at this point. They have a plethora of options out there, it is just a matter of working with the right scenario. That means the team has to keep its flexibility and it won’t look to get into a contract beyond 2010. They will also look for a clear upgrade over Marcus Banks and Mario Chalmers – who many are likening to Rajon Rondo, the flavor of the moment. Also, don’t overlook free agent invitee Jason Richards from Davidson. He missed the shot that could have spoiled Kansas’ run and lead the nation in assists and assist to turnover ratio.

The Heat are in the driver’s seat where point guard is concerned and an option like Jamaal Tinsley or Marbury could be had at a really, really cheap price.