Yep, that is not a misprint. The Heat traded down and had to give up Cook to do it, a once promising shooter who is still very young. Not so fast, ye cynical ones. This was definitely a cost-cutting move and will put the Heat even closer to where they want to be financially to re-sign Wade and possibly two other max-level players.

The Heat shed Cook’s $2.2 million contract and also the potential $3 million for the 18th pick. Coupled with the fact that this is not as deep of a draft as they Heat would like, they decided to deal out and ante up for the free agent market.

Of course, there is much speculation about where Lebron James will sign. Again, the Heat seem to be right there with the best suitors and in many ways, make the most sense. If James wants to win, he can power up with Wade and soak up the South Florida lifestyle and burn his image in the retina of every post season basketball spectator for the next 5 or so years.

As for Cook, it seems his potential has taken a dive for the Heat. Sure, he is still very young and possesses a quick release on his shot and the ability to get hot from outside and score in bunches. The question is will he live up to that billing on another young team, the OKC Thunder? Good luck to Cook – but this move for the Heat seems more akin to a power building team as opposed to a rebuilding team. We’ll see if the architect, Pat Riley, can put it together.

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.

Miami just changed its offseason fortunes a bit by dealing center Mark Blount to the Timberwolves for Quentin Richardson, who has been shuffled around so much the guy must be dizzy.

Both Blount and Richardson are in the final year of their contracts, so financially this fits into the scheme of things Pat Riley is trying to do – keep it financially flexible for next year’s offseason. Blount was scheduled to make 7.9M this season while Richardson is due 9.4M. For Blount it is a return to the Timberwolves, the team the Heat originally acquired him from (along with Ricky Davis) before the 2007-2008 season for Antoine Walker, Michael Doleac, Wayne Simien and a first round pick. The debate on whether or not that deal worked out rages on.

It was the 4th time Richardson has been dealt this offseason – from the Knicks to the Grizzlies, to the Clippers and then the Timberwolves. The Heat, however, seem bent on keeping Richardson for the duration of the season:

“We are very excited to add Quentin Richardson,” Heat President Pat Riley said. “Over the course of his career, he has proven to be a fierce competitor, a great locker-room presence and a very prolific three-point shooter who may be one of the strongest perimeter players in the NBA. We feel that he will be able to match up well against the top scorers in the league.”

Richardson has been eyed by the Heat brass for some time now, actually. His ability to score is going to offer the Heat more punch, but where exactly he will fit remains to be seen. Richardson can play SG or SF, and will offer some depth to the Heat’s options of Dwyane Wade and Daequan Cook. Cook’s minutes seem to be potentially the most impacted of all here and with the Heat losing Jamario Moon to the Cavs, the depth at SF just regained itself a bit with Richardson adding to the rotation of Dorell Wright, James Jones, Yakhouba Diawara and an occasional appearance from Michael Beasley.

Quicklook:

• Wade quietly scored 41 points (11-23 from the field, 16-17 free throws). The Heat just got out in front and never really looked back.
• Beasley came up huge with his 22 points and 15 rebounds. He was a big factor in the success tonight – especially without Jermaine O’neal.
• BBC Index – Beasley, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers all needed to combine to get 30 points for the win tonight. They got 36.

Tonight was a night defined by injury and who was not on the floor – but it was the guy stepping into the lineup that made the biggest difference: Joel Anthony.

Those who have been following the Heat all season, and following what we write on MiamiHeatwave, know that Anthony is a defensive juggernaut despite his size. As an undersized center, what he loses in size he tends to make up with his uncanny shot blocking ability – which, in all seriousness, rivals the skill of Alonzo Mourning. Anthony managed to get 3 blocks, but his blocks usually result in possessions for the Heat, much like Zo’s. He also grabbed 8 rebounds and had 6 points – which is not overwhelming to look at. The biggest difference is how Anthony controlled the painted area and set perfect screens that allowed Wade to get space and operate.

With Anthony’s hustle and desire to do the little things, the Heat made the jump they needed on both ends of the court. That is why tonight, I think this guy is the real MVP for the Heat. No doubt Wade did his part and played MVP – more importantly, his back looked fine out there tonight – but Anthony’s contribution paved the way.

There will be a game 7 Sunday. Many questions will surface – will Jermaine O’neal be healthy enough to play? Will Joel Anthony continue to start and get minutes? Can the Heat continue to play strong defense and frustrate Josh Smith – who clearly has a limited game that is based on dunking the basketball? Whatever question that comes up and needs to be answered the ultimate one will be answered – who will advance to play a rested Cavs team in the next round. For Miami to be that team they will have to bring a strong game and not only match but exceed the intensity and energy the Hawks bring. That has been the defining characteristic of the victor in this series.

Dwyane Wade was beaten up, booed, and held down by the officials who made several questionable calls.

But he can’t do it all himself. He needs help. Michael Beasley, Daequan Cook and Mario Chalmers have to step up and score points. Neither Cook nor Chalmers have been able to defend Flip Murray – who is the real MVP of this series right now.

Jermaine O’neal battled and is quickly showing why he was a valuable asset for those tough Pacer teams. Udonis Haslem battles but his hand clearly still bothers him.

None of this matters though as the Heat need a win tomorrow night. Game 6 in Miami has to be a statement game. The Heat need to shake off the embarrassment and come out firing in front of the home crowd. Call it the Black Hole, with every Heat fan decked out in black.

With a win, the Heat can erase the painful memories of two straight losses in this series. With a win, they can erase the achievements the Hawks think they have acquired. With a win, the Heat have an even greater chance for revenge – to close out the series on Atlanta’s home court, where it all began. What greater motivation would they need at this point?

Quicklook:

• Dwyane Wade answers his 19 point Game 1 performance with a 33 point performance in Game 2 – hitting 6/10 from three point range.
• The Heat shot 57% from three (15/26) and 55% from the field (40-72).
• Daequan Cook and Dwyane Wade become the first teammates in NBA history to hit 6 three pointers each in the playoffs.

For the Heat, this is a big win as they come back from an embarrassing loss in Game 1 to a more respectable win in Game 2. The Hawks only threatened late in the 4th, cutting the lead to 10, but never dipped into under double digits.

This was a game where Miami defended better and brought better energy. When playing on the road, you have to up your energy to exceed the home team – when the crowd starts yelling, it is hard to transcend that energy. The Heat did a better job of that tonight.

Defensively, the Heat showed some progress. They gave space to the Hawk’s bigs who rely on getting into the paint to do their damage. Josh Smith was visibly frustrated for stretches. The Heat limited the Hawks to 41 first half points, combined with the 31 of the second half of Game 1, the Heat had held the Hawks to 72 points.

The Heat also got better contributions from the rest of the team. Jermaine O’neal had a respectable night scoring 19 points and blocking 4 shots – one of which came as the Hawks were mounting a run which pushed them within 7 points (93-86). Daequan Cook had 20 points with 6/9 from three; Udonis Haslem continues to battle and put in 10 points and 7 rebounds including two huge back-to-back jumpers when Wade was out with foul trouble near the end of the 4th quarter. Beasley had 12 points and 7 rebounds off the bench and shows that he is a huge mismatch for Josh Smith.

The Heat made some adjustments but one still remains to be seen – they have to get into the painted area and draw contact. The Hawks did that successfully and were able to get 30 free throw attempts (FTAs). The Heat, meanwhile, only could muster up 18. There may have been a little home-cooking for the Hawks, but maybe coming back to Miami will help the Heat’s cause in this area.

If Dwyane Wade can get 30+ points and get to the line 10+ times, it is going to be hard for the opponent to win. He had 33 points tonight and 6 FTAs.

Great win for Miami as they take away home court and are poised to use their home court to stake control in this series.

Congrats!

Congratulations to Erik Spoelstra on getting his first ever post season win. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Here’s to the first of many more!

Not for Dwyane Wade, “This is a big accomplishment.”

If there is one thing you want your star player to have, it’s perspective.

A year ago Miami was bumbling through a franchise worst 15-67 season – the likes of which the city hadn’t seen since its inception. The futility was so bad players basically shut it down before the season was over. Was that fair? No. Did it help the Heat get an extra lottery ball or two? Sure.

The question still remains, was the team really that bad? No, it wasn’t to be fair. That is probably why this season’s success could easily be overlooked, too. But let’s also be fair in the other direction – this team has two rookies and a 2nd year player it is relying on heavily for contributions (Mario Chalmers, Michael Beasley and Daequan Cook). It is also throwing out there a brand new young coach with no previous experience higher than an assistant. The team’s most important player, too, was coming off a major injury and questions abound about whether or not Wade would ever be Wade again (then the Olympics happened).

So, there was a lot that could have gone wrong this season. Let’s face it, there was expectation but nothing daunting like the 2004–2006 seasons.

And here the Heat are – a young team with a strong young core of players being lead by arguably the league’s top player and MVP looking to make a splash in the postseason. This should be lauded and Dwyane Wade’s message of not overlooking this accomplishment is crucial. It means that this team – to a man – is hungry.

With a combined 81 points, Wade became the first Heat player since 1992 to score more than 80 points in back to back games.

More importantly, with the win tonight, the Heat doubled last seaso’s win total of 15 and are looking to solidify their spot in the playoff race. In fact, the Heat crept a little closer to idle Atlanta who is now only 2 games ahead of Miami for the 4th spot in the Eastern Conference.

Along with Wade’s impressive scoring was a more balanced Heat offensive attack. Jamario Moon, Daequan Cook, Jermaine O’neal, Udonis Haslem and Michael Beasley all scored double digits as the Heat rolled to a 103-91 victory. It was the Heat’s 22-8 run in the third quarter that provided the seperation they were looking for to secure the win at home.

And how often have Heat fans seen Cook hit a shot in the clutch?

Now, the rest of the NBA galaxy has, too.

Rashard Lewis ran out of steam in the shootout for the crown, hitting only 7 points of a possible 30. Cook, however, came up to the rack full of smiles, with Dwyane Wade cheering him on from the sidelines, salivating for his chance at glory and hit 19 points to bring the title back to South Beach. It was a satisfying win, watching a Heat player derail Kapono for the crown.

That is what makes this kid special, in my opinion. Daequan Cook has an ability to hit the big shots and has no fear. In a situation like last night, in front of millions, he had the chance to choke as Rashard Lewis could only must 7 points. Cook didn’t flinch. He didn’t shrink from the chance but instead embraced it.

Now, Daequan Cook joins two other Heat three point champions – Jason Kapono in 2007 (who would then win last year as a member of the Raptors) and Glen Rice back in 1995. Rice won his title right here in the very same place Cook did – in Phoenix, Arizona.

In fact, much like Cook did, Rice had to halt a two time three point champion in Mark Price, who had won in 1993 and 1994.

More interestingly, the Miami Heat have the most three point champions (three) among the NBA teams in the contest’s 23 year history. The next nearest team is Chicago, with two victors (Craig Hodges ’90-92 and current Suns GM Steve Kerr in 1997).

After being snubbed from the sophmore/rookie game, Cook was invited to participate in the three point shootout which will feature some of the NBA’s more accurate long range bombers.

Cook, in his second professional season, is averaging 41% from behind the arc (while only shooting 38% from the field). He is also contributing in the clutch when the Heat needs him – this will be a good opportunity for the young guard to flash his skills to a national audience.

He will also be competing against ex-Heater Jason Kapono, who has won the crown two years in a row – winning his first as a member of the Heat in 2006-2007 season.

Talk about Cook’s invite with us.