2012 Heat Media Day/Training Camp Thread

[Wade2Bosh]

“I was worried how I would feel the next day after a hard workout, and I’ve been going for three days straight and no pain at all,” said Lewis, who is ranked fifth in three-point shooting among active players and eighth all-time.

“Is he capable athletically of moving and making the plays that he was able to do two years ago?” Spoelstra said. “He looks healthy. … I think that is a victory right now.

“The rhythm, learning a new system offensively, that will take time. I understand that and I’m not putting pressure on him for that. Anybody that misses extended periods of time, there will be an acclimation to your rhythm.”

“I’ve been working with the training staff here and then had the procedure done and I feel great,” Lewis said. “I just have to stay on top of the rehab and continue to strengthen my hips and continue to strengthen my legs and not let it come back.”

Link

Good sign that he feels no pain after 3 straight days of practice.

[Jace]

That link is jacked. Here it is.

Good to hear he's still shooting lights out, and looks healthy according to Spo. Does sound like he needs to get his overall rhythm back. Hopefully he doesn't take as long as Battier, and especially UD, took last season.

Also didn't know he had the platelet-rich procedure everyone's doing now. He had it before, presumably on the other knee, so I'm guessing it helped.

Rooting for Curry to make the Spurs, just to see him in this

[Wade2Bosh]

Damn, a bunch of teams are getting new uni's this season.

[Jace]

Tell me about it.





There are a few more teams yet to introduce their alts (Thunder, Philly, GSW). There's a new fad of having the alternate use a totally different template as the regular two jerseys, like the Nugs and Blazers new alts.

[Wade County]

Wouldn't mind us doing a retro look with a modern twist on our jerseys.

[Wade2Bosh]

Jason Jackson said on twitter that he heard the scrimmage on Wednesday will be streamed on Heat.com.

[Jace]

Wade plans to play in the preseason
by Ethan J. Skolnick

Dwyane Wade surprised his coach, but not himself, by participating in practice for a second straight day.

“I’ve been doing everything I need to do,” said Wade, who is nearly three months removed from knee surgery. “Every day is different, but if I feel good, I’ll continue to go. If I feel like I need to not push it, then I will do that as well.”

Wade said swelling wasn’t an issue Tuesday, and hopes it won’t be Wednesday, so he can participate in the evening scrimmage.

What about the eight preseason games? There has been speculation that he wouldn’t play in any of them.

“I don’t know where that came from,” Wade said. “I will try a preseason game. At least one. It will be more than one. It won’t be eight, but it will be more than one. If I continue to progress the way I’ve been progressing.”

Bosh sat out today with a sore knee, Rio sat out after getting a quad bump, Joel continued to sit with the hammy. Nothing serious, we're told.

[Floods]

Probably old news, but in 2K13 the black jersey says Miami instead of Heat. So I'm guessing that change is happening IRL too.

[Jace]

Yeah we talked about that a few weeks ago. Meh.

[doctordrizzay]

If all of our wing players stay healthy and play well, We can really preserve Lebron and Wade this year. preferably Wade.

[Jace]

[Jace]

Everything is so calculated with these guys. The same day Wade tells reporters he's leaving Jordan, he tweets a teaser of his first Li-Ning shoe, only accompanied by the text "#10/10," likely a reference to 10th season.

[Wade2Bosh]

So Wade's gotta hide his shoes and wear flip flops to post practice interviews for 8 more days?

Guess it also means that you can rule him out of Sunday's game.

[Wade County]

Wade will play in 1 of the China games. It's waaaay too big a marketing opportunity for him not to - considering he's signing with a chinese shoe brand and bringing out a signature shoe.

Guaranteed, he will play. They'll wheel him out if they have to.

[Jace]

What about the scrimmage? Perhaps he can wear duct tape around his shoes.

Skolnick on the C battle

As a Heat practice officially ends, most players sit and stretch near the center of the floor. For 12 of them, guaranteed spots on the final 15-man roster, this qualifies as relaxation.

Perspiration?

For that, look at the basket behind them.

Four tall young men are taking turns taking each other on, backing each other down, straining to get good shots up, trying to find a way in. This passes as the most compelling competition of an unevenful training camp, this competition among Dexter Pittman, Mickell Gladness, Josh Harrellson and Jarvis Varnado, competition that will continue during Wednesday night’s Heat scrimmage.

“They’re a little bit different, which makes it interesting, and that’s what we want to look at,” coach Erik Spoelstra said.

Three are former second-round picks – Pittman and Varnado by Miami, Harrellson by New Orleans, though he was quickly traded to New York. The other, Gladness, was undrafted.

All but Varnado have logged some time on NBA courts, with Pittman, Harrellson and Gladness combining for 100 games. All understand the situation. The Heat is reasonably content with an undersized interior rotation of Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and Joel Anthony. Miami doesn’t necessarily need any of these four, but it might be able to occasionally use what one or two of them offers.

“Varnado and Gladness bring that energy and shot-blocking and quickness,” Spoelstra said.

Pittman?

“Brings the physicality and the size,” Spoelstra said. “Harrellson brings the stretch shooting with size, and has already had a role on a good team.”

Pittman is the only one with a guaranteed contract, though the amount is modest enough that owner Micky Arison could be persuaded to keep someone else instead, as when Miami waived Eddie House to make room for prospect Terrel Harris in 2011. Ideally, Pittman shows enough that no such action is necessary.

“I know they see something in me,” Pittman said. “I see something in myself, too.”

The Heat is happy to see less of him. They believe better conditioning will lead to less fouling.

“I know they were pretty disappointed in me at summer league because I stayed at the plateau weight,” Pittman said. “I wanted to take it as a challenge upon myself to come back and show them that I was committed.”

So Pittman, 6-foot-11, worked out with several trainers, including Tony Villani in Delray Beach, and returned at 275 pounds and 12.5 percent body fat.

“I can feel my ribs,” Pittman said, widely grinning.

Now he’s trying to get down to 265, while emulating Haslem’s maximum effort “no matter what.” He’s trying to draw upon previous struggles, in high school and college, when it took him some time to make an impact. And he’s trying to adjust to a league that no longer emphasizes brawn in the post.

“It’s sad,” Pittman said. “The game changed. You’ve got guys like Josh Harrellson that can shoot the three, and I’ve got to get out and guard them.”

That range is one of Harrellson’s strengths. He’s come a long way since his freshman year of high school, when he was, in his own eyes, “the absolute worst basketball player anybody has ever seen in their lives,” so clumsy that he could only work on the side.

Jorts, as he’s known for his jean shorts fashion, made an impact as a Kentucky senior, then got in 37 games as a Knicks rookie. He was included in the trade for Houston’s Marcus Camby three months ago. Houston waived him but, because of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the Knicks had to wait a year to re-sign him.

So he’s here.

“I knew they needed a center who can space the floor,” Harrellson said.

That’s not something either Varnado, who spent the past two seasons overseas, or Gladness can do. They’re long-armed defenders, more in the Anthony mold. Gladness intrigued Miami enough to stick with the team after 2011 camp. After the Heat waived him to bring in Rony Turiaf, he started seven games for struggling Golden State.

That experience proved to Gladness that “I’m an NBA player. Maybe not a starter, but I can play in this league.” The Warriors waived him. So he’s back, emphasizing his attributes: tall, long, athletic and “able to run at the same time.”

Oh, and one more thing.

“I’m not a needy player,” Gladness said. “I don’t need the ball to make an impact on this game.”

Which is good. Because even if he makes this loaded squad, he’s not likely to get it.