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07/20/2010 -
MIAMI (AP) -With just about every Miami Heat acquisition this summer, another recruiting story seems to emerge.
Dwyane Wade helped lure LeBron James and Chris Bosh. James played a big role in talking Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Mike Miller into coming to Miami.
And now, Miller is taking a turn.
Only days after signing with Miami, Miller is talking to close pal Jason Williams about reuniting with the team. Williams started at point guard for the Heat during Miami's championship season in 2006.
``I'd love to have him,'' said Miller, who spoke to Williams on Sunday. ``Obviously, it has to work out on both sides. J-Will would have to want to come back and Miami would have to be good with that. I just talked to him more as a friend, just to see how he's doing and what he's thinking about doing. I'm just excited for him. He had an unbelievable year last year and we'll see what happens in the future here.''
It might be a long shot, getting Williams back to Miami.
Fortunately for the Heat, Miller didn't need much convincing.
He agreed to a deal with Miami shortly after James said he was coming to join Wade and Bosh. Like at least four other players - James, Wade, Bosh and Udonis Haslem - Miller took significantly less money from Heat owner Micky Arison than he could have made elsewhere in order to be part of the rebuilt Miami roster.
Miller took a five-year deal worth around $25 million. So far this summer, Miami has closed roughly $400 million worth of deals, and done so at what might be considered around the league as bargain prices.
``In order for it to happen, it took a lot of moving parts to come together,'' Miller said. ``For one, (Heat president) Pat Riley had to do an amazing job to clear cap space, and then Mr. Arison had to go out and spend every dollar he could possibly spend to get everybody and then guys had to take less. So it was a commitment all around the board.''
Miller isn't sure if he'll start for Miami this coming season, nor has he been told exactly what role he'll have on the rebuilt Heat roster.
He just knows he should be open - a lot.
The NBA's second-best shooter from 3-point range last season came to the Heat in large part because of the opportunities he could get playing alongside Wade and James. Knowing they'll be double-covered much of the time, someone should usually be open, and that somebody could very well be him.
``There should be a lot of looks,'' Miller said. ``There's no question about it.''
Miller has started at least 47 games in nine of his first 10 NBA seasons, with the lone exception when he came off the bench 65 times for Memphis in 2005-06. He was a runaway winner of the NBA's sixth man award that season, easily outdistancing Speedy Claxton and Jerry Stackhouse.
Being the top reserve might be his starting point in Miami. Miller plays shooting guard and small forward primarily, spots also held by Wade and James.
``We can chalk those guys in as the starters,'' Miller said. ``I think it'll probably be a role that I play and I have no problem with that. I'm just here to help win games and if that's one of the ways that we can do it, then that's what I'll do.''
Coming to Miami also made sense to Miller in one other way. He gets to pair with Haslem again.
They were teammates on the Florida team that lost the 2000 NCAA title game. And Miller and Haslem have talked for years about the chance to be teammates one more time.
``Unfinished business,'' Miller said.
They'll have a chance at a bigger prize together with the Heat.Copyright © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.
<< Diamondbacks pummel light-hitting Mets
Phoenix, AZ (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Mark Reynolds tripled in a run as part of a big
first inning and belted a three-run homer in the sixth, carrying Arizona to a
13-2 blowout win over the New York Mets.
Chris Young had three hits and scored th
<< Rios' HR helps White Sox get past Mariners
Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Alex Rios clubbed a two-run homer and added a
sacrifice fly, as the Chicago White Sox defeated Seattle, 6-1, in the opener
of a three-game series at Safeco Field.
Omar Vizquel went 2-for-4 with a walk a
<< Beltre, Dice-K pace Red Sox over A's
Oakland, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Adrian Beltre went 3-for-4 with a home run and
Daisuke Matsuzaka threw into the seventh inning, as the Boston Red Sox cooled
off the Oakland Athletics with a 2-1 victory in the opener of a three-game
series.
<< Indians pound out 20 hits in rout of Twins
Minneapolis, MN (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Trevor Crowe had a career-high four hits
and drove in two runs, as the Cleveland Indians remained hot with a 10-4
victory over the Minnesota Twins in the opener of a three-game series at
Target
Line of Scrimmage: NFL GameChangers '10: Specialists >>
Philadelphia, PA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Bill Belichick has achieved considerable
success during his 10-season stint as head coach of the New England Patriots,
but for those with the time or wherewithal to look at his resume' with a
magnifying glass
NHL veteran Keane won't return to Manitoba >>
Winnipeg, MB (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Long-time NHL forward Mike Keane won't return
to the Manitoba Moose for the 2010-11 season.
Manitoba, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks,
announced it won't renew the 43-year-
Cardinals seek seventh straight victory in clash with Phils >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Home runs are not easy to hit, but the St. Louis Cardinals
made it their job in last night's win over the Philadelphia Phillies. The NL
Central-leading Cardinals will try to go deep again Tuesday in the second
installment of
Mets hope to find their road game in Arizona >>
(Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The road hasn't been too kind for the New York Mets and
last night's embarrassing loss in Arizona was proof. The Mets will try to
regroup on their 11-game, three-city tour out west tonight in the second
portion of a three-gam
After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.
Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.
Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.
So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.
In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.
For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.
The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.
The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.
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