2011 Miami Heat Press Conference

[logpmess]

Welcome Everybody.

We had a good season last year. We saw boosts in TC from both Serge Ibaka and Michael Beasley. However, all of our key players except Lebron and AJ got injured including Ibaka who broke a leg and took a big hit to his ratings. Unfortunately, Ibaka was out for all of the playoffs. We were able to get by in the first round, but we faced the eventual champs. Without our 6th man providing additional support down low, we fell in 5.

This offseason brought some moves to our core. We decided to trade Beasley high. We got a third year point guard in Brandon Jennings and a future 1st. For a player that we were not planning on keeping past his contract, I would say this is a pretty good haul. We have been needing a point guard since we parted ways with Baron Davis. We decided to draft a big guy in the draft, because of the looming decision with Spencer Hawes. Gustavo Ayon looks to be our glue guy of the future. We hope for a positive training camp so he can start filling that position now. Our division foe Boston Celtics sent Spencer a max contract. With decisions for next year looming as far as contracts are concerned, we had to decide to either live in salary cap hell or make a deal. We traded Spencer Hawes for Charlie Villanueva, Brandon Knight, and a future first. We like the outlook of those two players to fill in any gaps that might arise from injuries this year.

Our starting five will look as follows:
C- Al Jefferson
PF - Serge Ibaka
SF - Lebron James
SG - Andre Iguodala
PG - Brandon Jennings

Hopefully, we have a good training camp, which will allow for some of our current bench players to start challenging for a starting position, which will only foster competition. My trade block is pretty clear. The players I got in a trade are not available until Day 60. I want to keep a core of Ibaka and AJ. Most likely star to move is Lebron.

The floor is open for questions.

[IamQuailman]

Can you elaborate on the decision to move Hawes (as opposed to shopping Al Jefferson, who is older and expiring and likely to either get paid or leave for nothing)?

[logpmess]

Can you elaborate on the decision to move Hawes (as opposed to shopping Al Jefferson, who is older and expiring and likely to either get paid or leave for nothing)?

Al Jefferson was the best player on our team last year. To me, he has way more upside for his position than Hawes. Having Jefferson next to a player like Ibaka will be more beneficial in the long run than Having a player like Hawes next to Ibaka. I'm looking forward to Jefferson moving back to his more natural position at center.

[Eazy P]

How is Ibaka progressing since his broken leg? Is he getting stronger? Do you expect him to bounce back this upcoming TC?

[logpmess]

How is Ibaka progressing since his broken leg? Is he getting stronger? Do you expect him to bounce back this upcoming TC?

He is healthy. And we expect great things from him this year. He is either going to do really well or bomb on TC.



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[JNR]

GWR: Early reports show that the Heat had one of the best training camps in the league. Does this energize you and make you think you have a good shot of contending?

[logpmess]

GWR: Early reports show that the Heat had one of the best training camps in the league. Does this energize you and make you think you have a good shot of contending?

I liked he team I brought into training camp. I feel we could have contended before. That being said, training camp helps our outlook going forward.


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[NOLa.]

Do you expect to see any drop-off from your frontcourt production with the team moving on from Hawes and Beasley? What do you gain and lose from not having both of those players?

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[logpmess]

Do you expect to see any drop-off from your frontcourt production with the team moving on from Hawes and Beasley? What do you gain and lose from not having both of those players?

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Losing hose two players is going to be hard. Hawes was a starter for two years. Beasley played great last year when injuries arose.

Our biggest asset though is Ibaka. He has to play up to his potential this year and open up the court for our other scorers. But I am extremely happy with AJ and ibaka next to each other this year.


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[Xist2Inspire]

Random Reporter: With LeBron, Al, and Iggy all on the last years of their contracts, is there a heightened sense of urgency to win now due to this possibly being the end of an era in Miami?

[WigNosy]

Did Ibaka consult witch doctors as part of his rehab?

[78#]

When Lebron came to Miami, he talked about not 1, not 2, not 3, etc.. Do you feel like this is your team and what obstacle may be in the way of reaching the championship?

Also, Shaquille O' Neal in his retirement speech had a parting shot about his year in Miami calling 2007 "the worst year of his life". Do you have any response to that?

[logpmess]

Random Reporter: With LeBron, Al, and Iggy all on the last years of their contracts, is there a heightened sense of urgency to win now due to this possibly being the end of an era in Miami?

We realize that next season is going to bring across some issues with resigning our stars. We look to make a big push this season and hope to contend. This might involve making some trades or giving up future assets, but we see this as a year that we can finally make a push for the championship.

[logpmess]

Did Ibaka consult witch doctors as part of his rehab?

Serge has a fight in him that we haven't seen in Miami since the Payton era. He wants to be the best at his position. He has a unique skillset that will make him a nightmare to guard when he fully recovers. He is first person at the facility in the morning and last person to leave for the day. He kept saying that he would be better than before his brutal leg break. We didn't necessarily doubt him, but he was recovering from a terrible injury. Proud of him and look forward to see what he can bring on a day in/day out basis.

[logpmess]

When Lebron came to Miami, he talked about not 1, not 2, not 3, etc.. Do you feel like this is your team and what obstacle may be in the way of reaching the championship?

Also, Shaquille O' Neal in his retirement speech had a parting shot about his year in Miami calling 2007 "the worst year of his life". Do you have any response to that?

Lebron is a hell of a player. He might not have lived up to his full hype when he got drafted from high school, but he is a leader for this team.

Shaq was an all time great individual player. His comment speaks for itself, but he definitely spent more time in Little Havana than he did in our facilities. Congrats on his retirement.

[Conroy]

Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, whats your opinion of the Atlantic Division in general? Seems like it could be a pretty competitive division this season.

[logpmess]

Sports Guy Bill Simmons here, whats your opinion of the Atlantic Division in general? Seems like it could be a pretty competitive division this season.

We have the defending champs. That is always a team to worry about. Almost all of the teams are well rounded, but also have a weakness. The Atlantic division should be exciting this year. Hopefully, we have no major injuries in the division, so that the best team can win it this year.