Miami Heat will wait for the right fit

BY MICHAEL WALLACE
mwallace@MiamiHerald.com

With the front end of its rotation around Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh set, the Heat is prepared to maintain flexibility with its remaining roster spots.

Barring a commitment from one of its preferred free agent targets to accept the veteran's minimum, team president Pat Riley and coach Erik Spoelstra could leave open as many as two roster spots entering the start of training camp in late September.

``There are always key pieces out there you can add at the end of your roster,'' Spoelstra said. ``We've always felt if we could get the main pieces, other guys would want to sacrifice and play with us. There's always an opportunity, even if sometimes it doesn't seem like one.''

Considering its sign-a-player-a-day pace during the past two weeks, Tuesday was a rare occasion when the Heat didn't make a roster move. Things could pick back up in the coming days, when free agent Carlos Arroyo is expected to be brought back to bolster depth at point guard.

The addition of Arroyo, who turned a nonguaranteed contract last season into a starting role down the stretch, would bring the Heat's roster to 13 -- two shy of the regular-season limit.

The Heat has maintained contact with a few remaining free agents, but is content to keep its options open. Among the more intriguing players angling for jobs -- and potentially in the mix for one of the Heat's final spots -- are veterans Tracy McGrady, Larry Hughes, Allen Iverson, Eddie House, Jason Williams, Kwame Brown and Rasual Butler.

Wade and James have essentially acted as pseudo general managers in reaching out and recruiting players to join the Heat. Their connections could keep in play options such as Iverson, who shares an agent with James, or Hughes, who played with James in Cleveland.

Wade and new Heat swingman Mike Miller have been among those to lobby Williams, who started on Miami's 2006 title team and has indicated a willingness to take on a reduced role should there be a return.

OTHER OPTIONS

But Heat interest in those veterans appears to be lukewarm at best, according to agents and league officials who have dealt with Miami.

Riley, however, has maintained an interest in House, a former Heat sharpshooter, and Brown, the journeyman center who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2001 NBA Draft.

Chicago-based agent Mark Bartelstein, who represents House and Brown, said Wednesday the Heat remains on their radar. But both players are looking for more than the $1.3 million Miami has available through the veterans' minimum contract offer.

House earned $2.9 million last season, which he spent with Boston and New York. Brown made $4.1 million last season with Detroit.

``Both guys have been offered more than what the Heat has available,'' Bartelstein said. ``But because of the unique opportunity in Miami, with what they've done with the roster, it's not something you can just dismiss and not think about.''

But with chemistry and ``good fits'' among the priorities in the selection criteria, it's possible the Heat could bypass the aging ex-superstar route to opt for younger prospects.

SERVING YOUTH

That could bode well for a handful of prospects from the Heat's summer league team that finished 4-1 in Las Vegas last week. Combination guard Kenny Hasbrouck averaged 13.6 points and shot 45 percent from three-point range. Second-round pick Jarvis Varnado led the team in blocked shots and offensive rebounds.

Spoelstra said a handful of players from the summer league team would be invited back to Miami next week for another offseason mini-camp.

``All you can do is keep working hard and give yourself a chance for them to like you,'' said Hasbrouck, who was with Miami late last season. ``You want to be a part of this. I know I do. Hopefully, I will be.''