Miami has the 10th pick.  Their net GM:

    Rob Clough 

Selects:

    Cherokee Parks, C, 6-11.  Duke

Hmm, a Duke person picking a Duke player.  I guess Curtis can
be forgiven for picking Rasheed :-).

======================================================================
 Team Needs/History:

  The Heat had been a fairly successful expansion team before this
season, going to the playoffs twice (more than Charlotte or Orlando).
However, they lacked a franchise player who could take them next level,
and a power presence down low.  This was through no fault of their
own, as they were unable to obtain multiple #1 and #2 picks the way
their lottery brethern were.  The whole notion behind the Heat was to
build through the draft, develop your young players, and don't make 
stupid trades.  
  So much for that idea.  The team was in complete turmoil, with new
ownership coming in and the team that had put the Heat together (Billy
Cunningham and Lewis Schaffel) selling their interest in the team
and leaving.  Rony Seikaly, unhappy with his contract, was schlepped
off to Golden State for Billy Owens.  Owens wanted to play SF, and the
one position that was set in Miami was SF, with Rice.  The Heat then
shipped off the heart of the team, Grant Long, with the soul of the team,
Steve Smith, off to Atlanta for Kevin Willis.  The Heat finally had the
dominant power forward they always wanted--or did they?  The unfortunate
thing about these moves is that they came after training camp.  The team's
carefully crafted chemistry was now completely destroyed.  Kevin Loughery
had no idea how to integrate these new parts, and the Heat ended up
having a horrible year.  Of course, while other teams were stocking up
with free agents like Horace Grant and Danny Manning, the Heat ended up
with mediocrities like Brad Lohaus and Kevin Gamble.  Loughery ended up
being fired halfway through the season, and assistant Alvin Gentry
took over.  The team responded somewhat to Gentry, but not enough for the
Heat to retain him as head coach for next year.  
   At this point, the Heat are a mess, with ownership still somewhat
unsettled, no coach, and a number of players wondering whether or not
they'll be here next year.  Be that as it may, there are still a few 
obvious needs, and the Heat can help themselves in any number of ways.

First off, here's the Team Roster:		 
							  Contract
						       Yrs Status
John Salley	C	6-11 250	Georgia Tech	 9
Matt Geiger	C	7-0  245 	Georgia Tech     3
Kevin Willis	C-PF	7-0  240	Michigan State  11	
Glen Rice	SF-G	6-8  220	Michigan	 6
Billy Owens	F-G	6-9  220	Syracuse	 4
Kevin Gamble	SF	6-5  210	Iowa		 8	 
Harold Miner	G	6-4  215        Southern Cal	 3
Bimbo Coles	PG	6-2  185	Virginia Tech	 5
Khalid Reeves	PG	6-3  207	Arizona		 1
Keith Askins	SF	6-8  223	Alabama		 5  UFA
Ledell Eackles  G	6-5  231	New Orleans	 5  UFA	
Brad Lohaus	PF	6-11 238	Iowa		 8  UFA


 As for who I am leaving exposed, I'm going to take the slightly 
controversial route and leave Harold Miner exposed to the expansion
draft.  The Heat have been looking to get rid of him for a long time,
but his large salary has prevented this from happening.  John Salley
and Kevin Gamble were also considered, though I suspect that Gamble is
an RFA.  Miner has never fit into any offense consistently for the Heat,
and even though he could occasionally light up the scoreboard, particurlarly
with one of his urgent dunks, his lack of defense and team play makes him
a liability.  If the Heat want to sign a significant free agent, getting
rid of Miner would open up a nice slot.  Alternately, if an expansion club
didn't want to dump a lot of money on a player, Miner would be left alone
and the Heat again would not suffer.  The only real reason to keep Miner
vs. Salley is the age issue.  You never really want to let go a young
player with talent, because it come back to haunt you (see Willie Burton
and his 50+ pts vs. Miami earlier in the year).  Whereas Salley doesn't
have that many years left.

Team Evaluation:

Centers:
  
  John Salley:  Once again had a mediocre season, and this time he didn't
have the excuse of other established big men in his way.  Someone once
said that "Five points, five rebounds" would be carved on his gravestone,
and that about sums up the contributions he's made to the team.  Brought
in as a shotblocker/defensive ace, he's come up lacking in both areas.
He'll probably still be around next year, though there's a good chance
he'll be left unprotected if the Heat thinks they can pick up a good big man 
in the draft or via free agency.
  Matt Geiger, the amazing skinhead, continues to improve steadily as
an NBA contributor.  He always had good skills, size and strength in
college, it was his attitude that seemed lackadasical.  He revealed
last year that a close friend of his was very ill while he was in college,
which hurt his overall concentration.  As a pro, he always hustles, can
finish, and does the job around the boards.  He's everything you could
ask for in a backup center, and he should only improve.  His biggest
limitation is his offense.  If he could develop a steady short jumper,
he could do more than simply score on putbacks.  

Forwards:

  Kevin Willis is the anti-Grant Long in every sense.  He's bigger,
stronger, and more talented.  He also is a horrible team player,
makes too many mistakes, and doesn't hustle.  Willis is the perfect
example of statistics not telling the whole story.  While he still
had very good scoring and rebounding numbers, he never really fit in
with the team.  When the ball came into him, you would never see it
again, and the result was either a bad shot or a gruesome turnover.
He's still a very good player, but he lost some of that hunger he had
when he was averaging almost 20 rebounds a game.  I would consider
shopping him around for an excellent 2 guard or a great draft choice.
If the Heat draft a big man, Willis might be switched to center 
depending on the kind of player they get.  Willis is no franchise-type
player, but perhaps he'll come around next year.
  Billy Owens is an extremely skilled player with incredible versatility.
He has one notable skill that the Heat lacked: a player who could drive
to the basket.  The one problem is that although Owens can play virtually
any position, his best spot is at the SF, which is Rice's best position.
Owens has expressed a desire to play at SF, and hates playing at PF.
The Heat never really seemed to know what to do with him, switching
he and Rice around at various points.  Owens' major flaw is his foul
shooting, a bad weakness considering that his best suit is driving
to the basket.  His other significant problem is that he seems to be
injury prone, and this was certainly true for the Heat last year.
Owens is a great player who could eventually help the Heat, or could be
traded.  Considering the haphazard way in which the team has been run the
last year, it wouldn't surprise me.  The only thing I can hope for is 
that any trades are done before training camp so that they won't 
disintegrate the team's chemistry again.
  Brad Lohaus was a bottom of the heap type free agent.  His major skill
is three point shooting.  He's a UFA, and if any good big men come the
Heat's way, he won't be playing in Miami next year.
  Kevin Gamble is perhaps the NBA's most mediocre player.  He can do
certain things, like shooting, well, but is mostly just average in
almost all areas.  He's a good player to keep on the bench because
he's experienced, can score, and can play a little defense.  
  Glen Rice is the undisputed superstar of the Heat.  He was one of the
leading scorers in the league, and when he struggled, the Heat usually
lost.  His most memorable moment was scoring 56 against Orlando late in
the year, earning the high mark in the NBA this year.  He is one of the
few steady three point shooters on the team, with a great release and
excellent range.  He still needs to work on shooting off the dribble
a bit more, but it's really improved since he was a rook.  He's also
a good finisher and has developed a pull-up 10' shot when penetrating.
He still is best at SF because he's better as a spot up shooter, as well
as the fact that the Heat need his rebounding, but he may move back to
SG if the Heat want to use Owens on the wing.  Glen is also signed to
a nice, long term contract.   
  Keith Askins was languishing on the bench early in the year as
the Heat languished in a miserable losing streak.  Loughery realized
that the Heat lacked that player who would do all the dirty work, 
going after loose balls and hustling on defense.  Askins smoothly stepped
into that role when Loughery (and his replacement, Gentry) called his
number.  Askins is very athletic and plays like a maniac at all times.
He's a good three point shooter, but is unselfish and sacrifices himself
for the team.  In short, he's the kind of player every successful team
needs.  Look for the Heat to re-sign him.
  Salley and also play some forward (see under centers).

Guards:
  Ledell Eackles came back to the league after a several-year hiatus,
finally trimmed down from his former plumpness.  After a great preseason,
earning him a spot on the team, he showed he can still really light
up the scoreboard.  He's a very talented offensive player, but doesn't
really bring much else to the table.  Still, he's a useful bench player
who should be re-signed.  His attitude and work ethic are much improved
over his former days in the league.
  Khalid Reeves had a rough time getting adjusted to the league, but
he really turned it on late in the year.  His major problem was in
trying to play the point position and getting used to his team's 
offense.  Once he came around and started to become more confident
and aggressive, he really went on a tear.  He started to use his speed
to blaze into the lane, dishing off for quick buckets or taking it
all the way in.  He also started to show some range on his jumper, 
becoming a strong threat behind the line.  He justified being taken
as a high draft pick, and is definitely the point guard of the future
for the Heat.  
  Bimbo Coles was given the starting point guard job after coming off
the bench for Steve Smith after several years.  He did a good job, 
but the team struggled with its new lineup, and having a player who
won't pass next to him in Miner didn't help either.  He still is a great
penetrator, fine passer, and good shooter.  I sense that Reeves may be
given the starting spot next year, however.  Hopefully, Coles will adjust
well to that role, because he's a very valuable member of the team.
  Harold Miner had a number of apologists saying that Loughery kept
holding him back, not allowing him to show his talents on the court.
That theory was roundly dashed when Gentry came on and Miner still 
couldn't play.  He hasn't learned a lick of defense, is selfish and
often clueless on the court.  He can still really take it to the hoop,
but that's all he offers.  His big contract had made him hard to move.
I think he'd be a good player for an expansion team, since teams like
that always need a guy who can score.  
  Glen Rice, Billy Owens and Keith Askins can also play guard.

What the team needs:

1.  An athletic center who can rebound, block shots and play defense, as
well as score a little.  
2.  A power forward who can score and rebound.
3.  A shooting guard who can create his own shot.
4.  A coach who preaches defense.

 Who I want:

Cherokee Parks.  Underrated as an athlete, he does well in situations
where he plays against top-notch players but doesn't have to be the
superstar.

Others considered:

 Rashard Griffith.  Immature and a headcase, but the talent is there.


Other notes: the Heat are negotiating with Pradag Danolivic (sp?), whose
rights they obtained from the Hawks.  He's supposed to be one of the top
players in Europe right now, and he's interested in the NBA.  This is 
another reason why the Heat will probably try and take a big man.

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