Category: miami heat

Shannon Sharpe gets roasted by internet for horribly misguided question to Dwyane Wade

September 22, 2023

Shannon Sharpe may be known as both a legendary NFL tight end and a fiery sports media personality, but his interviewing skills apparently have some room to improve.

Sharpe recently had retired Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade as a guest on his “Club Shay Shay,” and one of Sharpe’s questions quickly drew a host of reactions from social media.

Sharpe asked Wade point blank which was harder: losing in the NBA Finals, or telling his partner Gabrielle Union that he had fathered a child with another woman during their relationship.

Wade understandably appeared both blindsided and flustered by the question’s tone-deaf nature before answering.

“Way harder to have a conversation with my now-wife,” answered Wade.

The misguided question swiftly drew mockery from users on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Some users mocked Sharpe’s interviewing skills.

Others worried that Shannon Sharpe bringing up the incident might recreate unnecessary animosity between Wade and Union despite the fact that both have clearly now moved on ten years later.

Mixing sports endeavors with players’ personal lives is always a recipe for interviewing disaster, but directly comparing the two, or asking the player himself to do that, is both audacious and unintentionally hilarious on Sharpe’s part.

The fact that Dwyane Wade even answered the question, despite his obvious disgust, is something he should be applauded for. Sharpe, for his part, recently joined ESPN’s First Take to debate Stephen A. Smith on weekdays. Don’t expect to see Wade as a guest panelist for that show anytime soon.

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Heat legend Dwyane Wade finally sheds light on shocking LeBron James declaration

September 22, 2023

The Miami Heat are one of the most successful franchises in the entire NBA. The Heat have been the best franchise in the Eastern Conference for quite some time by various metrics, culminating in a trip to the NBA Finals last season.

Wade was given his flowers by current Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler recently, with one hilarious catch. The team has been busy attempting to trade for Blazers star Damian Lillard, who poured gasoline on the trade rumors with a cryptic Instagram post recently.

The Heat last won an NBA championship back in 2013 with Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh leading the way under current Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.

James famously predicted the newly former Miami Heat ‘Super Team’ would win seven titles in a pre-season interview with Wade and Chris Bosh.

On Thursday, Wade sat down for an interview with ‘Undisputed’ co-host Shannon Sharpe for an interview discussing topics ranging from Wade’s child with a woman other than Gabrielle Union to his reaction to Mavs guard J.J. Barea helping to beat the Heat in 2011.

Wade said that he did not take James’ shocking multiple-title prediction seriously in a clip posted to the Sharpe’s ‘Club Shay Shay’ Twitter show profile.

“Yeah, I didn’t take it seriously,” Wade said. “Did anyone out there take it serious? Like, come on, guys. We were having a parade.

“We were doing what we were doing in the crib talking with our homies…That’s what he did. He added a little sauce and then that sauce became, ‘Oh, we going to hold them to it.”

Wade also talked about the hate and vitriol directed at the Heat’s ‘Big Three’ in in the interview, as shown in the show clip below.

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Examining Blazers’ Damian Lillard trade scenarios outside of Heat

September 20, 2023

Damian Lillard’s future does not appear to be with the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite spending the last 11 years as the face of the franchise, remaining loyal to them through thick and thin, Lillard is wanting more as he nears the back half of his illustrious career.

The Trail Blazers have slowly been declining in the Western Conference and they have been going through a soft rebuild over the last couple of years. When they traded Lillard’s right-hand man, CJ McCollum, it just seemed like a matter of time before the superstar point guard would want to find a new team. This summer, he made the request to the Blazers front office and the waiting game has been going on ever since.

Unlike James Harden’s situation with the Philadelphia 76ers, Lillard still has a solid relationship with Portland and is not going to create a toxic environment. Even though he wants to be traded, the seven-time All-Star and All-NBA guard is being patient, allowing the Blazers to evaluate all of their options.

At the same time, Lillard has made it clear that he wants to join the Miami Heat and compete for a championship in South Beach. This has put his organization in a tough spot, especially with the Heat not willing to budge on their offer for Dame seeing as he only wants to play for them.

Portland is said to be taking their time involving Lillard and general manager Joe Cronin is evaluating all of his team’s options. Even though he may want to go to the Heat, that does not necessarily mean the Blazers need to trade Lillard there. This franchise is going to take the best deal that they can get, which could result in another team coming in and convincing the star to play for them instead.

Overall, this is highly unlikely to happen. Dame’s mind is made up and it is just a matter of time before the Trail Blazers cave on their intentions. The Heat do have some valuable assets to offer up and if Lillard refuses to play for another team, then Portland’s options are severely limited.

As far as Lillard possibly going to another team, it is never a bad time to speculate what potential deals could look like. Even with a lot of false narratives being created, it is at least worthwhile to consider and evaluate what the Toronto Raptors and Oklahoma City Thunder could offer for the superstar.

Damian Lillard to Toronto? 

Toronto Raptors, Pascal Siakam, Damian Lillard, Scottie Barnes

Out of all the teams in the NBA, the Toronto Raptors are in one of the most unique spots because of what has transpired the last handful of seasons. Following their miraculous run to a championship in 2019, the Raptors have missed the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. Nick Nurse is no longer the head coach after being fired at the conclusion of the 2022-23 season and Fred VanVleet is no longer with the team either.

Nurse joined the 76ers to take over for Doc Rivers and VanVleet signed a three-year, $130 million contract with the Houston Rockets in free agency, becoming the highest paid undrafted player in NBA history.

Nobody can really fault VanVleet for making this decision, as there are very few opportunities for players to see this kind of money over the course of their career. From Toronto’s point of view though, this decision has put the organization directly in the middle of a crossroads with the path to a rebuild inching ever so closer.

However, executive Masai Ujiri and this front office have never seemed to give up and go through a full rebuild. Much like how they did with Kawhi Leonard ahead of the 2018-19 season, the Raptors could be willing to move a lot to bring in Lillard, a player who could immediately put them back on the championship path.

Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes would be the “untouchables” in this trade scenario, making OG Anunoby, Gary Trent Jr., Precious Achiuwa and rookie Gradey Dick the team’s best assets. Trent is an interesting name to discuss not just pertaining to this hypothetical scenario for Lillard, but in general.

Early on in free agency, TNT and Bleacher Report’s Chris Haynes reported that Trent and the Raptors were nearing an agreement on a new long-term extension. Well, months have gone by and the 24-year-old has yet to sign any new deal with the team. This could be nothing, but it is at least notable because why wouldn’t the two sides finalize the terms of their deal?

It is possible that Trent had second thoughts about remaining in Toronto after seeing VanVleet depart in free agency. Another possibility is that he does not want to commit to the team and lock himself in on a new multi-year deal if Siakam is going to be traded.

There are so many question marks surrounding what the Raptors future looks like and it’s not hard to believe that their own players are having doubts about the state of the organization.

Pertaining to Lillard, Anunoby would be the headliner in any potential deal with the Blazers. His two-way prowess is something a lot of teams have been intrigued by through the years and the former first-round pick is still just 26 years old. On a new team where he can be a featured star instead of a secondary talent, Anunoby could blossom into one of the best two-way players in the league.

The idea of forming a package around Anunoby, Trent and draft picks for Lillard would certainly be an appealing situation for the Raptors, but it is hard to see the Blazers finding value here unless they were to get other teams involved. They already traded Trent once before and while Anunoby is a really solid player, can he really become more than he currently is? Portland needs to consider all scenarios and this one with Toronto does not seem worthwhile.

Damian Lillard to Oklahoma City?

Damian Lillard, Oklahoma City Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren

Compared to the Raptors, the Oklahoma City Thunder have a plethora of assets that they could potentially offer up not just for Lillard and any other superstar they want to target. General manager Sam Presti has done a fantastic job of assembling draft picks and high-potential talents through the draft over the years, leading the Thunder to a point where they are about to take a massive step forward.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander emerged as one of the best scorers in the league a season ago and he is preparing to enter the 2023-24 season as a potential MVP candidate. There is no better time for the Thunder to pull off a trade for a player like Lillard than right now, especially since he would pair with Gilgeous-Alexander to form the best backcourt duo in the league.

Oklahoma City has a wide array of assets to offer as well, especially since only SGA and Chet Holmgren would be their only true “untouchables.” While it is unlikely that they would be willing to trade Josh Giddey, the Thunder would probably part ways with him if they truly wanted Lillard.

Luguentz Dort, Aleksej Pokusevski, Jalen Williams, Ousmane Dieng, rookie Cason Wallace and various first-round picks over the next several years round out the list of assets Portland could potentially bring back in a trade for the Blazers guard.

The problem here revolves around the Trail Blazers and their willingness to not only deal Lillard, but trade him to another Western Conference team. When a trade does occur, it is very likely that Cronin and the Blazers will want to relocate Dame to a team in the Eastern Conference, that way they do not have to compete against him.

Not only would trading Dame to the Thunder keep him in the West, but he would remain in the same division as the Blazers. As much as this scenario would work wonders for Oklahoma City as they quickly rise, it is just very hard to imagine Portland showing a level of willingness to trade him to another Western Conference team.

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1 Heat player in danger of losing starting job in 2023-24 NBA training camp

September 19, 2023

The Miami Heat are coming off a playoff run for the ages. Even though the Heat didn’t win the 2023 NBA championship, their underdog run to the Eastern Conference crown must be applauded regardless.

Remember, the Heat were in the play-in tournament. They lost their first play-in game. They were down by three points in their second play-in game with three minutes to go! They easily could’ve been sent home. But they persevered and found their way to the NBA Finals.

Miami’s offseason, however, has been busy, but more for the move they haven’t made as compared to ones already finished. The Heat had a good summer, getting Josh Richardson back on a minimum deal and re-signing Kevin Love, who played well after his arrival midseason. But they have yet to land their white whale. Though Damian Lillard has made it clear he wants to play alongside Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo in South Beach, Miami has yet to make real progress on a potential trade with the Portland Trail Blazers.

It’s hard to make assumptions about this Heat roster until the Lillard saga is over. But as of now, it seems like Miami’s starting lineup could look something like this: Tyler Herro, Josh Richardson, Jimmy Butler, Kevin Love and Bam Adebayo, a solid quintet. But should that be the Heat’s starting lineup going forward?

Caleb Martin or Kevin Love?

Love initially signed with the the Heat in February following his buyout from the Cleveland Cavaliers. The former All-Star started 17-of-21 regular season games for and 18-of-20 playoff games for Miami,  providing the floor-spacing Erik Spoelstra’s team desperately needed

Miami shot 34.4% from three in the regular season last year. In the playoffs, however, that number skyrocketed up to 38% from three, and Love’s presence was a big reason why.

Love’s gravity was pivotal during the Heat’s playoff run, when he shot 37.5% from three. He wasn’t Miami’s only player who got hot from deep during the postseason. Caleb Martin shot only 35.6% from three during the regular season, but he caught fire in the playoffs and never went cold, scorching nets to the tune of 45.3% shooting on additional volume. That’s absurd.

It could be argued that Martin’s outstanding play flipped the Eastern Conference Finals. Battling Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics, Martin averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while shooting a preposterous 60.2% from the field. He also shot an obscene 48.9% from three while shooting over six threes per game. That’s Klay Thompson-esque!

Martin saved his best for last that series, too. He scored 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in Miami’s historic Game 7 win, shooting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Not only was Caleb Martin draining every shot in sight, but he was also providing excellent defense. His quick feet, long arms and relentless aggression caused problems for both Tatum and Brown one-on-one.

Martin is also an excellent team defender, knowing where to be at all times and providing disruptive help when duty calls.

The numbers back up Martin’s defensive prowess. When Love was on the floor for the Heat instead of Martin during the regular season, their defensive rating was 115.0, good for the 51st percentile league-wide, per Cleaning the Glass. Replacing Martin with Love dropped Miami’s defensive rating to 112.4, which ranked in the 76th percentile.

Conclusion

Love brought much-needed size, experience and shooting to the Heat last season. That’s great. But Martin’s versatility defensively makes for a better fit in Miami’s starting lineup. The Heat showed they can win with either playing major minutes, but Martin’s extended role in the playoff is telling—and also makes him an attractive trade target for Portland.

There will be plenty of buzz around Miami between now and the start of 2023-24. But who should start between Love and Martin—if he’s even on the team, that is—is a dynamic to watch during training camp.

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RUMOR: Woj drops truth bomb on Heat-Blazers Damian Lillard trade talks

September 19, 2023

It’s been two and a half months since Damian Lillard asked to be traded, and the Portland Trail Blazers don’t appear to be any closer to moving the point guard. The idea that Damian Lillard would soon be traded to the Miami Heat has not come to fruition. It’s unknown when trade talks between the Trail Blazers and Heat might pick up again.

Lillard wants to play for the Heat. Miami wants to trade for Lillard. The Blazers are ready to move on from its best player, but its asking price is still too high for the Heat’s liking.

According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Heat are essentially daring the Trail Blazers to find a better trade package for Lillard than what Miami is willing to pay. With the start of the regular season only a month away, Portland has yet to find such a deal.

The Blazers are believed to want Tyler Herro, Caleb Martin and all of Miami’s future first-round draft picks.

Lillard’s request to be traded to Miami shouldn’t prevent other teams from trying to acquire him. The Blazers star has three guaranteed years left on his contract and a player option for $63.2 million in the fourth year of the deal. If Lillard were traded to a team other than the Heat, it’s almost inconceivable that he would simply decide not to play.

But Lillard’s age and contract have likely limited his trade market. He’s still one of the best players in the NBA, having averaged 32.2 points and 7.3 assists per game last season.

The Brooklyn Nets have been considered to be a potential landing spot for Lillard. The Nets don’t seem willing to give up all their draft capital in exchange for the Blazers star.

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Blazers star Damian Lillard’s firm stance on Portland future with Heat trade talks stalling

September 19, 2023

Damian Lillard wants out of Portland. This has been known for quite some time, as the Portland Trail Blazers All-Star has made it clear he wants to join Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo on the Miami Heat.

As the offseason has progressed, no ground has really been made on a potential trade, especially since Miami knows they own leverage given Lillard’s desires. The Blazers want a lot of value for one of the best players in the league, and rightfully so, yet the Heat have been unwilling to match their asking price. At this point, there is no telling as to what team Lillard will begin the 2023-24 season on.

With trade talks ongoing and still finding himself in Portland, Lillard recently discussed his stance on the Blazers, explaining what his mindset is as it pertains to his Trail Blazers future.

“I gotta live my life how I see fit,” Lillard stated on the Back on Figg Podcast. “For me, that’s do everything I can to give myself a chance to win a championship and in the process of that, I’m a run it up… I would never fold for nothing. I’ll sink with the ship and I’ll go down, that’s how I’ll do it. But I think it’s a way that you have to go about things where you can’t be an idiot.”

Since being drafted sixth overall by the Blazers in 2012, Lillard has remained loyal to his organization and teammates. Never once has he complained about the direction of the franchise and he has done his best to go out every night and lift his team up.

At the same time, one player can only take so much, especially if no ground is being made year after year. Winning is the only thing that matters to almost every single NBA talent and for Lillard, he wants to do so at the highest level possible. As things stand in Portland right now, he seems to want something different than what the team is aiming for.

“You say I’m gonna stay down and ride until the wheels fall off and all that stuff. I don’t have to prove that to nobody,” Lillard went on to say. “I’ve shown it, I mean that in my heart, but that’s like me and you saying ‘Man, no matter what happens, we ain’t telling on each other.’ And then the day comes when I’m still playing by those same rules, like me and you want the same thing and we gonna go out together. And then, that ain’t the code you want to live by no more.

“When that happens, me and you can’t be how we was. If me and you don’t want the same thing no more and you showing me that you don’t want the same thing, we don’t want the same thing.”

The general consensus around the league is that Lillard has played his final games as a member of the Blazers. Whether or not he begins the 2023-24 season on their roster depends on the willingness of the Heat and Trail Blazers to come to an understanding on a potential trade.

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RUMOR: Eastern conference team joins Heat in Damian Lillard trade pursuit

September 18, 2023

Ever since Damian Lillard requesting his trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, the Miami Heat have been deemed the most likely destination. However, the Heat aren’t the only team in the Eastern conference with an interest in Lillard.

A team from the Eastern conference outside of the Heat has been talking to the Blazers about a Lillard trade, via Marc Spears of ESPN. While he didn’t divulge which team was interested, clearly Miami isn’t the only suitor.

Still, Spears’ report leaves a lot to be desired on the Lillard front. It isn’t too shocking that any team that is capable would be interested in acquiring a player of Lillard’s caliber. However, the fact that the Blazers have actually been engaging in trade talks with this unknown team is certainly interesting.

If Portland were to trade Lillard to a non-Heat team, plenty of questions would arise. Mainly, would Lillard want to remain in a situation he didn’t request? The acquiring team would have to be okay with the answer being no.

For the Blazers however, getting the biggest bang for their buck should be top priority. It seems unlikely Lillard will ever play for the franchise again. However, he is still one of the biggest stars in team history and one of the best players in the NBA today.

The Heat remain the favorites to land Damian Lillard in a trade simply because that’s his preferred landing spot. But if another team – particularly from the Eastern conference – swoops in with a better offer, it may be too good for the Blazers to refuse.

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Kevin Love’s real reason for returning to Heat on 2-year deal

September 16, 2023

Miami Heat power forward Kevin Love made headlines this summer when he announced that he would be returning to the franchise on a two-year deal. Love was a surprising bright spot in Miami’s epic playoff run to the NBA Finals in 2023, and he is now opening up about what made up his mind to return to the organization.

“I think just weighing all the options and understanding my comfort with the team and the organization as time progressed. I think it just continued to get better,” said Love, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I think naturally I wish that I would have found my rhythm and found my fluidity and feel on the court faster. But I think my impact was both on the floor and off the floor. Just being around the locker room, whether it be pregame or postgame, at practice, I felt like I could make a major impact there in helping bring us together.”

The Heat are still riding the shockwaves of their unbelievable Finals run in 2023. The team became one of the few eighth seeds in NBA history to make it all the way to the NBA’s final round, where they were finally dispatched by the Denver Nuggets.

The Heat are now in the process of trying to trade for Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard, which has caused a great deal of turmoil for the franchise this offseason. However, regardless of what happens on that front, the Heat locker room is certainly better with Love in the mix.

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Kevin Love gets 100% honest on roster uncertainty amid Damian Lillard-Heat trade talks

September 16, 2023

Miami Heat power forward Kevin Love is not having a great time this offseason with the ongoing talks surrounding Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard. Love resigned with the Heat this summer in an offseason that has largely been defined by Miami’s thus-far unfruitful pursuit of Lillard.

Love is now speaking out about the uncertainty that has been this summer for Miami.

“There certainly are challenges because I think in life the unknown is scary or misleading and something that can rub people the wrong way. But I think part of being a veteran and my role as one of the leaders or somebody who has some influence, the relationships with my teammates and understanding who might be coming and who might be going,” said Love, per Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “Finding that common ground and seeing how I can get the best out of them and understanding the fluidity of a season, understanding that things can change so fast in a season.”

Love was one of many Heat players who experienced a career renaissance during last season’s shocking run to the NBA Finals. However, one need that was thoroughly exposed in Miami’s loss to the Denver Nuggets was the lack of secondary playmaking for Jimmy Butler. A trade for Damian Lillard would certainly solve that problem, but thus far, the Heat and Blazers have been unable to come to terms on an agreement.

This understandably has a negative effect on the players currently in the Miami locker room, including Love, who would like a sense of clarity as the 2023-24 quickly approaches.

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Blazers’ Damian Lillard trade talks finally heating up ahead of training camp

September 15, 2023

NBA rumors began to run rampant after Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers early in the offseason. However, a trade has yet to come to fruition. In fact, even the rumors have died down over the past month or so. But the rumors are beginning to heat up once again. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN recently shared the latest update on the Blazers’ Lillard trade talks, via ClutchPoints.

“My sense is that the Blazers have done a lot more talking with teams in the last 10-14 days than they did probably in at least a month plus prior,” Wojnarowski said on ESPN.

Blazers: Damian Lillard trade talks heating up

Wojnarowski added that Portland has been trying to put together multi-team deals. Lillard wants to go to the Miami Heat, but Miami doesn’t seem to have enough trade value to catch Portland’s interest. Tyler Herro would likely be the centerpiece of the Heat’s offer, so the Blazers are hoping another team may have interest in Herro which could lead to a multi-team trade.

If Herro isn’t traded, he will play a big role for the Heat during the 2023-24 season. Much of Herro and the Heat’s future is reliant upon what ultimately occurs with Damian Lillard.

Lillard is one of the best players in the NBA. Even at 33-years old he’s still a superstar guard capable of leading a team to victory. Miami reached the NBA Finals this past season, and adding Lillard would give them a tremendous opportunity to do so once again during the upcoming campaign.

For now, the Blazers will continue to discuss trades with teams. Nothing is certain at the moment though.

We will continue to monitor and provide updates on the Damian Lillard trade situation as they are made available.

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