In the past few weeks, the Heat have missed out on Steve Francis, Mo Williams, and Mike Bibby in Free Agency. It seems that nothing is going our way this off-season, so far the biggest acquisition of the year has been rookie SG Daequan Cook and while he may be a good player, he doesn’t solve our PG problems. So what now?

The latest rumors are that either Rafer Alston or Mike James will be leaving Houston. While nothing is confirmed, chances are that the Rockets will be looking for Udonis Haslem in return as they need to fill a hole at PF.

Of course the rumors of Juan Carlos Navarro coming to Miami are still out there and while this didn’t look too good a few weeks ago, right now it is our best option. He is a young guard with potential who we won’t have to trade much for since it seems that Posey is leaving anyway.

This has been quite a disappointing off-season for Heat fans but there is still hope that we can get a solid guard, while we may not get the guy we were hoping for in Mo Williams, we may get a pretty good player, let’s just hope the Heat can bring someone in before the season starts.

 After countless rumors of PGs going to Miami dying down, heat fans are left with the question “Who Will it Be?” Will we made a big move to grab a star or are we going to settle for a young guy who hasn’t proven himself? Are we even going to make a move? Nothing has been answered yet and all we have gotten are more rumors, this time something has to happen.

The first rumors we heard were about Mike Bibby, the starting Point Guard from Sacramento. Bibby would be the dream guy for us in Miami but chances are that it’s not gonna happen. Though the Heat are looking for a reliable scorer who can distribute the ball and Bibby is exatly that, one has to wonder what’s in it for Sacramento? Would they really want to trade possibly their best player for Dorell Wright, a guy that is full of potential but hasn’t played much since he was drafted three years ago? I wouldn’t get my hopes up about a possible Bibby trade although it would fit perfectly.

The next possibility is Steve Francis. I always liked Steve Francis when he was in Houston but something changed about him when he was in Orlando and New York. He was a different player when he was younger and has turned into a turnover prone, injury prone player who will hurt the team more than help it. While Francis would be a major risk for the Heat, we do need to do something and fast. Miami needs scoring, plain and simple, and no matter how much you dislike the guy, he can score. The question is can he fit in and take his role behind Wade and Shaq, our previous attempts at a third scorer have gone up in flames as J-Will can’t stay healthy and Anwoine Walker is going downhill quickly, what about Francis makes us think that he will be good here? I don’t know if it will work out but something has to be done and right now we are running out of options.

Finally, the last possibility is Juan Carlos Navarro. Most Heat fans are probably asking themselves “Who?” I’ve never seen Navarro play but from what I hear he is a good shooter from deep and is a combo guard. “How will we get this guy?” you might ask and the answer is not one that will make you jump for joy, not me atleast. The way to get Navarro is to trade James Posey in a sign-and-trade. Although I agree we need a Point Guard, why trade one of our best shooters and our most reliable defender? With Kapono gone, we will need Posey now more than ever. Even if Navarro is a good shooter, he will take a while to adjust to the NBA game before he can do much of anything for Miami. This just doesn’t seem like our best option.

So what do we do? I say we go after Bibby, though it’s easier said than done, we have to offer all that we got and then some. The Kings will likely want Haslem and Wright in return and while I’m skeptical in giving up Haslem, it seems like he is leaving Miami anyway so we might as well get what we need for him. After Bibby I’d suggest going after Francis, while that is a risky move, it could pay off quite nicely and give us that third option we’ve been looking for without giving up anything except a few million dollars. Navarro would be nice but right now giving up a proven shooter and defender for a young guy like that wouldn’t be our best option.

Although not much has happened for Miami this off-season, one thing is certain, last night at Zo’s annual Summer Groove, the 14 year veteran announced that he will be returning to Miami for one last season. Many thought that Mourning was going to call it quits this season after getting his coveted championship ring in 2005 but the Center has come back to redeem himself from the “embarassment” of last season when the Heat got swept out of the play-offs.

Although Zo’s returning brought good news to Miami, there was plenty of bad news as well. It seems the Heat are going to find another PG as Zo said “Payton wont be in Miami next year” and they might also need another wing man as Posey seems to be leaving the Heat as well.

Mo Williams has finally made a decision about his future and has decided to return to Milwaukee next season. Miami and Milwaukee had been trying to beat each other out in the Williams Sweepstakes but Milwaukee lured the young point guard back giving him a six year contract worth $52 million.

Now that Williams is gone, Miami has reportedly been looking at guards Steve Francis and Mickael Pietrus. While I think Pietrus would be a good fit, I think the Heat should look elsewhere to find a PG other than Francis. Francis is purely a scorer who doesnt distribute the ball much and is injury prone. If Francis can go back to playing like he did in Houston, Miami could strike gold with his signing but if he plays like he did in New York, I smell trouble in the Heat locker room.

According to league sources, the Miami Heat are very interested in guards Mo Williams (Bucks) and Mickael Pietrus (Warriors).

Mo Williams

Free agent, Mo Williams has a big decision to make this off-season should he re-sign with his old team or sign with a possible contender? Williams would be a great fit for Miami as he is exactly what the Heat are looking for. Williams will bring a good shooting stroke from deep, which the Heat could use after losing Jason Kapono to Free Agency, he is also very quick and an explosive scorer. As seen in the Chicago series, the Heat need some new guys that can run and keep up with the quicker guys in the league. Williams would be the ideal Point Guard for the heat’s future.

Mickael Pietrus

Another rumor surrounding the Heat is a possible sign-and-trade for the 25 year old forward. Pietrus is still very young and has made many questionable decisions in his career. While his decision making might be an issue, the Heat have a great coaching staff that can help him overcome those issues. The positives of Pietrus are that he has a good offensive game, he is very quick, and he will be a good locker room guy. The negative side is that he is very inconsistenet and as mentioned before is not a good decision-maker. He would be a pretty good player on the Heat as he could provide a spark off the bench if he can gain some consistency.

Right now, the top priority for the Heat should be to sign Mo Williams, while I like Pietrus and I would like to see him in Miami, Williams could be just what this team needs, a third scorer who is quick and can shoot. Let’s hope Riley can bring him in!

It didn’t take Kapono long to bolt out of Miami. In the first day of Free Agency, the sharpshooter left the state and the country to sign a 4 year contract with Toronto starting at six million dollars. Kapono led the league in three point shooting and was expected to cash-in on his great season in a big way elsewhere.

The drafting of Daequan Cook is looking better than ever right now “He has the best shooting stroke of anyone we’ve brought in here.” said coach Pat Riley about the young guard from Ohio State. Daequan Cook is expected to get a good amount of minutes this year with Kapono leaving and Dwyane Wade currently recovering from knee and shoulder surgery.