Pat Riley coached Magic Johnson and company during the glorious “Showtime” days in Los Angeles (winning 4 titles in the ’80s), and when recruiting free agent Shane Battier to Miami, Riley made the claim that the Heat remind him of those legendary Laker teams. From ESPN: “He’s had some good times in South Florida over the years, adding a ring to the portfolio and making loads of cash. But Pat Riley’s glory days will always be those jet-black hair and thin tie years in L.A. He found himself pondering Showtime again recently when sorting through what he should do with his Heat roster heading into his second season with his Big Three. Riley was putting the full press on Shane Battier and getting LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to recruit via text messages. Part of the sale was stories about those old Lakers. In signing Battier, which the Heat finalized over the weekend, the Heat have become a team loaded with wing players. Coach Erik Spoelstra said that he envisions playing James, Wade, Battier and Mike Miller (when he recovers from hernia surgery) together at times. That’s a rare style seen more in college than the NBA. And a type that Riley often used to perfection when racking up titles with the Lakers. ‘It reminded me a little bit of what I had for nine years in Los Angeles,’ Riley said. ‘I had Magic (Johnson) and (Michael) Cooper and (Byron) Scott and (James Worthy). Basically perimeters that played all different positions. I see Shane and Mike Miller and I see Dwyane and LeBron in almost the same kind of thing. (Spoelstra) has the same opportunity.’”

MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – Now that the NBA season will officially begin in December, it’s time for the Miami Heat to figure out exactly what to do with its roster.

The Heat’s biggest need is at the center position. Last season, the Heat put out a center by committee approach with NBA players from the seniors circuit like: Erick Dampier, Jamaal Magloire, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Each player tried to spark a big run for the Heat, but none had a significant long-lasting impact on the roster.

That’s why the Heat could turn to former Sacramento Kings center Samuel Dalembert. The Haitian-native has said he would like to play for the Heat. He owns a home in South Florida and has approximately 50 family members who live here.

Dalembert stands 6’11” and weighs 250 pounds. For his career, he averages 8.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and nearly 2 blocks per game while playing roughly 26 minutes per game.

He’s a nine-year veteran and would immediately fill a huge void the Heat have in their roster. But, the question is will he be willing to play for what the Heat could pay.

That’s where the new collective bargaining agreement comes into play. The Heat will have a full mid-level exception to sign Dalembert if the team wants to use it on him.

But the Heat may not want to tie-up the full mid-level exception on Dalembert, especially on a multi-year contract.

Plus, Dalembert will also be coveted by Houston and possibly the New York Knicks.

Still, Dalembert would work perfectly in the Heat’s offense. He would keep opponents honest on the outside to free up Dwyane Wade and LeBron James and also allow Bosh to move more freely instead of having to play the center position as often.

Signing Dalembert would also push Joel Anthony to the second-line to come in and play with Udonis Haslem to give Bosh and Dalembert a breather.

If the Heat chooses not to go hard after Dalembert, there are a few other options available.

The team could also try to acquire Tyson Chandler, Nene, or Kwame Brown. The Heat is also expected to offer a tryout to former Knicks bust Eddy Curry, according to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

MIAMI (WSVN) — Alonzo Mourning and Queen Latifah surprised many South Florida families with a Thanksgiving meal.

The former Miami Heat all-star went door-to-door in Miami, Thursday, delivering 20 families a Thanksgiving meal.

Publix donated the meals that were able to be given out to those families in need. “With the state of our economy, you have individuals that are out of work, that have lost their homes and a lot of them don’t know where their next meal is coming from,” said Mourning.

Joining Mourning in handed out food was Queen Latifah. “Coach called me up and said this is what we are doing and I know how much he cares about the community, how much he does so this is a blessing for us really, to be able to do this,” said Latifah.

The families were selected through Mourning’s Overtown Youth Center.

Jacqueline Haggins, a recipient of a Thanksgiving meal to give to her eight kids, was speechless. “I really can’t get the words out,” said Haggins.

Warnisha Hall, one of Haggin’s daughters, was also surprised to see Mourning and Latifah at her door. “I was shocked, because I didn’t know she was coming,” said Hall.

Mourning and volunteers have been giving out meals for families in Miami since Tuesday, and has made it an annual event for the past 11 years.

(Copyright 2011 by Sunbeam Television Corp. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

CORAL GABLES, Fla.—

As the Miami Heat’s lone representative at the Monday meeting that led to a hardened players’ stance in the NBA lockout, James Jones insisted he did not stand alone.

Instead, as secretary-treasurer of what formerly had stood as the players’ union, Jones said Tuesday that he cast the Heat’s vote against the NBA’s latest proposal after canvassing almost the entire roster.

“I spoke to the majority of the guys, just about all of ‘em,” Jones told the Sun Sentinel.

Jones said at no point in the process, which ended with the union electing to file a “disclaimer of interest” and disband, did he act against the interest of any of his Heat teammates.

“Our players elected our team officials and our reps to go up there and speak on their behalf and that’s what I did,” Jones said.

Forward Chris Bosh, who attended Tuesday’s University of Miami-Rutgers game and spoke to a pair of South Florida reporters during the first half, said he also understood the Heat’s vote to be unanimous.

“I don’t like it,” Bosh said of the nasty turn in the negotiations that led to the filing of antitrust complaints Tuesday in Minnesota and California. “I don’t think anybody likes it. But sometimes when you’re doing business it’s so hard to kind of draw the line and work together.”

Bosh praised Jones’ efforts, but said it still is difficult to comprehend an entire season could be lost.

“It’s still kind of weird not playing, because I’ve always played in November,” he said. “So it’s feeling real out of place.”

He said it would not be a stretch to believe the Heat’s signing of himself, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in the 2010 offseason contributed to the league’s belief that the work rules had to change.

“I think so,” he said.

But he said efforts to block such an approach are misguided.

“I mean, if you look at the free agents coming up in the same situations, with Chris Paul, Dwight Howard, Deron Williams, they can control their own fate,” he said. “They have the power to control that and I think that’s a great thing. In any job you want freedom to negotiate.

“With us doing what we did, and Carmelo going to the Knicks, I think that has a lot to do with it. Hopefully we can keep that and guys can come and go and make the deal that’s best for them and their family.”

Bosh said he is not currently considering overseas options.

“I guess for me personally, it’s probably when the whole season is (lost), if it gets to that point,” he said. “If it gets to that point where there is no chance there is a season, then I might consider it. But even then a lot of things have to happen.”

Instead, his next overseas appearance could come in the 2012 London Olympics, with Wade and James already having committed.

“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ve been looking forward to the experience ever since we had it the last time. We’ve been talking about it for years and it’s been four years already.”

Jones said his work with the players’ association is essentially over.

“It’s out of our hands now,” he said. “It’s in the lawyers’ hands now. And anything regarding that stuff is best answered by them.”

iwinderman@tribune.com, Twitter @IraHeatBeat