Say what you will Mavs fans...

[Findog]

and we all hate them for what happened, but this is an organization that seems to have a clue:

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=As4_ks_PReXOnsRd9PG_8Ea8vLYF?slug=ap-heat-riley&prov=ap&type=lgns

MIAMI (AP)—With Alonzo Mourning retiring, Miami Heat president Pat Riley will have to look for help at center elsewhere.

In Toronto, perhaps.

Discussing the state of the Heat on Thursday, Riley did nothing to quash speculation he wants to trade power forward Shawn Marion to the Raptors for center Jermaine O’Neal.

Riley said he has talked with Marion about the situation.

“I value Shawn Marion immensely,” Riley said. “He is a tremendous player. I’m sorry this is going on right now, but that’s the NBA business.”

As for reports the Heat requested medical information on O’Neal and the Raptors requested medical information on Marion, Riley said: “I could have made the same request to five other teams also. That’s just the normal process.”

Riley’s comments came after Mourning’s news conference to announce he’s calling it quits rather than returning from a serious leg injury in December 2007. Mourning backed up Shaquille O’Neal when the Heat won the NBA title in 2006, but now Miami is thin at center with a backlog at power forward.

“This team is like 70 percent of the teams in the NBA that play small,” Riley said. “There’s a whole new philosophy in the NBA, and that is getting into a game that is fast and versatile. It has almost morphed itself into a 6-foot-5-and-under league.

“I don’t believe in that game in the long run. I don’t think that game is going to win you a title.”

O’Neal’s contract expires in 2010, while Marion is in the final year of his deal. Injuries could complicate any trade: Marion missed practice Thursday with a sore groin, and he’s questionable for Saturday’s game against Orlando, while O’Neal has been slowed by a troublesome knee.

Riley said any trade would keep the current team competitive, but he also said, “The big picture always trumps the present moment. … We need to upgrade this team, but you’re not going to do it overnight.”

With Riley giving up coaching duties, Miami has rebounded from a 15-win season a year ago and is in playoff contention at 22-19 under new coach Erik Spoelstra.

“The team’s competitive, they’re entertaining, they’re well-coached,” Riley said. “They have a shot, and I think that is what has endeared them to the fans here again. It has re-energized our program.”

Riley said the Heat “have the best player in the world in Dwyane Wade.” With the Feb. 19 trade deadline nearly a month away, Wade shrugged off talk of a deal.

“No one is coming in today to save the day,” Wade said. “This is my team. I have to continue to lead this team. I’m not worried about who’s not here. I’m worried about who’s here.”

[Findog]

Riley said any trade would keep the current team competitive, but he also said, “The big picture always trumps the present moment. … We need to upgrade this team, but you’re not going to do it overnight.”

I like this. You know they're not going to trade a young and up and coming PG with potential like Mario Chalmers for an aging vet like Rafer Alston. They won't go for a quick fix just to try and get themselves a puncher's chance at the second round of the playoffs. What is the value of that?

[Findog]

With the Feb. 19 trade deadline nearly a month away, Wade shrugged off talk of a deal.

“No one is coming in today to save the day,” Wade said. “This is my team. I have to continue to lead this team. I’m not worried about who’s not here. I’m worried about who’s here.”

I like this too. "This is my team." Translation: Accountability rests here. I'm not whining in a Ralph's parking lot and throwing one of my young teammates under a bus. I'm not begging my owner to get me a PG that I only see twice a year and haven't personally scouted. He's focused on the here and now, and then in the summer, they can worry about upgrading the roster.

I will always hate the Heat, but I am a fan of what they're doing to retool so soon after their championship. That's an organization with a bona fide #1 franchise player, a good coach, and a basketball architect overseeing the roster. That's three things we don't have. I love Dirk, but he's a 1.5, not a 1.

[Spur-Addict]

I like this too. "This is my team." Translation: Accountability rests here. I'm not whining in a Ralph's parking lot and throwing one of my young teammates under a bus. I'm not begging my owner to get me a PG that I only see twice a year and haven't personally scouted. He's focused on the here and now, and then in the summer, they can worry about upgrading the roster.

I will always hate the Heat, but I am a fan of what they're doing to retool so soon after their championship. That's an organization with a bona fide #1 franchise player, a good coach, and a basketball architect overseeing the roster. That's three things we don't have. I love Dirk, but he's a 1.5, not a 1.

:lmao

[monosylab1k]

And once the team gets good again, you can be assured that Riley will suddenly regain the health to coach and send Spoelstra on a permanent vacation.

[Biggems]

Jason Kidd is a injures a franchise.

When the Mavs drafted him the first time, yes they got better, but the big 3 just couldnt co-exist and it tore the team apart. Kidd was a major player in that tear up.

Kidd goes to PHX and they improve, but they dont go anywhere of significance. What is his biggest claim to fame in PHX, beating his wife.

So he is a FA now. If the Spurs would have merely stayed away from those sweepstakes, they would be better right now. IMO, in pursuing him, they passed on some quality talent in the draft and FA. I think the Spurs would have been strong enough to win in 2004 and 2006 as well.....maybe even 2008, if the chips would have fallen right. Trying to woo Kidd set back the future of the Spurs.....but I can't complain too much about the present.

So Kidd goes to NJ and takes them to the Finals 2 times. This is the only stop where his stay can be deemed as positive.

Then the Mavs, who have an excellent young PG, on that helped them get to the NBA Finals........decide that he just isn't good enough and they need a change. So they send him along with other young prospects and even draft picks I believe for Jason Kidd. They sold the future for this guy and now their present doesn't look so hot. So this is the 2nd time that Kidd has helped dissolve the Mavs....

[bdubya]

. “There’s a whole new philosophy in the NBA, and that is getting into a game that is fast and versatile. It has almost morphed itself into a 6-foot-5-and-under league.

“I don’t believe in that game in the long run. I don’t think that game is going to win you a title.”

I'm less than fond of Riles, but he does definitely know his shit.

[DrHouse]

Wade is perhaps my favorite non-Laker NBA player. His demeanor, attitude, and approach to the game is 1st class all the way.