Katz:"Heat considering taking Mayo at #2" update p2

[adambigbucks]

If they really had these extra workouts it had to be because they are planning to acquire another pick for Marion. I like how none of these idiots on ESPN even mention that possibility. I don't think it is a coincidence that these rumors come out right after our extension talks with Marion publicly collapsed.

[IndoorOutdoor]

Really think its all smoke signals.. Riley is trying to land another pick here.. Don't see him losing Beasley

[LEIF]

if Riley is looking to land another pick the most logical scenarios are the Grizzlies at 5, Knicks at 6 or Clippers at 7. Mayo wont be available at any of those picks. I think he would bring in more then just Mayo and Bayless..Mayo is almost the consensus 3rd pick in this draft and Bayless has been slotted #4 for like a month until the last couple days people have had him sliding 2-3 spots down....

I think Riley is really aiming for a swap with Minnesota, Seattle or Memphis.
I think..I think..I think maybe we should all just go to sleep....

[IndoorOutdoor]

Mayo fell off a little bit, but we can say that the Memphis Conley deal isn't going down because if it was wouldn't we be bringing in Lopez or Love for a last minute workout?

[Heat11114]

I'm not completely against Mayo but there is no reason to take him at #2. I really think Riley is smarter than this. I think the worry would be Minnesota would take him at 3 and it would be tough to do a swap with them.

[CB4MiamiHeat]

from all the talk about Wade wanting a PG..to this Boozer/Brand 2010 talk......to the late unannounced Bayless/Mayo workout...i think we are as likely to trade down as we are to picking Beasley.

I hate all the rumored offers so far so im not thrilled...the only decent one was the Brand trade and even then i dont know if i like it that much.

[Heat11114]

Just to clear things up Boozer (and potentially Brand) would be 09 (next year) not 2010.

[Getjazz]

Boozer will be traded this yr by the Jazz. So Hopefully its not back east close to his home. IF so he may just opt to stay there.

[SA37]

I really want to vomit right now.

[Lane1974]

Sources say Heat looking to trade out of No. 2, take guard later

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By Chad Ford
ESPN.com

If the Miami Heat's recent activities are any indication, they are not going to select Kansas State forward Michael Beasley with the No. 2 pick in Thursday's NBA draft.

With the first selection, the Chicago Bulls are leaning strongly toward drafting Memphis point guard Derrick Rose. While the Bulls say they won't announce their decision until draft night, Bulls GM John Paxson admits that Chicago is "probably leaning a certain way."


Michael Beasley had a monster freshman season at Kansas State, but he may not fit the Heat.

ESPN.com has been reporting since the draft lottery that Heat president Pat Riley has reservations about Beasley. While Beasley is a talent, Riley seems to be uncomfortable with his personality and seems dead set on finding a point guard to pair in the backcourt with Dwyane Wade.

To that end, Riley staged two separate secret workouts in Miami on Tuesday. The first, a source told ESPN.com, was for Arizona point guard Jerryd Bayless. The second was for USC guard O.J. Mayo, who confirmed to ESPN.com that he worked out for the team.

In conjunction with the workouts, the Heat have been actively shopping the second pick in the draft with an eye on selecting Mayo or Bayless lower while acquiring another asset.

If the Heat don't find any takers, sources told ESPN.com's Andy Katz on Tuesday night that Mayo was told by Heat brass -- which included Riley, general manager Randy Pfund and coach Erik Spoelstra -- that he is in contention to be selected outright at No. 2.

After the Heat were informed that Shawn Marion would not opt out of his contract, sources said Riley began calling teams looking for serious offers for the second pick.

The Heat then brought in Mayo and Bayless. Both workouts lasted about 90 minutes. It's the second time the Heat have worked out Bayless and Mayo, and according to sources, Riley believes both are special talents.

Bayless had an "amazing" workout, according to the source. He "shot the lights" out and performed even better than he had in his first workout for the Heat. They believe he can be a full-time point guard in the pros, similar to Chauncey Billups.

The source said Mayo was also "great," and in addition to shooting the ball well, he performed well in some of the ballhandling drills. The Heat believe Mayo could be a Gilbert Arenas-type point guard.

The same source said Riley is enamored of Mayo's and Bayless' shooting ability and believes Mayo, like Bayless, can be a point guard in the NBA.

In addition to any questions about attitude, a number of high-ranking NBA sources told Katz that one of the main reasons the Heat wouldn't select Beasley is the hope that they will land Utah's Carlos Boozer in a year when he can opt out of his contract. Boozer has a home in Miami.

With the Heat now identifying two lottery picks that they would be comfortable with, and with questions about Beasley, it's looking more and more likely like they are going to trade their pick.

So the question is ... who is going to win the Michael Beasley sweepstakes? After talking to numerous sources around the league, here are the top four contenders:


O.J. Mayo's stock has been rising after workouts with multiple teams the past week.


1. Memphis Grizzlies



The Grizzlies have a huge hole at the power forward position (since trading away Pau Gasol) and see Beasley as an elite talent to pair up with Rudy Gay.

The Grizzlies can offer a number of deals that could entice Miami. They could include the No. 5 pick, Mike Miller and the Heat's choice of either Kyle Lowry or Mike Conley. Adding Miller and a point guard would allow the Heat to be very flexible with who they draft at No. 5. They could add another guard like Bayless or they could go big with a player like Brook Lopez or Kevin Love.


2. Los Angeles Clippers



The Clippers can offer the Heat someone Riley desperately covets: Elton Brand. A swap of the No. 2 pick and Marion for Brand and the No. 7 pick works under the salary cap and helps both teams with their needs. Why would Riley pull the trigger on that trade now, when he could just make a run at Brand in free agency next summer? Sources said the Heat would like to get Brand to Miami as soon as they can and lock him up to a long-term extension this fall. At No. 7, it's possible the Heat could still get Bayless.

The Clippers like Marion and Beasley, but they could actually use the No. 2 pick to grab Mayo. Mayo has been coveted by the Clippers for a while.

The Heat would have to weigh their interest in Brand against their desire for Boozer in 2009 in this scenario, however.


3. Seattle SuperSonics



Kevin Durant covets Beasley as a teammate. They were best friends growing up and want to play together. The Sonics think he's the perfect complement to Durant. They'd be willing to take back more salary to make it happen.

Sources say the Sonics are offering the expiring contract of Chris Wilcox, Johan Petro and the No. 4 pick to Miami for the No. 2 pick and Mark Blount. The move would save the Heat some serious money, putting them well below the cap in the summer of 2009.

The Heat would prefer Jeff Green in the deal instead of Wilcox and Petro, but it doesn't appear the Sonics are willing to go that far, even if the Heat dropped Blount from the equation.

A source close to Seattle told Katz that Miami hasn't called about a deal as of Tuesday.


4. Minnesota Timberwolves



The Wolves have been hoping and praying that Beasley somehow falls to them at No. 3. While he's not a perfect fit, they could move Al Jefferson to the 5 and have one of the highest-scoring front lines in the league. However, Beasley falling to No. 3 looks unlikely -- unless the Heat do pull the trigger on Mayo outright at No. 2. Can the Wolves put together a package that works if Beasley doesn't fall?

The Wolves have a few assets that could entice Miami. They actually hold the Heat's 2009 first-round pick, which is top-10 protected. They also have a player that the Heat have interest in: last year's lottery pick, Corey Brewer. If the Wolves really want Beasley, perhaps a return of the Heat's first-round pick and/or Brewer could make it happen.

A source close to Minnesota told Katz, however, that the Heat and the Timberwolves have talked but there was no deal that worked for both teams as of Tuesday night. Sources close to both Seattle and Minnesota also said that they would take Mayo if he was on the board when they selected.

Chad Ford covers the NBA for ESPN Insider. Andy Katz covers college basketball for ESPN.com

I agree with SA -- that was my initial reaction to reading this story. More nauseau & watery stool instead of getting work done today

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/print?id ... type=story

[BBallFreak]

Let's relax guys. Riley's going to come out of this smelling like a rose. He almost always does...

[Lane1974]

so you're saying we're getting Derrick Rose.... niiiiice

[Lane1974]

FWIW, Ira chimes in and speculates that the Heat could be looking to add a pick in addition to Beasley... not saying it's true, but he also had the theory of the Knicks trade yesterday, maybe he has a "hunch" or some birdie whispering in his ear that the Heat might be looking to add a pick

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/basketball/heat/sfl-0625heat,0,7050545.story

South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Miami Heat now considering O.J. Mayo, Jerryd Bayless?
By Ira Winderman

Sun-Sentinel.com

8:33 AM EDT, June 25, 2008

While Chicago Bulls General Manager John Paxson was talking Tuesday about what his team would do with the No. 1 overall selection in Thursday's NBA Draft, Heat President Pat Riley apparently still was working on his team's possibilities at No. 2.

Having yet to publicly comment on his team's draft outlook since the end of the late-May draft camp in Orlando, Riley instead has been assessing his alternatives, with ESPN reporting early today that the Heat spent Tuesday working out Southern Cal guard O.J. Mayo and Arizona guard Jerryd Bayless.

While much of the speculation involving the Heat has the team bypassing expected No. 2 overall selection Michael Beasley, the forward out of Kansas State, and trading down, it is possible the Heat instead is considering acquiring a second lottery pick.

University of Memphis guard Derrick Rose is expected to be the first overall selection by the Bulls, who have yet to publicly commit to that scenario.

The Heat then could attempt to acquire a pick beyond No. 2 in the first round with forward Shawn Marion as the trade bait. Marion bypassed his opt-out deadline Tuesday, and therefore is now eligible to be traded for the first time since February.

Before this current media silence, Riley spoke of possibly expanding the draft for his team, whose only other selection is at No. 52 in the second round. He had mentioned on numerous occasions that he viewed the draft deeper than merely Rose and Beasley. Beyond Mayo and Bayless, the Heat also is believed to be interested in UCLA forward Kevin Love and Stanford center Brook Lopez.

Worth noting is that one of the final players the Heat worked out before last year's draft, Ohio State freshman guard Daequan Cook, was also the player the Heat selected days later in the first round in 2007.

[SA37]

Hmm. I find it hard to believe the Knicks would be willing to give up #6 just to get rid of Marbury when they could buy him out. Marion wouldn't seem to fit into their plans in any way, shape, or form.

Similarly, I don't see the 'Wolves or Sonics being willing to give up their picks for Marion. So I really see only two options for Miami (assuming they want Love, Lopez, Bayless, or Mayo):

Memphis: I only think they'd consider Marion for #5 if we took Cardinal.

Cardinal, Collins or Milicic, and #5 should work numbers-wise, allowing Miami a second lottery pick and still keeping the '10 cap space dream alive. (Obviously, I would prefer Miller than Collins or Milicic, but I am betting -- oddly enough -- that Memphis won't get taken for a ride twice.)

The Clippers: They might be interested in dealing their pick if they can't move up and get Mayo.

I have no idea what they'd be willing to give back along with #7, but my guess is it wouldn't be Brand, Maggette, or Kaman, which means the package would be something like:

Marion for Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley, and #7

This keeps Miami's '10 cap space dream alive (but kills the '09 cap space) and adds another prospect to the team.

[Magilla_Gorilla]

Is Marion worth a top 7 pick? And what teams in the top 7 have salary that could match Marions 17 million?

[CoolD]

I love how everyone always seems to know the future. For all we know, Mayo might become a better player than Beasley.

And another thing that bugs me, is how people compare Mayo to Kaman, and Beasley to Wade.

It could probably be more like Carmelo Anthony vs Dwyane Wade.

But if we are getting Mayo, I would like to get him while getting rid of Blount, though.

[girlygirl]

If the Heat take Mayo I hope Riley enjoys watching his team constantly scramble back on defense after Wade or Mayo turns it over, because that combo will average around 8 turnovers per game. Wade is always at the top of the list in most turnovers (career 3.9/game; last year 4.4/game), while Mayo had a NEGATIVE A/TO ratio at USC and averaged 3.5 TO/game.

The norm in the NBA is for a starting backcourt to average between 3-5 turnovers/game between the 2 players, so the Heat would be putting themselves in a huge disadvantage from the jump with this pairing. Maybe Riley thinks they will score enough to overcome this problem? Because asking a rookie combo guard with shaky handles and sometimes questionable decision making to run the offense and team up alongside another turnover-prone guard just seems like asking for trouble.

[heat4life]

^^^^^
I think that Pat Riley knows that his best asset is Michael Beasley and his hype. You are 100% right that Mayo could end up being the best player at the end of the day (although most GM's and experts believe in Michael Beasley as the best talent) and by unsing Beasley's hype, he could get a player he has projected as an equal talent all along PLUS another asset like cap room or another pick or player(s).

[CoolD]

Hmm. I find it hard to believe the Knicks would be willing to give up #6 just to get rid of Marbury when they could buy him out. Marion wouldn't seem to fit into their plans in any way, shape, or form.

Similarly, I don't see the 'Wolves or Sonics being willing to give up their picks for Marion. So I really see only two options for Miami (assuming they want Love, Lopez, Bayless, or Mayo):

Memphis: I only think they'd consider Marion for #5 if we took Cardinal.

Cardinal, Collins or Milicic, and #5 should work numbers-wise, allowing Miami a second lottery pick and still keeping the '10 cap space dream alive. (Obviously, I would prefer Miller than Collins or Milicic, but I am betting -- oddly enough -- that Memphis won't get taken for a ride twice.)

The Clippers: They might be interested in dealing their pick if they can't move up and get Mayo.

I have no idea what they'd be willing to give back along with #7, but my guess is it wouldn't be Brand, Maggette, or Kaman, which means the package would be something like:

Marion for Tim Thomas, Cuttino Mobley, and #7

This keeps Miami's '10 cap space dream alive (but kills the '09 cap space) and adds another prospect to the team.

I think the Knicks could easilty go for Marion.

Coach D'Antoni now coaches the Knicks. Why wouldn't he fit with the Knicks.

They would also get rid of Marbury, a guy that eats 21 million.


I don't even know fi the Heat should waste one year 21 million, while losing a real good trading asset, just to obtain the 6 pick.

[heat4life]

It was D'Antoni who wanted Marion traded for Shaq from what I heard.