The Miami Heat finished their Pepsi Summer League schedule today and everything went just as was expected; boring. Don’t get me wrong; these games are valuable for the younger players and they are great ways for coaches to evaluate talent. But that does not make them any less boring. Even out of the 2 Summer Leagues that were playing, the Heat played in the more boring one… Oh well. The games are over and it is now time to analyze. Hooray! Let’s recap all the action!
The Games
Well, there is not much to say about the actual games. The only thing moderately entertaining about them was that the players got 10 fouls instead of the usual 6. There were a ton of fast breaks and missed shots, to go with the low scoring (not one game broke the 100 point mark). If you are interested, here are the box scores:
- Heat 74 | 88 Bobcats Box Score
- Heat 65 | 73 Nets Box Score
- Heat 66 | 77 Bulls Box Score
- Heat 78 | 66 Pacers Box Score
- Heat 63 | 57 Magic Box Score
Daequan Cook’s Performance
By all accounts, Cook struggled mightily. He could not get a rhythm on the offensive end and had far too many turnovers. On the brighter side, he did show some skill on the defensive end. He matched up quite well against the opponents better players (even if they were just for the summer league team). Take a look at his average line:
| Daequan Cook | |||||
| REB | AST | STL | TO | BLK | PTS |
| 2.4 | 1.2 | 1.8 | 2.8 | 0.0 | 9.8 |
Again, this was not a spectacular performance. And I still will assert that Cook still may be traded. Although with the Williams signing still in question, we can’t be sure what Riley will do. If the Heat are to hold on to Cook, he will most likely be a long term project (think Dorell Wright).
The Rest of the Team
There were two bright spots for the Heat, namely Marcus Slaughter and Chris Quinn. Slaughter averaged about 10 points and 7 rebounds per game and Quinn averaged 15 points to go with 3 assists per game. While neither of these players is likely to land a regular role for the Heat this upcoming season, it is encouraging to see that they have progressed. Especially Quinn, who may see some minutes if the Heat cannot pick up Mo Williams.
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[...] Just to add to the high temps outside here is some Heat news… Mark Bartelstein, who also represents Heat free agent James Posey, said Saturday the veteran forward may sign with a team by Monday. Posey, who hasn’t ruled out a return to the Heat, is considering Cleveland and Golden State among other teams. Daequan Cook wore Dwyane Wade’s Converse brand basketball shoes for his first four summer-league games. But he switched and wore adidas for Friday’s finale. ”I just signed a deal with adidas, so that’s why I switched,” said Cook, whose agent, Mike Conley Sr., notified him of the deal Thursday. “No offense to Dwyane. But I had to get out those shoes and wear these.” Chris Quinn, the Heat’s lone summer-league player who was on last season’s roster, was a second-team all-summer league pick. He averaged 15.3 points and three assists in four games. Alonzo Mourning said he’ll make it known “very soon” whether he’ll return to the Miami Heat or retire, a decision he’s been contemplating for the 2 1/2 months since the team was eliminated in the first round of this year’s NBA playoffs. “I have not quite yet spoken to the people I need to speak to,” Mourning said Saturday night at the benefit dinner for his annual Zo’s Summer Groove charity fundraising weekend. “I’ve got a good feeling about the Miami Heat and what direction they’re trying to go in.” As for free agents and trades left for the Heat? Ira Winderman suggests these names: Steve Francis, Brevin Knight and Earl Boykins are free agents. Juan Carlos Navarro, Mike Bibby, Earl Watson, Luke Ridnour, Speedy Claxton and Rafer Alston possibly in a trade? Do any of these names excite you? Yeah, me either. One of my new favorite Heat blogs is SporTech commentor J David’s Miami Heat Wired. He does a great job recapping the Heat’s Summer League. Check it out. [...]
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