Here is the recent round-up of news and rumors about the Miami Heat this season.
The boys under Coach Erik Spoelstra are working extra hard to prepare for the upcoming 2014-2015 NBA season which will begin in a few days.
As early as the pre-season games, Coach Spoelstra has nothing but praises for Dwayne Wade for stepping up for the team after LeBron James left them to sign back to Cleveland Cavaliers.
"Dwyane is the first guy in the facility every day," the Heat coach stated in an interview with the Sun-Sentinel. "He's here early every day. He's put in a full, American work day."
This is in spite of Wade's extra hectic schedule, after he got married to long-time girlfriend Gabrielle Union last August.
The team also seems to have hit the jackpot after signing one of the best small forward in the league, Luol Deng. The former Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers player was offered with a two-year deal that is reportedly worth $20 million. However, the South Sudan-born British national can choose to become a free agent at the end of this season.
Meanwhile, Miami Heat president Pat Riley is allegedly working hard to add more depth in Coach Spoelstra's bench. In an interview with Sun Sentinel, Riley said that adding former LA Lakers players Shawne Williams and Shannon Brown on the team will increase their chances of returning to the Finals this year.
"I've always liked Shannon because he's athletic, strong, defensive. We're trying to create a certain mentality here. We went back and looked at his two years at Phoenix, when we averaged up the figures. And that's a little bit how Coach wants to play, run. And he's had I think a great training camp," Riley stated.
Also, Riley expressed that Williams' drive to improve after his drug problems will be beneficial to the team.
"The transformation of his body, physically, in the last eight weeks has been incredible. He was like 227 [pounds] and 15 percent body fat. And then we went to 241 and under 10 percent body fat. So he committed himself to really being a player," the Heat president said.
The first game for Miami Heat this season is scheduled on Oct. 29 in a match against Washington Wizards.
