The heat have intense army drills. Riley ain't gonna take that "I'm watching tapes and studying opponents " attitude.
Of all the teams he's supposed to be considering (OKC, Clippers, Heat), Battier would have the least impact in Miami. Their biggest need isn't the G/F swing position and they don't need a veteran presence. Maybe the Clips have better options (Caron Butler) and OKC doesn't want him. Or maybe he's ring-chasing. I hope the Heat sign him at the expense of their C & PG upgrades.
I'd be happy for Battier if either of those happened, but I wonder how his locker room leadership would mesh with Lebron. Please don't sign with the Heat, Shane.
I'm more or less with 3P0. I hope the Heat do sign Shane, because I doubt he'll really be all that useful to them. They already have two excellent perimeter defenders, after all.
Shane deserves a championship whether it is with Heat, Bulls, Celtic or Thunder... Hope not LA that is
Battier would have some value as a 25-30 mpg sub, especially since Miami likes to play Wade at PG in the 4th quarter (plus LeBron plays quite a bit of PF). That said, unless they want Wade at the point full-time, another wing isn't a pressing need. Signing Shane would probably be a poor allocation of resources for the Heat.
They obviously want his leadership and presence more than his play....Battier is going to go where he thinks he can make a bigger impact. In OKC, it'll be mostly about playing back up, fitting in where he can and having very limited options and duties. In Miami, i think he'll get an opportunity to do the usual (defend, shoot set jumpers, etc) AND to direct traffic, similar to what he did here. He'll have more chances to pass and not just spot up. I would think that's more fun and challenging for him.
Wade and Lebron together are redefining the positions, almost like having Magic around counts as an extra big man on the court for the Lakers. In crunch time Wade and LBJ can play any of the three positions, and LBJ could probably play all 5, so they don't a specific position more than they need players who could allow them to rest. Battier can provide that, he can come in and give Wade or LBJ some rest on the bench. In OKC, Battier will strictly be KD's backup, how much game time is, around 10 mins a game? The clips are owned by one of the worst owners in the league, and are one knee injury away from becoming a laughingstock again. I'd stay far, far away from that franchise.
Battier isn't gonna get more than a 2 year deal anywhere. Just take the easiest championship route, go to the Heat. But that said, not to be negative or anything, and just being totally objective, I think Shane's done. He wasn't exactly an ace in Memphis, even with prolific offensive talent around him.
Battier to the Heat makes sence. Miller's hurt, so he slides into Miller's spot. Shane isn't as good a 3pt shooter, but he's still good at it. They may want his locker room presence more than anything else. Maybe he can show LeBron & Wade how to play together at crunch time.
Is this serious or sarcasm? What "presence" do you think he's going to add to their lockerroom? Wade and LeBron aren't exactly wet behind the ears. The Heat don't need "presence" or "leadership". They need able-bodied players that fit what they need on the floor. Shane isn't 1/2 the player a healthy Mike Miller is.
