It’s been all quiet on the Miami Heat front since the ‘Big Three’s media tour following the conclusion of their 2012 NBA Finals victory.
With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh recovering from injuries and LeBron James dominating in the Olympics, the team has been out of any sort of negative spotlight. In fact, James is only improving his image game-by-game as he emerges as the clear playmaker and leader of a team absolutely stacked with talent.
Since there’s been nothing to criticize, the news around this team has died down. Coming off a championship victory has made it difficult to create any sort of news as well, since there isn’t any panic to tone down heading into next season.
It’s been smooth sailing through calm seas, so we’ll throw out a few quick hits that recaps some Miami Heat news over the past week.
Dwyane Wade’s Recovery Timetable Going as Planned
After dealing with knee troubles throughout the postseason, Wade received surgery to his left knee on July 9th. It wasn’t anything serious and was described as a “cleaning”, although it would keep him off his feet for 6 to 8 weeks, which resulted in him missing a third Olympic games.
Word is that Wade’s recovery is going according to plan and that he should be back on the court by September, well before the Heat’s season opener against the Boston Celtics on October 30th. Training camp begins in late September.
Wade dealt with ailments throughout the 2011-’12 season, making it the first time in four years that he has had to sit out a stretch of games due to injuries. Injuries had ravaged Wade’s career to a point, but he recovered and ended up having the best years of his career after a series of surgeries at the end of the 2007-’08 season.
Most recently, Wade has traveled to London to take in the games and has also set a schedule for his book tour, which begins on September 4th.
- Joel Anthony Reaps the Benefits of Being a Champion
You usually don’t see much of the Heat’s role players outside of the court because of the media’s natural attraction to the exploits of the ‘Big Three’.
However, Joel Anthony of all people made a special appearance in the tabloids recently, where he was caught basking in the glory of being an NBA champion and all-around incredible teammate.
Courtesy of blacksportsonline.com
We at allucanheat.com have absolutely no quarrel with Joel partying in Barbados with the scantily clad women, and only wish the best for ‘The Warden’.
Jarvis Varnado Invited to Heat Training Camp
Outside of Norris Cole and Mario Chalmers, the Heat haven’t had the greatest of success when it comes to the draft in the past few years.
It doesn’t appear that their lone pick of the 2012 draft, Justin Hamilton, will make the team, either.
However, the Heat are giving a former draft pick in Jarvis Varnado another chance with an invite to training camp. Despite being drafted by the team in the second-round of the 2009 draft, this will be Varnado’s first time actually training with the team.
Varnado was taken out of Mississippi State thanks to his incredible defensive repertoire. He was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Year three consecutive years and is the NCAA Division-I record holder in blocks for a college career with 535 over only a four year span. He is also one of only two players in NCAA history to record 1,000 points, 1000 rebounds and 500 blocks, with the other being David Robinson.
The 6’9″ Varnado has been spending time in Italy and Israel since being cut by the Heat. He averaged 15.4 points, 8.9 rebounds and 3.1 blocks per while playing with Carmatica Pistoia in Italy, before moving on to play for Hapoel Jerusalem B.C. in Israel and then Pallacanestro Virtus Roma back in Italy.
Varnado will now be given a second chance after a solid Summer League with the team.
- Heat Preseason Tickets on Sale
The Miami Heat’s preseason schedule has come out and the tickets for three of those games have gone on sale.
Those games include a matchup with the Detroit Pistons on October 18th, the San Antonio Spurs on the 20th and finally Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Hornets on the 26th.
The game against Davis and the Hornets will be nationally televised on ESPN for some reason. The four other preseason games will be on SunSports.
If you’re willing to pay money to watch the ‘Big Three’ get minimal playing time and watch Dexter Pittman attempt to understand the game of the basketball, then this is the venue for you to be at.