Mar 17, 2013; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New Orleans Hornets forward Al-Farouq Aminu (0) against the Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Timberwolves defeated the Hornets 97-95. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
Al-Farouq “I bet you can’t spell my name” Aminu
The Miami Heat had one of the oldest rosters in the NBA. For example:
- Ray Allen — 37 years old
- Chris Andersen — 34 years old
- Shane Battier — 34 years old
- Udonis Haslem — 33 years old
- Juwan Howard — 40 years old
- Rashard Lewis — 33 years old
- Mike Miller — 33 years old
So yeah…that’s like half of Miami’s roster. The scary thing is that only two players on that list — Juwan Howard and Chris Andersen — won’t be getting paid by the Miami Heat in 2013-2014 (at least, as of right now — the Heat could resign both of them in the off-season).
The Heat need to get young (Norris Cole is the only Heat player under the age of 25). They need a couple of “young bloods” as Uncle Drew would say.
By the way, if you haven’t seen “Uncle Drew”, first of all, shame on you, second of all, watch it now.
And Al-Farouq Aminu, age 23, and a newly minted unrestricted free agent, is just the guy the Miami Heat need. It’s no secret that Miami’s front line was weak this year — when a 33 year old Udonis Haslem is starting at power forward (and don’t get me wrong, Haslem is an integral part of the Heat franchise and team, but at this stage in his career, he should not be starting) you definitely have issues on your front line.
Don’t get me wrong — Pekovic should be the Heat’s first option. But if the Miami Heat can’t snag Nikola “I’ll F You Up” Pekovic then they should look to get Aminu.
Miami Heat fans, meet Al-Farouq Aminu
He’s a young, raw talent, with tremendous athleticism. He averaged 7.7 rebounds last year (a career-high) while averaging only 27.2 minutes per game. He’s not a scorer (7.3 points per game last year) but he can run and finish on the fast break. He’s a decent shot blocker, and will provide some weak-side shot-blocking/shot-altering support that Haslem can no longer provide. If picked up, Aminu might not be the Heat’s starter next year, but he would be a solid back-up.
On top of that, while he’s more of a power forward than a small forward, he mostly played small forward with the New Orleans
Hornets
Pelicans. This means that if the Miami Heat want to go big (or if they want to give LeBron a breather), Aminu can slot into the small forward position without having too many issues.
Most importantly, Aminu will probably be cheaper than Pekovic. Unlike Pekovic, who’s becoming a bona-fide free agent, Al-Farouq is flying a little underneath the radar (how many “we should get Al-Farouq Aminu” blog posts have you read recently?) Aminu made about $3 million last year, and hopefully, the lure of South Beach, the Big Three, and a championship ring will entice Aminu to sign with the Heat (and on a relatively cheap contract).