After landing the 3 biggest fish of 2010 free agency, Pat Riley and the Miami Heat are nearly finished filling in the roster around LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh. Last week, Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Udonis Haslem signed with the Heat for less in order to play with the "Super Friends". This week, it looks like sharpshooter James Jones and cadaver Jamaal Magloire will do the same.
Magloire, a 10 year veteran, was once a highly regarded big man. In 2003 with the Hornets, he averaged 13-10 and even made the All-Star team in what is known as one of the most shocking AS selections in NBA history. His career quickly went downhill after that year, and he hasn't averaged more than 7 points since 2006. He will ride the pine and be available to foul Dwight Howard in the playoffs.
James Jones will be of a lot more use to the Heat. Him and Mike Miller will provide outside shooting to space the floor for LeBron, Wade, and Chris Bosh. Jones, 29, has played for the Heat for 2 seasons while battling an assortment of injuries. He will now try to get his career back on track and provide a James Poseyesque presence off the bench.
In order to have space to sign the big 3, Miami bought out his contract earlier this summer. Now he is resigning for the veteran's minimum of $1 mil. He had more lucrative offers elsewhere, but the idea of playing with 3 all-stars and in a familiar surrounding (he went to Miami University) sealed the deal.
The Heat are going to be good, really good, for the foreseeable future. Pat Riley has been wildly successful in getting serviceable role players (Big Z, Mike Miller, Jones, Haslem) to sign for less than their market value, and this is just year one. Imagine 2 years from now when LeBron, Wade, and Bosh have more chemistry and know exactly what type of role players they need to surround them in order to succeed. Riley will be able to pinpoint free agents with specialized abilities and almost guarantee them a ring. Having a championship on the resume often allows players to sign future contracts for over their market value (see Posey, James, and Madsen, Mark). Props to the GM of the decade in making it work.
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