Shaquille O’Neal News

Gerald Wallace scored 18 points to lead four players in double figures, and the Charlotte Bobcats beat the Miami Heat 92-76 Saturday night. via Northwest Florida Daily News

“You only got eight, you play eight”

The kids might be playing now, but Heat coach Pat Riley knows he’ll eventually have to be realistic.

‘I don’t think we can be as versatile as we were last year,’ he said before Friday night’s 102-69 exhibition loss to the Orlando Magic at Amway Arena.

For as much as Riley has featured his team’s youthful depth this preseason, he acknowledges the regular season figures to be a different matter.

‘We’ll have probably a shorter bench,’ he said, ‘and a cleaner rotation.’

He smiled and paused before adding, ‘and less guilt on my part on who I have to play.’ Read more

J.J. Redick had 19 points on 5-of-6 shooting and the Orlando Magic routed the Miami Heat 102-69 in an exhibition game Friday night. via Orlando Sentinel

“I think he has been a standout this summer.”

The summertime reports on oft-injured Heat guard Jason Williams were glowing. And as he zipped around the court with relative ease in Friday night’s intrasquad scrimmage, he again confirmed he was true to his … via Palm Beach Post

“He’s smart, athletic, enthusiastic and effective”

With guard Dwyane Wade and centers Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning all sidelined with injuries, Heat coach Pat Riley couldn’t fully evaluate his team during Wednesday night’s controlled scrimmage or … via Palm Beach Post

“I like some of these young guys”

Brian Chase believes if he was measured solely by how he plays the game, he’d already have an NBA job. via CBS SportsLine

“If Shaq didn’t knock on my door at 2 o’clock, I would have slept through practice”

There were no sippy cups or juice boxes, but there were freshly laundered sheets and mattresses available for nap time when the Heat arrived for practice Wednesday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

With a training-camp schedule that began at 9 a.m. and ran through 5 p.m., coach Pat Riley set up 20 Coleman air mattresses in the post-game interview room at AmericanAirlines Arena.

The set-up was the idea of center Shaquille O’Neal, with quiet time designated from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

‘After lunch, everybody goes in there, unless you’re Alonzo [Mourning], who goes to work out when everybody’s asleep,’ guard Dwyane Wade said with a grin. ‘It’s kind of cool seeing everybody in there.’ Read more

In the PALM BEACH POST, Chris Perkins writes “Heat center Shaquille O’Neal was attending a charity basketball game during the summer when 5-foot-10 guard Brian Chase caught his eye. via NBA.com

“Timing still is a factor, as far as my shot. Everything else is coming naturally, handling the ball, making plays.”

‘We were hoping,’ Udonis Haslem said, ‘Dickie V was going to show up.’

Dick Vitale never made it to Pat Riley’s version of Midnight Madness early Tuesday morning, but that didn’t stop the Heat from giving it the old college try.

Allowed to open training camp no earlier than 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, that’s exactly what Riley decided to do, the first nocturnal camp start in the franchise’s 20 seasons.

‘It was cool,’ said center Shaquille O’Neal, who never got to experience Midnight Madness under Dale Brown at LSU. ‘A couple guys got sleepy, but once we got to running, it woke them up.’ Read more

“I said we had to take things serious from day one”

In his opening address to the Miami Heat this season, coach Pat Riley warned that he was making some changes. via Slam Sports

Dwyane Wade’s primary backups figure to be 36-year-old Penny Hardaway and 20-year-old Daequan Cook. via South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Last Updated 12:35 am PDT Sunday, September 23, 2007 Story appeared in SPORTS section, Page C3 One wouldn’t think the retention of point guard Charlie Bell in Milwaukee would have much to do with the Kings, nor … via Sacramento Bee Newspaper

Bob Degus talks with Cinematographer Jim Matlosz about shooting Miami Heat Center Shaquille O’Neal on a greenscreen using various frame rates and lighting methods. via Millimeter

If nothing else, they were entertaining. The 1988-89 Miami Heat, the team that laid the foundation for a franchise that finally won an NBA championship in its 18th season, was a loose bunch of players who knew … via Palm Beach Post

“It’s just unfortunate what happened in Milwaukee”

Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Sep. 18–The Miami Heat didn’t get Mo Williams but it still could land a key member of the Milwaukee Bucks’ backcourt. via Customer Interaction Solutions