Shaquille O’Neal News

With training camps just two weeks away, the consensus is that the Cavaliers, Heat and Nuggets rank among the league’s biggest losers in free agency. via HOOPSWORLD.com

Pat Riley has announced that he plans to keep coaching the Miami Heat for another three seasons. via CBS 6 Albany

“It’s only appropriate. We started together and hopefully we can end it together on a positive note.”

Pat Riley isn’t ready for another retirement. Riley said Monday he’ll be back as coach of the Miami Heat for three more seasons, an announcement that ends months of speculation about his immediate future.

The 62-year-old gave up coaching in 2003, then returned two years later and led the team to the 2006 NBA title. But the team was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs last spring and he was noncommittal for months about whether he’d remain on the sideline.

‘I don’t want to be a one-and-done guy,’ Riley said. Read more

“I can’t worry about what we don’t have or what we missed out on”

Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal are together again. The 36-year-old Hardaway, who last played an NBA game in November 2005, signed with the Miami Heat on Thursday and is reuniting with O’Neal _ his former Orlando Magic teammate back in the mid-1990s.

‘Penny is a player who has been an All-Star and has enjoyed an illustrious career,’ Heat president Pat Riley said. ‘We have been impressed at his hard work and dedication this summer to get back in shape and return to the NBA. He is a skilled player who can help us in multiple positions.’ Read more

It may not take long to figure out if the Heat really does plan to take the next regular season more seriously than the last.

The schedule released Thursday has the Heat playing four sets of back-to-back games in November, the first month of the 2007-08 season, and consecutive games a total of 21 times during the year. It’s the most back-to-back games for the Heat since it played 23 in 2003-04, the year before center Shaquille O’Neal and his relaxed approach to the regular season arrived.

The Heat opens the season Nov. 1 against Detroit at AmericanAirlines Arena before playing at Indiana the next night. The Heat plays four games in five nights from Nov. 13 to 17, and another back-to-back on Nov. 23 and 24. There are also six sets of back-to-back games in December. Read more

The Miami Heat open the 2007-08 season at home Nov. 1 against the Detroit Pistons, marking the first of 33 nationally televised games - the maximum allowed by league rules - for the club. via The Florida Times-Union

It looks like Christmas will be a work day for LeBron James and Dwyane Wade this year. via The Repository

Miami Heat general manager Randy Pfund has signed a contract extension and will return for a 13th season with the organization.

Pfund has helped the Heat reach the playoffs 10 times, including 2006, when they won the NBA title.

He helped team president and coach Pat Riley with trades, free agent deals and draft selections that brought Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade, Alonzo Mourning, Tim Hardaway, Eddie Jones, Antoine Walker and Caron Butler to Miami.

Terms of the contract extension weren’t disclosed. Read more

It was only 13 months ago that the Heat won the NBA title. Shaquille O’Neal, Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley still are with the team and South Beach remains a hot spot for athletes.

Yet the Heat isn’t a top destination for free agents this summer. So far, the team’s not a destination at all.

Point guard Steve Francis was the latest free agent to spurn the Heat. Francis decided to sign with the Houston Rockets instead of the Heat, agent Jeff Fried said Thursday.

Francis agreed to a two-year contract with a player option for the second season, Fried said. He declined to comment on the details, but Francis was willing to accept a modest contract after securing a $30 million buyout from Portland and the Heat was able to offer as much as Houston. Read more

“I want to redeem myself and try to help this team redeem ourselves as an organization and try to get back on track”

Zo’s return to the NBA has been a huge success, and he’s ready to play one more season. via Bodog Beat

Playing a game of wait and see F rom every angle, this is a team that could most assuredly use a little Mo. via The Miami Herald

Heat coach and president Pat Riley had visions Monday of what his backcourt would look like if he gets his wish. via The Miami Herald