Pietrus and other Heat Rumors

Most fans by now probably would rather just see this team tank and get a top flight prospect in the next draft. However, don't count on Pat Riley giving up on the team just yet. Before the February 21st deadline, look for him to try to move just about anyone on this roster to try to salvage what's left of this season.

The top guy mentioned has been Michael Pietrus. He wanted to come to Miami in the offseason and recently hinted at it again by saying he "prefers a city closer to the West Indies". Cough Cough. I used the ESPN trade machine a few days ago after he became eligible for a trade and saw that Smush Parker's contract works well, especially since they need a point guard. However, that story linked above shot down any chance of that. JWill might be more tempting to them, but they don't match contracts and nobody else on the Warriors roster fits the bill.

Jason Williams and Ricky Davis are other guys rumored potentially to get shipped elsewhere. The Mike Bibby/Ron Artest front isn't working too well sadly. Corey Maggette is still a pipe dream. I want no part of Stephon Marbury, unless they plan on buying his contract out. One option might be Eddy Curry, who is playing behind Zach Randolph on the Knicks, and makes as much as Williams does. Curry isn't the most appealing player, but Shaq's effectiveness is constantly in decline and we need a center for this team.

Until something new brews up, everything for now is just speculation. Supposedly Riley is fielding a lot of calls, but nothing has caught his eye. If it were up to me I would love to be able to get Pietrus, Maggette and Curry for some combination of Williams, Davis, Blount, and Parker. It's wishful thinking, but it works well under the trade rules at least. Landing only one of those 3 players would be a start. A lineup of Rose, Wade, Maggette, Haslem, Shaq would do better than what we have now.