Riley Returns, Heat Lose san Marion

Usually the return of a Hall of Fame coach and the absence of an All-Star player in your lineup means that there is at least some buzz regarding your next game. But to be honest, I totally forgot the Heat even played today. The games have become so pointless and meaningless that nobody bothers to watch them. I feel for Heat beat writers in South Florida who are forced to cover this team.

Shawn Marion was kept out of the game due to back injuries he suffered in a minor traffic accident. I'm not sure how badly your back can get hurt by backing into a pole, but I'll give him and the front office the benefit of the doubt. Even if he was exaggerating the injury, I wouldn't blame him. Who would want to play for this team right now?

At least Daequan Cook had a decent night against the Mavericks. The 41 minutes he played was a team high and his 11 points made him one of only two Heat players to score in double digits tonight. Earl Barron was the other, dropping a career high 21 points. Jason Williams came back down to Earth after his incredible game vs the Magic.

In case you were wondering, Miami is 4 games ahead of both Minnesota and Memphis for the worst record in the NBA. I would put my money on Memphis as being the #1 contender for that distinction. Minnesota is young and improving, Memphis basically is in worse tailspin than we are. The great thing is that we only have 17 games left to play and would have to win at least 4 of them, having either team lose every single last one to overtake us. I'd say barring some crazy 8 game win streak, the Heat have locked in 25% of the ping pong balls in the lottery.