Miami Heat Presser 2005-2006

[The JNR]

Hello everyone, thank you for coming to the press conference. I’m going to read a statement, introduce our new players, and then open up the floor to questions.

The fans in Miami have been disappointed, and they have every reason to be. We haven’t been capitalizing on our potential. We have yet to send anyone to an All Star game. We have yet to make the playoffs. We have yet to make the splash in the NBA that we know we are capable of.

Most of that blame falls on me. I haven’t been able to formulate a successful plan in regards to acquiring players or utilizing those players. But I remain vigilant, and with a bit of luck and resilience, I see our fortunes changing very soon.

Part of that luck has already happened, and he’s sitting next to me now. He comes to us from New Jersey, confident enough in his skills that he skipped college altogether. I am also confident in his skills, and I believe that if we are going to go in the direction I hope for, he will be the one taking us there. It might be a lot to ask of an 18 year-old, but I know he is up to the task. Ladies and gentlemen, Andrew Bynum!

I’d also like to introduce our free agent acquisitions. James Posey will bring his defensive aggression and his outside shooting, and Troy Murphy brings energy and enthusiasm. We are proud to have them on our team.

Lastly, I want to extend a great thanks to Tyson Chandler, who was a professional for us throughout his tenure here. We wish him all the best in Milwaukee.

Now we’re going to open up the floor. Questions?

[LoCo89]

Zack Moore, 3 Shades of Blue. There are rumors that the normally lackadaisical Stromile Swift has looked really good in training camp. Is there any truth to this, and what are you seeing out there from him? Are he and Darko competing for that 4 spot?

[DarthVegito]

Tim Cowlishaw, The Dallas Morning News, great to be here in Miami. So we've heard the improvement that Stro has made in the offseason. It appears that he is taking his career a bit more seriously. I even heard rumors he attended rehab for his marijuana use. Can you confirm this?

Also when one looks at your roster they would see very solid starting five who are mostly shut down defensive players. What would you say to those who are writing you off this year, stating your extreme lack of depth as being the major problem?

[The JNR]

Zack Moore, 3 Shades of Blue. There are rumors that the normally lackadaisical Stromile Swift has looked really good in training camp. Is there any truth to this, and what are you seeing out there from him? Are he and Darko competing for that 4 spot?

Stromile has undergone a virtual transformation this offseason. We won't mince words: we weren't very happy with Stromile's decline in play after he signed his contract. But Stromile has committed himself to the team this summer, and we're very impressed with the results. It also doesn't hurt that we hired a team of five guys to stay with Stromile 24 hours a day to make sure he's...focused.

[The JNR]

Tim Cowlishaw, The Dallas Morning News, great to be here in Miami. So we've heard the improvement that Stro has made in the offseason. It appears that he is taking his career a bit more seriously. I even heard rumors he attended rehab for his marijuana use. Can you confirm this?

Also when one looks at your roster they would see very solid starting five who are mostly shut down defensive players. What would you say to those who are writing you off this year, stating your extreme lack of depth as being the major problem?

I can't comment on whether or not Stromile went to rehab. I will say, however, that he has passed his last 7 random drug tests this month with flying colors!

As far as doubters, I understand their concern. I won't pretend we are where we want to be yet. I definitely think we're on the path, but we've got a long way to go. Our defense will be our main focus, and I love the way that's shaping up. However, I know that we need to make additional moves in the future to give us firepower to complement that defense.

[Pelicans78]

Clyde Drexler, Fox Sports Houston

You've made alot of moves during your time here. Have you found your nucleus yet or still searching? Also, knowing you had Swift signed for a few years, what was the reason for not keeping Tyson Chandler next to him?

[Conroy]

SportsGuy Bill Simmons here How has Andrew Bynum responded to having the weight of the franchise placed firmly on his shoulders. Do you have any worries about the youngster and the temptations of south beach?

[The JNR]

Clyde Drexler, Fox Sports Houston

You've made alot of moves during your time here. Have you found your nucleus yet or still searching? Also, knowing you had Swift signed for a few years, what was the reason for not keeping Tyson Chandler next to him?

That's a great question, Clyde, and I want to say I've always been a big fan of your work as a player and as a broadcaster.

It's easy to ask if I have a direction, because we have made several moves and haven't gone anywhere. I do think that TJ Ford and Andrew Bynum are our cornerpieces for the future. Stromile is going to be part of that future as well, and it will be a good one if he continues progressing.

As far as Tyson goes, we were indeed sad to see him go. But the price he was asking for seemed too steep to commit to for a frontcourt that had very little offensive presence down low. When we were lucky enough to get the 3rd pick of the draft, netting us Bynum, it made it much easier to trade Tyson away knowing that we had a player who had the potential to match Tyson's defense while also being a potentially dominant inside presence offensively.

[The JNR]

SportsGuy Bill Simmons here How has Andrew Bynum responded to having the weight of the franchise placed firmly on his shoulders. Do you have any worries about the youngster and the temptations of south beach?

There were some question marks about Bynum coming in, because he's 18 and sometimes players take some time to mature. But we've had repeated conversations with Bynum and with the veteran presence of players like Jason Terry and James Posey, we believe that he will learn how to play in this league the right way.

[IamQuailman]

Will Maukie, Bucks Nation (dot) Com.

What is the competition at the shooting guard position like? Has Jason Terry sealed it up? Could you imagine James Posey playing between the 2 positions stealing time from Terry and allowing Ariza to get some more playing time? What are your expectations and goals for Trevor Ariza this season?

[The JNR]

Thanks for the great question, Will. Great to see you without handcuffs on!

I think what I like about our 2 and 3 positions is that we have a lot of flexibility. Posey and Ariza can move over and play either position in a pinch. Terry is going to be our starter for now, because we need as much scoring as we can get. I believe Trevor will be very successful coming off the bench to play tight perimeter defense on either wing position.

[TrayWithAnA]

Do you think in the future you may be able to acquire three top stars from a recent draft class?