Heat not Interested in Houston's Ryan Anderson

The Miami Heat is not interested in trading for Houston Rockets forward Ryan Anderson. The Rockets remain intent on unloading Anderson’s bloated contract, but Miami is not a realistic destination for the 30-year-old who will earn $20 million next season and close to $21 million in 2019-20.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Heat does not want to take on Anderson’s contract because it would increase its luxury tax bill.

The Rockets are having difficulty trading Ryan Anderson. (Carlos Osario/AP)

The Rockets would like to acquire Tyler Johnson—a player Miami has attempted to trade away, but to no avail because of his hefty contract—in a swap for Anderson that would likely include a draft pick being sent to the Heat. But this not a deal that is “appealing” to Miami, says Jackson.

The Heat does not intend to deal James Johnson—another player Houston has inquired about in a potential trade—because it “values his skill set.”

It will be a challenge for Houston to find a suitor for the sharpshooting Anderson. His horrific defense, most notably on the perimeter in the pick-and-roll, has made him nearly unplayable as he fell out of the rotation in the playoffs. He did not receive playing time in six of the Rockets’ 17 postseason games. He averaged just 5.8 minutes and 1.7 points per playoff contest.

Fresh off their 65-win season, the Rockets seek to augment their second-unit. The reserves could get a boost from Carmelo Anthony if he accepts a role off the bench, something Houston has reportedly discussed with the 10-time All-Star. Anthony is also defensively limited, but even he can produce better on that end of the floor than Anderson, an untradable asset that is destined to remain glued to Houston' bench.

Heat Struggling to Trade Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson

Miami is looking to trade center Hassan Whiteside and sixth-man guard Tyler Johnson. According to a report from the Miami Herald, the Heat has yet to find any takers for either player, both of whom carry lucrative contracts for the next two years.

Johnson has a player option in 2019, but will almost certainly not opt out of his contract that will pay him over $19 million in each of the next two seasons.

As a restricted free agent in 2016, Johnson signed a four-year, $50 million offer sheet from the Brooklyn Nets, before the Heat matched the deal to keep the guard in Miami. He has spent his entire four-year career with the Heat. Johnson’s contract is back-loaded—as the first two years of the contract has paid him roughly $11.5 million, whereas the next two years he will collect close to $38.5 million. This makes Johnson, who averaged 11.7 points per game last season, an unattractive trade asset.

The only Heat player who will earn more money than Johnson next season is Whiteside, who is signed through 2020. Whiteside, set to make $24.5 million in 2018-19, appeared in just 54 games last regular season, but posted impressive per-game averages of 14 points and 11.4 rebounds in 25.3 minutes. However, he was a no-show in the Heat’s short-lived five-game playoff run, averaging just 5.2 points and 6 rebounds as he was reduced to 15 minutes per contest.

Miami has yet to find a trade market for Hassan Whiteside and Tyler Johnson. (Wilfredo Lee/AP)

It’s no secret Whiteside is frustrated in Miami. His willingness to get traded lowers Miami’s leverage—which is already low given his hefty contract for the next two years—in a potential deal.

Miami wants to rid itself of Johnson and Whiteside and is seeking expiring contracts in a deal, according to the Miami Herald. If they are to move Johnson and Whiteside, they could become buyers in the 2019 free agency market—the only method of success Pat Riley has achieved as Heat team president.

More than likely though, teams will resist trading for Johnson and/or Whiteside, both of whom are undeniably overpaid. This means the Heat won’t be active in free agency until the summer of 2020, when both players’ deals are off the books.

LeBron's Self-Induced Drama a Plea to Reclaim NBA Center of Attention

            In LeBron James' letter to Sports Illustrated announcing his return to Cleveland in July 2014, the four-time NBA MVP sounded like a mature, changed man. He admitted his mistakes in the handling of his departure from the Cavaliers in 2010, noting ‘The Decision’—a deplorable nationally televised event that made him look like the most self-absorbed player in league history—was something he wishes he never took part in.

            LeBron recognized it was the way he left Cleveland—not the act itself of defecting to Miami—that was his demise among the public. In explaining why he was coming back to the Cleveland Cavaliers as a free agent, LeBron depicted in his letter the love he holds for his former Miami Heat teammates and the team's front office, relishing in the success the team enjoyed in his four-year tenure in Miami. He made it clear he was leaving the Heat, who he led to four straight Finals and two championships, for one single goal: To win a title for championship-starved Cleveland.

LeBron set his sights on winning the Cavs their first championship in franchise history. Will his self-imposed drama ruin Cleveland's title plans? (Tony Dejack/AP)

            In the Cavaliers' 2014-15 media day, LeBron objected to reporters who referred to him, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love as a Big Three, declaring they were just three members of a team. This was a far cry from the LeBron from four years prior when he danced on the stage at American Airlines Arena with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after the three stars infamously celebrated uniting together to play for the Heat. LeBron confidently asserted on the stage that night the new Miami trio was talented enough to win "not five, not six, not seven" but eight championships.

            The narrative of LeBron returning home to Cleveland to bring the City a title nearly came true in his first season back with the Cavs. Even with a rocky start to the regular season, LeBron led the Cavs to the 2015 NBA Finals, despite Love dislocating his left shoulder in the first-round of the playoffs and subsequently missing the remainder of postseason. The Cavs also lost Irving due to injury, as the star point guard fractured his left knee cap in Game 1 of the Finals which required surgery and sidelined him until December of this season. Devoid of his two star running mates, LeBron propelled the Cavs to a 2-1 series lead before falling to the eventual NBA Champion Golden State Warriors in six games in one of the most prolific player performances in Finals history.

            Nine months removed from the Finals loss to the Warriors, LeBron is acting like his former pettish self which once made him the league’s most hated player. He is sending out cryptic tweets which have led analysts, mainly Stephen A. Smith, to speculate the 12-time All-Star could bolt Cleveland again. LeBron galvanized controversy with these tweets and furthered the hysteria by working out with Wade in Miami in one of the Cavs’ off-days, leading some to believe LeBron had regrets of leaving South Beach.

            You can blame the media for stirring the pot in somewhat unfounded speculation that LeBron will leave Cleveland again. LeBron almost certainly will remain with the Cavs for the rest of the career. As you may recall, he promised to “never forget” where he “came from,” a quote of his which remains on his personal Twitter background.

            The reality, though, is the onus falls on LeBron for causing a media frenzy. With Stephen Curry dominating the league in unprecedented fashion and well on his way to a second consecutive MVP crown, LeBron is not the center of attention in the NBA for the first time since the self-declared ‘King’ was drafted No. 1 overall in 2003. From an outsider’s vantage point, LeBron simply can't deal with no longer being the face of basketball.

LeBron  James is struggling to accept that Stephen Curry is now the talk of the league. (Ben Margot/AP)

            LeBron, who tweeted “Do not take his greatness or anyone for granted,” felt compelled to remind the NBA and the City of Cleveland he has the power to change the landscape of the league by walking away from his current team. It’s undeniable that any team who lands LeBron becomes an instant title contender. But why is LeBron even bothering to bring up his excellence via social media? By all accounts, he is threatening to leave the Cavs—a franchise he has a stranglehold over—by sending out messages that evoke NBA followers of his greatness.

            In typical self-induced LeBron dramatic fashion, this childish, fake threat is all for show. He is bluffing leaving Cleveland, where the fans worship him like a God. LeBron cares way too much about public reception and his legacy—which he’s made clear by discussing continually where he places among the NBA’s All-Time Greats—to depart the city he refers to as "The Land." Ditch Cleveland and the basketball world will consider him “persona non grata.” He came back to the Cavs not only to win Cleveland a championship for the first time since Jim Brown ran the Browns to an NFL Title in 1964, but to cleanse the mess of ‘The Decision.’  

            LeBron would never risk tarnishing his brand by decamping Cleveland. But these tweets and hollow quotes from LeBron swing the center of the league's attention back his way. And apparently that’s what 'The King' cares about most.

Paul Pierce vs. LeBron James Head-to-Head Analysis

Paul Pierce and the Brooklyn Nets defeated LeBron James and the Miami Heat, 88-87, Tuesday night in South Beach. The win completed a four-game season-sweep for the Nets at the hands of the defending champion Heat. The victory helped Pierce edge LeBron yet again, calling into question the head-to-head results between the two forwards in their storied careers. So, how has the Pierce vs. LeBron rivalry played out over the years?...

Regular Season History: Paul Pierce vs LeBron James

Paul Pierce leads the overall head-to-head matchup versus LeBron James, 19-15, according to Basketball Reference.

Below lists each season in which Pierce and LeBron squared off and the series result from that year. This list only includes games in which both forwards were playing. The parenthesis show the number of games in which the specified player won (and lost) against the other opponent. For example, Pierce won the 2003-2004 season-series versus LeBron three games to one.

Season                                       Winner                                             Loser                   

2003-2004                            Pierce, Celtics (3-1)                 LeBron, Cavs

2004-2005                            LeBron, Cavs (2-1)                   Pierce, Celtics

2005-2006                            LeBron, Cavs (3-0)                   Pierce, Celtics

2006-2007                            LeBron, Cavs (1-0)                   Pierce, Celtics

2007-2008                            LeBron, Cavs (2-1)                   Pierce, Celtics

2008-2009                            (Split season-series, 2-2)

2009-2010                            Pierce, Celtics (2-1)                  LeBron, Cavs

2010-2011                            Pierce, Celtics (3-1)                  LeBron, HEAT

2011-2012                            Pierce, Celtics (2-0)                  LeBron, HEAT

2012-2013                            LeBron, HEAT (2-1)                  Pierce, Celtics

2013-2014                            Pierce, NETS (4-0)                    LeBron, HEAT

Player Statistics, provided by Basketball Reference

Player	G	W	L	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P%	FT%	TRB	AST	STL	BLK	TOV	PF	PTS
Paul Pierce	34	19	15	38.4	7.1	16.5	.430	.378	.856	6.0	4.2	1.1	0.4	2.9	3.4	22.0
LeBron James	34	15	19	41.4	10.4	21.3	.488	.317	.753	6.8	6.4	2.0	1.1	3.3	2.5	30.1

Playoff History: Paul Pierce vs LeBron James

Year              Round                                       Winner     Loser

2008             East. Conf. Semi-Finals            Pierce, Celtics (4-3)                     LeBron, Cavs

2010             East. Conf. Semi-Finals            Pierce, Celtics (4-2)                     LeBron, Cavs

2011             East. Conf. Semi-Finals            LeBron, HEAT (4-1)                     Pierce, Celtics

2012             East. Conf. Finals                     LeBron, HEAT (4-3)                     Pierce, Celtics

·     As it reads above, Pierce has collected two series' wins, while LeBron has recorded two series' victories as well. (LeBron has a 13-12 edge in overall wins in the four playoff series')

Paul Pierce looks to dribble past LeBron James. (Frank Franklin II/AP)

Further review on the four series' played between Pierce and LeBron:

2008: Celtics, the No. 1 seed, defeated the Cavs, the No. 4 seed, in seven games.

2010: Celtics, the No. 4 seed, upset the Cavs, the No. 1 seed, in six games.

2011: HEAT, the No. 2 seed, defeated the Celtics, the No. 3 seed, in five games.

2012: HEAT, the No. 2 seed, defeated the Celtics, the No. 4 seed, in seven games.