Trade has upside, potential pitfalls for Heat and T'wolves

By CHRIS PERKINS
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer

Thursday, October 25, 2007


MIAMI — The Heat filled several deficiencies with one trade Wednesday when it acquired swingman Ricky Davis and center Mark Blount from Minnesota, and sent forwards Antoine Walker and Wayne Simien, center Michael Doleac and a conditional first-round pick to the Timberwolves.

The major components of the deal are Davis and Walker, talented but sometimes troubled players, although neither is considered a bad seed.
Tom Heinsohn, the Hall of Famer, former coach and longtime television analyst of the Boston Celtics, has rare insight on the deal. He saw Walker, Davis and Blount on a nightly basis when each played for Boston. He said the trade reestablishes Miami as a favorite to win the Eastern Conference title, but added everything still rests on center Shaquille O'Neal.

"If Shaq isn't 100 percent they're going to struggle even with Ricky Davis and Dwyane Wade," Heinsohn said.

Heat President and coach Pat Riley was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

Davis, a multitalented 10th-year player, likely will start at small forward for Miami, be the No. 3 scorer when guard Wade returns from off-season shoulder and knee surgeries, and serve as a three-point shooter. In addition, he's athletic, can play perimeter defense and occasionally play backup shooting guard. Each is a valuable role for the Heat.

Davis was with the Heat in the 2000-01 season but played just seven games. Last season he averaged 17 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists for Minnesota. He shot 46.5 percent from the field, including a career-best 39.7 percent on three-pointers. He has averaged 16.5 ppg in the past six seasons.

But Davis has served at least two team-imposed suspensions in the past five years because of his conduct and was involved in one of the NBA's most infamous plays in recent memory in 2003 when he tried to complete the first triple-double of his career in what many considered unethical fashion.

Davis, playing for Cleveland at the time, tried to intentionally shoot at the wrong basket so he could grab a rebound and attain his 10th board. Cleveland was leading Utah by 25 points at the time and only six seconds remained in the game. Utah guard DeShawn Stevenson, outraged by the act, wrapped his arms around Davis, preventing the attempted shot.

Said Davis: "They should be mad. Any team that gets beat that bad shouldn't be happy. But I wouldn't do it again. I just wouldn't."

This came a few months after Davis served a two-game suspension imposed by Cleveland coach John Lucas for "disciplinary reasons."

In January, Davis served a team-imposed one-game suspension after he refused to reenter Minnesota's 104-98 double overtime loss against Detroit.

"Ricky is very, very competitive if guided in the right direction," Heinsohn said.

But, Heinsohn warned, "If he feels like he's not part of what's going on he could rebel because he's a strong personality."

Walker, a multitalented 12th-year player, drew Riley's ire twice this year. He served a four-game suspension in January for being over the team-mandated body-fat limit and sat out at least one training-camp practice this month for the same infraction.

The Timberwolves say they aren't concerned.

"Pat's idea of conditioning and the rest of us, I think we're a little different," said Kevin McHale, Minnesota's vice president of basketball operations. "I'd say he's probably in pretty good shape."

Both teams made out OK salary-wise.

Blount, 31, averaged 12.3 points and 6.2 rebounds last season but brings a big contract. He's due $7.6 million this year and $8.2 million next year. There's a player option for $8.8 million in 2009-10, meaning Blount could opt out and become an unrestricted free agent, but it's unlikely because he'd never get as much from another team.

Still, Blount should be an upgrade over Doleac as the No. 3 center behind O'Neal and Alonzo Mourning. And he'll slide in as O'Neal's primary backup when Mourning retires after this season, solving another Heat worry.

Davis will earn $6.8 million this season but he's in the final year of his deal.

Doleac's agent, Glenn Schwartzman, who is based in West Palm Beach, said his client is upbeat.

"It's been good," he said of Doleac's three seasons with the Heat. "When we first signed the deal three years ago he was brought in to be Shaq's backup. Obviously (with center Alonzo Mourning's return), his role has changed. I think he's excited to go to another place and play as a regular like he did his first year here."