Last year the Heat didn't have enough space on the salary cap to offer James Ennis a minimum NBA contract. That's why he returned to Australia - he needed to play to support his family.
How are they going to have the flexibility to hire anyone?
And I think Payne goes to the Magic at #12, by the way. They need a PG (Exum/Smart) and a PF. By the time they choose the PF at #12, Gordon/Randle/Vonleh are all off the board.
Here are some that might work in the range we are picking:
T.J. Warren (SF/PF) <== Great scorer. Needs to improve perimeter defense and scoring. Only 20 years old.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/T.J.-Warren-6436/Mitch McGary (PF) <== Banned from NCAA basketball for a year after a pot drug test came up positive (he wasn't playing at the time because of a back injury), Mitch played some great ball for Michigan in his limited time there. His back is a question mark, but he brings a high BBIQ, good transitioning, pick and roll, and he's a big guy (almost 7 ft tall) that dominates in the paint.
http://search.draftexpress.com/profile/ ... Gary-6431/Kristaps Porzingis (PF) <== Young, raw talent, 18 years old, enormous, a Latvian guy who plays in Spain. Speculation is that he wouldn't come over from Europe to play for the NBA now, but I bet he would to play with Lebron James. On the other hand, it might be better for him to toughen up his game a bit. He looks like a great prospect for a few years down the line.
http://search.draftexpress.com/profile/ ... ngis-7119/Jarnell Stokes (PF)
He doesn't take many jump shots and doesn't convert many that he takes, but this is a player who can help lock down the defense and also get rebounds on both sides. 20 year old, played for Tennessee.
http://search.draftexpress.com/profile/ ... okes-6282/Kyle Anderson (PG/SF/PF) <== Defending is an issue. Huge PG who is not fast enough to mark smaller, faster players, but has a great passing ability, high BBIQ, and a good shot (exc 3 point shooter too). His nickname is Slo Mo. I'm not sure if he is a good match for Miami's fast breakaways and quick transitioning, but he forces some adjustments on the other teams because of his abilities.
http://search.draftexpress.com/profile/ ... rson-6177/------
I think my choice would be Anderson, but McGary is a close 2nd. His back issues combined with the way he plays though tells me that he won't last long in the NBA. He still might help us get one or two championships though. Anderson is a player for the future - he'll take some time adjusting, but he will yield great benefits and might even be a star.
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We need a backup SG. I think by the time we pick again at 54, most of the really good prospects are off the board at SG. We could draft a PG (since Chalmers is uncertain and we only have Douglas and Cole for the position. One guy who has a lot of talent, but a lot of issues that might even make him miss out on the second round is Scottie WIlbekin, the PG from UF. Wilbekin also had reefer legal trouble in college, but was also able to put up solid numbers (though arguably Napier outplayed him in the UConn game). Wilbekin is very driven to success, though, and has great skills. I think he could be a great surprise prospect late in the second round:
I found this article that discusses his workout with the Clippers:
http://search.draftexpress.com/article/ ... ysis-4559/He had 8 assists and 1 turnover and couldn't shoot much. Also he is not a very big guy so he has a hard time finishing at the rim.
Now, finally (sorry for the long post, by the way), check out this guy.
http://search.draftexpress.com/profile/ ... arr-72546/I'm not even sure if he is in the draft, but he has some great moves in D-League ball for Delaware:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wqrJma1nLYcIncidentally, one of the guys he passes the ball to in the video is Thanasis Antetokounmpo, who is another good forward prospect that plays at Delaware:
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Tha ... mpo-71005/
