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Nene would make the [Miami]e|OOD Heat a lock for the 2012 NBA championship: Fanā??s take
Nene would make the [Miami]e|OOD Heat a lock for the 2012 NBA championship: Fanā??s take
The [Miami]e|OOD Herald's Barry Jackson recently reported that one of the [Miami]e|OOD Heat 's first post-NBA lockout calls will be to the [Denver]e|OOD Nuggets ' center Nene Hilario (notes) . If the Heat could somehow sign Nene, engrave the 2012 Larry O'Brien trophy right now.
In the current NBA landscape, the Heat would win the NBA Championship with Nene, easily.
That said, the Nene acquisition doesn't really seem realistic. Kendrick Perkins (notes) recently signed a contract for approximately 8 million a year with the Oklahoma City Thunder , which gives us a sense of how the market is rewarding big men.
Considering that Nene is better than Perkins and that he opted out of almost 12 million for the 2011-12 season, I just can't see him taking about 6 million a year, which is the maximum that the Heat could give him if the mid-level exception existed and was comparable in size to what it was last year.
Additionally, Nene will turn just 29 in a week. If he could command about 11 million a year over 5 years, accepting the best offer the Heat could make would represent leaving about 25 million on the table.
Now, I realize that Nene told The [Denver]e|OOD Post: "If people think it's about money, they're wrong. I've saved my money. I could retire today." And that Dwyane Wade (notes) , LeBron James (notes) , Chris Bosh (notes) and Udonis Haslem (notes) all signed for millions less to join the [Miami]e|OOD Heat.
But 25 million is a significant sum, especially for a non-superstar.
As I discussed in late June, however, Samuel Dalembert (notes) appears to be a legitimate possibility at center for the [Miami]e|OOD Heat and would fit the Heat's system.
Whoever ends up [Miami]e|OOD 's center, the fact remains that the Heat's problems at the five need to be addressed.
After Heat's Game 1 scare against the [Chicago]e|OOD Bulls and the NBA Finals collapse against the [Dallas]e|OOD Mavericks , Heat fans long for a skilled center to keep the Joakim Noahs and Tyson Chandlers of the world from grabbing almost 20 boards in playoff games ever again.
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