Miami

E-Rob Rumor Heats Up


Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services 

Shaquille O'Neal's left hamstring seems to be bothering him more than expected, forcing Diesel to miss his fourth straight practice. The regular season opens tomorrow and while Shaq wants to play, it is far from certain. What is certain is that Dorrell Wright will not play, as the young rookie was one of the three to suddenly come down with injury and be placed on The List. Meanwhile, the Heat remain quite interested in acquiring Eddie Robinson now that Chicago has officially bought him out. He could join Miami within days.

Who will start the season opener tomorrow? Rasual Butler says he was told he would start, which would mean a lineup of Butler, Dwyane Wade, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem, and the Diesel, if healthy. But Butler didn't know that E-Rob is in the picture.

Robinson's agent says that now that the buyout ($10.5 million out of the $14.1 million remaining on his contract) is complete with Chicago, he expects Robinson to be with another team by tomorrow or Thursday. Robinson likely will need a couple of weeks before being ready to play so Butler's start tomorrow night is not in jeopardy.

NEXT GAME
The regular season tips off Wednesday, November 3rd at 8:00 p.m. Eastern time in New Jersey, when the Heat (4-3 in the preseason) take on a much different Nets (4-4 in the preseason) team. Will we see Shaq pounding it inside against Alonzo Mourning? The game will be broadcast on the Sunshine Network, the YES Network and ESPN. Tickets are still available for this game at Continental Airlines Arena.

TEAM NOTES
The Miami Herald notes: On Nov. 14, Temple Samu-El Or Olom presents the Miami Heat Basketball Team. A chartered bus leaves the Temple at 5:15 p.m. Tipoff is at 6 p.m. Cost: $40 per person. Optional roundtrip chartered bus transportation is $7.50 per person. Tickets and bus seats are limited. Contact the synagogue to make reservations. Daily Minyan is at 7:30 p.m. Mondays. For further information call 305-271-5756. E-mail: tsoo spanish@earthlink.net. Website: www.tsoomiami.org.

Bacardi is bringing you the Heat experience! We’re kicking off the 04-05 season with a Bacardi Road Rally at Mr. Moe’s in Coconut Grove. Join Burnie, the Heat Dancers, the Xtreme Team and Michael Baiamonte on November 3rd as the Heat take on the Nets in their season opener! Cheer Shaq, Dwyane and Eddie to their first victory of the season.

The hottest show on television airs on Sunshine Network, Saturday, November 6th at 5:30 pm. This one hour docudrama takes you through a behind-the-scenes look at Heat Dancer auditions. From tears of joy, excitement and utter disappointment, this show is a can’t-miss.

The Miami Heat announced Oct. 21 that the team will stop selling season ticket packages on Wednesday, November 3, 2004. After that date, those fans interested in purchasing season tickets will be added to a waiting list for the 2005-06 season.

INJURY UPDATE
Rasual Butler(hip) is questionable for November 3rd opener at New Jersey.Shaquille O'Neal(strained left hamstring) is a bit bothered, and he missed much of yesterday's practice, but he will still likely play tomorrow night.Dorrell Wright(abdominal strain),Jerome Beasley(lower back strain) andMatt Freije(upper respiratory infection) were placed on the so-called injured list.

NEWSLINES

Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Reports out of Chicago say the Heat remains interested in acquiring soon-to-be free agent Eddie Robinson once the Bulls officially buy him out of his contract.Robinson's agent, though, doesn't expect a decision to be made with a team until next week. Should the Heat make such a move, it's expected Beasley would be released.

Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: Rasual Butler said he has been told he will start opening night.But Heat coach Stan Van Gundy won't confirm any of his starters. If Butler does indeed start, the starting five is expected to be Butler, Dwyane Wade, Eddie Jones, Udonis Haslem and Shaquille O'Neal, if O'Neal is healthy.

Israel Gutierrez ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: O'Neal missed his fourth consecutive practice Monday, just two days before the season opener against the New Jersey Nets, with a strained left hamstring that kept him out of three preseason games.He was believed to have reaggravated the injury in the Heat's preseason finale against the Magic last Wednesday, and now his status for Wednesday's regular-season opener against the New Jersey Nets is in question. Van Gundy said he doesn't know if O'Neal will practice today.

The Associated Press writes inThe Daily Herald: Shaquille O'Neal remains bothered by a strained left hamstring, yet the 11-time all-star center hopes to play Wednesday when the Miami Heat opens its season at New Jersey.O'Neal missed most of Miami's practice Monday, sparking concerns that the injury is worse than feared. The Heat, however, did not place O'Neal on the injured list, indicating the team believes the problem is minor.

Liz Robbins ofThe Daywrites: Shaquille O'Neal looked up from his chair and locked eyes with Dwyane Wade as Wade interrupted O'Neal's audience with the assembled news media. “Bah, bah, bah,â€ Wade said playfully over O'Neal's soft rolling speech.O'Neal raised an eyebrow in a half-mocking rebuke of Wade, who knew when to duck away. Wade did not see O'Neal turn back to his audience, his upper lip curling subtly into a smile that seemed to suggest that this time, things would be different. “I knew what I was doing when I asked to be traded,â€ O'Neal said.

Lacy J. Banks ofThe Chicago Sun-Timeswrites: Bulls operations chief John Paxson officially parted ways with Eddie Robinson on Monday, agreeing to pay $10.5 million of the $14.1 million remaining on Robinson's contract... Robinson is free to play for another team while drawing another contract. He might be with another team as early as Wednesday or Thursday, according to his agents, James Bryant and Paul Collier.