Miami
Philip Maymin
Basketball News Services
It looks like the Heat will not be bringing Karl Malone, 41, to Miami, instead opting to go with youth (ha!) in going after Christian Laettner, 35, to fill the power forward slot. Laettner is expected to be picked up at the veteran's minimum of about $1 million as Golden State owes him his salary this year after waiving him yesterday.
Laettner's best year was his rookie year when he averaged 18.2 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.02 blocks per game in 34.9 minutes. That was in 1992-1993, when he had just come off winning the gold medal in the Olympics (ah, those were the days) playing, or at least being in the same locker room, with the original Dream Team. He approached that plateau again in 1996-1997 with similar numbers and was named to the All-Star team. He scored 7 points and grabbed 11 boards in that All-Star game.
Since then, his production has been steadily deteriorating till last season when he averaged 5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, .77 steals, and .58 blocks per game in 20.5 minutes. Scaling those numbers back up to his rookie minutes of 34.9 suggests he would have averaged 10 points, 8.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.99 blocks per game.
In other words, if he could continue to perform marginally at the same level as he does for his 20 minutes per game, he would be essentially the same player he was both as a member of the All-Rookie First Team and as an All-Star, other than a significantly lower scoring average.
His rebounding and passing out of the high post might be just what the Heat need in limited minutes.
TEAM NOTES
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Barry Jackson ofThe Miami Heraldwrites: The Heat hopes to sign veteran free agent forward Christian Laettner in the next few days, several sources said... Miami can offer the veteran's minimum ($1 million), while several other teams could offer more. The Warriors are responsible for his $6.2 million salary for next season. Laettner, 6-11, averaged 5.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 20.5 minutes in 48 games for Washington last year... Picked third overall by Minnesota in the 1992 draft, Laettner has averaged 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds in a 12-year career. If he signs with the Heat, he would compete with Udonis Haslem and Malik Allen for minutes at power forward.
Ira Winderman ofThe South Florida Sun-Sentinelwrites: Recovering from offseason knee surgery, the 41-year-old veteran had been recruited earlier this summer by Heat center Shaquille O'Neal, who lured Malone to the Lakers last summer. However, an O'Neal associate said it was the center's belief that Malone eventually would elect to return to the Lakers.That possibility appears even stronger now that Malone's children have been enrolled in schools in suburban Los Angeles.
The San Diego Union Tribune writes: Shaq didn't wait till Christmas Day to take a shot at Kobe Bryant.Shaquille O'Neal, whose Miami Heat plays the Lakers on national TV on Dec. 25, whacks Bryant on a cut from his new CD, "Hot in Here Part Five." The track is titled "You Not the Fightin' Type." While calling out DJ Skillz, a Cincinnati-based radio DJ, O'Neal says: "Even with wings you never as fly as me . . . you remind me of Kobe Bryant trying to be as high as me . . . but you can't . . . even if you get me traded . . . " Bryant told ESPN.com: "That upsets me. That angers me. That hurts me. They (the Lakers) did what they had to do. That had nothing to do with me.
AuburnTigers.com writes: Former Auburn All-American Wesley Person had his #11 Brantley High School jersey retired Thursday in a moving two-hour ceremony before the entire student body and faculty where hestarred in the Bulldogs' gymnasium... A first round draft pick by the Phoenix Suns in 1994, he is now playing with the Miami Heat and entering his 11th NBA season. He has scored 7,928 points (11.5 ppg) in his career while making 1,109 3-pointers, shooting 42 percent from behind the 3-point arc.