Manila Lebron James: Udonis Haslem re-signs with the Miami Heat .

Joins Wade, Lebron James and Chrish Bosh as the Miami Heat starts to chase the NBA RING.

Haslem turned down a lucrative contract offers and will sign a five-year contract with the Miami Heat. Udonis Haslem will received $20 million.

He was quoted in miamiherald.com saying:

"It was an opportunity to win, an opportunity to be close to my mother, with her illness, and an opportunity to be a part of something special," he said. "I've never been in this for the money. I would be changing my DNA if I changed just for money."

With the result of his signing with the Miami Heat, Dyane Wade, Lebron James and Chrish Bosh will have a formidable and dependable role player.

Watch some of the NBA Highlight Videos of Haslem:

Agent: Zydrunas Ilgauskas agrees to sign with Heat, follow LeBron James to Miami

Zydrunas Ilgauskas

Agent: Zydrunas Ilgauskas agrees to sign with Heat, follow LeBron James to Miami
By Tim Reynolds (CP)

MIAMI — Zydrunas Ilgauskas has dealt Cleveland another blow by planning to follow LeBron James to the Miami Heat.

The veteran centre, who started playing for Cleveland in 1997 and has never suited up for another NBA team, expects to sign a two-year contract with the Heat later this week, agent Herb Rudoy said Tuesday. The two-year deal would come with a player option for the second season, Rudoy said.

"We've agreed to agree," Rudoy said.

Ilgauskas' decision became known less than a week after James — who played a role in recruiting the 7-foot-3 Lithuanian to South Florida — sparked outrage and outcry in Cleveland by going on a made-for-television special and saying he was joining the Heat.

This departure won't generate the same reaction from Clevelanders, but it'll hurt nonetheless.

Ilgauskas was a fan favourite for more than a decade, and when he returned to the Cavs after getting traded to the Washington Wizards this past season, a sellout crowd welcomed him with huge signs bearing the letter "Z'' — his moniker. Ilgauskas never played for the Wizards, quickly getting bought out and then returning to Cleveland after a 30-day waiting period.

Playing with James again was a major factor in Ilgauskas' decision.

"LeBron was very encouraging and explained the whole situation," Ilgauskas told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "And, obviously, he's my friend, and him being there made it a lot easier to choose."

On his Twitter feed, James quickly welcomed Ilgauskas to Miami.

"Glad u are joining me in South Beach my friend. Also thanks for the encouraging words big fella," James wrote.

The Heat had no immediate comment. They had talks about acquiring Ilgauskas when he was available this past season after the trade to Washington and buyout that followed.

Ilgauskas is the Cavs' career leader in games played, blocked shots and rebounds. He was drafted by the club in 1996 and overcame serious foot injuries that nearly ended his career.

He's just the latest name to join what shapes up as a serious title contender in Miami, joining not only James but Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Udonis Haslem and presumably Mike Miller, who agreed to a deal late last week that remains unsigned. Agent Arn Tellem wrote on his blog Monday that Miller will play in Miami.

It's still possible Ilgauskas accepts a one-year deal, though his preference is the multi-year arrangement. Continue reading here...

LeBron James: Loved, hated, misunderstood

LeBron James' decision to join the Heat has been ripped from coast to coast (except in Miami). Here's why it was both rational and gutsy.

By Dan LeBatard
dlebatard@MiamiHerald.com

Maybe you didn't hear it above the poison and passion. Maybe you couldn't see it amid the fame and flashbulbs. Maybe the ego excess and general overindulgence made clarity impossible no matter how many hundreds of TV hours of droning dissection were devoted to the cause. But both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade said something interesting and identical when trying to explain the decision they made in joining forces with the Miami Heat. They both volunteered, out of nowhere, that the choice they made was not at all emotional.

Head over heart, in other words. That's not often where sports reside. James and Wade were being clinical, practical, reasoned. But every hostility that engulfed James after his choice was the opposite of that -- not only soaked in emotion but overwhelmed by it. Hatred. Fury. Envy. And name-calling from coast to coast. One NBA coach referred to James as a ``fraud.'' Cleveland's crazed owner called him a coward traitor in a raging public letter. These are visceral reflexes, and reflexes are rarely logical. One is not thinking clearly when setting fire to an expensive jersey, but the first word in ``fanatical'' is always ``fan,'' and fanatical is not a logical state of mind. So James went from one of the country's most beloved athletes to one of its most reviled in a single hour of flatulent television, a fall from grace faster than that of Tiger Woods, and for a crime I'm having some difficulty identifying.

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/1725091/lebron-james-loved-hated-misunderstood.html?asset_id=Miami%20Heat%20Welcome%20Party&asset_type=html_module#ixzz0tNrVW45e

Lebron James Decision Video:

Lebron James - to play in Miami Heat and twitter trend.

Lebron James an NBA Free agent announce Thursday that he will play with the Miami Heat. With this move, the Miami Heat will parade a Big Three on Oct 2010 when NBA season opens. The Heat also hoping that this move will give them a NBA Championship. Lebron James will also switch number from 23 to 6.

In side note: Lebron James is topping the trend in twitter.com. Here are some of the remarks of the twitter users about Lebron James Decision:

bigE01 BREAKING NEWS: Lebron James joins "Jersey Shore" and his new name is "The Decision" !

CNNNewsource Cleveland fans light LeBron James jersey on fire after James' decision to go to Miami. Live pics on CH 2. 20 minutes ago via web

BreakingNews LeBron James decision: Miami Heat, NBA reigning 2-time MVP tells world on hourlong ESPN show http://bit.ly/d239JU
 
ChicagoNewz LeBron James will join the Miami Heat: LeBron James has at last announced his decision. He's headed to Miami to j... http://bit.ly/cVX0jZ
 
ParkerH602 With The Lebron James Decision, Miami just made the Fab 3 look like The 3 Ninjas
 
bgamble RT@KillaCam10 "This was a hard decision because of how LOYAL I am."LeBron James demonstrating that he doesn't know what the word loyal means

Former Knick Charles Oakley says it's Chicago or Miami for LeBron James, not New York

by Frank Isola
source nydailynews.com

Don't kid yourself. Number 23 is as good as gone.

And it has nothing to do with LeBron James announcing months ago that he was changing his uniform number from 23 to 6.

"Chicago or Miami," says Charles Oakley, the former Knicks power forward. "Not New York. He's leaving."

Oakley has become a friend/mentor to the NBA's two-time MVP over the last few years. They have an Ohio connection - Oakley owns a home in the Cleveland suburbs - as well as a world-famous connection. Oakley is best friends with James' idol, Michael Jordan. (LeBron is changing his number to honor Jordan.)

And if James signs a free agent contract with the Bulls or Heat in July, the Knicks may regret the day they never followed through with their plan to offer Oakley a job as a big-man coach. Oakley's relationship with his former club ranges from cordial to estranged, and having him so close to the most prized free agent in nearly 20 years could be a detriment to the Knicks instead of an advantage.

"He wants to go someplace where he can win," Oakley said following Cleveland's Game 5 loss on Tuesday. "He's been in the league, what, seven or eight years? It's time for him to get over the hump."

James has said repeatedly that winning is all that matters to him and that he will choose the team that gives him the best chance to win multiple championships. That may or may not be in Cleveland.

Late Thursday in Boston, James removed his best-selling Cavaliers jersey for the last time in the tunnel leading to the visiting team's locker room. In an instant, James was free at last.

It was a symbolic gesture from a player whose carefully constructed image took as much of a beating this week as his team. Now, instead of competing for an NBA championship, James becomes the trophy, and signing him is the game the Cavs, Knicks, Nets, Heat, Bulls - and yes, even the Clippers - are playing.

Not since Shaquille O'Neal left Orlando to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers has there been a more sought-after free agent. Despite his disappointing performance against Boston in the last three games of the Eastern Conference semis, James is still a superstar talent whose best years are ahead of him. Everyone has an opinion on which uniform he will wear next and just about everyone agrees that that decision could alter the history of the NBA for the next 10 years.

"He's the face of basketball," says Boston forward Kevin Garnett. "It's gonna be the talk of the summer. Everyone is gonna be tuned in."

Every theory about James' next move has been debated, and all of them sound plausible. The most repeated scenario has James signing a three-year contract extension in order to bring Cleveland its first pro sports title since 1964.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/2010/05/15/2010-05-15_oakley_feels_its_23_skidoo.html#ixzz0nzsti38R

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Raptors Unable To Extinguish Wade's Heat

Turkoglu Did Not Play; Miami 97 Toronto 94

The irony was awfully thick, and not lost on anybody.

As the Toronto Raptors' game wound down last night against the Miami Heat, their offence sputtered. They could have used somebody to deflect the attention from Chris Bosh. They could have used Hedo Turkoglu.

But Turkoglu, the under-achieving forward, did not play in the Raptors' 97-94 loss. He was in uniform, but he was on the bench.

"He was active, it was a coach's decision to not play him," Raptors coach Jay Triano said, adding he made that decision because Turkoglu was not healthy--and to send a message.

The message dates back to earlier last week. Turkoglu left midway through Wednesday night's game against Utah with a stomach virus. He did not play against Denver on Friday--another loss--but was seen out on the town following the game.

Earlier yesterday, Turkoglu insisted he was just grabbing a bite to eat after the game. Apparently, that is not how the club saw it. When pressed, Raptors president and general manager Bryan Colangelo said the matter was handled internally.

Turkoglu, for his part, declined comment after the game. "I'm good, I'm good," he said.

"I don't make them decisions, man," swingman Antoine Wright said. "I think we need everything in this locker room to play basketball, in my personal opinion."

That was obvious. With Dwyane Wade routinely shredding the defence as the Heat came back from a deficit that was as large as 17 points, the Raptors could get nothing going offensively.

Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/sports/story.html?id=2738149#ixzz0jZx9EobD
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Clash of the stars, Wade and Miami Heat won against Bryant and Lakers

Wade and Miami Heat weathered the gutsiness play of Kobe in OT to beat the Lakers in Miami.

Wade has 27 Pts on 9-21 shooting with 5rebs and an impressive 14 Assists. While Kobe Bryant has 39Pts on 15-28 shooting. The difference is the defense. Bryant called for a crucial offensive foul a minute left of overtime and that's the turning point of the game.

It's the Lakers first over time loss in 5 Games and Miami's second win in 3 OT games.

Read more at yahoo.com

Kidd, Mavericks overcome Heat-less Wade 97-91

DALLAS—Jason Kidd knew his Dallas Mavericks needed a jolt in the fourth quarter, so the pass-first point guard decided to take charge offensively.

Kidd scored 14 of his 21 points in the final quarter, Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and the Dallas Mavericks held off the short-handed Miami Heat 97-91 Saturday night.

With All-Star game MVP Dwyane Wade missing his second consecutive game with a strained left calf, Kidd knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:21 left that gave Dallas the lead for good.

Kidd sees the season winding down and said it is time for the Mavericks, who have the fourth-best record in the West, to make a push.

"We had 30 games left after the All-Star break," said Kidd, who is second all-time in assists with 10,705. "Being a veteran ballclub, we understand what's at stake. So the dress rehearsal is over and we've got to get serious."

Wade, who was the NBA Finals MVP in 2006 when the Heat beat the Mavericks, was in a suit and a protective walking boot as he watched his team's five-game winning streak end. Without their star on Friday, the Heat beat the Memphis Grizzlies 100-87 in double overtime.

On Saturday, Miami fizzled offensively down the stretch. The Heat scored 12 points in the third quarter and couldn't match the Mavericks' offensive surge late.

"It's a lesson for us that regardless of whether Dwyane plays or not, our formula and game plan have to be the same," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "Collectively, we can make each other better. But if the ball stops moving, it becomes a stagnant game for us."

Kidd scored 19 points in the second half as the Mavericks rallied from an eight-point halftime deficit to beat Miami for the 12th straight time in the regular season.

Caron Butler had 20 points and Kidd had 11 assists for the Mavericks, who have won three in a row. Kidd also had three steals and is one shy of tying Scottie Pippen for fifth place on the career list.

Kidd hit all three of his shots and six of seven free throws in the fourth.

"After the All-Star break, he's been phenomenal," Nowitzki said. "He's been pushing the ball and scoring."

Daequan Cook scored a season-high 22 points, and Jermaine O'Neal added 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Heat.

"I think overall we played well without Dwyane," Miami forward Udonis Haslem said. "We gave ourselves a chance to win. They just made plays and we didn't."

Kidd hit a 3-pointer that gave Dallas a 71-64 lead after three and then scored his team's first 11 points of the fourth. He was one point away from tying his season-high point total.

Miami's Mario Chalmers drove for a layup to make it 79-79 with 4:34 left.

Kidd followed with a 3-pointer, Nowitzki hit two free throws and Brendan Haywood put back a miss to make it 86-79 with 2:57 remaining.

The Mavericks hit 9 of 10 free throws in the final minute as they increased their lead in the Southwest Division to 2 1/2 games over the San Antonio Spurs.

"We had to fight and scrap to get the win," Haywood said. "We didn't have the energy we needed in the first half. Dirk and (Kidd) had a great game and they really pulled us through."

Miami jumped out to a 52-44 halftime lead before Dallas rallied with a 19-5 run over the final 8:07 of the third.

Shawn Marion, who scored six points in the spurt, drove for a layup to tie it at 60. Nowitzki hit a jumper to give Dallas a 66-64 lead, and Kidd connected on a 3-pointer to stretch the lead to seven with 1:53 remaining in the third.

The Heat went 5 of 13 from the floor in the third quarter and committed six turnovers.

source: mercurynews.com

Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade's critical comments are no big deal

What just happened here?

One of the three best players in the NBA is critical after his team just lost its fifth consecutive game, and all of a sudden he's playing the diva card?

Dwyane Wade says something resembling a disapproving comment about his coach and there's chatter that Erik Spoelstra won't last past this season, especially if Pat Riley lands another superstar in free agency?

A team that has been inconsistent all season loses three road games against playoff-caliber teams and reaches a season-worst three games below .500 during its most difficult stretch of schedule and now it's time to reexamine things and make a desperate trade before next Thursday's deadline?

The only surprising thing about what Wade said after Saturday's loss to the Bulls, basically calling his team predictable and saying it needs to mix things up, is that he didn't say anything earlier.

There's nothing new about what the Heat did during its season-worst five game losing streak, a stretch that ended Tuesday with a blowout victory against the Rockets. The streaky offense, unpredictable defense, late-game mistakes and confusing player rotation has been happening all season. It just so happened that five consecutive losses built up just enough frustration in Wade for him to say something immediately following a loss in his hometown.

What's wrong with getting mad when your team is failing? Didn't Tim Hardaway used to take digs at Riley whenever the coach was critical?

Why does calling the team too predictable immediately mean the coach is at fault? Can't it also mean Wade is calling on his teammates to elevate their games?

Tuesday's opponent was a perfect example of what role players can do when called upon to do more. The Rockets are not just making due with a roster full of mediocre-to-bad players, but they have managed a better record than the Heat in a deeper conference.

Maybe that's part of what Wade had in mind when he said the team needs to mix it up. To Spoelstra's credit, he did make some minor changes in who he played and when he played them Tuesday, keeping Jermaine O'Neal on the court more when Wade sat and keeping Daequan Cook and Wade on the court together at times. Read the full story here.