MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: G Dwyane Wade did it all. He had the best season of his spectacular six-year career by leading the league in scoring, finishing second in blocks and eighth in assists. And Wade, who missed 31 games each of the previous two season, only missed one game due to injury. Wade ended up playing 79 games because he sat out the last two as a healthy scratch to rest for the playoffs.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: It's not a player, it's a position -- small forward. After the trade that sent F Shawn Marion to Toronto the Heat never had the presence it had previously. Among Jamario Moon, James Jones, Daequan Cook and Yakhouba Diawara the Heat never re-gained its edge at that spot. That's why Michael Beasley gets a shot during the off-season. FREE AGENT FOCUS: Miami needs a backup point guard, a backup center and a starting small forward. But it has very little cash. It has about $69 million committed for next season and the projected luxury tax is $69.5 million. In other words, F Ron Artest is out of the picture. Look more for low-key players such as G Jannero Pargo, who could return from overseas.
PLAYER NOTES:
--F Jermaine O'Neal exercised his contract option to remain with the Heat next season. O'Neal will make roughly $23 million for the 2009-10 season.
--F Yakhouba Diawara exercised his $900,000 contract option to remain with the Heat next season.
--G Dwyane Wade plans to return to Chicago during the offseason and once again workout with fitness guru Tim Grover.
--F Michael Beasley was split on whether the NBA was what he expected.
"Yes and no," he said. "It's different. It's harder. But once you learn how to play the game and everything that goes along with it, then it pretty much becomes just basketball."
--F Udonis Haslem has a $7.1 million expiring contract, and he knows the Heat wants to develop F Michael Beasley, his backup. But Haslem, one of president Pat Riley's favorites, said he wouldn't allow trade talk to dominate his off-season or season.
"I just won't read the paper at all," he said. "I don't watch the news. I don't get on Twitter. I don't do any of those things at all."
--G Daequan Cook had an up-and-down season. He won the Three-Point contest during the All-Star break but didn't do much afterward.
"After the All-Star break the competition went up another level," coach Erik Spoelstra said.
The Heat is hoping Cook can correct that during the offseason. Cook, F Michael Beasley, G Mario Chalmers and F Dorrell Wright will stay in town (the Heat isn't participating in a Summer League) to work on their games. President Pat Riley has jokingly dubbed it "Heat Academy."
MEDICAL WATCH:
--The Heat is healthy.
