The Hoop Doctors have been saying for a couple months now that the Miami Heat are too small in the paint defensively to make a legitimate run at the title. We said many times that they would lose important games in the playoffs due to their lack of size by having Chris Bosh and Udonis Haslem man the paint. What we didn’t realize was how much they would struggle this early in the year, and just how much that weakness would be exposed by their opponents. The new theme for any team playing Miami is to pound the ball inside and punish them in the middle. Given Miami’s current roster, I highly doubt they have a chance against teams like Boston and Los Angeles come playoff time in a grind it out 7 game slug fest.
With that all said, David Aldridge of NBA.com is reporting today that the Heat are on the verge of signing 7-foot center Erick Dampier to a one year deal now that Haslem has been hurt. This is a fantastic move in our opinion, as Damps may not bring a lot offensively, but he brings a lot in sheer size and shot blocking ability to clog up the paint. Dampiers size alone is enough to give opposing big men something to think about defensively. Miami has a ton of scoring talent already, this is a great move to help them avoid getting pounded in the middle, as we’ve seen early on this season. Here is what Aldridge is reporting….
A struggling Miami Heat team will look to shore up the loss of center Udonis Haslem by signing veteran center Erick Dampier on Tuesday to a one-year contract, a league source confirmed Monday night.
The 35-year-old Dampier was in Miami Monday and will sign Tuesday assuming there are no problems with his physical.
Sources had said earlier this month that Dampier had agreed to a one-year deal with the Rockets for the bi-annual cap exception of $2.08 million, but the deal fell apart. League sources maintain that Dampier preferred signing with the Heat or another title contender and wanted to wait and see if a need developed. It did in Miami when Haslem tore a ligament in his left foot during Saturday’s loss in Memphis to the Grizzlies.
Haslem is expected to miss several months after having surgery on Tuesday. Miami only has one seven-footer on its roster in veteran center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and has been hurt on the interior during the first month of the season.
Read more details via David Aldridge on NBA.com
