Miami isn’t going to be the title contenders they were last season, but they are going to be good. And interesting.
Luol Deng, who had been negotiating with Heat for days but was trying to leverage discussions from Atlanta and Dallas into more, has settled on a deal with Miami, something first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
Remember that Deng reportedly turned down a three-year, $30 million extension with the Bulls.
You certainly can’t say Miami has had a good offseason, but Pat Riley has bounced back about as well as can be expected.
The Heat will roll out a starting five of Norris Cole/Shabazz Napier, Dwyane Wade (he will re-sign), Deng, Josh McRoberts, and an overpaid but effective Chris Bosh. That’s a playoff team and a tough out in the first round at least in Miami.
Deng is a strong defender who can get you points as the roll man or cutting off the ball. As a third scoring option he can work.
