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Miami drew the No. 2 pick in the June 26 draft, and the Heat figures to get either Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley or Memphis point guard Derrick Rose -- assuming it keeps the pick.
"I'm not disappointed at all," Heat president Pat Riley said of his team missing out on the No. 1 pick.
There was wide speculation the Heat could look to trade the pick, and Riley was playing along. He said three teams approached him minutes after the lottery.
General manager Randy Pfund said he expects lots of interest.
"When we were at (No.) 5 a few years ago, a lot of things were presented to us. So at 2 there will be a lot of things to look at," he said.
The Heat has continued dropping hints it is still listening to trade offers. And on another front, Pfund said he's unsure how many prospects the Heat might bring in for interviews.
"We could try to get in 10 people, or we could make it simple and not bring in anybody," he said.
Some have speculated if Miami brings in more than Beasley and Rose, the Heat is thinking trade.
Miami's previous two trips to the lottery yielded Caron Butler with the No. 10 selection in 2002 and Dwyane Wade with the No. 5 selection in 2003.
SEASON HIGHLIGHT: Not many. Perhaps securing the worst record in the league. Seriously. It assures a top-four pick and helps move along the rebuilding process.
TURNING POINT: The November practice run-in between coach Pat Riley and former center Shaquille O'Neal. Alonzo Mourning had to intervene before it got physical. It was at that point the relationship between Riley and O'Neal hit the breaking point. That led to the February trade that brought Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks and signaled the Heat was giving up on the season.
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MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: G Dwyane Wade will likely be the MVP as long as he's on the team. But this season you could make a case for G/F Ricky Davis, the only player to play all 82 games. Skeptics might say Davis, an unrestricted free agent at season's end, might have used his contract status as motivation to play all 82 games. Regardless, he rarely displayed a bad attitude despite playing alongside borderline NBA talent. His presence didn't affect the won-loss record greatly, but he showed up for work every day and played through back and groin injuries.
Runner-up for MVP might be trainer Ron Culp. With six of the Heat's top eight players going down to season-ending injuries, Culp stayed busy. By the way, Culp is retiring at season's end after 37 years in the NBA with Cleveland, Portland and Miami. He's the only three-time NBA trainer of the year and the blazer he wore at Wednesday's season finale will be sent to the Hall of Fame.
MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: C Shaquille O'Neal. Easy choice. He was injured during training camp. Then he returned and griped about not getting the ball enough. Then he almost got into a skirmish with coach Pat Riley in November, demanded a trade, got the trade, and trashed coach Pat Riley, the Heat training staff and former teammates Ricky Davis and Chris Quinn.
BIGGEST NEEDS: Miami has to get a point guard and a center. And more specifically at center, Miami needs someone who can rebound and defend the rim. At point guard, the Heat could be OK if it drafts Derrick Rose. Otherwise, it's the free agent route. At center, Miami has Mark Blount, who can score but offers little or nothing in the way of rebounding and defending the rim.
FREE AGENT FOCUS: F Shawn Marion is the biggest domino. If he opts out and leaves with Miami getting nothing in return, the Heat is in big, big trouble. Most likely, however, Marion will return. It'll be either for the final year, which pays him $17.8 million, or for a few years after signing a contract extension.
G Jason Williams is an unrestricted free agent and will most likely depart.
G-F Ricky Davis is an unrestricted free agent but could be back. He'd be a valuable member of the bench. Davis earned $6.8 million this year but he could be looking at a huge pay cut, maybe in the neighborhood of $2 million.
F Dorell Wright, a part-time starter the last two seasons, is a restricted free agent who will likely return. He's a key to the Heat's bench success. Wright is athletic and can defend and rebound, although he still hasn't found consistency.
G Chris Quinn is an unrestricted free agent and he'll likely return. The second-year man from Notre Dame proved capable the last two years when called upon, and he's cheap labor.
C Earl Barron is an unrestricted free agent who might not return. Barron, a third-year player from Memphis, is cheap labor, which is a benefit for both him and the Heat, but he hasn't shown much.
C Alonzo Mourning is an unrestricted free agent and if the 38-year-old decides to play again it will be for the Heat.
PLAYER NOTES:
--G Dwyane Wade continues to work out in Chicago with noted trainer Tim Grover. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said he toured the facility for the first time recently.
--C Alonzo Mourning is still rehabilitating his injured knee in hopes of returning to the court next season.
--F Udonis Haslem, who had surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle in March, said he's happy with his rehabilitation so far.
"It's a little bit of discomfort," he said, "but it's really not a big deal right now."
Haslem played a career-low 49 games last season, making 48 starts. He averaged 12 points and nine rebounds per game.
--F Dorell Wright, who had season-ending left knee surgery in March, said his rehabilitation is going well. Wright, who is 6-foot-9, 210 pounds, averaged 7.9 points and 5.0 rebounds and played in 44 games, making 34 starts
