The Miami Heat are Set to sign Skip to my Lou as soon as he clairs waivers…

Zo has been named the new VP of player programs. Some of his duties will include support and mentoring players and helping them develop on and off the court…..he will also be watching over Mr. Beasley..

NBCMiami – In an effort to avoid the layoffs that cost the franchise some of its business staff, coaches and other employees in basketball operations of the Miami Heat have accepted Pat Riley’s request to take voluntary pay cuts of 2 to 20% for the upcoming year.

No news is good news where the Heat Dancers are concerned, but the reductions will cost Riley and head coach Erik Spoelstra “well into the six-figures,” according to the Sun-Sentinel.

Riley didn’t comment on the situation, probably because he’s sitting in his closet weeping quietly into an Armani and exactingly drying his tears with a silk hankie. But the deep cut to the clothing budget isn’t the first indication that the Heat are proactively trying to stay belly up in the cold economic climate: the team has long been expected to carry 13 players into the season, 2 below the league maximum.

In May, about 20 employees, including former NBA player and community affairs director Wali Jones, were axed from the business side of the franchise.

Riley said the team is eying ways to increase revenue, including selling sponsorship opportunities on the team’s practice apparel (how about Band Wades?). Other NBA teams have trimmed their coaching staffs or scouting budgets, but the Heat confirmed all assistant coaches would return.

Here’s a suggestion: do nothing, and if the situation becomes unbearable, well, what’s good for the fans should be good for the staff.

Really, what’s not to love about doing “48 Hours of Intense Heat: Health Insurance for the Family Edition”? Unemployment’s not a laughing matter (unless we’re talking James Van Der Beek, in which case it’s hilarious) but here it sounds about right: no one in management would have to make any hard decisions, everyone could save his or her own job if he’s up for it, and it’s another chance for publicity and fan involvement.

If no one survives on sunshine, hot dogs, and afternoons with Burnie? Well, maybe they deserve it for what we all went through watching the team in 2007.

Jordan’s newest Sponsor received some goodies…

courtesy of kicksonfire

Miami Heat superstar Dwayne Wade said he wanted the talent around him improved from the 2008-2009 team, and so far in free agency the team seems to be listening to their perennial All-Star.

The latest rumor has two-time NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer asking to be traded to the Miami Heat. Boozer has been playing with the Utah Jazz for the past five seasons after a stellar career at Duke University.

Boozer said that he and the Jazz have “mutually agreed” to a trade, according to CBS4 news partner the Miami Herald. Boozer and his wife have spent every offseason since 2004 in Miami.

The Heat has been in the market for a quality forward and showed interest in Boozer and have reportedly offered a free agent contract to Lamar Odom. The contract for Odom is rumored to be in the neighborhood of $34 million, while Boozer has one year left on his contract that will pay him $12.7 million in the 2009-2010 season.

One rumored trade would involve three teams: the Utah Jazz would trade Carlos Boozer to the Miami Heat in exchange for Udonis Haslem and Dorrell Wright. The Jazz would then send Wright to Memphis and thereby create enough cap room to keep Paul Millsap who has been offered a 4-year, $32 million contract by the Portland TrailBlazers.

Boozer is 6′9″, 266 pounds and has averaged 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game for his career. But, when it counts in the playoffs, Boozer steps up his game, averaging 20.4 points and 12.4 rebounds per game.

courtesy of cbs4

“For me, the move to Jordan Brand is a dream come true,” Wade said in a statement. “As a kid, I grew up on the south side of Chicago idolizing Michael Jordan and have worked hard to achieve the same success that he’s had on the court. I have enormous respect for this brand and all that it stands for. I’m humbled to be a part of the Team Jordan family and I’m looking forward to a great future.”