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Miami Heat Have To Avoid Forcing It At The End Of Free Agency


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5 Players That It Would Be A Mistake To Go After

Miami Heat
Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

"From the day we all got here," James Jones said via the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, "when we all decided to be a part of it, and sign on, we all knew that the only conversations we would have would be about winning. Once you have that conversation once, you really don't need to have it again."

In other words, when you sign on with the Miami Heat, you sign away your right to complain about playing time, your role and any other little things that might plague your roster existence -- unless, of course, your name is Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade or LeBron James.

All others must sacrifice their time the way the Big Three sacrificed their money. Just ask Jones, Rashard Lewis and the former Heat star and stay-ready king, Mike Miller.

"You know that when it comes down to it, there'll be tough decisions to make, because we are so talented,” Jones said. “But those decisions will be made in the best interest of winning."

Maybe that’s why talented troubled-guys like Michael Beasley and Stephen Jackson will never get signed in Miami. So I guess I need to finally give up hope on that one because if the goal is maintaining and not upgrading, as reporter Ira Winderman suggests, then the Heat don’t care if they have to pass up on extra grit and scoring to keep peace in the locker room.

With that said, Pat Riley and the Heat have to make sure that they don’t make the mistake of bringing in useless players just for the sake of trying to “cannibalize” the late-summer market.

Click next to check out the five players that Miami needs to steer clear of.

Please comment using the section below, or reach out to us using the hash #RantNBA.

Richard Nurse is a Miami Heat columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.

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Richard Hamilton

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Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

Despite barely being able to get on the court the last few years (due to injury), Richard Hamilton has still made playing time a constant complaint.

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Daniel Gibson

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Daniel Gibson’s career has clearly diminished since LeBron left Cleveland, but he also faces off the court problems stemming from a second-degree battery charge related to an incident in a New Orleans nightclub.

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Quentin Richardson

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

Quentin Richardson has always been a good defender and solid three-point shooter, but as Ira Winderman pointed out in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel:

“With so many 3-point shooters on the roster, and with [Shane] Battier able to both convert 3-pointers and defend, I'm not sure there's a need, or a place, for Richardson.”

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Fab Melo

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Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston Celtics gave up on Fab Melo after one season, and the Memphis Grizzles did the same after way less. Why should Miami give him a chance when they already have a big man project in Greg Oden?

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DeShawn Stevenson

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Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

I could list a bunch of reasons why they shouldn't sign him, but honestly there’s no better reason than just saying he’s DeShawn Stevenson.



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