Miami Heat trim roster down to 15 in time for regular season
Before the Miami Heat could embark on their much-anticipated regular season, they first had to take care of some business.
The Heat announced today that they have trimmed their roster to the regular-season limit of 15 players, parting ways with Da’Sean Butler and Patrick Beverley. Unfortunately for these two
players, the opportunity to chase championships with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh, is no longer a reality.
Butler was one of the Heat’s three second-round draft picks in last summer’s NBA Draft. Recovering from knee surgery after tearing his ACL while playing for West Virginia in last year’s
NCAA tournament, Butler missed the entire pre-season with the Heat.
Beverley, a second-round pick last season, did his best to impress the Miami coaching staff, averaging 6.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and three assists in six pre-season games, including two
games which he started. But it wasn’t enough for Beverley, who was playing in Greece last year when the Heat acquired him on draft-night in a trade.
The Heat had until 6 p.m. tonight to finalize their roster before they begin their regular season with a road game against the Boston Celtics tomorrow night.
It could be argued that had it not been for Mike Miller’s recent thumb injury, which will keep him out of the line-up until January, Butler might still be a member of this team. Miller’s
absence led to the Heat’s signing of NBA veteran Jerry Stackhouse last week, leaving the Heat with one less roster spot than anticipated. The Heat had originally wanted to keep Butler through his recovery.
Meanwhile, Stackhouse, who signed a one-year deal worth $1.4 million, is obviously excited to be a part of one of the most-hyped teams in NBA history and will try his best to make up for
the absence of Miller.
"With him being out, hopefully I can provide some depth and at the same time hopefully bring some intangibles from my own game that can maybe help the overall big picture of what the team
is trying to accomplish," Stackhouse said.
Centre Jamaal Magloire, a player who could have been cut, will stay on the Heat roster thanks to his size and physicality.
Tags: