It didn’t matter in the end, however, as the team-first Miami Heat proved victorious in the 114-111 nail biter in a game that they desperately needed.

The difference maker was clearly Quentin Richardson who had a season high 25 points including an unbelievable seven made three pointers.

The Heat played as a team and although Dwyane Wade led the team in scoring yet again with 27 of his own, he contributed a game high 14 assists.

The nationally televised contest had a season league high 31 lead changes and was hands down the most excited game I’ve watched all season.

Miami has finally climbed back to .500 at 31-31 and faces another huge game in Miami Saturday night against the Hawks.

Look for Dwyane Wade to bring some heat tonight in Miami’s American Airlines Arena. Wade hasn’t forgotten that Kobe’s 25 foot game-winning heave that he banked in was shot with Wade defending him. Combine that with the game being televised nationally and the combination is there for a Wade explosion.

Lakers @ Heat

Time: 8:00 PM

TV: TNT

By no means is Haywood a premier big man. What he does bring to the table is size, consistency, and a well rounded skill set to the center position in a league where true centers are becoming like dinosaurs.

14. Al Harrington

The offensively gifted 30-year-old can really light it up. He is a big time scorer and to say he loves to shoot is like saying Shaq is rather large. He would be a great fit in any up tempo offense that needs a versatile scorer at the power forward spot, just don’t expect many assists.

13. Luis Scola (R)

He is averaging 15 and 8 this year and is a big part of the Houston offense. The Rockets most likely will be sure to match any offer to Scola, as he is a restricted free agent.

12. Manu Ginobli

Although he’s getting older, he is still one of the craftiest offensive players in the league. Injuries have been the knock on him in recent years but he still has some left in the tank.

11. Ray Allen

One of the best shooters the NBA has ever seen. Look for him to want to join a contender as more of a role player than a focal point.

*** All-Stars

10. Paul Pierce (P)

The leader of the Celtics championship squad. A big time player in big time moments.

9. Rudy Gay (R)

Although the word defense is not within his vocabulary he has the offensive versatility to be the next T-Mac. He can shoot, drive and run with the best of them.

8. David Lee

The question is if D’Antoni’s system is the main reason for his burst in numbers. Stick him on a lower paced team and the numbers will go down. Regardless, he is still going to get paid.

***Superstars

7. Carlos Boozer

Why is this guy’s name brought up in trade rumors every year. Apparently 20 and 10 is no longer good enough for the Jazz? He’s a beast down low and a perfect complement for a team with shooters to spread the floor.

6. Joe Johnson

You won’t win a ring with him as your best player but if he were to be a sidekick to a Chris Bosh or Dwyane Wade look out.

5. A’mare Stoudamire (ETO)

Another guy you wonder why his name is swirling in trade rumors. Offensively there isn’t a better power forward in basketball. Look for New York and Chicago to be all over him.

***** Elite

4. Dirk Nowitzki (ETO)

The best shooting big man the league has ever seen, hands down. Although he is not as young as you’d like he is still playing at an elite level and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Dallas would be nuts to let him go.

3. Chris Bosh (p)

Kind of similar to Joe Johnson in that you likely won’t win a ring with him as your star, but paired with Wade, Lebron, or Kobe and you’ve got the core for a dynasty. He is dominating this year with 25 and 11 a night. The difference between Bosh and Amare is Bosh is as good on defense as he is on offense.

2. Kobe Bryant (p)

Many forget that the game’s greatest overall player has an option to opt out this offseason because the chances in doing so are slim to none. But if Phil leaves, keep an eye on Kobe’s whereabouts especially if they don’t win another title this year.

1. Dwyane Wade (p)

He has a perfect opportunity to recruit a star or two to South Beach and enjoy fighting for rings for the next five years. The question is whether his hometown Bulls can entice him enough to think otherwise.

The Prize: Lebron James

If the Cavs win it all, he stays. If they don’t, he goes. It’s that simple. The Cavs are maxed out potential wise, and I don’t think Lebron will be able to handle another ring slipping away in Cleveland.

With huge names like Lebron, Wade, Bosh, and even Kobe, the hype is bigger than a Hannah Montana concert (The teen sensation attracts an audience willing to pay thousands, PER TICKET).

However, if you take a deeper look at the crop and consider there is a very good chance several of the premier players aren’t going anywhere, the market grows thin in a hurry. Here are the top 25 free agents of 2010, plus one.


25a. Yao Ming (ETO)
Yao has to be on the list because of how dominant he can be. No other center brings his array of skills in that monster of a body. Considering he suffered a serious foot injury a year ago and will miss the entire season, there are so many questions surrounding him. Will he ever play again? When? Will Houston want to go in a different direction, like with their other often injured star in Tracy McGrady? That being said he is too great a talent, and in the rare case that he should he choose to opt out, someone will welcome him. He’s a high risk/high reward player. This video will remind you just how good Yao is.

25b. Jermaine O’Neal

An effective defender, both on and off the ball. Nice mid range jumper. Extremely talented. All great things if you ignore the fact that his knees are held together by a combination of rubber cement and duct tape.

24. Peja Stojakovic

Still a great shooter, but not much of anything else. He would fit in well as a rotation guy on a contender to help spread the floor. He will find a home somewhere because of his extremely hot wife.

23, Josh Howard (T)

It’s hard to believe the guy who missed a game last week because of a hangover and tore his ACL a week later, was once an integral part of a Mavericks core that went to the finals in ‘06.

22. Tracy McGrady

Talk about another guy dropping off. T-Mac was flat out dominant a few years ago, but injuries and attitude have been his Kryptonite.

21. Mike Miller

There might not be a player with a jumper as perfect looking as Mike’s. He is an absolute killer from the outside and although he is limited in certain areas like lateral quickness and jumping ability, he still an above average player, especially when you take his whiteness into consideration.

20. Shaq

The Diesel. The Big Aristotle. Shaqtus. The big man’s roller coaster career is certainly approaching a halt in the near future. But before he goes off into a successful television career, he still has a knack for proving people wrong and going against the grain. If he doesn’t win a title this year he’ll be back for more.

19. Udonis Haslem

“U” might be my favorite player in the league. He plays the game with such intensity and does all the dirty work. Zo had a huge impact on his game and you can see it when he’s diving for loose balls and taking charges. When Beasley was inserted into the starting lineup this year over Haslem he didn’t complain one bit. There is always room for a guy like this on any team and it would be sad to him leave. It also doesn’t hurt that he’s an intimidator. Don’t let his size fool you, he is one badass dude.

18. Raymond Felton

The former Tar Heel is a very efficient player offensively. He also is a very good defender. He just needs some legitimate talent around him. His best years are ahead of him.

17.Richard Jefferson (ETO)

Although he likely won’t opt out of a contract that will pay him $14 million next season, you never know. Jefferson is a solid all around player who would be an asset to any team.

16. Michael Redd

Redd is one of the best shooters in the NBA and can get his shot off just about anywhere with his quick release. He has suffered injuries all season which will likely equate to some low ball short term contract offers.

Part 2 coming soon.

P = Player option, meaning the player can opt out of his contract

ETO = Early Termination Option, essentially the same as a player option except ETO’s can occur with more than a year remaining on the contract

T= Team Option. The team can terminate player’s contract

R = Restricted Free Agent. The team has the option to match any offer.

Everyone else is an unrestricted free agent, which means the strings are cut, the hand cuffs are off, the player is a real free agent.

For the complete understanding of all the bizarre rules concerning the NBA’s salary cap, check out Salary Cap FAQ.

It’s good they’re winning some games because it doesn’t look like the team’s star will be back anytime soon.

He just got out of a walking boot and if the Heat is to do anything of significance in the postseason they will need their leader at full strength.

Although he listed as day to day, my gut is he doesn’t return until at least a week from Thursday when they host the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers.

Michael Beasley  must continue to provide consistency until Wade’s return or the losses will pile up rather quickly. Beasley has averaged 21.6 points in Wade’s absence while role players Mario Chalmers and Daquan Cook have stepped up as well

A true test of the team’s mental toughness will be on display in the coming games.

Next up is a very winnable game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

I am dumbfounded, still almost 24 hours later, as to why Suns GM Steve Kerr didn’t make a move before yesterday’s trade deadline. Absolutely shocked.

Here is a guy in Amare Stoudamire who made his intentions clear. He is not going to be back with the Phoenix Suns next season. Whether it’s Miami, New York, Chicago, Philly, or whoever. It will surely not be Phoenix.

The Suns are a team that is very good but nowhere near championship caliber so it wasn’t like keeping him for the rest of the season was for that reason.

So why don’t you get at least something for him? The problem is based purely on ego. When Cleveland stopped playing games with Phoenix and struck a deal for Jamison it put the Suns in a tough spot.

They definitely wanted to get rid of Amar’e, no question. But at that point, the Heat was their only serious bidder and this gave all the negotiating power to Miami because they weren’t desperate to make a move now and could easily wait until summer and turn out more than okay.

So the mindset in Phoenix no longer was “let’s just acquire some type of asset for the franchise power forward we are going to lose in a few months’ and instead became ‘Were not going to trade him for uneven value, no matter what because our egos are bigger than Kim Kardashians’s tushie.’

Newflash to Mr. Kerr: You weren’t going to get a equal value and you screwed up yet again. Now Phoenix will be left with nothing significant outside of an aging superstar (Although lately it seems Nash is getting younger) and no elite forward that fit perfectly into their style of offense anymore.

Miami is left with a ton of different options. They still have Beasley, two first rounders, and the cap room to retain Wade and go after a plethora of other superstars on this summer’s market.

One thing is for certain. Riley didn’t want to part with those first rounders for a reason. If he threw both first rounders at Phoenix I think a deal would have been done. By not dealing them it gives him insurance and flexibility.

Two first rounders in today’s salary slashing NBA are huge assets that can be dangled for high quality players. Just ask Danny Ainge in Boston.

By not acquiring Stoudamire or Boozer it also sends a message to Chris Bosh. Pat Riley wants him bad and won’t give up his dream tandem of Wade and Bosh until he absolutely has to. Wade + Beasley + Bosh = a three headed beast that will take over the NBA for years.

While the trade deadline is often fun to get lost in all the hype, sometimes its better to take a step back and look at the situation on a greater scale. I applaud Pat for not getting trigger happy and for taking somewhat of a gamble. Without risk there is no reward.

This effectively removes Cleveland from the Stoudamire hunt, leaving Miami as the top contender for the star forward’s services, with Philadelphia still lightly hanging in the wings.

This deal means two things.

Phoenix must have told Cleveland they preferred Miami’s offer, likely being a collection of expiring contracts and draft picks.

Second, Miami’s bargaining power has increased.

If Stoudamire is dealt, which should absolutely occur unless Sun’s GM Steve Kerr is shrooming (Quite the possibility with his history of head scratchers), Miami is the likely destination.

Stoudamire is the creme of this year’s trade crop and Riley wants him, bad. The question is not if but how. Word of late is that both of Miami’s first round picks as well as Michael Beasley have never been officially put on the table.

There is a zero percent chance that Phoenix ships Amar’e out for the likes of Mario Chalmers, Daquan Cook, Dorell Wright, and Quentin Richardson, which apparently was Miami’s latest offer.

If Miami threw in a first round pick that offer becomes a maybe. If they threw in two first round picks I don’t see how Phoenix cannot accept it. I don’t see Miami parting with Beasley unless it is for someone like Chris Bosh, who likely  isn’t going anywhere until this summer.

They have to get rid of Stoudamire by tomorrow because he is 100 % not coming back next year. They need to get something for him and currently the best offer is J.J. Hickson and a late first rounder from Cleveland? Come on now. I don’t see how two first rounders isn’t better than Hickson, a guy who will never be more than a decent athletic big who can run the floor.

Phoenix hasn’t made a move yet because they are waiting for the best possible offer. They will exhaust every last second they have in hopes of some team stepping up and giving away some legitimate assets. This will be tough because Phoenix has already showed it’s hand and is absolutely desperate at this point.

Unless another team steps up like a Philly who can offer Andre Iguodala, I don’t see anyone topping a Miami offer of expiring contracts and two mid first rounders.

If that’s all that it takes to land one of the premier offensive big men in this league, than Pat must pull the trigger.

Defending champion Daquan Cook is shooting horribly from three this year (30%) and with sharp shooters like Curry, Pierce, and Gallinari around his chances are slim. Look for the rookie and his textbook form to light it up.

Prediction: Stephen Curry

Dunk Contest

It’s a shame Lebron backed out of his verbal commitment to appear in this year’s event. This used to the showcase of weekend, but isn’t anymore because of the lack of star power.

The Laker’s Shannon Brown is the favorite. Defending champion Nate Robinson isn’t that great of a dunker, he just looks incredible when he does it because of his tiny stature. DeRozan and Wallace are freaky athletic, but look for the final to be a matchup of Brown and Robinson.

Prediction: Shannon Brown

Skills Challenge

Jennings, Nash, Rose, and Williams will square off in the skills challenge, everyone’s least favorite event of Saturday night’s festivities. I like Jennings to win it because of his insane speed, quicks, and ability to hit the outside jumper.

Prediction: Brandon Jennings

All-Star Game

As for the game itself, I like the east all the way. Lebron, Wade, and Howard will be too much for the Kobe-less West to handle. It should be an entertaining game and there is no question it’s the best all star game in sports. Enjoy the weekend.

Prediction: East

It’s no shocker that Dwyane Wade is continuing his dominance on a subpar squad while putting up MVP caliber numbers( 26.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 6.4 assists). Outside of Wade, however, there isn’t a guard doing much of anything these days. Rafer Alston coming into town was purely a stopgap move at point guard with Mario Chalmers regression. If it weren’t for Daquan Cook being named as a participant in the 3 Point shootout (previous season’s champ automatically gets a bid), I would question his existence.

Grade: If not for Wade this group fails. C +

Forward

Michael Beasley has improved in certain aspects from his rookie campaign. He is playing more confident, while taking the ball to the hole more often. His defense is still bad as he is often found out of position, but it was horrible last season so that’s a plus. Udonis Haslem has done what he’s done his entire career and that’s provide  consistence and leadership while also willing to sacrifice personal glory for team success. Every championship team needs a guy like “U”. Quentin Richardson has been shooting the heck out of the rock from three (39%) and has been a pleasant surprise on the defensive end as well. Dorell Wright has been making the most out of his minutes, providing athleticism and energy off the bench.

Grade: This group is deep and versatile and has a nice array of different options. If only some of their skills could be combined among players. B -

Center

Jermaine O’Neal has been solid but not spectacular in his stint with the Heat. But he is still among the top half of centers in the league and his shooting efficiency is up this year (54% FG). Joel Anthony hasn’t changed much from last season and is essentially a shot blocking specialist (1.5 blocks)

Grade: Steady group, but undersized. C+

Overall

Grade: At 25-27 with one game to play (@ Atlanta tonight) until the All Star break, Miami has a ways to go. They’re currently seeded 8th in the East and have no excuse to finish lower than last year when they were fifth. C

Don’t be surprised if Pat Riley makes a big move in the next week. With Wade’s future in question, he needs to give this team a boost down the stretch. But is he willing to sacrifice the future for the present?